OR... instead of setting everything back or reinstalling you could hit the "F" key to toggle you in and out of full screen which would give you back your title bar with the 3 icons.

A couple of further points.

1. I carry the Tamron 150-600 on the chest BUT I connect to the lens mount and not the camera body so I don't have the weight of the lens reefing on the camera mount. This also moves the lens front up higher so the leg doesn't hit it as much and I also flip the hood to cover the lens and not as a hood while hiking.

2. I also use the universal quick mount plate by CC so no fiddling when I want to use it on a tripod. (remember to disconnect the safety before swinging the rig to the tripod, yep, trial and error )

3. Using the CC wrist strap is also advisable for extra security.

4. Adjusting the chest mount is not a one time exercise. Adjust, head out, re-adjust,head out and repeat till it all comes together.

I'm running the latest CC and use the free NIK collection with no problem. Running PC with i5 and 8Gb and it works just fine.

I have had one for years and love it...BUT you will quickly realize that when trudging "down" a relatively steep track the camera on your chest obscures the path where your foot will fall and it becomes a little nerve tingly especially when gravity forces you to step lively. On the other hand I have no intention of giving mine up while i can still walk. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Have fun with it.

Hi folks, I am considering having one of my cameras modified for astro but am somewhat stuck on exactly which option to use. Lifepixel offers a full spectrum and an H-alpha option. I asked them if it would be better to get the full spectrum and use the clip in filters. Here is their response;

"Our H-alpha conversion passes at almost 100% between 400-700nm so you can technically use the clip in filters you mentioned with this conversion or full spectrum as Sulfur II, Oxygen III, and H-alpha all fall within this range."

I do understand that with a full spectrum I can capture the full spectrum range or filter for specific wave lengths but is this a practical approach vs. the limiting H-alpha mod? Primary use would be astro.

My question(s) is if their H-alpha conversion covers all the spectrum range then why do they make Sulfur II, Oxygen III, and H-alpha filters? Is there a best practice for this spectrum separating? If I choose their H-alpha conversion is there a downside? Upside? (besides saving $$ on filters)

Alas, after much number crunching and various scenarios I have decided that in the long run I am better suited to saving my pennies and getting the HyperStar system. This will solve so many problems from back mounting of a camera and eliminate the need for the wedge and guide system. Until such time I will focus (pun intended) on planetary, lunar and solar photography. Again, thanks for all your comments and suggestions. Clear skies to all.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I will wait till the sales come back as I am in no rush. I am currently using a Canon ipf8400 (44") for my printing needs but having a smaller printer would be nice.

I believe the Pro 100 was once upon a time being sold at B&H with a free paper pack for $499 with a $250.00 rebate. I see that today the printer alone is $499 with a $150 rebate. Or you can add the paper pack for an extra $50 ($548) and still only get a $150 rebate. In other words no discount for the paper.

Is the $499 printer and free paper with $250 rebate a recurring sale or have I missed out? Not in any rush so can wait if it comes around again.

Not interested in HP, Epson or any other printer as I have 2 full batches of Canon ink for the Pro 100.

Funny, I had a similar problem a couple days ago but I don't have a Wacom tablet. I would move the wireless mouse from A to B and programs would open, right click menus would appear and a host of other weirdness was happening. If I didn't move the mouse all was fine but useless to operate the computer. Looking for the simplest fix, I turned the mouse off and back on and "voila" everything worked just fine. No idea what caused it but glad it's fixed.

Did you make your purchase payment using PayPal? They offer a money back feature that does not rely on the sellers word. I have used this a couple times over the years without any problem. I should mention (sheepishly) that after being burned for $1400 using a cashiers cheque (or check for those in the US), I opened a PayPal account for both buying and selling. The biggest problem after that was on occasion it took a couple extra days for payments to hit my bank. Other than having an account I have no affiliation with either PayPal or E-Bay.

But as you say, caveat emptor is the buyers best motto. That was not E-Bays fault.

Some interesting tidbits here and I do appreciate them, but am still at a loss for which direction to go. One point alluded that a guider would not be a good idea on an Alt/Az. For those in the know, is this a correct assumption? If that is correct then the wedge would have to move up the list.

That still leaves the question as to OAG or GS? Assuming the wedge is in play on the SCT what option would you choose. I know this is not the perfect unit for photography but it is incredibly sharp and a great tool for learning.

I wish to photograph planets, solar, lunar and DSO's but not necessarily tonight.

Now I did state in the original post that the wedge ($500 CAD) was out of my wallets scope at this time and it was suggested that I should invest in a $1300.00 camera. I really wish people would the post and not do a simple skim, cherry picking points that suit their experience. However, I did appreciate their other comments.

On a Celestron Nexstar GPS 8 with Starsense Autoalign, Alt/Az mount...

Pro Wedge is on the want menu but not on my wallet menu, for now.

I have a choice of ZWO Mini Guide Scope and ZWO ASI 120mm Mini camera OR an Off Axis Guider using my existing NexImage5 or the aforementioned ASI 120mm Mini. If I were to use the NexImage5 then I would not have a CCD camera and have to use my dslr, un-modded at this point. So the ASI Mini is probably on the menu.

So, which is the better system; GS or OAG?

Try http://www.freeshuttercount.com/ which is only free if your actuation count is under 1,000 but at $7 USD it is manageable and reads my old 50D nicely. Curiously, the web site only shows up to the Mk3 but I have put in a query and will let you know what they say. In the meantime you could try the free version and see if it registers a count xx357 where the xx is above the 1,000 mark.

I also know Dean but not near as long as you. He is an excellent source for many things. I currently have a dslr (2") and a NexImage5 (1.25") for imaging. I am looking for a way to increase exposure times to acquire DSO's and it looks like the guide camera and scope would allow me up to 60 seconds. Maybe a few more seconds with a wedge but not enough to justify the cost. I am at the beginning stage of this hobby and am well aware of the idea to spend the $$ for what you need instead of buying cheap then spending more and more. So I am looking to get quality items, learn well, then upgrade. The guide scope/camera would give me many years of service and eventually add the HyperStar system. At least that's the plan for right now.

Somewhere in the future mix is a dslr camera mod and filter system but I currently do have a 1.25 filter wheel with simple colored filters and just got a 2" moon glow filter. The moon glow does help with reducing the after glow and increases contrast a little. Anyway that is where we sit right now.

Thanks for your response, I do have an SCT and eventually will pull the plug on the Hyperstar. While I'm saving my pennies it was suggested to get the ZWO ASI120mm Mini along with ZWO Mini Guide Scope. But I wonder if I were to get that would I really need the wedge? Yes, I understand that the wedge would help but as I'm recently retired and on a fixed income I considered building my own but.....

Your thoughts?