Zhumell Z8: First Light review

Zhumell Z8: FIRST LIGHT Review.

By HASEEB MODI


FIRST LIGHT ON A Z8.

( This is only a perspective from my own personal viewpoint and this review / writer is in no way affiliated or connected with Zhumell ).

To begin with, thanks to each and everyone of you who contributed towards all my questions.

Right, so my friend from U.S.A., came in today morning and carried with him a large long box.  Lugging around with this huge box itself is a severe test of friendship but my friend even went to the extent of sewing up a “leather case” for the Optical tube box using black finished leather.  A friend indeed.

The base material and accessories were in his suitcase as he had them opened up to carry it along more easily.  I got them in the evening, all bubble wrapped.

I did not know where to start but my children felt the best way would be to unzip the leather case and take a look inside.  What I saw made me skip a beat. The OTA was not only long, but the diameter blew me away.  Thoughts running in my mind were, “how in heaven’s am I going to carry this two flights of stairs without knocking something”?

But first, we needed to unpack each and every component and make a list of what was needed and what came as additional accessories.

Additional Accessories:

1.     Right Angle Correct Image finder scope.
2.    30mm 2” Plossl / 9mm 1.25” Plossl.
3.    Laser Collimator.
4.    Battery holder with wires connected for the rear fan.
5.    Two large bearings. ( Here I was a bit disappointed as earlier videos showed “silver bearings” whereas mine came with black knobs ).
6.    Moon filter.

Don’t want to go into details of the base assembly and what was needed as I am sure almost all of you would be aware.
The base assembly was not difficult and with the help of Zhumell’s website video, we were able to assemble without issues.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

As I inspected each and every piece, the only thoughts running through my mind were, “ how am I going to carry this two flights of stairs?” This worry turned into genuine concern after assembly, eyeing the huge OTA and the heavy base. ( For beginners like me, kindly note, unless you are in good shape and physique, this Z8 is going to be an issue if you don’t have an escalator or a backyard ).

However, the excitement of seeing something this big actually made my expectations soar. The build quality, material used was superb.
Collimation was a breeze and in fact, this particular piece survived the long haul from U.S. to India in extremely good shape.  Here I wish to once again add the care taken by my good American buddy.

I lifted the base assembly and though weighty, was manageable. The OTA, a little less weighty but cumbersome to hold was another affair, what with four steep turns to manuveur the long tube ( 4 ft.).

We couldn’t wait for dinner time. My children and wife were excited and so was I. At sharp 2130 hrs, with my wife’s help, sharing the burden of carrying the assembly while I carried the OTA, we set off on our first astronomic adventure. The skies were beckoning and we were keen.


FIRST LIGHT:

The terrace was empty and the skies clear. Not a hint of cloud though the “light bowl” effect of the city glow was evident. To make matters worse, a neighbor two blocks away decided to keep his outside tube light on for the night, directly below Orion.
I first set my sights on Sirius and then on Orion. I used the 30 mm Plossl. Sirius appeared to be “flat” with a black hole right in the middle and four paned.  Question: Is this something to tell me that my collimation was accurate? I remember reading somewhere if the collimation is “off”, Sirius would appear flowery.

The RACI ( Right Angle Correct Image ) is an excellent accompaniment though getting it to align with the eyepiece takes some doing.

The Orion Nebula appeared dim and not very bright. I started becoming a bit desperate. Was I doing something wrong? Then I loosened the bottom screw and voila! The Crayford focuser started to move up and down and the Stars changed from dim to diamonds.  From here on, I was halfway towards achieving Nirvana.  I changed the eyepiece to 9mm Plossl.

My children and wife took turns. Sirius was very bright with four sharp glitters of light streaking across from four points.  My wife was ecstatic. My children were okay. I was neutral.

Then we watched the Orion and with the knowledge of “focusing”, was able to see a nice graying cloud with four stars inside a bigger source of light. My children loved it.

My daughter wanted me to train the scope on some particular star which appeared to have hues of light. Accidentally, while trying to move down from Sirius, I hit upon a cluster of stars and immediately everyone started to gaze in awe. It was a terrific sight to behold.

My son all this time kept talking about Saturn and the time when it would hit the Zenith. There were two bright stars on my left and one more a little way more towards south east. We weren’t able to figure out which one was Saturn but in anycase, my first ideal was to get a good hold of this 8” Dob and seek out some more clarifications.
2300 hrs and we were still hunting for galaxies when we again hit upon a cluster of stars in a globular fashion which my son promptly told me was M45.  I thought this was the best time to turn my sight and try to see Saturn.

The bottom most yellow stars out of the three was a fake. The uppermost one was difficult to focus. I was tired and felt my family though happy with the sights, were definitely not jumping over the moon.   My daughter then took over and tried to focus on the middle yellowish object. She then asked me to look through the eyepiece.

Nirvana! Instant and pure nirvana. Money well spent and the advice from this forum golden. This image of what we saw will be etched in our memories forever. It was unbelievable and breathtaking. We were in awe and as if a home run was scored, in unison we started clapping.
Saturn was not only clear, it was crystal clear. We could see six moons at least and the rings were amazing. It had that two tone yellow / crimson colours and my wife remarked, “ we got our money’s worth” and that says it all on the capabilities of this wonderful 8 inch Dobsonian.

Haseeb Modi

APM 100ED SEMI APO REVIEW

By Haseeb Modi

Having owned three different types of scope systems, I always wondered about a Bino-scope or rather the views through one. Bino-scopes are no different from Binoculars except of course they are much larger in aperture, have the provision of Helical focusers to change eyepieces of different magnifications.  This makes an APM doublet a very high powered, magnifying instrument with wide field refractor like views.  In fact an APM can be termed as two doublets combined to form a single three dimensional image. 

The images of course are not really three dimensional but gives you an added depth, making objects appear almost 3D like and High definition for added effect.

These instruments do not come cheap. In fact they are expensive and only those fortunate enough to own them know the value of their money well spent.  I am fortunate in the sense I have a friend who owns probably enough scopes, mounts, eyepieces and accessories to open a mini telescope store.  He is the passionate astronomer and a kind one at that.  His favourite possession was the APM 100ED, at least till he offered me to take it at differed payment.  He of course is still passionate about binocular telescopes and in fact bought a new one, i.e., a Vixen BT-81S.

Back to the APM 100, here are the official specs:- 

SPECIFICATIONS:

Manufacturer: APM 
Model: 100 mm ED binocular
Magnification: 25x
Magnification: 50x
Objective Diameter: 100 mm 
Prism: BAK4 Prisms 
Optical Design: 2-element ED-semi apo
Coatings: FMC
Focal length: 500mm 
Exit Pupil diameter: at 25x: 4 mm
Exit Pupil diameter: at 50x: 2 mm
Field of view: at 25x: 2.9°
Field of view: at 50x: 1.47°
Dimensions: 510 x 230 x 133 mm 
Weight: 7200 gr.

The binocular is well crafted and the tubing seems perfectly smooth and aerodynamic in appearance, almost like two mini turbo jets.   Painted black with flecks of metallic dust.  The images may not do justice to both its looks and volume but this APM is huge for those who may not yet have experienced large telescopes or binoculars. The optics consists of 2-element ED with each fully multi- coated resides within the strong tubing.  According to APM,  each and every piece that comes out of the factory is checked, tested and then shipped, I would expect collimation to hold for the lifetime of the user. 

Now with such types of binocular scopes, Mounts plays a pivotal ( pardon the pun ) part. The Mount needs to be sturdy and the Tripod holding the Mount sturdier. The minimum payload for a mount head should be on par with 8 kgs or more with the Tripod’s payload being in excess of 12 kgs. You will then have a Mount capable of not only holding the APM 100ED but also reducing dampening times caused by sudden movements or vibrations or strong wind. 

The APM 100ED Semi-Apo comes shipped in an aluminium case with foam fitted inside with the APM nestled nicely in it. There are a couple of inserts for eyepieces which come as part of the package, i.e., 20mm and 10mm APM eyepieces.  These eyepieces are quite nice and adequate for sessions with your binocular scope. The 45 degree diagonal is a personal choice but serves for easier viewing while seated.  I am used to 90 degree diagonals so hopefully I get used to this as well.

The  Helical focusers are simple and work flawlessly. The eyepiece gets inserted and there is a knurled ring to lock them in place. You then turn the focuser in the same direction both ways to achieve focus.

Now having an APM 100 sitting next to you with clear skies above with three quarter Moon, Jupiter, Orion, Pleiades and a thousand other celestial objects in the night skies beckoning, it is all too easy to get carried away and go for a quick round. I tried this handheld and soon gave up, I knew it wasn’t possible but still.  A thought struck me. Why not utilize the focus rails on my Manfrotto 055XPROB? It just might work. It did albeit for a very short time.

After ensuring all the locks were tightened and the quick release plate firm, I took the APM for a second quick round. Feeling my excitement, my family joined me.

With the APM 100 pointed roughly 30 deg East towards the Moon and with the 20mm eyepiece, the Moon was incredibly detailed and seemed to ‘hang’ in space. I changed eyepieces to 10mm and this was even more detailed with the Moon well within the Field of view. The craters, riles all sprung up with a bit more clarity. Moreover, the moonlight was not hurting the eyes. My wife, daughter and son all took their turn and were equally astonished.

Next was Jupiter. The mighty planet was small but detailed with four of its moons shining away.  However in my case the view seemed to be that of two Jupiter’s but in the case of my family, they all felt nothing of the sort. I know there could be collimation issues at high magnifications ( in terms of binoculars, 50x is pretty high ) on brighter objects and perhaps this may have been the case with my eyes.  Anyway, I swung the mount towards NGC 869, the Double cluster and the beauty of both clusters within the field of view and like diamonds hanging in space will not be lost on you. I doubt if any one single telescope would afford such a view.  I then became a bit too overconfident and swung the mount towards the Zenith to view Pleiades.  This is where both the Tripod and Mount started to show their limitations and the jerky movements did not warrant I push them any further. However, I did manage with the help of my son and daughter to hold the APM 100 in place for a few jerky seconds and the Pleiades almost made me jump.  Globs of star light sprang up making me all the more eager to hold the APM without shaking. The view of seven sisters were in focus, of that I am sure but what surprised me was the nebulosity that was seen surrounding these stars. The whole scene was simply unreal and one has to see it to believe it. Far after we packed up and went to sleep, the blobs of star light were still bouncing in my eyes.

Now all that I need is a good solid Mount head and a Tripod.

Haseeb Modi.

Software for Image processing: ( Is it necessary? ).

Advancement in Camera technology means even those with Point & Shoot cameras or mobile cameras may find instant gratification by the images captured. You see a scene, press the shutter and get instant results. Some of these cameras also provide for in-camera post processing or "Filters".  Some DSLR's offer in-camera Raw processing as well. 

Now at some point, many of us would have asked ourselves the question:, Why do people spend on processing software like Photoshop or Paintshop or similiar? Its not as if our photos were going to win a Pulitzer or make for a wedding portfolio.  In short, unless consumers pay to get a copy of what we shoot, why bother with processing and why not just be content with the instant gratification we see on our little LCD screens?.

The answer may not be that simple even though there is nothing wrong in simply enjoying the benefits of digital photography without the hassle of processing.  So why then post processing software and even more bewildering, why pay for software which costs considerable amounts?

There are two types of software available for processing images:

      

1.    Free

2.       Not free

The first option is in the form of freeware, i.e., software that can be downloaded free of cost to process your pictures like GIMP for eg.  Even your normal Operating System comes pre-packaged with an image processing software like ‘Paint’.

The second option of Processing software can range anywhere from $25 to $1000 and more.  The competition is such, aside from the top two names in photo processing software, there are other coders who have established a good footing in the world of photography and sell software at reasonable prices.

While the options for processing software may comprise of two options, the category under which we photographers or hobbyists fall under is vast. To simplify, let’s assume these three categories:-

      

1.    Career photography / Professionals ( Purely DSLR high end users with dedicated lenses ).

2.       Hobbyists ( range from Point & shoot to DSLR users ).

3.       Simply because a camera or a mobile with an in-built camera is at hand.

Astro-photographers ( this is a specialized field therefore three categories as above )

While many have made photography their career, most of us are hobbyists and like to take pictures to cherish memories of our vacations, family get together,  children’s vocation, prize functions etc.,

The first category which involves shooting images for a living would definitely mean possessing multiple software and these are people who invest a handsome amount in acquiring various types of software to meet their requirements.  In fact some of them have made such a name for themselves, their photography techniques are often marketed by software brands.

We then have hobbyists who like to enhance their photographs through processing. They may find solace in freeware like Paint or Gimp or go a step further and invest in basic software like Photoshop Elements or Paintshop.

Astro-photographers definitely need at some point to invest in software even though the best astro stacking freeware continues to be Deep Sky Stacker.  For Planetary and Lunar, we have Autostakkert and Registax, perhaps the best two well known freeware brands for such types of imaging. VirtualDub is another freeware which comes handy.  But end of the day, even though DSS or Autostakkert are utilized initially, for stretching or performing delicate use of curves or levels and then try to balance the RGB output, you need software which can work with 16 bit files.  There are many plug-ins in this category alone which people buy and use and find most essential to bring out the subtle details of the fine dusty lanes of a galaxy or spiral arms or the banding on Jupiter or Saturn.

 

Here is an example which illustrates how a  "light frame" looks before and after processing:

As you can see, the details after stacking and stretching or post processing is immense.

 

Back to the topic, when does one feel the need for software?

It is difficult to say but I would safely assume, once we start acquiring images which we feel like sharing, that is when the need for enhancement kicks in. This sets a chain of events in motion.

The first obvious move would hint at Freeware.  Having utilized the Freeware to its fullest, the images simply do not resemble those you see on the internet or your friend’s.  Something is missing and perhaps the Freeware in question does not have all the bells and whistles that is needed to support your creativity?  Quite possible.  There are limitations and Freeware has limited capabilities or else why would anyone spend even $1 if the Freeware can provide for everything? 

Next step up the software chain is to make our first investment in a retail or downloadable version of Photoshop Elements or PaintshopPro or similar.  We then put our images to test against the software and find there is some truth in what the marketing hype suggests. 

The learning curve for certain software processing engines can be quite steep.  Fortunately, even the most limited of software that you pay for come in-built with ‘Presets’  or ‘Auto enhance’.  These presets or auto enhance features require just a click of the mouse button and your pictures are automatically enhanced.  If that does not suit your taste, you have sliders and adjustments which can be used manually.  To help understand further, books and tutorials can be found all over the internet and while the books aren’t free, the tutorials on the internet are.

By this time, what starts out as a simple point and click routine soon develops into a hobby of sorts, one in which your imagination gets migrated into a host of features and enhancements that complement your pictures.  You start getting creative and the next time you take pictures, your mind starts composing various scenes as much as you can allow your mind to imagine. Certain situations require quick decisions and you may not get a second chance.  Most of these hurriedly taken images may or may not come out well.  You back your software to recover or modify these image enough to gain some sort of respectability.  For instance, your image may have been underexposed or overexposed, both of which can be modified by your software.  Some freeware may allow for this but it would be limited.

Once you learn to use your software diligently and intelligently enough to achieve overall better results than what you originally set out to achieve, your investment is justified.  A step further and a bit more learning through various sites and tutorials, you soon yearn to take breathtaking shots to impress your family and friends. You want to amaze yourself with HDR rendered image as well as focus stacking, high key, low key and various other glossary associated with photography.

HDR rendering is simple enough and most of the camera's even have in-built HDR functionality. However even if they don't, you have options via your software.  Some will command that you take three different types of exposures by setting the EV compensation on your camera and then merge all three to create an HDR image.  There are a few well known plug-ins like 'Topaz Adjust' for example which even allow for a single image to be HDR rendered. This is great news for those who feel there is too much involved in taking three images of the same object and then combining them. Worse still you need to take those three images without your camera moving a millimetre.  Therefore imagine a single exposure which can culminate in a high definition render? 

An example of how a single exposure can be converted into HDR:

Masking or working with layers can get tedious for those not too processing savvy or have less time on their hands.  Again there are specialized plug-ins or standalones which can perform these tedious tasks with simple presets and by offering an extremely user friendly algorithm.    

Stitching a series of images is another area where software comes in handy. Especially for those who like to create panoramas or mosaics of the Moon.  While many camera brands provide for software to suit this purpose, you can find intuitve and easy to do freeware readily available like Microsoft's ICE.  Here is an example of the Moon by stitching together nine panels to create a mosaic. This was done with the help of virtualdub and then ICE.

There are many useful tutorials for free spread all over the internet and my favourite is cambridgeincolour.  Just search the one's you feel would compliment your style of shooting and try to follow the step by step procedure. Ensure you have adequate software to achieve what you set out to, at least try to get as close as possible and your images would not look so ordinary or reason for you to delete them often.  You will soon find a hobby which can be creatively fun let alone the accolades that will follow later on. 

I hope you find this little article useful. I by no means am affiliated to any software brands and the names mentioned are those that I own and use on a regular basis.   

Haseeb Modi.