Astronomical Telescopes : Guidelines in Buying

I agree that it is costly to buy pro-level astronomical scopes like Takahashi, APO, etc. But for the beginners, don't despair, there's a lot of entry level scopes (3"-4"). Just don't buy the "toy" scopes.

Some guidelines:

- Decide on what you want to see. There is rarely a scope that does it all. Decide whether you're interested in deep space objects (DSO - like nebulas, galaxies, clusters) or lunar and planetary.

- If you choose DSO, you need the best aperture you can afford/ carry and medium to low power only (20x-100x). If planetary, small apertures will do but you need high powers (100x-200x rarely this high) plus a very stable mount.

- Don't believe the "power" hype, like the 600x etc. Actually its not the power or magnification that's important, its the "Aperture" because for astro DSO use, the objects are faint and NOT small so you need to gather more light. Astro Telescope- definition: an instrument that gathers light.



- Power is limited by the "seeing" conditions at the time plus the amount of "light pollution". It is limited to 50x per inch of aperture. Therefore, for a 3" scope it is limited to 150x.

- Aperture determines light gathering power. The bigger the better, the only restriction is how much you're willing to spend and how heavy an instrument you're willing to lug around.

- Another factor is focal length... for DSO, a rich-field or short FL (400-600mm) will do but for planetary you need long FL (600-1000+mm). This is because FL determines power (power = FLobjective/EPfl)

I only have a 60mm(40mm clear aperture f/10) home made telescope (copy lens objective (400mm) plus binoculars eyepiece (20mm) and 20x mag ) but I have seen a lot of things from my backyard. My main interest is DSO. I have observed the great Orion Nebula, Pleides, Beehive Cluster, Lagoon Nebula, Hercules Cluster, and a lot of Messier's objects even with the moderate light pollution.

There is also the option of making your own telescope. You can buy an objective lens (surplus copier lens or buy a telescope objective online )and together with a binocular eyepiece and a PVC tube make a refractor. A reflector or Newtonian is also possible but I am not aware of local availability of parabolic mirrors. Making your own mirror is also possible btw.

Oh NEVER look at the sun with a telescope or binoculars without a sun filter. INSTANT BLINDNESS.

Ainol Novo 10 Hero : Best Ainol Tablet ... So Far

Ainol Novo10 Hero so far is the best release of Ainol... As in 0 known bugs and issues...

Very recommended... Although there's some sacrifice in specs if we compare it to Ainol Novo7 Flame...

#1 Stripped down Cameras.. 0.3MP Front / 2.0MP Rear without FLASH
#2. No more Light Sensor.
#3. No more build sturdiness. Leather-Case is a MUST.

But overall build quality is very impressive..


Novo10 Hero works very well.. no issues, no hiccups, no wi-fi problem, no overheating. Just plain beautiful. Whereas, Novo7 Fire (Flame) has to run with very strictly chosen firmware like Feiyu-10.31-QM/TM to run smoothly. However, some issues like popping sounds are still there but is now reduced. This is coming from my own hands-on experience of both..


It can handle graphics intensive games, so far. But it can get a bit hot (but again no overheating). Video watching is also great - no skipped frames so far. I've yet to test the HDMI so you guys might want to wait for feedback on that one.

I'm also using it as a torrent machine and pdf/comic book reader. I read a lot of med related books and it can get pretty pic intensive and I haven't encountered any problems yet. If you have time, go to the show room and tinker with it. I think I drove my friends crazy this past week just going to Apple and Samsung stores to pit the hero against the iPad, Tab and Note. So far, I'm happy with my purchase.



Finished installing essential apps and casual games and tested every function of the Tablet...

1. WiFi Works like charm... No disruption or low connectivity issues... Accelerometer & G-Sensor works too.
2. Battery definitely last longer after a full charge... No incorrect Battery Meter issue... No heating up while Charging.
3. Both of Cameras works fine... Just don't forget to carefully remove the plastic cover on Rear Cam...
4. Minimal to NO Backlight Bleeding and NO Dead Pixel... 10pt. TouchScreen Sensitivity is fluid smooth...
5. Stereo Speakers are incredible... Great Audio Clarity and Quality... Although the built-in MIC records a little bit low but decent enough quality...
6. Build Quality is awesome although some part produce usual creaking sounds but I guess They can bear with that...
7. Apps compatibility on JellyBean aren't in full scale yet... Twitter is not compatible...
8. Games compatibility on JellyBean are same on above, except for casual games...
9. It runs on Android JellyBean 4.1.1 with build date 2012-10-31... I did not update as it seems functioning well... I also found no way to root this Tablet except Upgrading to 2012-11-15 Firmware...
10. HDMI port, USB port, Earphone port, Charging port and Storage Expansion Slot works well too...

Overall, the Ainol Novo10 Hero Tablet is an AWESOME Tablet and definitely worth its price... 



Are you planning to buy Ainol Novo Tablets with Action-Semi ATM7029?

I don't intend to discredit Ainol for moving into QuadCore Cortex-A9 Tablet, but choosing Action-Semi ATM7029 will be a DISASTER.

Why?

#1. It has the worst DualCore Graphics Processing Unit or GPU called Vivante GC1000. This GPU performance has barely surpass a SingleCore Mali-400 GPU. Plus it is unknown to Game Devs. so don't expect compatibility as-well on Heavy 3D Games.

#2. Action-Semi chipset is really not so popular. Haven't seen any Smartphone or Tablet manufacturer using or planning to use their products except for Ainol. Software support is still unknown which is a huge threat to Firmware Devs. and maybe for Ainol Software Engineer as-well. Not only that, performance is also unknown.

So don't be fooled on what you see on paper. Research before you buy.


My most recommended Chipset for Tablets are:

#1. Nvidia Tegra 3 - some China MID brands are planning to build a Tablet using this chipset. It may not be cheap but surely it will be great).

#2. Samsung Exynos 4412 - there are already China MID brands like Ramos and FreeLander are offering Tablet with this chipset. Although the price are still $250.00 or more, but I guess it'll subside in due time.

#3. Allwinner A31 - this one is new and has few information except it has a stunning OctalCore SGX543 MP*8 GPU. Some China MID brands are already on their way building Tablet with this chipset like Onda and Ampe.

#4. RockChip RK3066 - this is well tested. Good Kernel Support, Great Mali-400 MP*4 GPU @ 266MHz, No Overheating issue and Power Efficient. It became very popular to Tablet.

#5. AMLogic 8726-M6 - although it has poor reputation under IceCreamSandwich 4.0 OS, it was a totally different chipset on JellyBean 4.1 OS. Its fine on my Bro.-in-Law's Ainol Novo10 Hero. It has Mali-400 MP*2 GPU @ 400MHz which is doing fine on Heavy 3D Games

#6. FreeScale I.MX6Q - it has a QuadCore Vivante GC2000, which is still not recommended for Gamers. Also, some feedback says it has poor Power Efficiency.

*credits to ivan_lee05 of TPC

Sony RX100 : Best Pocketable Camera

Branded as the best "pocketable" compact camera today.  Go with the RX100 if you will not expand your lens lineup. For the same price as an RX100, what do you think is the closest alternative? LX7? GX1? 

Obviously the NEX series and the E-PM2/E-PL5 plus the Lumix GX1 but these are interchangeable lens cameras. I think the advantage of these cameras being interchangeable lens will go to waste if the user will not expand the lens lineup, plus the kit will be bigger than the RX100.

Another competitor that is a non-interchangeable lens camera is the Canon G1X (not to be confused with the Lumix GX1) which sports a bigger sensor than the RX100. But the Canon G1X is not known for its quick AF speed.

The LX7 is a different camera, much cheaper than the RX100, but also a smaller sensor. It has a 24mm eq. lens at the wide end compared to the 28mm wide end of the RX100 and a faster aperture lens @ f/1.4-2.3 to somewhat lessen the IQ disadvantage of the smaller sensor.  

Between the RX100 and LX7. If you are to buy now with IQ and low-light as the deciding factor. Which one would you get? 

RX100. 

From Sony website:

Pros: best features ultracompact
Cons: color reproduction (not enough green-color)
- overall very good picture quality, and features ultracompact !!! like me :)
- no 720p/30fps mp4 video mode (6...9mbps, best mode, good quality, less space required)
- only iso3200 video sensitivity (specification)
- large sensor (20Mp, but, enough 10...12Mp)
- too high contrast (normal setting, can adjust)
- less green-color reproduction
- multi-shoot not so accurate with moving object (single-shoot more noise, but more detail)

Other set of Cons from another source:

Front control ring ideally needs sensitivity option adding in firmware update – sometimes needs too many turns
Feel of fly-by-wire manual focus, though reasonable, is not up there with Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses
No punch in focus assist in video mode (you have to use peaking instead)
No native 24p/25p in 1920×1080 (60p and especially 50p conform well to 24/25p in post – less ideally switch to the 1080i interlaced wrapper or low bitrate 1440×1080 25p MP4 mode)
Stills shot whilst recording video are upscaled 4MP frame grabs, not full 20MP quality
Stabiliser still lets handheld jitter creep into videos especially with objects that are close to the lens
Poor placement of HDMI port
Cannot assign peaking to a function button
Would have liked to have seen more isolation of settings between modes. Too many settings carry over to video mode, should be more independent (i.e., AF in PSAM, MF in Movie)
Fastest shutter speed of 1/2000 relative to 1/4000 on most other cameras, and no built in ND filter like G1X
Slightly wooly bokeh compared to a high end DSLR lens

......and yet another set of Pros and Cons:


Pros
large image sensor
compact and stylish body
solid construction

Cons
no hot shoe
questionable high resolution
expensive



Print quality results from imaging-resource


Though its official base ISO starts at 125, the Sony RX100's ISO 80 images looked good printed at 24 x 36 inches. Color was muted, particularly yellows and greens, as we also found in our MacBeth test target.

ISO 125 shots also looked quite good at 24 x 36, with excellent detail, but the muted color persisted.

ISO 200 images also looked very good at 24 x 36, if a little softer than ISO 125. Not enough to require a smaller print size.

ISO 400 images printed very nicely at 20 x 30 inches, with sharp detail.

ISO 800 shots were soft enough at 20 x 30 that we preferred the 16 x 20-inch prints, though we'd still call the 20 x 30-inch prints usable for most subjects. By ISO 800, the red leaf swatch appeared soft.

ISO 1,600 shots are usable at 16 x 20 inches, but look better at a still impressively large 13 x 19-inch size. The red leaf swatch was very soft at this point.

ISO 3,200 images look good at 13 x 19 inches, with the exception of the difficult red leaf swatch.

ISO 6,400 images are a bit soft for 11 x 14-inch prints, but look pretty good at 8 x 10.

Overall, the Sony RX100 stands out as a pocket camera that can produce good quality 24x36-inch prints from ISO 80 to 200, and even its highest ISO of 6,400 outputs a good quality 8x10. Impressive!


Reviews: 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/06/06/Sony-DSC-RX100-preview-with-sample-images

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-rx100/sony-rx100A.HTM

http://www.eoshd.com/content/8499/sony-rx100-review

http://www.squidoo.com/sony-rx100


Grip Accessory

 

Review:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/19/Sony-RX100-accessory-grip-from-Richard-Franeic



Rx100 shots care of makoy99

(Straight from cam jpg shots. Images were just resized and in camera built in filters were used.)

* Photo credits to makoy99 of TPC