I am a relative beginner and am trying to decide what brand of filters to buy. They will be for use with an Orion (UK) SPX 200 f/6 having a 1/10 PV wavefront mirror set, and Baader Hyperion eyepieces. Naturally, I don’t really want to compromise the quality of my telescope or eyepiece optics by buying inferior filters.I do sometimes use a Baader Neodymium + IR cut filter for improved contrast, but try not to use it if possible because of the above concerns.Clearly a Wratten #80A would be appropriate for Jovian observing.I would be grateful for any advice on the issue of which brand to buy, or whether to get gelatin sheets, and the effects of these on optical quality.Thanks in anticipation,Robin VannWarwickshire
No to gelatin sheets – thing of the past. As to the normal, glass 1.25 inch screw-in filters for visual use, all the major manufacturers seen to make pretty much equal quality. Celestron, Orion (US), Meade, Baader, all very similar in my opinion. For visual use you don’t need IR cut, it’s cameras that are sensitive to IR, not the eye.
Thanks David, I shall go ahead with a #80A from one of those.The only reason I’m using IR cut is that the Baader Neodymium Moon & Skyglow has IR cut. I find this filter very good for Moon glow, but also for helping eliminate sodium light pollution (which I have to the west, from Birmingham, which is about 25 miles away); the filter pretty much rejects 589-590nm. It is actually very effective. It also seems to darken the reddish areas on Jupiter, though I hope a #80A will be more effective in this regard.