H-alpha: This filter is suitable for photographing hydrogen nebulae from areas with light pollution, but also from places with dark skies. The contrasts between objects that glow in H-alpha light and the sky background are greatly enhanced.
Astronomik XT filters for wide-angle lenses: The new Astronomik XT filters have been specially developed for astrophotography with wide-angle lenses and deliver sharp star images right into the corners of the image.
Astronomik clip-on filters have been a popular and well-known accessory for astrophotographers around the world for many years. However, when using lenses with very short focal lengths for wide-angle photography, standard clip-on filters can cause aberrations, and the stars in the outermost corners of the image become streaked. To solve this problem, the new Astronomik XT filters are mounted on an extremely thin substrate with a thickness of only 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm, which significantly reduces these aberrations.
Despite their reduced thickness, Astronomik XT filters offer the highest optical quality: they are finely polished, free of streaks, internal stresses and bubbles, and suitable for the most demanding applications.
Astronomik XT filters are manufactured using the same durable coating technology as all Astronomik filters. They are extremely scratch-resistant, insensitive to high humidity and non-ageing. This ensures that they maintain their performance for years to come.
Please note that not all Astronomik filters are available as XT versions, as the manufacture of these extremely thin filters is very complex. Currently, filters are being produced that are ideal for photography with wide-angle lenses.
Difference between 4nm, 6nm and 12nm filters:
- The 4nm and 6nm narrowband emission line filters are ideal for imaging faint objects in star-rich regions of the Milky Way. They are also recommended if you are using a camera with very low dark current or if you are conducting observations from a location with extreme light pollution.
- The 12nm narrowband emission line filters are designed for use with typical DSLR cameras with CMOS sensors and CCD cameras with normal or high dark current. They are also the preferred choice for cameras with integrated tracking sensors, as they show more guide stars.
In areas with low light pollution, the background signal in the images is usually limited by the dark current of the sensor rather than light pollution. Therefore, further suppression of the sky background by reducing the half-width does not reveal any more details of the object.
Difference between Astronomik MFR and MaxFR coatings (anti-reflective coating)
Both Astronomik MFR and MaxFR coatings offer the best possible blocking across the entire spectral range from UV to IR, extremely high contrast, minimal stray light, no halos and razor-sharp stars.
- 12nm MFR-coated filters can be used in all instruments with aperture ratios from f/3 to f/∞ without any significant loss of performance.
- 6nm MFR-coated filters can be used in all instruments with aperture ratios from f/4 to f/∞ without any significant loss of performance.
- 4nm MFR-coated filters can be used in all instruments with aperture ratios from f/4.5 to f/15 without any significant loss of performance.
The MaxFR coating is designed to work particularly well with very fast optics:
- For 12nm filters with MaxFR coating, this means unrestricted usability from f/1.7 to f/6 and approximately 85% of maximum transmission at f/1.4.
- For 6nm filters with MaxFR coating, this means unrestricted usability from f/2.2 to f/6 and approximately 90% of maximum transmission at f/2.
- 4nm Filter with MaxFR coating are currently in development.
- Filters for even faster optics are available on request.
A bit of help with your selection:
- As a first filter, we recommend the Astronomik CLS filter. This filter suppresses artificial light pollution and natural airglow. By using this filter you get a dark-sky background and can therefore use much longer exposure times to make fainter objects visible. The filter is optimised in such a way that objects are reproduced in their natural colours. Important: the simple CLS filter has no built-in IR-blocking. Therefore you will need the CLS-CCD filter for an astro-modified camera!
- A good choice for working in locations with really heavy light pollution is the Astronomik UHC filter. The transmission curve of this filter only allows the light of the H-beta, OIII, H-alpha and SII lines to pass through. The background suppression is significantly stronger than with the CLS, however this filter works only for gas nebulae! Star clusters and galaxies are largely filtered out.
- For a more in-depth introduction to astrophotography, we recommend the OIII, H-alpha and SII emission lines filters, available with full width at half maximum of 6nm or 12nm. With these filters you can create detailed images of faint objects even from locations with extreme light pollution and a full Moon high above in the sky. Images in these narrow emission lines are not naturally coloured.
- For the owners of astro-modified cameras we offer the Astronomik OWB filter: OWB stands for "original white balance". The filter corrects the displaced colour reproduction of a converted camera so that it can also be used for normal every-day photography, without having to revise every image on the computer.
Model compatibility:
- Canon EOS-1D (all variants): No
- Canon EOS 5D (all variants): No
- Canon EOS 7D: Yes
- Canon EOS 7D Mark II: Yes
- Canon EOS 20D: Yes
- Canon EOS 20Da: Yes
- Canon EOS 30D: Yes
- Canon EOS 40D: Yes
- Canon EOS 50D: Yes
- Canon EOS 60D: Yes
- Canon EOS 60Da: Yes
- Canon EOS 70D: Yes
- Canon EOS 77D: Yes
- Canon EOS 80D: Yes
- Canon EOS 90D: Yes
- Canon EOS 100D / Rebel SL1 / Kiss X7: Yes
- Canon EOS 200D / Rebel SL2 / Kiss X9: Yes
- Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 / Kiss X10: Yes
- Canon EOS 300D / Digital Rebel / Kiss Digital: Yes
- Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT / Kiss Digital N: Yes
- Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi / Kiss Digital X: Yes
- Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi / Kiss X2: Yes
- Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i / Kiss X3: Yes
- Canon EOS 550D / Digital Rebel T2i / Kiss X4: Yes
- Canon EOS 600D / Digital Rebel T3i / Kiss X5: Yes
- Canon EOS 650D / Digital Rebel T4i / Kiss X6i: Yes
- Canon EOS 700D / Digital Rebel T5i / Kiss X7i: Yes
- Canon EOS 750D / Rebel T6i / Kiss X8i: Yes
- Canon EOS 760D / Rebel T6s / 8000D: Yes
- Canon EOS 800D / Rebel T7i / Kiss X9i: Yes
- Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i / Kiss X10i: Yes
- Canon EOS 1000D / Digital Rebel XS / Kiss F: Yes
- Canon EOS 1100D / Rebel T3 / Kiss X50: Yes
- Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 / Kiss X70: Yes
- Canon EOS 1300D / Rebel T6 / Kiss X80: Yes
- Canon EOS 1500D / 2000D / Rebel T7 / Kiss X90: Yes
- Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 / 3000D: Yes
- Canon cameras released before 2003: No
Astronomik EOS APS-C clip filters fit the original Canon EF to EF-M bayonet adapter and can be used with all versions of the Canon EOS M camera.