Whether you’re imaging objects within the solar system or trying to capture the ethereal wisps of a distant emission nebula or galaxy you will get the best results from a monochrome camera than you will with an equivalent camera with built in colour capabilities.
Monochrome cameras are more light sensitive than their colour counterparts so many imagers are forced to use sets of filters to help them add colour to their final image.
Baaders RGB filter set includes an Infra red cut off filter and is an ideal candidate for the beginners filter collection at an affordable £90.
Each filter is designed to allow only a certain narrow band in the light spectrum through or in other words certain colours. The Baader filters are great for their price as each filter comes down precisely on each colour, the pass band is spot on for green, red and blue.
Then you have the infra red cut off which is especially useful when imaging with a large refractor and/or imaging objects low on the horizon (below around 30 degrees). Infra red light is invisible to the human eye but can be picked up photographically where it leeches into the other colour channels and makes them appear less sharp and precise.
Some of the more expensive filters have IR blocks built in which in an ideal world would be preferable as any excuse to reduce the amount of glass in an optical or photographic system is desirable (making for clearer more defined images). Bearing in mind that this is one of the cheaper filter sets available this is a small gripe that can be overlooked.
Each filter will fit in the majority of filter wheels and cameras but it may be worth contacting Baader prior to making a purchase just to be entirely sure.
Each filter is blackened to reduce unwanted stray light and are 1.25 inches in diameter so will need an adaptor to work in two inch draw tubes.
For an entry level filter set this Baader made kit performs very well indeed, okay you don’t have the high quality anti reflection coatings of the more expensive examples and the filters aren’t quite as tight but when you consider the context, these filters are less than half the cost of the more expensive filter kits out there.
Definitely recommended to anyone just getting started and wants to test the astrophotographical waters before committing to a bigger investment.
