Here are links to reviews Alan has written recently about new gear, with most products featured in The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide in the chapters indicated. Do check the review site AstroGearToday for more test reports, by Alan, and by other reviewers such as AstronoMolly, Jamie Carter, David Dickinson, Lee Pullen and Ed Ting.
Binoculars (Chapter 5)
A test of the Nikon 10×42 P7 binoculars for astronomy. At AstroGearToday.com.
Testing the Oberwerk 10×50 Deluxe binoculars, a classic marine-style Porro prism model. At AstroGearToday.com.
My survey of 50mm binoculars (the best size overall for hand-held astronomy use) in the August 2021 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. Not available on-line.
A review of the new Celestron Ultima 10×50 Porro-prism binoculars (mentioned in Chapter 5) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Athlon Midas G2 10×50 roof-prism binoculars (shown in Chapter 5) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the premium Maven B4 10×56 binoculars (shown in Chapter 5) on AstroGearToday.com.
Great high-end binoculars sold direct from MavenBuilt.com.
Telescopes (Chapter 7)
A review of the Celestron StarSense 8-inch Dobsonian reflector, with the StarSense camera system and app. At AstroGearToday.com.
Testing the entry-level SkyScanner 102 tabletop Dobsonian from Orion Telescopes. At AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the excellent Sky-Watcher FlexTube 8-inch Dobsonian telescope at AstroGearToday.
A review of the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX102mm entry-level refractor with app-aided pointing (shown in Chapter 7) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Sharpstar 76mm EDPH apo refractor for visual and photo use (shown in Chapters 7 and 17) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Sharpstar 140mm PH apo refractor for visual and photo use on AstroGearToday.com.
Accessories (Chapter 9)
A test of the Astronomics/AstroTech economy line of PF eyepieces. At AstroGearToday.com.
A test of the Astronomics/AstroTech premium but affordable 100° XWA 20mm eyepiece. At AstroGearToday.com.
A comparison test of wide-field 24mm eyepieces for 1.25-inch focusers, from Celestron, Explore Scientific and TeleVue. At AstroGearToday.
Reviewing the book series Annals of the Deep Sky, originally published by Willmann-Bell bit now available from AAS/SkyPublishing. At AstroGearToday.com.
A review of custom-built Wood Wonders eyepiece and accessory case (shown in Chapter 9) on AstroGearToday.com.
Star Trackers (Chapter 17)
A review of the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini tracker (shown in Chapter 17) on AstroGearToday.
A review of the Sky-Watcher WiFi-enabled Star Adventurer 2i tracker (shown in Chapter 17) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the popular iOptron Sky Guider Pro tracker (shown in Chapter 17) on AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Omegon Mini Track mechanical wind-up tracker (shown in Chapter 17) in the May 2019 Sky & Telescope magazine. In print and digital issue only.
Alan’s test in 2019 of the popular low-cost Move-Shoot-Move MSM tracker and time-lapse motion controller (shown in Chapter 17), is on his blog at AmazingSky.net.
A review of a more recent MSM model and accessories appears in the December 2021 Sky & Telescope magazine.
Telescope Mounts (Chapters 7 and 17)
A test of the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi portable GoTo mount and tracker. At AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 entry-level GoTo mount (shown in Chapter 17) on AstroGearToday.com.
It’s a fine small mount to get started in deep sky imaging with a small telescope.
Autoguiders (Chapter 17)
A review of the ASIAir Mini astrophoto computer and autoguider for camera and mount control, published at AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the Lacerta MGEN-3 stand-alone autoguider (shown in Chapter 17) published at AstroGearToday.com.
Astrographs — Refractors and Reflectors (Chapter 17)
A test of the Starfield Optics Géar90 apochromatic refractor for visual and imaging use. At AstroGearToday.com.
A review of the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph (shown in Chapter 17) in the March 2021 Sky & Telescope magazine. In print and digital issue only.
A review of the SharpStar HNT150 Hyperbolic Newtonian astrograph (shown in Chapter 17) in the September 2020 Sky & Telescope magazine. In print and digital issue only.
Cameras, Filters & Software for Astrophotography (Chapter 17)
A test of a Canon EOS R camera modified by AstroGear.net, with a comparison to the factory-modified but now discontinued Canon Ra. At AstroGearToday.com.
A thorough testing of the stock Canon R5 mirrorless camera for astrophotography at Alan’s blog site. A shorter reviews is here at AstroGearToday.
A thorough testing of the stock Canon R6 mirrorless camera for astrophotography at Alan’s blog site. A shorter review is here at AstroGearToday.
A test of the Optolong L-eNhance and L-eXtreme filters vs. the IDAS Nebula Booster NB1 and NBZ filters, all dual narrowband models for one-shot color cameras and modified DSLRs and DLSMs. At AstroGearToday.
Comparing several broadband light pollution reduction filters for nightscape and wide-field tracker photography. At AstroGearToday.com.
A comparison review of several soft-focus diffusion filters for adding photogenic glows to stars in nightscape and constellation images. At AstroGearToday.
Testing the Astronomik clip-in Hydrogen-Alpha filter, 12nm bandpass version, for Canon EOS R cameras. At AstroGearToday.com.
A comparison test of noise reduction software, many AI-based, for the purposes of astrophotography. At AstroGearToday.com. An even more detailed version is here at Alan’s blog site.
A comparison of raw developer programs for the purposes of nightscape photography, comparing several programs against Adobe Camera Raw. At AstroGearToday.com. An even more detailed version is here at Alan’s blog site.
Testing the StarXTerminator plug-in from RC-Astro. At AstroGearToday.com.
Lenses for Astrophotography (Chapter 17)
A guide to choosing the best lenses for nightscape shooting, in the January 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. Not available on-line.
Testing the Laowa 15mm f/2 lens for mirrorless cameras, in this case for the Canon RF mount. At AstroGearToday.com.
Comparing a “holy trinity” of three Canon RF zoom lenses for astrophotography. At Alan’s blog site.
Alan’s test of the Rokinon SP and Sigma Art 14mm lenses for nightscape and tracker photography, on his blog site at AmazingSky.net.
Polar Alignment Aids (Appendix)
A review of the QHY Polemaster polar alignment camera (shown in the Appendix) in the July 2018 Sky & Telescope magazine. In print and digital issue only.