u/Inverse_Seal — reddlx

Hello all

Maybe a bit of history. A few years ago (2020) I got my first telescope. I got Sky-Watcher Dobson 12" Flex Tube Go-To. I had thought Go-To would be much easier to use (research failure - I see it's mentioned in the sticky on this board) and as such I've used it mostly for lunar observations.

Now it's 2026 and I just got a Seestar S30 Pro. It's insanely easy to use. And having played with it I started to think what I could achieve with my huge scope if I could set it up as easily.

I have found that there is a Celestron StarSense AutoAlign for SkyWatchers. Does it work? Would I be able to use it so the GoTo system aligns itself? Would I only need to align the telescope with the StarSense? Or getting it would be another mistake?

Hello

I have Canon RF800 F11. I got JJC lens hood for it and Marumi Super DHG Lens Protect filter.

It seems I can only put on the filter or the hood - not both at the same time. Am I doing something wrong? I already got similar pairings for RF100-400 and RF-S 18-150 and I can easily put on both the filter (from the same Marumi series) and an appropriate JJC hood. I keep the filters on all the time. I'm pretty clumsy, so I feel better with the protection filters - I only use them for proection, no UV, or anything like that.

So, has anyone managed to put both a filter and a lens hood together for this lens, or is it impossible? Perhaps there are other lens filter that pair more easily with the hood?

If that's not possible, is it better to use the hood or the filter for protection assuming I will take the lens to the beach (so strong wind with sand grains is possible)? I guess I should prefer the filter in that case, so at worst it gets scratched by sand?