Antlia LRGB versus Chroma LRGB: is the price difference worth it? - Forums

Antlia lrgb vs chroma lrgb is chroma worth it?

I use the Antlia Dark Series and they are really good. Overlapping RGB channels without a light pollution gap. No halos or other issues.

I can't think of a reason of what the chromas could do better than my Antlias which would justify a switch.

I love my Chromas - yes, they are expensive, but I've seen exactly zero haloes with them.
I've no experience with, or opinion about Antlia - and although some users say they are happy with them, until someone posts a direct comparison, it's all just opinions based on each individual's usage.
That being said, I also appreciate Chroma's willingness to give back to the community through competition sponsorship.

CS
Andy

Many people who own Antlias are happy with Antlias.

Everyone that owns Chromas is happy with Chromas - once they get over the price.

Go look at cloudy nights I know someone did a test on these. Chroma did a good bit better. You can see the difference. Is that worth the extra cash? Up to you.

Forget what I said that’s about sho filters I’m so stupid

RandoIGN · Mar 19, 2026, 01:35 PM
Go look at cloudy nights I know someone did a test on these. Chroma did a good bit better. You can see the difference. Is that worth the extra cash? Up to you.

Just be sure to read all the way to the end of that thread, as the apparent difference shrank with further analysis. The Chromas did seem to have slightly higher transmission, but the difference was small.

FWIW, I use two remote systems, both with 6200 sensors on 5-6” refractors. One has Antlia Dark 2.5 nm filters and the other has 3 nm Chromas. I see no noticeable difference between them, and I’ve never seen any halos with the Antlias. There is likely a small difference in transmission if you do a head-to-head, but for me, the cost difference is not justified. You can look through my images since last fall for examples using both the Antlias and Chromas.

I own both Antlia and Chroma and see no noticeable difference between the two.

I have Antlia and Chroma narrowband filters, and have done a fair amount of testing. Results varied depending on what I shot, but the comparison between the Antlia 4.5nm and Chroma 5nm showed the biggest difference of any of them. These are single 180 sec exposure. The Chroma is slightly better, but it’s really close.

📷 IMG_0374.jpeg📷 IMG_0377.jpeg

hi,everyone

I am very happy with my Chroma filters. antlia are good filters

Demand determines the price.

And as an old proverb goes: there are few things in this life that are both good and cheap at the same time; when in doubt, the most expensive option is generally the best.

I don't see a cheap CDK OTA; I don't see a cheap Ferrari; and I don't see a cheap Rolex. The rest is history.

Brian

Personally, I can’t justify the cost and I don’t honestly believe that any differences there may be are going to be anything but very subtle. You could probably gain as much by cleaning your optics. Then again, I never thought I’d spring for Pixel Insight. I guess, like all things, super expensive doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes it does but sometimes it’s just extra glitz and perceived status. The hard part is figuring out which…

Having used Chroma and Antlia (and Astronomik previously), I would say that for LRGB at least there really is no difference between Chroma and Antlia. I wish Antlia made the Dark versions in the filter sizes that I care about (50×50mm and 65×65mm), because I think they actually would be better than Chroma given full band overlap.

For narrowband, the difference again is extremely subtle at matching band-pass (e.g. 3 nm). However the reason I use Chroma here is that I like having 5nm bandpass for galaxies vs 3nm, and Antlia doesn’t make one in 50×50mm. And the other thing I enjoy about Chroma filters are the “no questions asked replacement policy”. For these two reasons, all my current systems use Chroma.

However I would seriously re-consider using Chroma in the future given the price delta. I would much rather put that delta towards something else.

RandoIGN · Mar 19, 2026, 01:39 PM
Forget what I said that’s about sho filters I’m so stupid

No, you’re not. Just mistaken. Welcome to the Human Race. 😉

I have an Antila Quad Light Pollution filter and really like what it does for me. Chroma is too rich for my pocketbook. I have assorted other brands (Baader), but not in use on any basis, anymore.

Well that helped me clarify also for me. But in a scenario that you need to choose between the Antlia's Dark Series and the Antlia's V Series LRGB (I mean LRGB only and in the case of the Dark Series the LR+RGB), in the yellows the difference between the Dark Series and the V Series are that noticeble? I ask because I'm planning to do the jump in one of those sets this Summer for 36mm, but specially the Dark Series of Antlia are expensive as hell here in Europe.

Clear Skies to everyone because here is raining as usuall..

Cesar

Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão · Mar 21, 2026, 02:11 AM
Well that helped me clarify also for me. But in a scenario that you need to choose between the Antlia's Dark Series and the Antlia's V Series LRGB (I mean LRGB only and in the case of the Dark Series the LR+RGB), in the yellows the difference between the Dark Series and the V Series are that noticeble? I ask because I'm planning to do the jump in one of those sets this Summer for 36mm, but specially the Dark Series of Antlia are expensive as hell here in Europe.

Clear Skies to everyone because here is raining as usuall..

Cesar

Well, there’s a lot of energy down in the near IR beyond 700nm that traditional R filters miss. If your camera has good sensitivity down there and if your optics are up to it, it could certainly be worthwhile.

For broadband filters, the quality difference is generally minimal compared to the price difference.

For narrowband filters, the quality difference surely reflects the price difference.

I had the same question, and there were no available Antlia LRGB for a long time and decided to get ZWO LRGB and Antlia NB. Zero regrets. At one point, I got curious and compared my results to those of others at the observatory with a similar setup, and there was no visible difference at all. If I had the money, I’d buy the Chroma, though. At the highest level, even a minor difference can sometimes play a major role. For most, it is not important at all.

I use both Chroma and Antlia LRGB filters.

I see no noticeable difference between the two.

However, there is a difference between narrowband filters, even though Antlias 3nm pro filters are getting better and better.

I would also consider what system you are putting your filters into: a faster telescope is going to be less forgiving of the optical quality of the filters.