Does brand matter for LRGB filters?

I saw a post somewhere that Antlia SHO filters were good but their LRGB filters weren't? I have both and I am very happy with the 3nm SHO but wasn't sure if the LRGB filters were good or if I could do better, I know Chroma is the most expensive but are they really that much better than Antlia? I know Chroma is 3mm thick and Antila is 2mm thick but when it comes to getting a better result is it worth it to sell the LRGB Antlia to buy the LRGB Chroma and if that's the case why is the SHO from Antlia so good? would SHO from Chroma make my picture that much better? I know I asked a lot of questions lol but I would like to strive for perfection.

Are Chromas better? Yes–objectively. Is it worth the price? That's totally subjective. At some point in this hobby, you reach a point where improvements are incremental. But they add up across all the various things you can do to get better results. What worth an improvement has depends on how valuable small steps forward are to you, your resources, and your commitment. I used Antlias for a while and they were fine. But I have slightly less chromatic aberration and smaller halos (especially in B) on the same scope after switching to Chromas. The improvement is not huge, but it's noticeable.

Chroma also has top notch customer service. They exchanged an OIII filter for a warranty issue two years after purchase no questions asked. If you can afford them, buy them.

We removed all but Chroma filters from our shop due to halo related issues even in LRGB. If you want to completely avoid halo issues Chroma seems to be the only choice.

Myself, and most all of the folks I socialize with use Antlia. We've been using them for years. I currently own two sets, and I've even used them on a fast F/3 setup before, absolutely zero issues.

I have no doubt Chromas are better, but I haven't found a single reason to spend all that extra money. The Antlias have never let me down. I feel like the disclaimer about halos on all their product pages was a poor move on their part… You're welcome to skim through my gallery, all my personal data was taken with antlia filters, save for a few OSC images.

I have a Chroma set (LRGBHaSIIOIII) on my C11” EdgeHD that I bought years ago and an Antlia set for my WO 91 RedCat. The Antlia are surprisingly good. I decided not to buy another Chroma set for the small scope because the cost has skyrocketed and I did not deem it cost effective. I have tried other brands but the Antlia pro series is a great option.

I have used Antlia LRGB in the past, and my set had no issues with the scope I used at the time. They came used with a camera i bought from someone, but if i had to buy new i would think twice. The company's reluctance to provide a warranty on their filters for halo issues is a huge red flag, despite if their filters seem to be coming out halo free for most people. Why not provide a warranty if your product is now dependable?

Chroma, eye watering prices, but they are the best you can currently buy. The customer service has also been one of the best I've experienced.

When buying Chroma, you don't only buy a filter set but also customer satisfaction. Cheap brands might be a gamble in some cases, but generally ok. After not being able to find Antlia for months, I went with the ZWO LRGB. And to be honest, that was not what I wanted. Now I have been using ZWO for over half a year, and I absolutely had zero issues with them. I took images of large regions with the RedCat51 that include some of the brightest stars (check out my gallery, all ZWO). No issues at all. LRGB is forgiving, unlike NB.

for me Chroma and Astrodon are in another league.

there are very good brands outside ,but nothing compares with Chroma and astrodon

CS
Brian

Brian Diaz:
for me Chroma and Astrodon are in another league.

there are very good brands outside ,but nothing compares with Chroma and astrodon

CS
Brian

I don’t think the Astrodon of today is the same as the Astrodon of years past after that business was sold.

Arun H:
Brian Diaz:
for me Chroma and Astrodon are in another league.

there are very good brands outside ,but nothing compares with Chroma and astrodon

CS
Brian

I don’t think the Astrodon of today is the same as the Astrodon of years past after that business was sold.

yeah , maybe we have to test it again , we need new reviews
Brian

I have now two sets of Antlia LRGB-filters. I have also had Baader LRGB filters which is considered one of the best budget set. But Antlia beats 10-0 Baader without any issues unlike Baader has. Maybe Chroma and Astrodon are even better choices if you had money for these, but I think that Antlia is much closer these high-end filters than the other budget filters.

Brian Diaz:
yeah , maybe we have to test it again , we need new reviews
Brian

We do. But they are also harder to get. The whole sale thing just seemed to make customer service and availability go down hill badly. When Don owned it that was never an issue. Maybe that was because I know Don but I suspect he was just better.

Of my four cameras three use Astrodons and one uses Astronomiks and I will probably upgrade the fast Astronomiks to fast Chromas this spring.

I have not run any head to head tests of LRGB filters from Antlia / Chroma or other brands. If there is a difference, it will likely be minor and given the fact that you have full control on your post processing work flow for monochrome, even if there is some bloat it can be adjusted. It is far more likely your problem will originate from the OTA / Imaging train than the LRGB filters. Narrowband is a completely different story. The difference between Chroma and Antlia in that regard is noticeable even in as little as one hour of integration time. FWIW I did not see any halos in the Antlia filters I tested.

Like others said, the biggest advantage to Chromas is customer service. I have had first hand experience with that. I had a bad Ha 5nm 50mm round filter that had very noticeable halos on even moderately bright stars. Emailed Chroma, they immediately sent me a new Ha filter without even waiting for me to ship the old one, no questions asked. So it is a 10/10 from me.

I had an issue with a year-old Antlia Pro R filter. The customer experience and communications were excellent. I've never used Chroma so can't compare them, but going with Antlia isn't a big risk from the support perspective.

I just started imaging with a mono setup, using optolong LRGB-SHO filters. Unfortunately, I had only limited imaging time so far due to bad weather. But so far so good, my filters survived Alnitak and the Horsehead.
https://www.astrobin.com/ynjw2a/E/

I also have a nice M33 : https://www.astrobin.com/xf9m9t/

Clear skies,

A lot of people appear to use the antlia. Lots of optolong too on Astrobin. You can use the explore tool and filter by filters to make up you mind.

CS, Patrice

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