IDAS NBZ-II
Captures faint nebular emissions buried in urban light pollution and moonlight with breathtaking contrast.
Next-generation dual-band filter engineered for everything from ultra-fast F2 astrographs to standard telescopes.
Fully F2-Compatible Next-Generation Dual-Band Nebula Booster
The IDAS NBZ-II is the next-generation evolution of the globally acclaimed NBZ dual-narrowband filter. It steeply transmits the two primary nebular emission lines — OIII (500.7nm / FWHM 8.0nm) and Hα (656.3nm / FWHM 9.5nm) — at an ultra-high peak transmittance exceeding 95%.
By thoroughly blocking urban mercury/sodium vapor lamps, white LED streetlights, moonlight, and natural airglow, NBZ-II enables modern one-shot color cooled CMOS and DSLR/mirrorless cameras to achieve narrowband-class nebula contrast in short exposures.
Even from bright suburban skies or under moonlight, NBZ-II suppresses background skyglow to reveal delicate emission nebulae with extraordinary clarity. Because all wavelengths outside Hα and OIII (including near-infrared) are completely blocked, the sky background remains pitch-dark even during extended exposures.
Optical Mechanism & Spectral Transmission Characteristics
* Drastic Suppression of Urban Skyglow (Optical Simulation Comparison)
Selectively blocks artificial light pollution from white LEDs, sodium/mercury vapor lamps, and natural airglow while isolating and passing only the vital OIII (500.7nm) and Hα (656.3nm) emission lines of emission nebulae, planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants.
* Light Pollution Suppression Comparison: No Filter (Left) vs. NBZ-II (Right). Dramatically suppresses skyglow to bring out fine nebular filaments. (*Simulated optical comparison for illustration purposes)
* Full Compatibility with F2 Ultra-Fast Optics (Steep-Cone Blueshift Tolerance)
In ultra-fast F2 optical systems such as the Celestron RASA 8 and Starizona HyperStar, light rays strike the filter at steep angles, causing conventional narrowband filters to suffer severe wavelength shift (blueshift) and transmission loss.
NBZ-II incorporates IDAS's proprietary pre-shifted optical design to reliably maintain over 80% transmittance even in steep F2 light cones, performing seamlessly from F2 astrographs to F16 long-focal-length telescopes.
* F2 Steep-Angle Blueshift Comparison: Conventional narrowband filter (Left: severe F2 drop-off) vs. NBZ-II (Right: maintains >80% transmittance at F2). (*Simulated optical comparison for illustration purposes)
* Anti-Halo Multi-Layer Design & Durable IAD Coating
Distracting circular reflection ghosts (halos) around bright stars have long plagued narrowband imaging. NBZ-II optimizes its multi-layer dielectric coatings on both substrate surfaces to thoroughly eliminate halos even when framing blazing stars like Alnitak next to the Flame and Horsehead Nebulae.
Deposited via dense Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD), the hard coating resists humidity, dew, and thermal aging without delamination or spectral drift.
* Bright-Star Halo Suppression Comparison: Thoroughly eliminates circular reflection halos around Alnitak near the Horsehead Nebula. (*Simulated optical comparison for illustration purposes)
* IDAS NBZ-II Official Spectral Transmittance Data (300nm – 1200nm)
* Official IDAS spectral transmittance curve (300nm–1200nm). Steeply passes OIII (500.7nm) and Hα (656.3nm) while blocking artificial light pollution and NIR.
NBZ-II Filter 3 Key Strengths
🔬 Individual Serial Spectral Data Lookup
Enter the serial number printed on your NBZ-II package seal or filter ring (e.g., B923) to view and download the actual spectrophotometer measurement data and F-ratio cone simulations recorded for your specific unit.
Specifications & Optical Characteristics
| Filter Type | F2-Compatible Dual-Narrowband Nebula Booster Filter |
|---|---|
| Primary Passbands | OIII (Center ~500.7nm) / H-alpha (Center ~656.3nm) |
| Bandwidth (FWHM) | OIII: 8.0nm (±0.4nm) / H-alpha: 9.5nm (±0.4nm) |
| Transmittance (F2 Tolerance) | >95% Peak Transmittance (Maintains >80% even in F2 ultra-fast systems) |
| Blocking Range | Mercury/Sodium vapor, white LED pollution, and Near-Infrared (NIR 700–1200nm) completely blocked |
| Substrate & Coating | 2.0mm Optically Polished Glass + Hard Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD) Anti-Halo Multi-Layer Coating |
| Available Mount Sizes | M48 (48ST2), M54 (M54 OL7.5), DZ (for ZWO Filter Drawer), DRT (for Canon EF-EOS R) |
| Manufacturing & QA | Made in Japan (ICAS Enterprises Co., Ltd. Optics Division), Individual Spectral Test Report Included |
NBZ-II Astrophotography Gallery (F1.9 Real-World Examples)
Photos by Shigemi Numazawa / Celestron HD1100 + HyperStar V4 (530mm F1.9 Ultra-Fast Optics, 60s sub-exposures)
Hands-On Video Review
In-depth hands-on review of the IDAS NBZ-II by renowned astrophotographer AstroBlender (Cody).
Demonstrates F2 HyperStar imaging results and halo-free performance around bright stars.
Choose Your Ideal Lineup by Equipment
IDAS NBZ-II offers dedicated mount options tailored to your imaging setup—from telescopes and ZWO filter drawers to Canon drop-in adapters and ultra-short optical path systems like Celestron RASA 8.
Choose the perfect model matching your equipment and shooting workflow.
NBZ-II 48ST2 (M48)
[Compatibility] Standard M48 P0.75 threaded mount for telescopes, reducers, and field flatteners.
NBZ-II DZ
[Compatibility] Dedicated ultra-low profile frame for ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen II).
NBZ-II DRT
[Compatibility] Dedicated drop-in filter for Canon Drop-In Filter Mount Adapter EF-EOS R.
NBZ-II M54 OL7.5
[Compatibility] Compatible with Celestron RASA 8 and large M54 P0.75 threaded systems. 47mm clear aperture prevents vignetting on full-frame CMOS.
💡 Purchasing & International Availability
IDAS optical filters are distributed worldwide through authorized astronomy specialty dealers in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Domestic customers inside Japan may also order via our domestic authorized dealer shop (BASE).