This is a repeat attempt of M106 after i corrected the issue about "too much blue" in the ASI294MC images (needed to re-install ASI drivers)

Reasonably pleased with final result - managed to dial down the noise and sharpen the galaxy (TGVDenoise is a slightly wonderous thing on pixinsight).

First time seriously using the software N.I.N.A.

My initial thoughts are that although it is very well featured it lacks in some basic user friendliness that APT has.

APT is very good about telling you when it has finished doing things - N.I.N.A tends to hide this information in a popup info window that vanishes after a few seconds. So there have been several times where i have been sat waiting for Platesolving to finish only to find out that it finished 3 minutes ago and did not really tell me.

N.I.N.A.s auto focusing feature is very nice indeed and primarily why i wanted to try it as i find that my telescope focus drifts as the temperature drops. I am not sure i fully understand what HFR values indicate good. I understand FWHM values and wish it would report that instead of HFR - but maybe i will get used to it.

I have yet to be able to test the Auto meridian flip. But, again, this is a situation where APT rules the roost. The APT meridian flip is easy to find and you can tell when it is active (a nice flashing AMF on the imaging screen), NINA buries whether AMF is enabled or not in a configuration screen somewhere and does not give you any indication that it is currently active on your main imaging screen.

Nice features on the flat production - it has a "Slew to Zenith" which i like as i have a flat panel and this allows me to point to the sky with a single button press so i can balance my panel on the scope. Although i may stop using this as i came close to crashing my camera into the tripod leg

In summary: I think N.I.N.A. is close but not quite ready yet for me so i think i will go back to APT and revisit N.I.N.A. in 6 months to see how it is progressing