chboss
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/24/08
Loc: Tokyo Japan
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: EricRemy]
#5451495 - 10/02/12 08:46 AM
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Remember that PHD will automatically stretch the histogram so a few "warm" pixels will be very visible but not a problem.
Use the automatic dark substraction feature in PHD and take it out under the stars, you will see these pixels will no longer be visible.
I can tell you that my venerable Meade DSI pro produces a dark image that looks like a night airplane approach over Tokyo. 
regards
Chris
|
orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/10/09
Loc: Singapore
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: chboss]
#5451909 - 10/02/12 12:56 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
really Chris? 
i have a meade DSI pro, quite old too.. but it doesn't have column defects like the above lodestar..!
then again it's just a friggin' guide camera.. if i were taking DSO images with it then i would care.
|
wolfman_4_ever
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/15/11
Loc: El Segundo, Ca, So. Cal
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: orlyandico]
#5452294 - 10/02/12 05:11 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
That's a stretched shot above. This is my 5 sec and 30 sec darks pulled in fits files from maxim to photoshop then saved as jpeg's. In Maxim, my darks look like yours because of the stretch Maxim does.
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: orlyandico]
#5452662 - 10/02/12 09:13 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
but it doesn't have column defects like the above lodestar..!
I wouldn't be worried too much about column defects if it (Lodestar) would guide properly. But I am not having much luck guiding with it using PHD. PHD couldn't guide and kept alarming (no error, just the usual audio output of star getting lost) on decent mid-range stars in this field. I made sure I wasn't guiding on too bright or too dim stars. Long story short, first real test of this camera has been a failure.
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: wolfman_4_ever]
#5452698 - 10/02/12 09:31 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
In Maxim, my darks look like yours because of the stretch Maxim does.
Thanks; results I had posted were stretched as well.
Here is an re-cap of this thread for everyone:
1. I use 1.5MP SSAG which guides fine and I happy with its performance.
2. I tried 3MP SSAG in an effort to be able to guide on dimmer stars but couldn't get PHD to work with 3MP SSAG, details above.
3. I am trying Lodestar Autoguider now, whose discussion is underway.
I am well versed in guiding from imaging perspective; I was hoping to get to a better guiding solution than good old 1.5MP SSAG but it is turning out to be a frustrating experience.
I had posted Lodestar question in AP forum as well, you may read about it here...
|
Raginar
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/19/10
Loc: Rapid CIty, SD
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: mmalik]
#5452806 - 10/02/12 10:45 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
You're using stars that are over-saturated. Reduce your exposure time. I had the same issue with my loadstar when I first got it; it's *too* sensitive.
Good luck,
|
Enny
newbie
Reged: 02/07/12
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: Raginar]
#5455161 - 10/04/12 02:05 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
I also have the StarShoot 3MP Planetary Imager & AutoGuider and try to use it for guiding with PHD. This camera is different to the Orion cameras listed in PHD.
It detects the camera when I use ASCOM in PHD but the picture/capture is too dark and I cannot get it brighter (I increased the gain in the ASCOM setup from 50% to 98%, no difference).
The camera actually seems to be an QHY5T. On their website they list an ASCOM driver http://qhyccd.com/download.html not sure if that is the same as on the Orion CD. Haven't checked it yet.
|
frolinmod
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/06/10
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: Enny]
#5455865 - 10/04/12 10:36 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
My Lodestar looks just as bad. CCDSoft didn't like it. I made a master bias frame for it, put it into the autoguider image reduction group and poof, no more hot pixels. CCDSoft was happy.
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: frolinmod]
#5474434 - 10/17/12 02:54 AM Attachment (8 downloads)
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
My quest of a decent autoguider has led me from 3MP SSAG to Lodestar to NOW SBIG ST-i monochrome. I ended up sending both SSAG and Lodestar back after not being able to get PHD to work and having elongated hot/dead pixels, respectively.
In short, I have happy to report that I finally have found what I have been looking for in SBIG ST-i monochrome whose 1sec dark as follows and whose configuration/functionality with PHD has been a success!
Note: SBIG ST-i has NO column defects or dead pixels (in comparison to Lodestar)
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: mmalik]
#5474436 - 10/17/12 02:56 AM Attachment (10 downloads)
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Few pics of SBIG ST-i monochrome autoguider I just bought:
Front:
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: mmalik]
#5474437 - 10/17/12 02:56 AM Attachment (10 downloads)
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Back:
|
mmalik
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/12
Loc: USA
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: mmalik]
#5474444 - 10/17/12 03:11 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
To sum up:
•I would NOT recommend 3MP SSAG for autoguiding since I was NOT able to get it configured with PHD to even tell you about its performance
•1MP SSAG remains a good entry level autoguider, as always...
•Lodestar seems to have a ton of defects (column defects/elongated hot/dead pixels in my case...), which may not interfere with guiding but not a good thing to have at this price tag
•ST-i monochrome seems best when it comes to NOT having column or dead pixel defects (Note: I have tested ST-i with PHD and it works great)
|
MPT
sage
Reged: 10/23/07
Loc: Savage, MN
|
Re: StarShoot Autoguider (SSAG) 3MP
[Re: mmalik]
#5474631 - 10/17/12 08:25 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Hey Mike -
Was there a reason that the SSAG at Casby was not working for you? Any chance you could capture Jupiter through the 10" with the lodestar/st-i some night? I would love to see how each of these function as an imager as well.
-Marcus
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
