merlin_four
member
Reged: 12/26/07
Posts: 89
Loc: NorCal
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So here's what I got out of my first roll of piggyback widefields. All were shot with the K1000 at F/2.8 @ 50mm, hand tracked (no motors yet!). I scanned the prints into TIFFs at 600 DPI, then shrank them and saved them to JPGs for the gallery.
A couple problems I see:
1) A small light leak along the top
2) I must have bumped the focus ring before some of the shots
3) Motorized tracking would rock
4) Exposure times need to get cut back per LP.
What say you? 
Film gallery (pics are around 1MB apiece, be forwarned)
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~tim
Celestron Omni XLT 150
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Nebhunter
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/04/03
Posts: 1010
Loc: Frostbite Falls
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I'm no processing guru - yet, so no comment other than keep working at it. The scanning at 600 sounds a bit low, but then I don't know how high the scanner will go. I'm typically using 2400 for average slides.
Star trails came out nicely. The longer exposures had more detail, but no times were listed. Tracking that long without motors is quite a feat. Get a RA motor first. No real need for a Dec motor once you are drift aligned.
Keep at it and keep posting.
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Handle me with Care - The Traveling Wilburys.
TEC 140 "Katyusha" - Tec field flattener. Equinox 80 -
Atlas EQ6 SynScan GPS ADM conversion. ST-4 guider.
PENTAX 67 - 400 EDif - 300 - 200 - 135 - 90 lenses.
OM-1 300 Tamron - Konica 35-100 Varifocal STI Pro Stiletto.
http://nightfly.zoomshare.com/
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merlin_four
member
Reged: 12/26/07
Posts: 89
Loc: NorCal
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Thanks for the reply!  I'm just shooting Fuji Superia X-tra 400. . .Walmart special. The scanning software says it will go to 9600, but it's a cheapo HP all-in-one, so that claim might be stretching things a bit.
Times ranged from 6 minutes up to around 15. I failed to document times, or even targets. On future shoots, I'll have a notebook with me. D'oh!
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~tim
Celestron Omni XLT 150
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huckabuck
sage
Reged: 02/18/07
Posts: 267
Loc: statesboro, ga
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tim those are great for hand tracking. and first roll at that. i'll try my hand at processing. although i'm still learning
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tommyhawk13
sage
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 492
Loc: Jacksonville, Fl
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Good job!
Did you write down the time of the exposures? That's a good way to find out your sky fog limit.
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Meade Starfinder 8,Meade SN-8 OTA, Orion Atlas, and a handfull of film cameras
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huckabuck
sage
Reged: 02/18/07
Posts: 267
Loc: statesboro, ga
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tim i just noticed you are using a 50mm @ 2.8. close that arpiture down 2 steps. your exposure time will have to increase slightly(maybe not)you will get less sky glow so your image will have more contrast. you will get MUCH better results. practiclly all lenses need to be stopped down 1 or 2 steps.
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Hambone
sage
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 442
Loc: Martin, TN
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You say you are having trouble with your tracking rocking? If this is a problem when you balance your tube make it a little heavy to one side this will keep pressure on the gears. One problem that causes this is the scope is so well balanced that when the gears turn there is a gap in between the teeth and one set of gears will get ahead of the other set of gears so it has to catch up with the other set. This will cause a rocking affect on the film. Also you need to check your backlash. This is the gap in between the gears where they mesh. Tighten them down and see if one will turn any at all. It will be like the play in your steering wheel, there shouldn't be much if any at all but if there is you should be able to feel it, only .001-.002 of an inch between the gears when they mesh. If there is you want to adjust this out but not enough to put the gears in a bind.
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8" Sky View Pro
60MM Meade (used very little now)
Golden Pond Kentucky
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merlin_four
member
Reged: 12/26/07
Posts: 89
Loc: NorCal
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Thanks for the tips, and taking a look!
huckabuck: Will try that on the next roll . . . and see what happens. The lens is a F/2, I'm not sure why I didn't use that setting for my first roll, but I guess that was a good thing. Next time will shoot half & half at F/4 and F/5.6.
tommyhawk13: Didn't write anything down. Will rectify that next time though 
Hambone: I was saying that having motorized tracking would rock, right now I'm looking through the eyepiece and turning the RA knob by hand 
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~tim
Celestron Omni XLT 150
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merlin_four
member
Reged: 12/26/07
Posts: 89
Loc: NorCal
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Ok, I ran basic levels and curves on the Polaris trails and the rather nondescript (in focus) shot. Oh, also did a little blue-shift to get the colors looking more "correct". Linkies:
Polaris:
Processed
Non
Other:
Processed
Non
Again, thanks for looking Will probably play more when I'm not sitting at work 
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~tim
Celestron Omni XLT 150
Edited by merlin_four (06/02/08 04:10 PM)
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Hambone
sage
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 442
Loc: Martin, TN
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Boy that was a bone head!  You did those with manual tracking? My hat is off to you for even trying that! Those are some good images even with a motorized mount. I haven't had the camera out in so long everything looks good to me! 
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8" Sky View Pro
60MM Meade (used very little now)
Golden Pond Kentucky
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tommyhawk13
sage
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 492
Loc: Jacksonville, Fl
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I didn't catch that either. Manually tracked?
That rocks!
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Meade Starfinder 8,Meade SN-8 OTA, Orion Atlas, and a handfull of film cameras
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merlin_four
member
Reged: 12/26/07
Posts: 89
Loc: NorCal
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Well thanks!
Looks like I've got decent skies tonight, and slightly better skies tomorrow night, so maybe I'll get out there and try again with the tips you guys have given me.
I wish it didn't get dark so late. . .getting up at 4am for work is non-conducive to my astronomy efforts 
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~tim
Celestron Omni XLT 150
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