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Pages: << 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | (show all) Arthur Dent Galactic Hitch-Hiker Reged: 10/23/08 Loc: South Yorkshire, UK Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: kwad]       #4862632 - 10/15/11 02:56 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Those are some nice images Carl BTW welcome to the Asylum that is the NexStar forum. Glad to have you aboard. Post Extras:       kwad member Reged: 08/11/09 Loc: Northern Virginia Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arthur Dent]       #4862961 - 10/15/11 06:25 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Art, Thanks for the BIG welcome! Carl Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Alex Post]       #4964526 - 12/13/11 12:03 PM Attachment (31 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Well, I have been fooling around a bit with a friend's Canon 500D while trying to decide what equatorial mount to get. Other than the obvious problems with motion, this shot of M15 was taken at 30" at ISO 800. This is not easy to focus through the viewfinder and it does not seem as if I can see the image through the LCD for focusing. It appears that I can go to ISO 3200, which should cut down the exposure time to 7.5". I made multiple exposures and tried to stack them with DeepSkyStacker, but the image was too big for my copy of Photoshop! Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arthur Dent]       #4964668 - 12/13/11 01:08 PM Attachment (27 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Same subject as above with three images stacked. Post Extras:       Doug Michel sage Reged: 09/18/11 Loc: Lincoln, NE Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: jerryyyyy]       #4964699 - 12/13/11 01:23 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   looks great. Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Doug Michel]       #4964765 - 12/13/11 02:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: looks great. Thanks for the encouragement. I think there is hope. This is without a GEM. I think tonight I will increase the ISO and cut the exposure time. I think I can set the camera to take multiple exposures automatically. I wish I could focus better in the Canon viewfinder. Have to stand on my head to see... Post Extras:       Arthur Dent Galactic Hitch-Hiker Reged: 10/23/08 Loc: South Yorkshire, UK Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Doug Michel]       #4964769 - 12/13/11 02:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Jerry As I'm sure you know, increasing the ISO setting to 3200 will increase the amount of noise present in the images - mitigated to some extent by stacking. Even at ISO 800 there will be more noise "Amp Glow" than at lower ISO settings. Perhaps better, if you can, to use a lower ISO - say 100 or 200 and increase the number of images available for stacking. As regards using the 500d's LCD for focusing, again I'm sure that you know that you can output the image via a USB cable to a laptop and use the supplied Canon EOS disk (can't remember the program name atm) to display on the laptop's screen. The camera's LCD is optimised for daylight use so with dim astronomical objects - unless they are quite bright like the Moon or Jupiter, is pretty useless. You may find a Bahtinov mask useful for focusing. Focus through the camera viewfinder with the Bahtinov mask in place, the images should be sharper without having to pipe the image to a laptop. The following link takes you to a website where you can print off a template to make your own for a few $$. You could buy one if you prefer for around $20. Here's the link: Bahtinov Mask Template Generator Hope this helps, Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arthur Dent]       #4965508 - 12/13/11 11:13 PM Attachment (24 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Arthur, thanks for the help. I have the Canon disks. Would be a big help. Thanks for the other hints. This went in the other direction: about 12 images at 15s and 3200ISO. Edited by jerryyyyy (12/13/11 11:15 PM) Post Extras:       Doug Michel sage Reged: 09/18/11 Loc: Lincoln, NE Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: jerryyyyy]       #4965583 - 12/14/11 12:45 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I agree with trying less ISO, as you can see, a bit noisy. With my point and shoot camera I have no other option other than to hold it into the eyepiece, and with higher magnification pieces the eye relief is tiny, making it nearly impossible to even see the image, and then I have to hold it there or try to position a tripod in the right angle, which is harder still. Long exposures of more than a few seconds are impossible for me, if I cannot get a video of it, it isn't going to happen. I will probably go the Celestron CCD package at some point, or spring for a good camera, then decide if I am going the GEM route. Post Extras:       Tel Postmaster Reged: 03/31/06 Loc: Wallingford England Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Doug Michel]       #4965701 - 12/14/11 06:54 AM Attachment (26 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Jerry, A fine start to your imaging career ! Assuming the "lease time" on your friend's Canon 500D is somewhat open-ended, may I perhaps recommend downloading Stark Labs Nebulosity 2 as supportive software for this Digic 4 camera ? http://www.stark-labs.com/nebulosity.html A trial package is freely available for downloading which will allow you to focus the camera accurately, capture your sub-frames and carry out some basic processing. The final image will however be degraded since you are of course invited to buy the software, (at ca. $60) but at least the trial version will give you an insight into its capabilities and at least aid your focusing. I have been using Version 1 of Nebulosity for both my Canon 350D and Meade DSI CCD cameras for about two years now and can highly recommend this Stark Labs product. I have no doubt that Version 2 is equally recommendable. Can I also say that I agree with Art. I'd certainly be inclined to reduce the ISO setting to perhaps something around 200-400 and take a few more sub-frames. Additionally, I took the liberty of pushing your image of M15 in Photoshop just to see whether there was more data within it "to be had" and came up with this: I hope it meets with your approval. Hoping these comments help. Best regards, Tel Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Tel]       #4965737 - 12/14/11 07:46 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Great first image Jerry. Well done. Really nice re-processed image Tel. Now, if only I could see it like that visually. Perhaps when I finally up-grade to a CPC1100 Regards. Peter. Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Peter9]       #4965756 - 12/14/11 08:03 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   +1 for Nebulosity V2.50a. I recently acquired a copy and use it for all the dark, flat, and stack processing. My Panasonic doesn't have a live view feature so can't do the focusing part. However, the camera does have the digital zoom feature in manual focus which works fine on bright stars. Post Extras:       NigelM member Reged: 05/22/09 Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #4967768 - 12/15/11 11:07 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: It appears that I can go to ISO 3200, which should cut down the exposure time to 7.5". Increasing ISO when astro imaging does not change the required exposure time, as the signal-to-noise is fairly independent of ISO (actually, on Canon DSLRs higher ISOs have lower read noise, so you may get a little improvement when using short exposures.) NigelM Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: NigelM]       #4969320 - 12/16/11 10:08 AM Attachment (20 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here's my attempt at M45 using the SCAM system. The optics are not Celestron but it uses the SE mount and shows it's usefulness when stacking short photos. The camera is a Panasonic FZ50 with an Olympus B300 1.7x teleconverter. There are 10 photos shot at 15sec, ISO200, and processed in Nebulosity V2.50a with darks and flats. When you zoom into a star you will see a little smearing to the upper-right. This is probably caused by shutter vibration. An intervalometer was used to control the camera. Post Extras:       THEPLOUGH ELEVEN Grandchildren; FIVE Ducklings Reged: 01/11/08 Loc: Carlisle, Cumbria, ENGLAND Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #4969400 - 12/16/11 11:12 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Post Extras:       Arthur Dent Galactic Hitch-Hiker Reged: 10/23/08 Loc: South Yorkshire, UK Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: THEPLOUGH]       #4969482 - 12/16/11 12:00 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   That's a neat photo Eddie. Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arthur Dent]       #4969488 - 12/16/11 12:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Great image Eddie. Thank for posting. Regards. Peter. Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #4969574 - 12/16/11 12:55 PM Attachment (22 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Regarding the Canon and ISO 3200, this is old M15 with 64 images stacked at 30sec exposures at ISO3200. I agree you do not get much noise. I still have to sharpen the focus, but I am not getting motion artifact. Edited by jerryyyyy (12/16/11 01:25 PM) Post Extras:       jerryyyyy scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 10/06/11 Loc: Stanford, California Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: jerryyyyy]       #4969583 - 12/16/11 01:01 PM Attachment (18 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   This is the original from which the above has been cropped. So you can see it looks in focus until you blow it up and then crop in down.... never enuf pixels. Post Extras:       haytor Pooh-Bah Reged: 11/29/07 Loc: Smethwick near Birmingham UK. Re: NexStar Imaging Showcase [Re: jerryyyyy]       #4969596 - 12/16/11 01:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think you mean M15, not M45 Regards, Tom Post Extras:       Pages: << 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | (show all)

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