12770 replies to this topic

[Paul Milligan]

Video Cameras, Integrating Video CCD's and Image Intensifiers do not have the high resolution of high end CCD cameras or DSLR's but you can still achieve fantastic results aligning, stacking and processing video frames.

How about we start an image gallery to show what the video camera can do!

Look forward to seeing your images!
Clear Skies

To get the gallery going :-

M42 - Orion Nebula (&M43)
40 Minutes LRGB
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[Paul Milligan]

And another image!

B33 - Horsehead Nebula
40 Minutes
False HA Filter Applied
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[smokin oakum]

Great idea. Also just like the other forums, it would be nice to explain the way you processed the image!

[Paul Milligan]

And another one for luck!

NGC 1973 - Running Man Nebula
30 Minutes
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[Paul Milligan]

And another!

M13 - Hercules Cluster
30 Minutes
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[smokin oakum]

Great shots, Paul! I realy like the running man!!!

[rolandskythree]

Paul, I don't know how to start a gallery. Do you? Starting a thread is not a gallery, however, and it will be hard for people to search pictures/titles/etc. if it is in thread form. Perhaps a moderator or you may know how to start a gallery for posters. I know there are individual galleries, but I don't know how to establish a group one. Once done, then a moderator (I presume) can put a thread with a sticky that tells where it is, etc. This make sense? Roland

[Paul Milligan]

Roland

My term gallery was just to create a thread where Video images can be uploaded and viewed. There is nowhere to do this on CN accept upload images into the CCD Imaging & Processing thread. However because Video images do not match the quality of high end CCD's the video images can be frowned upon even though a great deal of effort goes into producing them. If there is a way to have an official Video gallery that would be great, if not at least there is a thread where we can now upload images showing what can be achieved using our video hardware.

Paul M..

Here is another!

M82 - Cigar Galaxy
60 Minutes
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[rolandskythree]

You might ask...they may can start a category-gallery where people can put individual galleries. On the sketching forum, if someone has a nice sketch, that becomes an individual thread, which works well. A thread with several hundred posts of a picture or sketch, however, can get really cumbersome. Roland

[Sky Captain]

How about we start an image gallery to show what the video camera can do!

Great idea Paul! I haven't prosessed any yet but I have screen photo's of my images. Is that ok here?
Here is an example:

M13
10" SCT
2.1 sec.
f6.3 FR

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[Paul Milligan]

Kerry

Screen captures are more than welcome and yours looks real nice. Real tight detail in your M13, great job!

Paul M..

[smokin oakum]

I'd say if Randy or the other moderators deem it to be a good topic, it would just be a sticky that we would leave to this forum. Lets face it, while you can get impressive photos with these systems, we should not compare them with actual long exposer photos. If we kept it here, we could not only share what can be done with these cameras, but share which targets we can add to the huge list of targets that can be seen with them!

Clear skies
Neil

[Sky Captain]

Kerry

Screen captures are more than welcome and yours looks real nice. Real tight detail in your M13, great job!

Paul M..

Thanks Paul...and for starting this thread.





Here is a "bad" Ring nebula screen shot.

10" SCT
2.1 sec.
f6.3 FR

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[rolandskythree]

Paul, can you annotate some of your shots whether they are processed (look like they are) or if they are single frames of unprocessed video, etc? And, of course, the integration times or camera settings are helpful so people can duplicate or try the settings. Of course, if it is heavily post processed they will not be able to duplicate the view in live video at the scope. Roland

[Paul Milligan]

Roland

All my images have had the video exposure times specified collecting integrating frames of 2.6 seconds (max available on the GSTAR-EX). The frames have then been streamed from an MP4 recorder to a laptop using Videostudio to create a raw AVI file. I then use Videodub to strip out the audio and decimate the AVI file to the correct fps rate. I then align and stack the frames using Registax and save to bmp. I then import the bmp file into Photoshop Elements to stretch the midrange, tighten the image and clear out the noise.

Here is another image

M81 - Bodes Galaxy
60 Minutes
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[rolandskythree]

thanks for the info. i recommend including that information on your images because the majority of posters do live video astro...you images are not what they can expect without postprocessing. thanks.

Roland

[MikeML]

Here's an Orion Nebula from last February. Watec 120N, William Optics 66mm SD. Aquired in Astroart. Processed in Registar and Photoshop CS

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[MikeML]

M27 Taken in June. Forgot to mention the Baader color filters. Same setup as M42

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[Bowmoreman]

Mike, that is really nice!!!

What Camera did you use???

clear skies

[MikeML]

Thanks, A Watec 120N. It was given to me as a gift so I kinda' feel obligated to bring back some pictures to the folks back home.
Here's my M31, didn't use any filters. The images don't compare to the ones taken with my CCD, but when you consider they're only about 8-1/2 seconds exposure, pretty amazing none the less.

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[Paul Milligan]

Mike

A real nice M31 - you've captured the nebulosity and 3D spiral perfectly. Thats one to be proud of!

Keep the images coming

Paul M..

[Paul Milligan]

Here are few more :-

M1 - Crab Nebula
90 Minutes LRGB
William Optics FLT110 [TEC]
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[Paul Milligan]

Another

M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy
40 Minutes
Takahashi Epsilon 160
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[Paul Milligan]

Another

M64 - Blackeye Galaxy
40 Minutes
Williams Optics FLT110 [TEC]
GSTAR-EX Integrating CCD Video Camera
Videostudio 7, Videodub, Registax, Photoshop Elements.

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[MikeML]

Thanks Paul,
I'll have to capture some more shots with the video cam. BTW, checked out the images on your website. Great stuff.