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NexStar Imaging Showcase

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#1201 Arthur Dent

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 01:56 PM

Posted Image Those are some nice images Carl Posted Image

BTW welcome to the Asylum that is the NexStar forum.

Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image

Glad to have you aboard.

#1202 kwad

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Posted 15 October 2011 - 05:25 PM

Hi Art,

Thanks for the BIG welcome!

Carl

#1203 jerryyyyy

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 12:03 PM

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!

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4964526-M15_small.jpg


#1204 jerryyyyy

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 01:08 PM

Same subject as above with three images stacked.

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  • 4964668-M15_small_edited.jpg


#1205 Doug Michel

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 01:23 PM

looks great.

#1206 jerryyyyy

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 02:05 PM

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...

#1207 Arthur Dent

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 02:07 PM

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,

#1208 jerryyyyy

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Posted 13 December 2011 - 11:13 PM

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.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4965508-M1_ISO320_15sec_cropped_small.jpg


#1209 Doug Michel

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Posted 14 December 2011 - 12:45 AM

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.

#1210 Tel

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Posted 14 December 2011 - 06:54 AM

Hi Jerry,

A fine start to your imaging career ! :bow: :bow:

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-lab...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

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4965701-JERRY copy.jpg


#1211 Peter9

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Posted 14 December 2011 - 07:46 AM

Great first image Jerry. Well done. :bow:

Really nice re-processed image Tel. :bow:

Now, if only I could see it like that visually.
Perhaps when I finally up-grade to a CPC1100 :grin:


Regards. Peter.

#1212 Arctic_Eddie

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Posted 14 December 2011 - 08:03 AM

+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.

#1213 NigelM

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Posted 15 December 2011 - 11:07 AM

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

#1214 Arctic_Eddie

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 10:08 AM

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.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4969320-M45b.jpg


#1215 THEPLOUGH

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 11:12 AM

:bow: :bow: :bow: :goodjob:

#1216 Arthur Dent

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 12:00 PM

That's a neat photo Eddie.

Posted Image

#1217 Peter9

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 12:03 PM

Great image Eddie. Thank for posting.



Regards. Peter.

#1218 jerryyyyy

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 12:55 PM

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.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4969574-M15_Small.jpg


#1219 jerryyyyy

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 01:01 PM

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.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4969583-M15_Large2.jpg


#1220 haytor

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 01:07 PM

I think you mean M15, not M45 :whistle:

Regards,

Tom

#1221 jerryyyyy

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 01:16 PM

For the record, this is one of the RAW stacked images.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 4969619-IMG_0204.jpg


#1222 jerryyyyy

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 01:20 PM

I think you mean M15, not M45 :whistle:

Regards,

Tom


Yup, too fast with the typing this AM.

#1223 svtdoug

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Posted 16 December 2011 - 04:38 PM

Guys, what happened to our two new threads for imaging?

As set up by Alex Post - images taken using the original SE were to be posted in the "AP Images Taken with Original NexStar" - here.

Images taken with non SE mounts and OTAs were to be posted on the "NexStar AP Graduates Images and Discussions", here.

Or did I miss something? I just hate to see a good plan go astray.

Doug

#1224 jerryyyyy

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Posted 17 December 2011 - 11:16 AM

Hi,
It appears I must be posting in the wrong place, sorry. Imaged the Ring and Dumbbell for the first time last night. I am using the original 8SE and a Canon 500D. Where should I go for help improving these images. I expect to get a GEM mount but need more research on that.

Cheers

#1225 ourobouros2k2

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Posted 17 December 2011 - 11:33 AM

Can't wait to see them jerry. I picked up a mallincam last night so I am anxious to see how that works out.


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