28 October - Finally got out - M33

Kersh

Finally, managed to get out for a session. Polar aligned fairly quickly, got goto alignmemt fairly spot on. Didnt bother hooking the mount up to the laptop,but I did run the Canon from the laptop, using APT. That way I could just schedule in what exposures, how many, what ISO, etc, fairly handy program.

Most of the night was spent on M33, using a Canon 1000D, through a Skywatcher 80ED DS Pro, mounted on a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro Mount.
This is the result of 32x75s subs, stacked in DSS, processed in PS by a good friend, Dave Connolly Photography (defo not me). Its the full frame, no cropping, no flatteners, no reducers.




I also wanted to try out a Canon 70-300 lens just to see what it could do. Early in the night, I went for Orions Belt and Nebula. I only managed a few shots before it went in behind some trees.
Here's a single 120 second shot. Not too happy with all the CA, and coma, but sure it was a first shot with the lens.

the_monkey

Kersh wrote: »

Finally, managed to get out for a session. Polar aligned fairly quickly, got goto alignmemt fairly spot on. Didnt bother hooking the mount up to the laptop,but I did run the Canon from the laptop, using APT. That way I could just schedule in what exposures, how many, what ISO, etc, fairly handy program.

Most of the night was spent on M33, using a Canon 1000D, through a Skywatcher 80ED DS Pro, mounted on a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro Mount.
This is the result of 32x75s subs, stacked in DSS, processed in PS by a good friend, Dave Connolly Photography (defo not me). Its the full frame, no cropping, no flatteners, no reducers.




I also wanted to try out a Canon 70-300 lens just to see what it could do. Early in the night, I went for Orions Belt and Nebula. I only managed a few shots before it went in behind some trees.
Here's a single 120 second shot. Not too happy with all the CA, and coma, but sure it was a first shot with the lens.

My god , I wanted to start with Astrophotography - but seems a little complex.

So the first photo is taken with a camera through a telescope - the 2nd however is just using a cam + telephoto lens ?

As for the 1st photo with alignment etc, you do that via the laptop connected to the mount with some software ?

and APT ?

Will this book answer all my q's : http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/Books/Making-Every-Photon-Count.html

?

Kersh

That book is a godsend!

My copy is nearly worn out t this stage.

Yep, the first image is a Canon, connected to a scope, via 2 adaptors. You then focus and take a 90s photo. This can be done with nothing more than the camera, a shutter release and your scope and mount.

I control the mount through Ascom/Carte Du Ciels/EQmod, which are all free programs. I use a Hitecastro EqDir cable to connect the mount to the laptop, which does away with the mount hand control box.

I then control the Canon through APT, again, a free software tool that helps with focus/exposure length/iso, and also you can program the camera to take however many photos of any length and amount, and then walk away. This is connected to the laptop via a cable.


So once setup, i get the mount tracking, get the focus sorted, get the camera connected and running on APT, and go make tea


The second shot, was a camera, with just a lens, a 70-300 zoom in this case, on a non tracking photo tripod, and pointed at the sky!

cortinaG

Kersh wrote: »

That book is a godsend!

My copy is nearly worn out t this stage.

Yep, the first image is a Canon, connected to a scope, via 2 adaptors. You then focus and take a 90s photo. This can be done with nothing more than the camera, a shutter release and your scope and mount.

I control the mount through Ascom/Carte Du Ciels/EQmod, which are all free programs. I use a Hitecastro EqDir cable to connect the mount to the laptop, which does away with the mount hand control box.

I then control the Canon through APT, again, a free software tool that helps with focus/exposure length/iso, and also you can program the camera to take however many photos of any length and amount, and then walk away. This is connected to the laptop via a cable.


So once setup, i get the mount tracking, get the focus sorted, get the camera connected and running on APT, and go make tea


The second shot, was a camera, with just a lens, a 70-300 zoom in this case, on a non tracking photo tripod, and pointed at the sky!

Great shots.
I thought 30 sec was the max exposure on a camera tripod before getting star trails?

Kersh

It was just a test image while the other one was snapping away, though now that I look at it, Im not sure how I took it.

Ill try dig out the raw file.