fun with tablet and DSLR

[happy-kat]

Just fitted in 40 minutes before winter watch playing at taking star shots.

Really pleased how this turned out, put the canon 1100d on the celestron c70 tripod sat on my garden chair and using the android app DSLR Controller on my nexus 7 took loads of shots learning the affect changes to settings had, who needs a swivel lcd this was miles faster to see and change. Tomorrow I will try a go at stacking what I took.

So I can recommend this app and there is a free shutter only release app you can download and try to check if the full app would work for you.

[happy-kat]

So this is the result of some of the images I took.

Paintshop pro would not open the tiff so had to get Gimp for post processing efforts.

The first file was empty well appeared to be to a did the process again or maybe just beginner my error.

Other discoveries had to export it from Gimp to create a jpg file to be able upload here.

Lesson learnt is that the exposure time DSS expected to be the same length across the images so need to sort that for next time.

I also I think had some flare sports possibly from the near by LED lamp (might remember to make a lense shield next time) also noticed a couple dead pixels in the dark frames and maybe a dust blob too. Neither bad enough to warrant cleaning the sensor or mapping the pixels out.

[knobby]

Nice, I use DSLR dashboard on my Android phone with the Nikon WiFi dongle. Its clever stuff!

[russp]

DSLR dashboard with the Nikon wifi remote is superb but do you find it crucifies the battery? I'll use it for short sessions but have got an intervalometer for long imaging sessions.

[happy-kat]

Next time I will try a slightly smaller apperature but for longer exposure. Camera battery was fine the tablet battery was fairly heavily drained but while learning this is better arrangement for me I think.

[happy-kat]

By fiddling with the curves have made the background darker but I think for this time it has had enough dinking I need better source data.

[happy-kat]

Today's effort came out better.

Only got one go before the clouds moved in.

This was 10 second exposure with various ISO over 9 frames plus 5 darks.

Finding it hard to get the focus right, I need to practice finding what infinity means in day light to know where the position is on the lens.

The tablet interface is working a treat as is the c70 tripod.

If I tweak the curves more to get the background blacker I lose more stars, is there a trick to keeping the stars and making the sky blacker please?

[David Smith]

Interesting stuff. That last image is definitely showing progress. Do you get a "live view" of what the camera is "seeing" on your tablet screen? Not having a suitable laptop I still use the camera's lcd for focusing, if this gives me live view it would be well worth the fiver for the app.

[happy-kat]

Yes I get live view but the stars didn't show up, you can magnify the image, Jupiter might have shown but the clouds rolled in before I found it with the tripod. My tablet brightness is very turned down have to raise it next time in case that played a part.

Try the free shutter release app first to make sure your tablet can run the program with your camera.

The main app has full camera control and very quick to make setting changes. Manual focus has really good control using the buttons on the screen.

[happy-kat]

Third go

This time I got the stars in much better focus, tempted to mark infinity on the lens so it is quick to find as it took about 15 shots to find it keep checking the taken image preview.

The glow down the bottom is coming from the street light in the other direction. There are two very close I contend with.

This was 8 seconds various ISO mainly 1600 and star trails are slightly present, 55mm on the klit lens.

[happy-kat]

Just bought a vintage 28mm f2.8 lens on the bay for trying with this star lark, worth a go very inexpensively.

[Ags]

Happy kt, transform posting about DSL controller. I think it might be very useful, it should help with focusing and awkward angles :-)

[happy-kat]

My m42 adaptor has been shipped hopefully receive that and the lens in time for the rain to have gone away. Looking forward to getting my lens really pleased get to try a prime in a given size to see if it is versatile cheaply with no expensive lens purchase mistake.

Enjoying this dabble into imagery, webcam forey is stalled as laptop died and until I can broadcast the webcam on the home network to my nexus can't image as PC is to far away to see screen to adjust telescope to keep jupiter in view.

[JamesF]

I'd crop the images slightly to remove the edge artefacts caused by stacking.  That should allow you to see better where the black point ought to be.

James

[Ags]

Happy kt, transform posting about DSL controller. I think it might be very useful, it should help with focusing and awkward angles :-)

...struggling with predictive text on my new tablet. DSL Controller sounds great - a big screen for focusing, at a comfortable angle, and hands-free focusing.

[happy-kat]

Have the same text issue with swipe here.

The free shutter release program let's you check that the app would work for you. And yes the hands free is really handy especially as my tripod is about 1 foot tall!

We have 3 android devices here 2 on kit kat and one rooted but it only worked on my nexus 7 (nov 2012 one)

Makes the experience enjoyable rather then frustrating and battery drain was surprisingly good but I keep the nexus brightness down.

[happy-kat]

My new second hand lens arrived yesterday but it is not the mount I thought it was.

I understood it to be an M42 mount, but that would be like a screw thread and that matches with the adaptor I got in preparation.

The mount is nothing like what was expected.

Any tips please on how to identify the type of mount it is on the lens please?

Like numbers or codes to look for.

Currently trawling google and images to see if I can find similar. It might be a K-mount.

[happy-kat]

Pretty sure it is a k mount so going to have to get another adaptor.

The lens operates very smoothly and the optics are clean looks pretty dust free as well.

Got another one coming this time a 55mm f1.2 so hoping that will let lots of light through and it will use the m42 mount already have.

[Alien 13]

My new second hand lens arrived yesterday but it is not the mount I thought it was.

I understood it to be an M42 mount, but that would be like a screw thread and that matches with the adaptor I got in preparation.

The mount is nothing like what was expected.

Any tips please on how to identify the type of mount it is on the lens please?

Like numbers or codes to look for.

Currently trawling google and images to see if I can find similar. It might be a K-mount.

 

Normally a lens will have the mount info along with the F ratio and FL around the objective end. It will be a Letter or Letters eg Olympus OM system denoting an OM mount.

Alan

[happy-kat]

I looked and no indication on this one, thank you for the tip.

[happy-kat]

My other lens arrived today, f2 got that bit wrong but boy when fully open the lens wall is very thin loads of light gathering potential and has 6 blades, looking forward to trying it. It is surprisingly heavy and it is pre 1971 as the scale is feet and yards.

Changing the aperature on the kit lens makes no visible change to the size of hole observed looking down the lens, weird.

[happy-kat]

Bit of preliminary testing done.

A torch confirmed the aperature blades completely recess into the lens wall at f2. Only a little dust showed in the lens. It must be twice as heavy as the kit lens though it is a third the size.

First pictures are indicating a very sharp lens, I need to test how far the sharpness extends across the lens and also what / if there is distortion or softness at f2.

A great purchase for very little outlay including and adaptor mount.

[Alien 13]

There are some bargains out there you will probably find the focus adjustment is so much easier than a modern lens too.

Alan

[happy-kat]

Yes it has a nice ribbed rubber focuser with smooth positive action so does the other lens with the k mount not yet tested but I already seen that the aperature blades don't retract any where like they do on this lens, it's amazing they retract leaving a lens wall about 3mm thick.

[happy-kat]

Seen to have lost the ability to edit posts.

Anyway the focus grip is not rubber but plastic so it dates the lens to the early 60s.

Quick tests show no vinigretting and focus good in the corners and no noticeable distortion either though I didn't do any lined paper tests or anything. Also pretty sharp at f2 so I might be able to keep it fully wide on the sky.