LukeTheNuke

Against my wife's better judgement, I got: A Point Gray Grasshopper 3 USB3 camera. I used to own the ICX687 model in the range, which was good for solar h-alpha. Anyway, I rage quit imaging after some Quark troubles, and with solar minimum approaching, and a new hobby taking off, so I sold my Grasshopper 3 and ASI174 cameras. Last week, I saw a Grasshopper 3 for sale and had no idea which model in the range it was, but figured the price was good enough that I'd take any in the range for that price and do what I can with it. If it's no good for solar, fine, hopefully it can do something on the moon. I wondered if fate would move me in a certain direction. If it was a mono, gosh, maybe check with FLO if they inspect their Quarks before sending them out! If it was colour, stuff the Quark! Perhaps a new scope for lunar imaging? If neither, I'll figure something out! What I hadn't counted on was that it's monochrome NIR?!?! "An NIR camera? Erm, can this even record anything for me, or is it for scientists only?" But it's NIR-enhanced. I don't think the QE curve is anything too much to worry about?: It's not normally like me to take a punt like this, but I figured why not go on an adventure and see where this camera takes me? I was hoping to image the sun in white light today, but it was permacloud. So I imaged a microscope slide instead. Well, a first light's a first light. The sensor is a CMOSIS CMV4000. It has a relatively large sensor, at 1 inch. It records full frame of 2,040 x 2,040 at up to 90 FPS (my poor lappy only got into the 20's, LOL, but I have a new lappy coming on Friday, hopefully, that should shift). Anyway, here's the first light, with some false colour added: I've no idea what it is. But it looks interesting and reminds me a bit of the sun. And speaking of the sun, I suppose a fairly large square sensor might be useful for full disc. If it's any good...

Wow, great minds think alike! I'm pondering getting a new action camera, either the Osmo Action 4 or Go Pro 11 or 12 (I have the original Osmo Action and some cheaper ones, like the Okaso V50). They are probably not the best for astro! Those action cams are not that great in the dark! Fun cameras, though, for recording your adventures without risking your phone, and they can sometimes go places where it's tricky with a phone. Maybe underwater with a waterproof case? I think the Go Pro can do 120 FPS at 4K resolution? So great for slow-mo (I'd really like 4K at 120 FPS). And my new Lenovo lappy is due to arrive on Friday! I'm beyond excited! Ah, you have one with an RTX 4050? That should be fun for gaming / animation, erm, I mean serious work, LOL! Enjoy!

Yeah, I think I am suffering too. One day, I think a more practical scope is sensible, maybe even a smart telescope is the next step. The next, I'm thinking about whacking the cost on the credit card and driving for 90 minutes to pick up an 18 incher. #iblamethefullmoon

I didn't get this especially for astro processing, but I'm looking forward to trying some 16 bit images with the Lenovo ThinkVision Mini-LED monitor that claims to offer a "genuine HDR experience". I hope I prefer it to my old monitor, which I've never been fully happy with. I preferred my old monitor at work, and my son's Lenovo monitor really impressed me. I hope it doesn't disappoint! I'm hoping the postie may have something more directly related to astro imaging for me in the next few days (this forum is a terrible influence!)

Thanks Earl for the insights on the cameras. Much appreciated! I had a budget Blackview phone that's now bust (won't recharge) and the camera was not that great. I've been using my wife's old phone (a midrange Blackview) that's got a much better camera - I now appreciate a phone with a half decent (by my low standards) camera! And so I've now got an Honor 90 that I hope its camera will be at least as good as my wife's phone. I'm waiting to get a screen protector for it though, which is not turning up until Sunday, apparently! And I've just ordered a CCD camera that I hope to use for some lunar and maybe solar. I sold my cameras a few years ago, and miss it a bit.

Ah, you do look quite the camera pro looking at your signature too! Google Pixel 7 Pro, hasn't that got a great camera? GoPro Hero 11 Black, DJI Mini Pro (is that for a drone?). I'm considering the GoPro Hero 11 for the 4K 120 FPS, or the DJI Osmo Action 4 with the larger sensor - though the GoPro seems to beat it for sharpness despite the smaller sensor? I have the DJI Osmo Action 2 - it can do 4K at 60 FPS, but is prone to overheating in that mode, which is a bit annoying. It will stop recording when it gets hot and bothered, which can be every minute or two after it heats up on a warm day.

Gosh, handheld? Same as Mr Spock. I just can't get the hang of it! Do you rest the camera lens directly on the eyepiece, or hover above like a hummingbird? I shall give up on my hopes of one day becoming a surgeon. I'm a bit wary of whispering this in case the frac fraternity are around, but the Edge 8 has a bit of a refractor vibe to it.

My results are always a disaster when I try holding the phone to the eyepiece. Do you rest it right on the eyepiece or have a bit of a gap?

What a belter! Lovely colours!

Oooh, that's quite arty farty. Lovely! Would look good on the wall.

Very nice! Oh, Photoshop user. Very posh! Erm, where do I find this feature in GIMP?

Off to a great start! Very nice! They look sharp. I especially like the close-up. It looks a bit more contrasty to me. So your camera is a DSLR? Did you convert the shots to mono in processing or set the camera to mono? (at least, I don't think I see any colour? I like shooting in mono myself, I'm just wondering why).

Very nice, Steve. I should never have doubted your resolve to snap the golden orb.

Very nice! I used to image the sun every clear day too. Five times a year.

Beautiful shots, Rob! I especially love the colour one.

Thanks, Louis, that looks nice, though I'm looking for something in the UK. Hmmm. I think a scope that might work for me, if I could find one at the right price, is an Obsession 18 inch. What do you think, folks? Although I wanted something that won't give me a hernia, I am now cool with the idea of it being quite easy to set up for two people - Sarah can help me. And it's a fairly big bonus if it can be taken to star parties. It would be nice if it felt like an upgrade of sorts on our lovely old Skywatcher 400P Goto. So I'm wondering if the Obsession 18 would be a winner on all of those counts? There is one for sale, and I could just about squeeze in the £4,750 asking price. But is this a good price for one? I have no idea. Looks like it was made in 2010. Any issue with that age? Does it affect value much? https://ensoptical.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=14915 Does the fringe report look good?: Thanks for any thoughts. PS the funds are due very shortly, touch wood. Budget is £5K at a push for the right scope, though £3K is more comfortable.

Very nice! Sharp and contrasty, I like it! The Edge 8 is a cracking little light bucket. Congrats on the purchase! I'm hoping to get back to some lunar imaging with the Edge 8 myself. With your phone, did you have some kind of holder for it? (other than your hand! - I can never get anything decent just hand-held, and your shot is so sharp!)

Very nice, David, thanks for the view, with Mr Ward having a lie-in today. 😃 I suppose the (former?) monster is turning up tomorrow, as we have rain and thunder forecast for Sunday our way!

Ah, thanks. The Persil technique.

Looking good! What did you do differently re: levels?

Yeah, snap. That one stood out to me, too!

Lovely shots! Some nice depth, especially on those inverted ones!

Hmmm, interesting. Good point about animations over a long period of time.

I regret selling mine! Sold because my wife Sarah didn't like it. So compact, like you say, and a cracking eyepiece. Though the other week, Sarah was saying she doesn't mind if I get one again just for me. I think the price might have gone up a bit since I bought it, though! 😃