Alien 13

13 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

Do you know of one that can do that for my dew heaters please I have four 2 for each scope 2 w&w astro ones and two home made ones made from resistors.

It looks like there are no commercial 5 to 12V versions with the dual inputs that I can find but plenty of the 8V type designed for DSLR use ☹️.

Provided the 12V dew strap takes less than 1A (equates to 12 watts) then the single input version should work OK.

Alan

2 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

Yes but the output is then going to be around 0.8A at 12V, using a boost (step-UP) converter. Might not be enough? Just an idea.

Correct but some converters allow both power bank outputs to be used together so yo can get around 1.6A, I used this type of thing to power my DSLR from a power bank for a while as a single 2.1A input did not give enough output current for the 8V required by the camera.

Alan

+1 for the COOWOO USB powered straps I use them on camera lenses and my 90mm MAK, I like things to be ultra portable.

Alan

On 02/11/2021 at 00:21, StuartT said:

Thanks for doing this. I have Photoshop 6 which doesn't open Canon RAW files (.CR2)unfortunately. So I have to convert them to TIFF to fiddle about with them. 
I think TIFF is the same as RAW (as in it doesn't compress or lose information), but please correct me if I'm wrong

Try converting the RAW files to Adobe DNG format instead, the software is free and can be set up to do batch processing etc. The DNG file or "digital negative" is a lossless RAW format that is more universally accepted than the Canon one and can be opened in PS just like a normal RAW file.

Alan

2 minutes ago, DaveS said:

16 megapixels. On my ODK that gives a still ridiculous 0.61"/px

These crazy high megapixel sensors like the IMX 455 only work if you bin the pixels, which can only be done in software.

Or short focal length scopes and camera lenses but even then the pixel sizes are still not small enough.

Alan

Looks fine to me 😀

but seriously that is quite bad LP.

Alan

Interesting, look forward to the Android version so I can try my Sammy.

Alan

Great video and I will have the Questar please 😀

Alan

Thing I like about these programs is there ability to suddenly ignite a thought, for instance its often thought that the "let there be light" moment was when the first star was formed but surely any matter that had a temperature above absolute zero would have been first.

Alan

12 minutes ago, groberts said:

OK thanks  Alan but what is a Spider, what does it do, how does it do it + where  do I get them? 

Graham

Basically what these calibrators do is measure the response of your display at various levels then create a new ICC profile that  corrects for any errors and is stored on your computer. This is a fully automatic process with most calibrators.

There are lots of these devices around but this is the new Spyder version here

Alan

To be honest you cant do better than get a Spyder or similar calibrator...I use an old Spyder 5 on my laptop and it guarantees correct colour balance as well a properly defining the black and white points, this ensures that any image posted anywhere is correct even if the laptop has a limited colour gamut range which most do.

Alan

Things are moving fast, have viewed a few Milky Way pics taken with just a smartphone that are as good as a what a  DSLR and 14mm lens could do a few years back.

Alan

2 minutes ago, strangequarkk said:

Hey, that's really helpful. I used PIPP to convert this video to AVI file type. I'll try again to center and crop it. Thank you so much 

From memory its done automatically if you tick the right boxes.

Alan

Hi and welcome to the forum..

I agree that its worth stacking those videos but first I would run them through software called PIPP, this software will allow you to center and crop the video which will give the stacking software like Autostakkert a much easier time as well as reducing file sizes.

Alan

It seems to me that there are more than a few of us that are fine with the TPM chip but fail on the processor version, what is it about the older i7 chips that win 11 doesn't like?

Alan

Lovely shot, must give my Sammy a go but keep putting it off.

Alan

I run win 10 home and can honestly say that I have never had an update forced on me, in fact I have to actively go looking for them. I have only the basic settings for active hours etc enabled but do check for any updates for Win or system/drivers/software on a weekly basis.. 

As a side note on my android phone I get updates to my apps every day sometimes 20 or more at a time and updates to the system at least once a month.

Alan

I have a high end gaming laptop thats only a few years old and MS says NO, meets all requirements apart from the i7 processor version not being supported.

Alan

I want one...

Alan

No astro gear I know of is designed to be waterproof weatherproof but perhaps damp proof so its best to dry each item as best you can and leave then somewhere warm and dry, sensitive electronics can be placed in a container of uncooked rice if its realy wet.

Alan

25 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Ah. That’s probably a deal breaker for me I think, as I do a lot of solar system observing at around 200x ….. unless someone can convince me otherwise? I’ve not used a real premium altaz mount of this class so I guess I might change my mind when I’ve used one? 🤔

Me too...

Alan

Yikes and I was worried because my DSLR had six..

Alan

Nice, unfortunately the video does not play for me just get a "cannot be found" message.

Alan

Canon cameras are usually AP friendly and will shoot without lens by default provided its in Manual mode or even the semi auto T or AV settings but will not normally work with the others or in video mode without changing the "shoot without lens" setting in the menu as already mentioned.

Alan

1 minute ago, Paul M said:

I thought he was trying to hitch it up to one of the pickup trucks to drag it back to the yard.

Sorry, it just looks so cheap and plastic. Where did Bezos get it from? Amazon?🤣

Probably but he has done what the might of Nasa cant, land the booster and bring a capsule to good old earth rather than a splashdown in the sea.

Alan