WestCoastCannuck

First up is a colour effort of full disc with my Sony DSLR and 2X teleconverter on APM 140 - then downsized to 75%.  I mainly did this one for my Sony photo forum where I have been notably absent for some time.   (lunar is taken over my free time).  The converter is very old and introduced a lot of CA which I did my best to remove in post.  Still....  the Sony crew will like it.  hehe

Then, my full disc single panel disc with APM140 at prime with 183MM.  Tracking was quite good this night and I was able to shoot at 16mp with only about 75 pixels clearance for a few minutes.

Next up are my first light efforts with a new barlow.  Its a Seibert Optics 1.5X  "Telecentric".  (similar to a powermate).     Vixen VMC200L + 1.5X Seibert + 610nm + 290MM camera.   A little oversampled....  but I think fine as is.  Posted at full size output.  Each shot the best 200 of 10000 frames.    Processed with wavelets and deconvolution in Astra Image.  C and C appreciated.....  still not feeling confident of my Hi Rez efforts.  

And that is it!   Working on last night's data now. 

Clear skies

Mike

Yep.  This 4 incher is a keeper.  The full disc is lovely and tack sharp.   The closeup is surprising!  Really incredible what you can pull out of good long focal length 4 inch glass!

Outstanding colour!

Outstanding Neil!  I think you have the Bresser dialed in. 

Wow!  What an achievement Neil!  Outstanding does not cover it.   The detail and smooth finish is the best of the best.  You can cut out 50 closeups here that would stand up well on their own!  Will be returning to have a much longer exploration later.

Mike

Thanks so much Craig, Trevor and Angie!   Was fun trying this out!     Wider field seems to be the way to go for my seeing.  lol 

Best regards

Mike

Hey all.  Finally got around to trying a planetary shot.       Alititude was 28 degrees...  shot from my driveway at the bottom of a valley.  Like shooting through soup...  by the look of the seeing anyway.    Still though...  I am happy with effort.   Just mono..  don't have a filter set.

Shooting particulars:

APM140/7 + 1.4X barlow,  610nm longpass filter, ZWO ASI 290MM cam, iOptron AZ Mount Pro

2 minute clip...   best 8% of 20,000 frames

3ms exposure...  gain about 200 or so

Software;   Firecapture,  AS!3, Deconvolution in Astra Image and finishing in Lightroom 6.    The moons were pretty dim,  I raised them in post.

Clear skies!

Mike

9 hours ago, Trevor N said:

Certainly captured loads of detail there Mike. Worth getting up for !

Thanks Trevor!   It was a great morning for sure.

5 hours ago, neil phillips said:

So far i kind of have to agree. Your best results do seem to be coming from the 140. The level of fine detail. speaks volumes on the quality and figure of that lens i reckon Mike. You ever thought about trying planets with it ? 

You know....  I have never tried shooting planets yet.  lol.  One day I will try it.

11 hours ago, neil phillips said:

Very fine detail in that full mosaic Mike. Just lovely 

Thanks much Neil!   I thought it interesting my last upscaled image from the 140 seems to surpass my 8 inch efforts.   More evidence that 140mm is the sweet spot for my local seeing.

10 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

Very nicely captured Mike, looks superb at the full size.

Thanks Pete!  :)))))

1 hour ago, Trevor N said:

Agree with the comments above 😁

Thanks much Trevor!  Hope you are well!

1 hour ago, Sunshine said:

These are some great images!

Thanks Sunshine! 

Was a good start to the month.   Had very little time....   left later this day for a few days vacay with fam. 

Full disc at prime with 140.:

Then I tried and failed at one attempt at a higher rez mosaic.   Took the top limb twice though....  and was great both times.  Something went wrong on my much larger bottom panel.

Both top parts here:

The larger shot....

And a colourized version 

Runnning out of time, I switched to the Vixen and left both the 1.4X and the 183 on and went for ROI closeups.  Results....  OK.

They are both the best 300 of 5000 frames.   VMC200L + 183MM + 520nm filter.  All shots uploaded above and below are 100% size.   All processing done with PIPP, AS!3, Astra Image and Lightroom.

EDIT...  just for fun, to compare with the above two 8 inch shots...  here is the same 140 shot from earlier above redone with 1.5X drizzle.

Clear skies!!

Mike

Another winner Neil!  Love the details and contrast....  has a great overall look with that detail. 

Lovely image Neil!  Superb processing imho.

5 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

Very nicely captured some fine details visible there.

Thanks Pete!  It was a great morning. :)))))

Mike

6 hours ago, neil phillips said:

Of course Mike any trick i know is yours to know. Probably get a bit long winded on here but there is something i wouldnt mind showing you that i am sure will surprise you. So if you dont mind. Maybe i could pm, and show you something you may or may not find useful. I will have to setup a example to show you the effect. But there is no rush if you fancy a chat off the board. 

Will send you PM...   just heading out for a couple days with fam.

32 minutes ago, neil phillips said:

Hey thanks Mike. That information will help me see how good inputs make the difference between bad inputs, as in stabbing in the dark from scratch so to speak. As you say changing data has to be reflected with changing settings to adjust to optimal. There is no one size fits all. Astra looks like something you need to spend some time with seeing the good and bad effects of the changes that can be made in deconvolution. That information gives a heads up the ladder. I only have the trial version so far. So can not save with it. But wanted to play with it to see if i started to see anything either i can use to compliment what i already do. Or completely overhaul it. I suspect the compliment approach  will likely be the outcome. But never say never in this game is what i have learned. Seems alien to me to not use wavelets. But from day one your images caught my eye. That doesnt really happen by chance. But by great work. Really appreciate you telling me your settings in such detail. We are very similar Not everyone in this hobby is so generous believe it or not. it tells me a lot about who the person is i am talking with. And your a gentleman Mike. This time around in my astronomy has been a real pleasure and learning experiance take 2. And you have been a part of that. So much appreciated again. 

You are very welcome Neil!!  We are always learning.   On my side of the fence....  I see the work you and others do on your closeups......  and I want to learn Registax and wavelets.  LOL   Maybe I will get you to show me your tricks!   LOVE that last Clavius.   I hope one day I can do one like that.   Actually...  Astra HAS wavelets.    I have had no luck with it.   Got some more data this morning....  but off with my fam for a few days shortly.   Cheers!!  OH...  btw, when shooting my closer stuff the settings change quite a bit again.  lol.  Can fill you in later.....  but you already do much better with wavelets I think.

Mike

Absolutely stunning Neil.   Not just Clavius but a fabulous moonscape.  For me processing looks awesome. 

As Trevor once commented to me.....  I also find processing to be a bit of a dark art.   The seeing and conditions are different every time....  and we shoot at different scales, with different power and filters.    No such thing as "stored" settings.   Having said that....  I do have a sort of method now after several years of this.    The "simple deconvolution" I use in  Astra has several sub settings.  For "type"  I use "Van Cittert".   I don't like "Lucy Richardson" (in astra).  For "Blur Kernal Type"  I typically use gaussian....  though when the data is REALLY good I sometimes go for Lorentzian....  its lovely but more subtle.    I set the blur unit size on a single pane APM shot to between 1 and 1.3 for good data.     For that last single panel I did on the 28th...  it was 40 iterations of  "Van Cittert" at 1.2 blur unit size, gaussian and a strength of 1.5.     I did not record my settings for the mosaics.  But usually 30 iterations of about 1.3- 1.5 blur unit size, gaussian,  Van Cittert at a strength of 1- 2 then about 10 iterations at a little less blur unit size and a strength of perhaps 0.5-0.8.

1 hour ago, neil phillips said:

I also noticed your 140 pulling out nearly as much detail as my 245. Only in certain areas could i even tell that is the case the rill for example i can just make out a hairline crack on the 245. But could not on the 140.  Not really analyzed back and forth but after you said this, the rill is something i know is a stern test so i just checked that,  But i could swear there are some areas where your detail looks better  ? If not more detail, better presented perhaps.  it is amazing a 140 mm scope could compete with a 245mm I will say the 245 under both equally good seeing the 245 will start to pull away a little more  doing high res. Planets of course would be a sterner test. But also a irrelevant one. As the moon doesnt suffer low light the way planets do. I think i also prefer your softer approach. Looks to me like some kind of gaussian sharpening. Or something resembling that ? i take it you do no wavelets ? except deconvolution and unsharp mask Astra image if i am correct ? 

Anyway your mosaic is stunning. Natural smooth gloss superlative detail. And your Clavius again is as natural and highly detailed as anyone could want. or expect from a 140mm scope.  You got me wanting to try some softer approaches now. As i said before you affect my judgement. Not many people do that Mike 

Cheers Neil!   The 245 will kill the 140 on closeups in similar seeing.   lol.   You are plenty undersampled in your mosaic "down" to the potential resolution the 140 can do.    The extra light in equal seeing will most certainly give you a cleaner, sharper image.   But...  as you say, in certain areas I am very close!   

I don't do wavelets.  May try one day.  In Astra I will do levels first, perhaps  a little contrast, then  I use deconvolution...  lightly,  usually two rounds with the the first being 90 % of the work, and a faint touch in the second.    I rarely use unsharp mask in Astra.    I find the IMPPG implementaion FAR better for that.....  but rarely use it unless I process with ONLY IMPPG.    After deconvolution in Astra I will usually do a slight edge sharpening in Lightroom.....   and some final contrast/shadows perhaps.   For my single pane work with 140 very undersampled,  I do the same, though the settings are VERY different for a good result.    Can use much more aggressive processing and still come out clean.

Clavius and the other closeups are with the Vixen.    But thanks!   I really like the shot.   

Only did one whole moon shoot....  and it was this 3 panel mosaic with the APM powered up to 1.4X in green 520nm and 183MM camera.    Very interestingly to me,  Neil did a superb mosaic at about the same time, and at the same scale with his big 245 Newt and a different camera.  (See his "Orion Rework" at 100% - the third and last of his images in post).   As I often do,  I added a colour tone to mine....  maybe for a better comparison I will post another in black and white.   Viewed at 100% they are very comparable to me on my 4K monitor but his bigger aperture wins for the details and noise/artifacts when zoomed in past 100% - mine is close though!   Pretty good for a 140mm instrument going up against a much bigger 245mm at the same scale!  LOL  Very fun to have two such mosaics shown in the same orientation at the same scale shot from different parts of the world of our beloved Luna.  :))))))   

Following the mosaic, I have posted just a couple of my higher rez attempts with my Vixen VMC200L.   In order to significantly surpass the 140,  I have just realized I must power up the 200mm Vixen to its max.....  and frankly, my seeing does not seem to support this most often.   Still though.....   I am pretty darn happy with my Clavius capture.   A personal best.    

The mosaic at 100%

A few closer attempts at maxing my Vixen VMC200L.   With 520nm at F13.6 and the 290MM.

Hadley....

Vallis Alpes

My best Clavius....  happy with this one.

A lessor Clavius....  but a nice decent view of the southern limb area.

Clear skies!!

Mike

42 minutes ago, neil phillips said:

You know i was thinking that looking at them Mike. I have had so little quality lately. Downsizing always seemed the thing to do. Appreciate your comments. I know how much you can spot problems in balance. So thats reassuring to me, to know you think i am on the right track.  I knew before the balance was off. But couldnt do a quick fix.  Now i want to do the same under good seeing but with a 2x Barlow Mike. But it wont be easy. The 178m is largish. But not large enough to prevent missing peices. 

The dreaded missing pieces...  lol.  I know the pain!  😄

I FAR prefer the full size - myself I would not have posted the other two  lol.  On my 4K monitor it looks fabulous.  Tones great.  Details fantastic.   Great work!

Mike

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

That first image has a lovely tonal quality. Very special indeed.

Thanks much Michael!

5 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

For me the refractor images really stand out... The first one is something special indeed! If that was mine it'd be going up on the wall. Really love the waning phase too, we do not see enough of it. 

Thanks Craig!   Yeah....  the 140 at prime well undersampled in green almost never disappoints.  lol    I should always do one.  I did not yesterday morning and I regret it.  

Mike

6 minutes ago, neil phillips said:

The last shot is something special Mike. The balance is extraordinary, smooth as they come yet razor sharp. Not a easy trick. You teach my eye all the time. Was that using IMPPG deconvolution ? 

Thanks Neil.   Though not my fave....  I had already thought the last image was perhaps the best from the Vixen of the night.   Funny enough.....  it really WAS my very last image - taken about 1 hour after sunrise as the sun was rising above  the house across the street and just licking my scopes.   As to processing.... I meant to mention.   I have gone back to Astra for everything.  Slower,   more work....  but perhaps smoother results.   IMPPG will remain in the toolbox though.

Cheers!

Mike