smr

hi,

Just after some advice... is this all powered ok? Just wondering if everything will be ok when out imaging..

I've got the 600D, the Guidecam and the mount plugged into the USB Hub - the USB Hub is powered via mains. I've then got the one USB Cable from the USB Hub into the Laptop.

I've just tested everything and it all seems to be working ok, but I just wondered this will all be ok when it comes to guiding and imaging, will the guidecam be fine for guiding when plugged into the hub, or is there anything that I should plug directly into the laptop instead out of the 600D, Guidecam and Mount?

30 minutes ago, discardedastro said:

Honestly, the best approach I've used is either long focus exposures - which will average out atmospheric turbulence - using software to measure FWHM or similar. That combined with using parfocal filters and focusing with L, which is never going to be perfect but if you've got a motor focuser and parfocal filter system is a pretty viable option.

For the 600D you should be able to take 10s exposures or similar and get a reasonable exposure on a mask.

Thanks for the reply. Just finished focusing on Vega. Actually a lot easier than I thought, 5 second exposures and it's so bright it makes focusing really easy. Had to take a few photos to get it right but worth doing to know it's in focus.

17 hours ago, Rustang said:

Very nice, well done! 👍

Thank you

Hi,

I'm just wondering if anyone can advise on the best way to focus with an Optolong L-eNhance Filter and a 600D modified Camera.

I've got a Bahitnov mask for my Z73, and without the filter it's as easy as choosing a bright star and being able to focus with the diffraction spikes.

With the Optolong filter that option isn't available and I'm not sure how best to try and achieve focus. 

I've tried using the Bahitnov aid in APT but it's difficult to know whether it's actually in focus as it jumps around so much, probably due to atmospheric turbulence.

3 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

Nice image, I bet you're pleased with that as your first one with the astromod DSLR!

I've been thinking about my next purchase and whether it should be an astromod DSLR or save a bit more and go for a dedicated colour camera like one of the ZWO ASI cameras. 

Which mod does your 600D have, has it just had the standard filter removed or has it been replaced with something like the Baader BFC?

Thanks, yes I am happy with it. The Camera has just the standard IR filter removed. I should have bought an astromodified DSLR ages ago really. Although I have been happy with some of the results from my 80D and will continue to use that on some targets, for targets like this one though, the Ha just gets gathered so much faster with a modified DSLR. 

As for dedicated Cameras I'll probably make the leap before too long, I have procrastinated about buying one almost as long as I did a modified DSLR. I'd love a 2600MC Pro. There's a mono version of the QHY version coming out next month I think though, so I might go for Mono APS-C, if not then it'll be a 2600 or 268C.

Hey guys, 

Thought I'd share my first light with my first astromodified DSLR. I bought a second hand 600D a couple of months ago and took a couple of hours worth of data on the Heart Nebula at the beginning of August. We had two clear nights in the whole of August, where I was anyway, which was on Holiday for the first part.

Last week we had a clear night and I managed to get a further 4 hours. So here's my first image, from stepping into astromodified Cameras. It's also my first image with a dual narrowband filter, the Optolong L-eNhance. 

The main thing I've noticed, after spending the first two/three years taking astronomy photos with my unmodified 80D, is that a modified DSLR really does make a big difference. I don't think I would have been able to gather as much Ha with my 80D.

6 hours of 5 minute subs.

I've also just uploaded a video on plate solving in the field, featuring this image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoIy1D2pBZ0

Glad the videos helped 

19 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

So in the settings in PHD, there is the dithering scale. If its set to 1, then it will dither a random movement by 1 pixel or less. If your guidescope and camera pixel scale is 3 arc seconds, for arguments sake, then a dither scale of 1 means your mount will move a random amount between 0 and 3 arc seconds. If you change the scale to 2, then the dithers will be bigger, up to 6 arc seconds etc. The scale in PHD will multiply the scale set in PHD. So if its 2 in APT and 2 in PHD, it may dither up to 12 arc seconds.

Its probably easier to just leave either APT or PHD at 1, and only adjust the other to suit.

Thanks. I just left it at the default dither settings. Seems to work ok, I think it's just because the Canon 600D bands a lot more than the 80D and it was a bit of a surprise as to how much banding the 600D has. 

9 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Are you dithering with PHD?

PHD2 yeah.

Hi,

I'm just wondering, are the default dithering values in APT fine, or should I modify them for better results?

Here are the default values...

1 hour ago, Budgie1 said:

You can set APT to dither within the program.

Under the Gear tab, click on the Guide (D) button and the dither settings are in there.

APT then talks to PHD2 between exposures and instructs it to perform the dither.

One thing with the plate solving that wasn't mentioned in smr's video is to select the scope focal length, as well as the camera sensor & pixel size, when download the catalogues.  Especially if you're using more than one scope.  

I mention that about 10m40s into the video when downloading the indexes.

4 minutes ago, Stuf1978 said:

Sorry, probably wasn't being that clear. Do you actually need to use Planetarium software at all as it just seems to be adding an extra level of complexity?

So I can guide through EQMOD and don't need PHD2?

You would guide through PHD2 with Pulse Guiding. 

I don't think that you'd have to use Planetarium software if plate solving, you could simply slew the mount anywhere, take a photo, plate solve, and use APT and Pointcraft to select your desired DSO. I prefer to use Stellarium though.

Pretty much everything you've asked is covered in two of my videos... 

How to control your Mount with Stellarium and EQMOD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYTD7RuF3x8

How to use Plate Solving with APT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpYXoYEKFpA

Banding is a problem in Canons. In my Canon 80D I've seen it sometimes, but in exposures which are 5 minutes or longer, anything less and I don't really notice it, and even in some 5 minute exposures it's not apparent - probably an air temp thing.

I noticed banding heavily in my newly acquired Canon 600D though, so I'm going to have to dither in APT more than the default dithering values provide.

There's also a debanding script in Noel Carboni's action tool set which also does a really good job of removing banding, it's impressive and doesn't seem to lose any IQ fidelity when examined 1:1.

Yeah that's a good idea, combining L from Mono and Ha with OSC RGB would be a neat setup.

On 03/09/2020 at 10:32, Stuf1978 said:

Thanks for the link. I'll also have a look in your thread 👍

What isn't a headache in the world of astrophotography 😂

I don't know if my video will help but here it is ... how to control your mount with EQMOD and Stellarium... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYTD7RuF3x8

I've got my heart set on a 2600MC Pro, but my head is saying wait for the Mono version.

It's £500 cheaper than over here, priced at £1,500. There's the issue of potential warranty repair and shipping back etc. as well as import fees I guess.

Would you spend over £1k on Aliexpress?

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has bought astronomy gear from aliexpress ? 

Obviously prices are cheaper than UK retail stock but I'm a bit weary with regards import fees / taxes when shipped over to the UK... if buying expensive gear, warranty and returns / repairs if necessary..

On 25/08/2020 at 20:25, DaveS said:

Fuji GFX?

Canon fan boy

Yep, data is everything really. 

In the 2017 Astronomy Photographer of the Year book I was given by my Dad for Christmas, there's one theme amongst all the images in the book, whether winner, runner up or commended... they all have a staggering amount of integration time, on average around 50 hours. Whether a Nebula was imaged with a Canon 600D, 6D or a £6k Mono Camera.

Nice image Goran, lovely dust showing through. Amazing part of the sky.

1 hour ago, billhinge said:

er hasn't the QHY268C been unobtainable for ages, no one seems to be selling it even in the US, the pro version estimated cost I saw isn't exactly cheap ($2999) never mind a mono version if  it ever appears. After you take off the effect of the bayer matrix isn't it equivalent to a very good 6.5 Mp mono ?

I was really interested in this camera months back but if you can't even buy a basic version of it then whats the point? (still waiting  for my KAF-8300 )

Anyway while I wait I got a Flir Grasshopper IMX252 colour coming next week so I can take some moon pics - it also comes in mono ;-). 

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/cooled-ccd/qhy-cooled-ccd-cameras/qhy268c-photo/

Absolutely stunning image.

For now it depends upon what you wish to image I suppose, combined with your sky quality. For me personally, the only OSC Cameras I have seen which have that real next generation quality are the 2600 and the 268C, both sharing the same Sensor. 

I was underwhelmed and continue to be so by the majority of 294MC Pro images on astrobin, I think putting them next to a DSLR astrobin page you wouldn't know which was which, which imho defeats the object of a cooled OSC. 

The 268C and the 2600 however look fantastic, the data looks so clean, the zero amp glow is brilliant - many owners even forgoing darks with great effect - and that's not to mention the sensitivity of the sensors.

I think it's important to mention that everyone is on their own journey with Astrophotography though, and we're all working at our own pace and enjoying different paths - if choosing to do narrowband imaging with the most sensitivity available then Mono is obviously still the best choice. 

For me, there are many many targets I am yet to image, and many of them can be imaged very nicely with a 2600 or 268C. By the time I have finished imaging those targets the next OSC Cameras and the next revolution in sensor technology will probably be able to pick up even fainter objects. Combine these new OSC sensors with the ultrafast light gathering buckets in the RASA / Epilson's guise et al and the results can be spectacular.

For my other hobby which is Landscape Photography, I started out with an APS-C sensor and always had in mind to jump up to and spent years window shopping full frame cameras, and then a new technology came along, Mirrorless (which began to improve and improve), and now instead of going from APS-C to FF, I'll be skipping FF DSLRs altogether and buying Mirrorless instead. 

The point is technology is constantly evolving, so in 5-10 years time OSC Cameras could be absolutely mind blowing in their performance, and all the performance we may need? 

This might help