mackiedlm

1 hour ago, Victor Boesen said:

Very nice image! I even think some IFN is visible in there;)

I think you are right. It was more obvious at some steps in the processing and I think I may have ago with Scort Rosens LLRGB and see if I can pull it out.

Christmas eve brought my first clear night in almost a month so, despite the family's protestations I was out trying out a new (to me but manufactured mid 70's) 200mm lens (€25 off e-bay so why not!)

I'm really pleased with the lens though more time on target and less rejects for satellite and other trails would have helped.

Anyway,

20X5s 30X60s 40X90s all ISO800
Canon 1100D (un modded)
Super Takumar 200mm f/4 vintage lens (stopped down to 5.6 with rings)
Staradventurer mount

Comments or suggestions for improvement? (I know about the dust bunny right of top centre - it landed on the lens between imaging and flats the next morning - tried to take it out in Photoshop but it was making it worse!)

As I say, lots of rejects for satellites but this one was particularly galling;

🤣

Happy new year to you all!

my M31, taken with a vintage 135mm lens.

I'm not sure whats causing the stars on the right to be so red - lens or filter probably

Canon 1100D Ha mod

Pentacon 135mm at F/4
StarAdventurer mount
20 X 180s Iso800 + 52 X 180s iso 1600
Astronomik CLS filter
APP/ Photoshop

This is a reprocess of an image I already posted.

This time using Scot Rosens DSLR LLRGB process (my first effort with that) to try to pull out the faint nebulosity. I think I've probably over done it a bit but i think it is still amazing to see how much can be pulled out of even mediocre data.

EOS1100D (unmodded), Skywatcer Star Adventurer mount
Vintage Pentacon 135mm lens
30x 90s @ISO800, 21X 90s ISO1600, 30X 120s ISO800 (total 2hrs 15mins)
Around 30 flats, darks, dark flats and 80 bias for each set of lights

This is the first version for comparison

I will probably go back to it again so any suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.

So, I've gone back to this and tried again, this time combining the channels in Astro pixel processor.

I think its an improvement but would appreciate hearing other thoughts.

This is my first every attempt at HaRGB with my DSLR.

There are clearly some issues; focus is not perfect on the HA frames I think - although in BYEOS they were showing ok even zoomed in hard. And there seems to be a bit of coma further out - not sure if thats just the lens or something else?

I've not done a brilliant job in processing and its quite noisy/grainy when zoomed in hard and I think I've blown out some of the brighter areas - I'll see what I can do on round 2. It also needs a good bit more integration time.

Any suggestions for improvement in capture or processing would be greatly appreciated

BUT - this was my first ever effort at this and I'm not ashamed of it! So;

Canon EOS 1100D, Pentacon 135mm @ f4
StarAdventurer mount
RGB 29 X 180s ISO 1600 (with Optolong CLS)
Ha 29 x 180z ISO 1600 (Astronomik 12nm Ha)
Stacked and initial processing in Astro pixel Processor, Final processing and combining of HA/RGB in Photoshop

Thanks for looking and any advice you can give

David.

I decided to have one of my Canon EOS 1100d's modified so contacted Juan at Cheapastrophotography.

He was extremely responsive and helpful and the camera was gone barely a week - including shipping from and back to the West of Ireland.

Excellent job, at a very reasonable price.

Highly recommended.

Yesterdy lunchtime I Ordered an Astronomik 12nM Ha Clip in filter for EOS APS-C. I needed it quickly so contacted Martin for assistance.

It was sent by DHL express (additional charge but not excessive) and is sitting on my desk - in Galway in the West of Ireland- barely 25 hours after placing the order.

If only all online supplier were this helpful and efficient.

David.

My first try at this target. I used 3 different exposures and 2 different ISO's to try to get structure in the nebulosity but didn't quite manage it. Maybe I need wider difference in long/short exposures? Or maybe i need more FL to show that structure? Or ......?

Anyway:

EOS1100D (unmodded), Skywatcer Star Adventurer mount
Vintage Pentacon 135mm lens
30x 90s @ISO800, 21X 90s ISO1600, 30X 120s ISO800 (total 2hrs 15mins)
Around 30 flats, darks, dark flats and 80 bias for each set of lights
Stacked and initial post processing in APP, final tweaks in Photoshop

Comments and suggestions for improvement please.

This, (obviously I guess) is the Sadr region in widefield. Really just trying to get used to my modded canon. I've also started playing with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) and while its taking a bit to learn I am finding it very useful. This is my first go at this image and I think I can do better so will probably try again

So;

Eos 1100d (Ha Mod) Optolong UHC filter on Star Adventurer

Vintage Pentacon f2.8 135mm at f4
51 x 120s, 30 or so each of darks, flats and bias.
Processed in APP with some final tweaks in photoshop

C&C appreciated

49 minutes ago, FaDG said:

Nice shot, Vintage lenses offer a great value! You could add more lights on different nights and a modded camera will give you a lot more signal. 

Here is the same target acquired with a different vintage lens, but same focal length : Jupiter 135 f3.5 (the radioactive one, I fancy it could produce an image even when left in a closet! 🤣) on a modded Canon 600d. 

For this shot I have added a 2" IDAS V4 in front of the lens, to keep light pollution at bay. 

 

Thats a lovely image, super colour. I have just got a UHC lens to see it i can cut down on LP a bit. I'm in whats classed a bortle 4 but there are sodium lights just outside my perimeter which throw things off a bit.

In the mean time, I went back to raw data and tried to get a bit more out of that image and got a bit more colour at the cost of some rather dodgy looking stars.

First light with my newly modified EOS1100D (UV/IR Cut removed)

Tried it out with a vintage lens I've had for nearly 40 years. It was not new when i got it and has not been used in probably 25 years. Its a Pentacon 135mm f2.8 and I have to say its nice to be giving it a second life after all these years. And I'm not too disappointed in its performance.

I was a bit short on time on target as the clouds rolled it so only managed 20X120s @ ISO1600, darks and bias applied. Stars are a bit orange but I think with more lights and less aggressive processing i could reduce that a bit. I know diffraction spikes are not to everyone's liking but for me it rather adds to the vintage feel of the image. In the old film days i had a load of Cokin filters and one was specifically to put spikes on point highlights so it adds to the trip down memory lane!

Thoughts?

I received my newly modifed EOS1100d (Only UV/IR block removed) and had a (partly) clear sky last night so I thought I'd do a direct comparison of the camera before and after mod. So these two are from the same camera at the same settings (30X120s @ ISO 1600, kit 18-55mm lens at about 40mm on a staradventurer)
The first is the before (about 2 weeks ago). Looking at them now its clear that to try to get some red on the pre mod image I over-did it quite badly.

I'm interested to hear comments on how to improve.

Pre-mod

Post Mod

Fabulous!

These are really nice images. I prefer the recent one - more moody! I tried the eagle for the first time a few weeks ago and want to try again with my newly modded EOS1100d but I thinks it way too low for me now. And dipping into a distant light dome. Theres always next year.@

That's a really unusual target and a striking colour. I like it.

I finally got around to processing two moon AVI's I took late September.

These were consecutive nights (20/21 September) on my 8" LX200, f6.3 FR, EOS1100D

Captured in BYEOS, stacked (best 300 from 1000 images) and wavelets in registax and a final tweak in photoshop.

These are breathtaking images, beautiful

One of my Canon EOS1100Ds is of for Modification (Cut IR Removal) and I've been reading up about how to do Custom White Balance on it when it is back.

Everything I've read says to take the CWB image "under a clear noon sky". Where I am in the West of Ireland "clear noon sky's" are a bit like hens teeth. Particularly in October. Even less common than the "moonless clear night sky".

So I'm wondering if setting up the pic with the 18% grey card under a daylight lamp would be effective. Anyone with any experience of this?

Thanks

David

M16 and M17 side by side.
Canon EOS1100D, 70-210mm Canon EF at about 200mm, star adventurer mount,
24 X 60s at ISO800 (time limited by LP low in my SW) 20 darks (no flats)
Stacked in DSS, processed in photoshop
Comments and suggestions for improvement greatly appreciated.

Continuing with my efforts to do something with the Deneb - Sadr region this was EOS1100d (un modded), Kit 18-55mm lens at about 40mm on a A StarAdventurer

26 X 120s at ISO1600, Stacked in DSS, processed in Photoshop.

Quite a lot showing up in the image which is satisfying.

Just received my second round of Dew heaters from W & W.

These are absolutely the best I've seen - really well made, nicely adjustable and with good quality connectors. Also got the USB connector which allows the band to be driven by a usb power pack which adds greatly to the convenience.

And service is superb, I ordered on Saturday and they dropped through my door on Monday - and I live in the West of Ireland! And finished off with a nice personalised, hand written note from Barbara. Call me a dinosaur but in this day and age that just makes my day.

David.

Well good luck with it. I'll keep my eyes open for notice about it because I'm up that way sometimes.

9 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Lovely picture. Nice to spot some familiar objects including the North America Nebula next to Sadr and the nebula around Deneb. 

Is your Canon modified? There's a lot of red picked up.  

Thanks for that. Yes its amazing how much you can actually pick out from such a moderate widefield image. No its a standard un-modded 1100D.

Still pretty new to this but here is my effort at the Deneb and Sadr region
Canon EOS1100D, kit 18-55mm lens at 55mm f5
Star adventurer mount
30 X 120s ISO1600 20 X darks
DSS and Photoshop

Thanks for looking and any suggestions for improvement greatly appreciated

Rgds

David