CCD settings?

[Celeste]

Hi guys, I am trying to find some decent settings for a Starlight xpress MX7C CCD, I tried the recommended settings from the instruction manual but the image I took was pretty bad. It was M13 and the core was just a bright white and hardly any details of the stars on the edge. I am using the software that comes with the camera, is there any better for me to try? Also what settings do you more experienced users use? Also, when doing multiple exposures, is it normal for the image to end up light grey to white? what file type to save as is best? and how do I process better? I have astroart 3 at the moment....sorry for all the questions!! lol newbies eh

[Celeste]

No-one??

[Merlin66]

I used the MX7c for many years with AA3....I didn't have any issues...

What exposures are you using? Do you have significant sky glow?

[Celeste]

Ooops sorry didn't see you had replied, this thread got buried! Thanks

I had bad shake on the scope as it was pretty breezy not the best to image I know but I wanted to try.....I was asking for advice on CCD settings, how long to take the images etc...simple things for globs and orion nebula first (easy newbie targets)

Anyway I managed to get what I have as a JPEG....you'll see what I mean! (excuse the bad positioning) This was using the settings in the manual....I prob did something wrong, if I carried on getting more frames I ended up with an almost total WHITE image And the .FIT pics have worse grain/banding

[dmahon]

I ditched the included software and now use Nebulosity2. I think a free trial is available and fortunately it is not expensive (unlike some of the other software).

The first thing I would do is ensure pin-sharp focus with a Bahtinov mask - buy one for your scope, or make one online from a bit of cardboard.

Take some flat frames, take some bias frames, take some dark frames (if your camera needs tham, I don't know how much dark noise that chip produces), then use DSS to see what the camera actually produces. Then stretch it properly in photoshop/GIMP, as DSS often produces a very light image initially.

[Komet]

The MX7C is a colour camera. I take it you are debayering before stacking?

It also has to be said that AstroArt is the best capture software for this camera. (I have one riding piggyback on my Mak Newt)

[Celeste]

The image above came straight out of the MX7C software....not AA3....sorry but what is debayering? The way this image came about....I set the camera to collect images as per the settings in the manual:

Globular clusters: Individual exposures of 45-120 sec stacking multiple...hi res 1x1 binning...this was I think 5x45 secs as a trial to see how it looked, I almost ended up with a pure white screen if I let it run on longer and more exposures, I was sure I did it wrong. I was asking if anyone could tell me what settings I *should* use to capture a glob cluster using this camera...

[Komet]

The image above came straight out of the MX7C software....not AA3....sorry but what is debayering? The way this image came about....I set the camera to collect images as per the settings in the manual:

Globular clusters: Individual exposures of 45-120 sec stacking multiple...hi res 1x1 binning...this was I think 5x45 secs as a trial to see how it looked, I almost ended up with a pure white screen if I let it run on longer and more exposures, I was sure I did it wrong. I was asking if anyone could tell me what settings I *should* use to capture a glob cluster using this camera...

Well you are limited exposure wise to how long you can let an exposure go before tracking/misalignment errors start kicking in. If you can only go 30 seconds then it is pointless going longer if your stars and target are all trailing.

The MX7C is a colour camera (unless it has had the chip changed to a mono one)

if you take one image it should show a grid pattern on it. This is the Bayer matrix and to show the colour in the image it needs Debayering before you stack. Stacking non Debayered images makes a mess.

Have you got one sub you can send me as a .FIT file (as out of the camera)?

[Celeste]

Ah ok this seems to be going over my head Theres no mention of any of that in the manual...erm I don't have the files on this PC so next time I have my portable HDD on I will see if I can remember to add one sub lol...memory like a seive here