Solar contrast help please

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

took this shot yesterday it is 500 frames stacked from a 59 second avi i took.

viewing was good, and via eyepiece stunning. but what ever i done i could not get any sunspots or details to focus let alone appear on the disc. i tried with shorter exposure times an still a white out disc.

camera was a MS lifecam HD5000, and has had its IR filtering/lens removed. shots have been stacked using registax. even wavelets in registax does not pull detail/sunspots out.

now i cannot work out why i have an highly over exposed avi. i am running a baader solar film filter and straight prime focus without barlow's. i am maxed out on the exposure slider on sharpcap and also have contrast to the lowest setting.

But i still have a washed out picture.

what filter can i use to bring the exposure down and let those sunspots and details pop out. ?

thank you

[Bizibilder]

Any neutral filter or colour (green may be best) filter will help. Maybe easier would be to put a barlow in the optical train as this will have the effect of making the image dimmer. The trouble is these cameras are comparitivly sensitive and the Sun is so bright even with the Baader filter that you get over exposure of your images.

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

thank you bizi

i have just purchased a Eq1 RA motor drive and a T mount ring for my trusty canon 350D, hopeful the canon will handle the imaging better with a more finer control over the exposure timing and hence the over exposure.

is there a filter that does the job but in a neutral color. i would have no clue how to use color filtering and or post production of the pictures afterwards.

i did try to barlow the camera but focus was impossible. could not get the image to snap to focus at all. i spent a good 15 mins glaring at the lappy screen. the disc would just about come to focus then go right out of focus.

it is then i gave up and packed away.

would the IR blocking filter removal cause the over exposure. thats a lot of IR i am getting out of the camera and well the sun sure does release a lot of IR. maybe the camera is seeing to much IR and a IR/UV eyepiece filter would help in the optical train.

another idea was dual baader filtering. a filter for the scope but also a filter crafted to cover the cameras tube (35mm film can mod).

thank you for your swift advice and help

[Merlin66]

You limitation, at the moment, is the effective control of the webcam...

You could try adding a ND filter (moon filter etc) in front of the camera nosepiece to reduce the incoming light.....

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

well i messed up a little, forgot to buy a t mount adapter so the camera slips into focuser. going to order one from Flo at at same time look into a Tal ND moon filter.

yes having the gain mixed with the brightness adjustment is a big pain in sharpcap. lunar wise the cam works ok. but solar it needs a bigger adjustment in exposure time and possible the IR cut filtering not removed.

thank you for help and advice, i hope now my images will become something better than a round white disc

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

well think i have ordered the right T adapter thing for my t mount ring. but left the filters. they very expensive in flo. but i found a filter set in Wex for £30 think i may go for that one comes with a ND filter and some color ones to.

reading up a few have said green or blue i thought about a filter wheel so i could take shots in all three colors R G B.