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Backyard EOS vs APT


ScubaMike

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I have (courtesy of my wonderful wife) and unmodded EOS600D with which I intend to try capturing some DSO's.

There seem to be two main players in the EOS Camera control software field, being Backyard EOS and APT.

I have heard several arguments (at my local Astro club) for BYE, but none for APT.

Does anyone have experience of both?

Does anyone want to make an argument for APT?

I know they are not particularly expensive (so should perhaps get both as see for myself), but a penny saved... etc

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I have both and drift back and tended to drift back and fore between the two...

Currently I am back with APT after some problems at SGL7 where I wasted the clearest night when the camera hung needing battery removal to reset it on BYE... it did this a few times so I swapped to APT and it ran fine nothing else in the setup had changed :):icon_scratch::)

I like the UI of BYE on the Netbook screen but I am learning my way around APT again...

Peter...

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I tried the trial of both, but I found APT quite hard to get my head around, whereas BYE I was able to jump straight in with no instructions and away I went.

I'm still waiting for a clear night to test both 'in the field' but BYE won on the usability side of things hands down.

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I have both and use both but I tend to favour APT as the BYE software doesn't control the Digic IV processors in the 5D MkII and the 7D bodies properly i.e it is not possible to set the aperture on a DSLR lens when shooting longer than 30 seconds. I also like the AF function within APT for DSLR lens which BYE currently doesn't have.

The BYE GUI is certainly much more user friendly than the APT GUI

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I haven't tried BYE, but use APT and think it a superb program. The trial version has all the features you are likely to need and no time limit so you don't feel rushed to get a result. It does everything I need and more. Focus tools, framing masks to make multi night projects easy, interface with PHD for dithering, really a great program and half the price of BYE for the full version.

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I have them both. I started using APT then BYE came along and I pretty much used that exclusively. BYE has a nice interface and you can easily do planetary imaging. APT is good for saving plans and controlling multiple cameras if you have the need.

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Thanks for all the opinions folks.

I have decided to go down thw BYE route.

I brought up the subject at a meeting of our local Astronomy group, and everyone there has gone for BYE.

Not that I am thinking that that neccesarily makes BYE the better product, but I will have a wealth of experienced users at my disposal on imaging sessions at the local Ob.

Thanks again for your input.

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It's worth signing up to the yahoo group for BYE.

In addition to your local club. There is some good info in there - I had a couple of (user) errors & the answer was already in there.

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Sorry to sound like a rookie but I am - what does APT stand for? Does APT support capturing with video from Live View? I have a 450D - no video so BYE will capture video thru the Live View Feature.

Thank you

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Hi Static030,

APT means Astro Photography Tool :) And it also can capture LiveView. I have chosen to follow other route and don't build AVI file. The reason is simple - it takes valuable time and power to build a video file on the field and then Registax takes time to decode that AVI file. APT saves the same JPG files that the other programs use to build the videos without altering them and you can directly use them in Registax utilizing 100% of the quality that the camera provided :)

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