Why for Registax?

[badgerchap]

I've just done two processings of the same set of images.

The first is a single frame, sharpened and exposure controlled in PS, and the second one is 58 frames stacked in Registax, sharpened and unsharp masked in PS.

Am I either missing some advantages of Registax, or is there just little point stacking with lunar images?

[Cornelius Varley]

For DSLR imaging, probably no. For imaging with a webcam / D*K etc definitely yes. The more images stacked the better the signal to noise ratio improves.

Peter

[badgerchap]

Thanks! Is this due to the size and quality of the CCD, or some other factor?

[bigal1]

The major thing i've noticed when stacking dslr moon images is that i always have a lot less noise in the stacked image which lets me sharpen further and also makes for a smoother cropped image .

[iwatkins]

Yes, don't use a DSLR.

[badgerchap]

Yes, don't use a DSLR.

I dunno, I'm relatively pleased with it, for a widefield view. I am in the middle of a webcam mod , which might be a better, but until I finish it in the next few days, it's DSLR only :/ Plus I melted my EQ5 Motor today, but still wanted to mess around with the settings on the dslr so only an object that can be taken without tracking was any good!

[tjensen]

The DSLR is great for wide angle and single shot colour images of the moon. For hi res work, you can't beat "web cam" avi style imaging. Being able to grab 1000s of frames allows you to "freeze" the seeing and use the best for processing. Noise drops by the square root of the number of frames stacked, so you really have to stack a lot of images to get a good improvement, after which, you can stretch, and sharpen more. The low noise of the DSLR on a bright target like the moon negates some of the advantages of the web cam.

Great images BTW!!!

Cheers

[Bizibilder]

I often do Lunar work with a DSLR and generally take and stack around 60-80 frames in Registax 5. It does improve the s/n ratio and allow you to produce a much sharper image. I agree "movie" cameras allow you to take and stack thousands of frames and will beat an SLR for fine detail shots on the few nights of really good seeing that we get.

I've attached a DSLR stack to show the sort of thing I've managed to get: (64 frames with a Canon 1100D and a 120ED APO and 2x Barlow Processed in R5 and PS CS5 to sharpen)

[badgerchap]

WOW! I gotta get me a barlow! That's my biggest problem at the moment for lunar - smal scope and a big sensor makes for a tiny image. Might see if I can get hold of a decent 3x Tal. Would help no-end with my WL Solar imaging too!