A few lunar images with my new QHY IMG132E

[lukebl]

Hi all,

Here's a few quick results with my QHY IMG132E, which I've had for a few months, but not got round to using it before now. Not the best results, but I thought I'd try it at full frame 1280x1024 pixels. I've had a real problem with the capture software. Admittedly these are full-frame, so the download will be slow, but I could only manage 4 fps with the bundled software. I know that Firecapture is supposed to be pretty good and much faster with this camera, but I just can't get it to function. I think the camera has potential, but I'm not there yet!

These are around 800 stacked frames, 3x Televue Barlow, 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian.

Crater Langrenus:

Petavius:

Mare Criseum:

Crater Janssen

[nightfisher]

very nice, well done

[stonemonkeylives]

Very nice, I particularly like the Petavius image.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Bizibilder]

Nice to see those images Luke - What sort of problems are you having with Firecapture? I'm finding it a bit of a learning curve but seem to be getting it to work OK.

[BuzzBomb]

Stunning! Some of the best lunar images I've seen for a long while.

I like them a lot. Well done.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2

[turbotim]

Good shots

[lukebl]

Thanks a lot, guys! I

....... What sort of problems are you having with Firecapture? I'm finding it a bit of a learning curve but seem to be getting it to work OK.

Well, Roger, Firecapture just won't run on my laptop. I just get the attached error before it starts, even if I uninstall and reinstall it.

[sologuitarist61]

Great detail Luke

[Bizibilder]

My version has only msvcr80 and msvcr90 present and it works! (Windows 7 64bit). Maybe a reinstall is required? (Must admit I havn't a clue what those files do).

[lukebl]

Thanks Roger. I've now uninstalled it, and installed the v2.2 beta version and it seems to be working well, at around 25 fps at full-frame. Now, for once, I am looking forward to a clear sky AND the moon. No such luck, by the look of the forecast.

[Bizibilder]

Glad to see you have it working - I have found it essential to have nothing else running on my laptop (make sure your AV software isn't updating or scanning!!!) and you should get 45-60 fps without too much trouble. The real killer is exposure - so use gain to get the image brightness up. An exposure of 20ms limits you to 50fps (actually slightly less) so try and work around 5-10 for Lunar. I've been using 15 fps for Jupiter and getting decent images - at a focal length of 2.25m. To keep file sizes sensible you can turn off debayering, this also seems to speed things along a bit - I'm now taking 10,000 frame .avi's of Jupiter, at above 70fps, as standard and stacking maybe 1000 "best" of them, but I'm still experimenting.

[emadmoussa]

very nice indeed. Does it make much difference having the IR filter that comes with the camera on?

[stellawolf]

Great images well done