Moonshots rework.

[kaybee]

These are a bit of a rework of some old (12months or so) images.  Taken using my Pentax K10D mounted on a tripod, Sigma 150-500 f/6.3 lens.  Stacked using Registax then finished in Photoshop Elements 7.

Shot: 1/250s - f/8 - ISO-400 - 500mm. Post-Processed: Stack 19/20.

Shot: 1/1000s - f/6.3 - ISO-400 - 500mm. Post-Processed: Stack 23/27.

Shot: 1/250s - f/8 - ISO-400 - 500mm. Post-Processed: Stack 13/16.

[robbie c]

You got some lovely images there well done 

[kaybee]

Thanks robbie.  I'm pretty pleased with these, they make a nice set. I think the first one (the Waning Gibbous) is a little noisy, it's noticeable on the seas.

[jjqpr]

Good results! I never even though about stacking moon shots! What does the stack add compared to a single shot? And being a newbie what does the "stack 13/16" etc bit mean exactly?

[kaybee]

Good results! I never even though about stacking moon shots! What does the stack add compared to a single shot? And being a newbie what does the "stack 13/16" etc bit mean exactly?

Very simply (I'm sure other more knowledgeables will be able to expand) stacking does two things - primarily it increases signal to noise ratio. It also increases the dynamic range of an image.

I took a total of, for example, 16 shots. Within Registax (stacking software) it will check the images against a defined tolerance and select the best 'x' for stacking. So by 13/16 I mean the final image is comprised of a stack of 13 shots. 3 were discarded by Registax.

~Keith

[Langy]

Very nice images.

I guess as this was a 500mm lens on the camera that the original image was fairly well cropped.

[kaybee]

Very nice images.

I guess as this was a 500mm lens on the camera that the original image was fairly well cropped.

Thanks Paul.  Yes you're right, they are heavily cropped, can't remember the exact percentage!

[Langy]

I tried a year or so ago with my 300mm lens and it was a really small image. To get these the initial images must have been excellent, well took images.

A bit of photoshop into a nice landscape of some sort and you could have another great image of a different sort.

[kaybee]

I think the stacking/use of wavelets within Registax made a big difference to the amount of cropping I could do to end up with the above.  I'll crop one of the original unstacked images to the same degree and post it later for comparison.

[kaybee]

As a load of high-level cloud has just ruined my M82 hunt thought I'd come in and post the promised comparison.  This is one of the images used in the stack of 13 for the Waning Gibbous shot, cropped to roughly the same degree.