Lovejoy video?

[kalasinman]

EQ mount not available currently, so want to get something of Lovejoy. I'll try my 100mm macro lens on a tripod. Choices are 1/4 second @f/5 or so and 1200 iso or thereabouts, or taking video and stacking 2,000 frames. Any further thoughts please?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

1/4 second seems way too short, I used 40s at ISO 1600 @ F/4.8 (APM 80mm F/6 with 0.8x reducer). Stars and comet showed no relative motion at those exposure times at 384mm focal length.

[kalasinman]

was that on a mount? I figure 400/FL for no trails. so that would be 4 secs.

[kalasinman]

I am curious as to whether stacking video would work.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Mine was on a tracking EQ mount (Vixen Great Polaris). Your ZEQ25 mount should be up to the job. Stacking extremely short exposures does not help that much, as the readout noise swamps the signal. I stacked 10 40s exposures to get this

Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker on the comet, hence the star trails. The single shots show pretty good tracking

[kalasinman]

Thanks, but I'm guessing you missed where I explained that the mount was NOT avaIlable. Must use a tripod.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks, but I'm guessing you missed where I explained that the mount was NOT avaIlable. Must use a tripod.

Sorry, missed that bit, I just looked at the sig for the kit. Maybe using a shorter lens (nifty fifty even) would be better if you are working with just the tripod. A 50mm would allow 20s exposure with ease, I think, and at F/2 or so you would get decent exposures. Just doing a few test shots might be the ticket.