SOS

[toilandtrouble123]

Please can someone help? Actually in tears, (no really, seriously in tears) over the useless images I have from my Galloway holiday.  The views were PHENOMENAL! But my rubbish dire attempts at trying to capture them so I could look back on them have come out ridiculously awful.  I also forgot to take darks and flats at the end of the night, which I am punching myself over. This is a serious call out for help, before I just pack it all away and sell the lot, as I don't get any better over the 14 years of owning telescopes and cameras, and I become more and more despondent and depressed. 

[wxsatuser]

What particular help do you need?

[toilandtrouble123]

Trying to make something of the images.  The Milky Way was so vivid and gorgeous, and I've made a right pig's ear of my opportunity.  I was too entranced by the sky as a whole, I didn't even use my scope which my other half hauled up through London to Scotland on the trains.  

[dweller25]

I think they are quite good

[toilandtrouble123]

 People help yourselves..... 

[steppenwolf]

OK, let's have a look at the problems.

1. First of all, you do need to nail that focus - no matter how good the rest of your image, if the focus is out, the image will be spoilt beyond repair. You can use LiveView and a Bahtinov mask (we can tell you how to make one) and if at all possible a small laptop PC to really get this right.

2. Your wish list includes a portable camera mount (Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer) - what are you waiting for, you NEED a tracking mount even with just a camera and wide angle lens for any exposures over a few seconds in length or you will get star trails.

3. You need longer exposures to capture colour and detail - which means that tracking mount is even more important

4. You have a large piece of crud on or near your sensor - you need to get this removed or all your images will have that black spot.

Focus, longer exposures and tracking - get those sorted and your imaging will take off.

You'll get there, please don't be too despondent, we have all had these issues!

[Physopto]

Steve is correct.
Please don't give up we all have problems at times. I have spent about 8 years just trying to beat the problems, one after another. There will always be another. Just less frequently, I hope!!

 Galloway is a fantastic venue for astro-photography. Looks like you were at Leslie's caravan site. I would guess you were there on your own and not in a star party? If so, no body to ask questions of. You need to try to get there with a Star Camp full of like minded people. Plenty of opportunity to ask how things are, or can be done. You would find plenty of experienced astronomers and several newcomers in the same boat, but all with problems at different types. Problems are there to be flogged to death! 

We all need help at times.

Stay positive, I got nothing at all for several years. Persist and you will get there, and the feeling when it goes right are well worth it.

Derek

[toilandtrouble123]

Steve is correct.

Please don't give up we all have problems at times. I have spent about 8 years just trying to beat the problems, one after another. There will always be another. Just less frequently, I hope!!

 Galloway is a fantastic venue for astro-photography. Looks like you were at Leslie's caravan site. I would guess you were there on your own and not in a star party? If so, no body to ask questions of. You need to try to get there with a Star Camp full of like minded people. Plenty of opportunity to ask how things are, or can be done. You would find plenty of experienced astronomers and several newcomers in the same boat, but all with problems at different types. Problems are there to be flogged to death! 

We all need help at times.

Stay positive, I got nothing at all for several years. Persist and you will get there, and the feeling when it goes right are well worth it.

Derek

At Galloway Activity Centre with the other half. We dont drive, so no chance of joining a star party. Unfortunately I just think it's my rubbish

vision and shed loads of floaters due to PVD in both eyes (consultant & optometrist both said I'm the youngest person they've encountered with it) making things difficult for me in terms of focussing long range, as well as my lack of opportunity to improve that has led me to feel this inept and feeling whats the use. I get no joy from observing through my scopes anymore because I can't see anything really, and so that has drawn me back to just wide field observing and attempts at meteors, satellite passes and constellations shots. Thanks anyway xx

[Physopto]

I'm sorry to hear that you have eyesight problems. Have you tried using a Bahtinov mask. That would remove some of the difficulty in focussing for you.

Derek

[happy-kat]

I am not sure of the equipment but I think you have a Canon.

So the below may be of help or might miss the mark but I will try.

Don't lose hope just need to find a way to help you find that focus.

Edit: I don't know whether to remove my thoughts as this will not work with the 350d. I just checked on the applications website.

1 - for focus with my Canon I connect it to my small Android tablet. This lets me see the screen much bigger. I use DSLR Controller application in the Play Store, use the free shutter release app first to check the camera and tablet can talk to each other.

Camera put the lens at the widest setting and the aperture just stopped down one from widest open.

Camera in manual mode.

The tablet will hopefully show some stars coming through the lens, put the lens on manual focus and turn the focuser and hopefully stars will show on the screen. On the tablet screen select a star and then on the tablet zoom in, you can get 10x, now turn the lens focuser and get that star as small and round as possible.

2 - set the shutter to 10 seconds and the iso to 800 all on the tablet screen.

3 - take a picture and then check the focus when the image is previewed. Check for star trailing too.

4 - if there are no star trails showing and focus looks good nice tight round stars then try a slightly longer exposure, repeat checking star shapes if they are still nice and tight try a slightly longer shutter length repeat until you identify the optimum shutter length to use.

On a fixed tripod I would think you might get 10 seconds depending on where you are looking in the sky, or it might be 5 seconds you wont know until you try for that night's imaging.

The same tablet can be used to take your flats and darks and bias are easy but if you forget any don't worry. There is an app called Light Box that turns the screen bright white so can be used for flats.

Just need to find a way to help you see when you are in focus. What ever the outcome of your evening and your photos you saw that amazing clear sky and all those stars and the milky way, wow.

A couple of your images above do look promising star shapes, I am a real learner with editing so perhaps someone who is skilled will see what can be teased out.

[Stub Mandrel]

Sounds like you should ask some questions about video astronomy. Seems to be a way to put the joy back in for people who struggle to use an eyepiece.

Hope this tweak helps a bit.

[toilandtrouble123]

Thanks guys. Kat, would the method with a tablet work with a 20D? And what tablet do you use? X

[happy-kat]

DSLR Controller home site is here and the 20d sadly is not listed.

http://dslrcontroller.com/devices.php

I have a 7 inch android tablet, Nexus 7 2012 edition.

What lens do you use with your camera?

As another thought if you had a laptop you could borrow perhaps you could use it to connect the camera using Canon's software or maybe a free trial of BYEOS to be able for a given aperture for the widest lens setting sort out where infinity focus is and mark the lens so that you could repeat finding it though not sure how workable this idea is with the kit lens.

Had another idea but need to go and research it. That one did not work out, duff idea thought.

[toilandtrouble123]

I use a 18-55mm and a 28-80mm. Did get a 75-300mm but had to send it back due to presence of fungus inside. Cannot afford a newer DSLR body, so using such apps is not an option available for me :-( did try using the canon software when my cat chewed through my shutter release cable, but to no avail. Maybe I ought to just sell it all....?

[happy-kat]

I would not sell it. Just need to be thoughtful about how to best use it.
What is your 28-80mm lens, what make model?

Have you read up on the earlier suggestion by a member on video astronomy?

You have quite an equipment list, there might be room to move some items around to raise funds for a different item to help you with what you are wanting to do. Careful thought as the sky is not going anywhere.

I learnt something today that the SkyScout can be used as a push to GoTo device, neat.

[happy-kat]

This is a very quick edit of curves of one of the images in your album. I can't say what the stars are but it looks like even in the very small uploaded file there is some milky way there.

I think if possible when you image do check where the histogram is, I did not have enough room to be able to adjust the levels first.

[happy-kat]

Have a read of this, don't give up, practice more.

http://www.nightofmanywords.com/articles/kit-lens-astrophotography

[JED-E3]

I'd be interested to know what aperture you used for the images, if you used f22 for example that would explain the lack of sharpness (because of diffraction), extra noise and dark images.