barrie greenwood Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi guys OK I bought a Samsung scb 2000 and converted it by removing the filter however I can't seem to get this to image anything with any sort of quality so I'm thinking of putting the lens back on and mounting it on the scope as a guide camera to help with tracking My question is would this work or am I on the wrong track with this train of thought any advice would be helpful Thanks in advance Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash_old Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi Barrie, Sorry you having problems with your SCB2000. I know first hand the feeling but you need to persevere. I am assuming you are in focus - so the best bet,IMHO, to start with is use the moon and play with the settings (even better look on various Web sites (inc SGL) on the initial camera settings you need to set the SCB 2000). You dont say what frame grabber you are using and what type of software you are using. I used Sharpcap as this worked with my real Easpcap frame grabber. You can use the whole set up(Scope,SCB ,Sharpcap etc) during the day to get used to setting the camera/scope but remember the settings will be different at night and if you have taken out the filter the image will look funny and not as clear. As for using the SCB2000 for guiding the only software that I could use,that worked, was Metaguide as PHD/PHD2 wouldn't recognise my frame grabber or would keep falling over. The thing not to jump at is to set the gain to high and remember the camera is stacking pictures internally so you have to be patient as this takes time especially after you make changes to the settings. Try low gain / exposure times to begin with - cant remember the exact details as its been a while since I have used the SCB2000 but keep below x24(not even needed for the Moon more like 1/500). Best of luck - I am sure one of the experts will give you some more help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrie greenwood Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hi thanks I'm using easy cap and sharp cap frame grabber I can get it focused but if I run 1000 frames then process the stack it gives a pretty poor image but I'm new to this and I've not loaded any darks or subs or flats tbh I'm not sure what they are or what you do to get them It would be better if I could use the Samsung but I just can't get it to produce anything with quality Regards Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash_old Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 2 minutes ago, barrie greenwood said: Hi thanks I'm using easy cap and sharp cap frame grabber I can get it focused but if I run 1000 frames then process the stack it gives a pretty poor image but I'm new to this and I've not loaded any darks or subs or flats tbh I'm not sure what they are or what you do to get them It would be better if I could use the Samsung but I just can't get it to produce anything with quality Regards Baz Maybe the problem is expectations - you will not get Hubble or even DSLR(IMHO) high quality(after 24hrs data LOL!) from your SCB. Thats not what Video (Near Real Video,or EAA) is about IMO. You can get great pictures in EAA but like everything it costs - See Jim Smiths or Don's(and Others) images both being produced using small exp times(secs not Hrs) but not cheap. So really what is your expectation? As for Flats ,Dark,subs etc there are plenty of good write ups on what each is and how to do them. As for processing thats an another story - that took me ages to get my head round and then only with hints from others and hrs of practice (you know when its cloudy). Again you will find some excellent pointers on here (SGL) and else where . I presume you are using something like RegiStrax which is as I say an art in itself. IMO I would use the SCB2000 to learn your art and see if EAA is for you. Sorry I cant be more specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrie greenwood Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 No not at all my expectations are grounded and I have seen what can be produced by a Samsung however I'm not getting anything like it, processing the said images after is not the hardest thing I've used photoshop cs for years and understand all about image manipulation. the images I'm getting after stacking just seem poor and not to good but I'll preserve with it and see what happens I just seem to get a better results with a 20 second exposure on my Nikon Regards Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash_old Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Just found these old settings which I think I used for a starting point - may help ypical settings for Diffuse Nebula and Galaxies. Lens Manual Exposure Brightness = 1 (adjust upwards to see possible improvement) Shutter = Manual (x256 or x512) Start at 64 and slowly increase. Changing AGC setting will require re-adjustment. AGC = Low to start. High to see if more can be obtained, but will need to wait awhile for the noise to settle out, but ampglow can be excessive with AGC on High. Sense-up = OFF White Balance Manual (R=410, B=500) SSDR ON Backlight OFF SSNR3 ON (Maximum) Day/Night Color Special Image Adjust V-Rev (Off normally) H-Rev (Off, normally) D-Zoom (Off, normally) Font Color (White) Sharpness (On set to minimum, normally) Monitor LCD or User (can change the gamma, PED level, and color gain in the sub menus.) Typical settings for Planetary Nebula and Globular Clusters. Lens Manual Exposure Brightness = 1 (adjust upwards to see possible improvement) Shutter = Manual (256 or 512) Start at 64 and slowly increase. Changing AGC setting will require adjustment. AGC = Low to start. High to see if more can be obtained, but will need to wait awhile for the noise to settle out, and ampglow can be excessive with AGC on High. Sense-up = OFF White Balance Manual (R=410, B=500) SSDR ON Backlight OFF SSNR3 ON (Maximum) Day/Night Color Special Image Adjust V-Rev (Off normally) H-Rev (Off, normally) D-Zoom (Off, normally) Font Color (White) Sharpness (On set to minimum, normally) Monitor LCD or User (can change the gamma, PED level, and color gain in the sub menus.) Typical settings for Moon and Planets. Lens Manual Exposure Brightness = 1 (adjust upwards to see possible improvement) Shutter = Manual (1/250) Start here and adjust downward (using filter, eg. moon or contrast boost filters will affect the setting). AGC = OFF Sense-up = OFF White Balance Manual (R=410, B=500) SSDR ON Backlight OFF SSNR3 ON (Maximum) Day/Night Color (B/W for the Moon) Special Image Adjust V-Rev (Off normally) H-Rev (Off, normally) D-Zoom (Off, normally, but can use zoom if not using barlow or powermate) Font Color (White) Sharpness (On set to minimum, normally, but adjust upward as needed) Sorry didnt know what you had done before so just gave all the things I went thru . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorD Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Hi Baz I've used the SDC435 - the same camera as the SCB2000 and got reasonable results - could you post a selection of raw frames so we can see what you are starting with. In my experience the camera is very sensitive to settings both on camera and in your capture program, so getting these right wil lgive you the best images to start wiht before you process. Here's a cuouple of my images taken wiht the SDC435: This has been stacked and gradient removed - I cannot find the raw image now To be honest on brighter objects these video camera work well - I've not achieved this level of colour with my Lodestar, however the detail is much clearer with the Lodestar. HTH Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrie greenwood Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 Thanks guys I'll try it again as soon as this cloud lifts? I've deleated the old frames as they were so poor I'll upload some as soon as I get some taken Thanks again Regards Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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