Jan Target is Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, What's everyone's thoughts on settings/exposure etc. ?

[Leon-Fleet]

I am planning on imaging the Orion molecular cloud complex this spring before it goes away again. It's always been my favourite collection. 

I'm interested in hearing advice/ tips/ suggestions on the best course of action to capture this in the best possible way. 

ie. what exposure times, Iso etc, would yield the best results. 

I have some basic equipment so hope to make the best use of it possible with help and guidance.

I'll be using: Nikon D90, Sky Adventurer,  Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX, or Nikon NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 Lens. 

I have DSS and PsCS6  and LightRoom 5 for editing after. 

I'd like to get at least 2-3 hours of data over the coming months.

how would you go about this? 

[Nova2000]

When I shot orion(45min total time) my settings were iso 1600(you can reduce if you are not in a hurry, I was in a hurry  ). I kept my f at 3.(i once kept 1.2 and ended up with comet like stars in the edges) I took 2min exposure. (skywatcher eq3 ra motor drive) the star adventurer can probably do more. I got the Bernard's loop. And a faint glow of the witch head. More data will get the whole thing. 

Clear skies! 

[alacant]

Hi. This is also on my todo list. So it'll be interested in following any advice here. If your D90 is modified then no problem. As far as lenses no contest, the 50mm Nikkor. I'll be using my 1980 vintage Nikkor 50mm 1.8 at f4 on a modified Canon 700d. You may get away at 2.8 with yours. Amazing lenses:) Or I suppose even better, go out and start experimenting with the exposure. Start at 120s? HTH.

[Leon-Fleet]

4 hours ago, alacant said:

Hi. This is also on my todo list. So it'll be interested in following any advice here. If your D90 is modified then no problem. As far as lenses no contest, the 50mm Nikkor. I'll be using my 1980 vintage Nikkor 50mm 1.8 at f4 on a modified Canon 700d. You may get away at 2.8 with yours. Amazing lenses:) Or I suppose even better, go out and start experimenting with the exposure. Start at 120s? HTH.

i thought as much, I love that old lens,but it cant be used wide open,f 2/8 or above works sweet.  below that the stars start to look like wings !! 

My D90 is not modified... do you still think its possible to get a good image?

I'm gonna keep increasing exp by 15 seconds each time until I find what works. 

[Leon-Fleet]

I'm going to make this a project and add to it over time so I'm not in a rush, I'll hopefully get 5 min subs fingers crossed. 

Clear skies ! 

[Leon-Fleet]

1 hour ago, lune lupine said:

I had my first attempt at having a go at Orion last night. Reasonably happy with results; 10 frames mix of 20s and 5s at ISO800 using canon760d and Evolution 8, quickly assembled in Lightroom but no editing. My own thoughts are that:

1. need to practice more on focus (big yes!)

2. perhaps raise iso to 1600?

3. perhaps increase exposure times to 30s - 1M?

4. should i use mirror-lockup on the camera; reading conflicting info on the web?

5. should i invest in some of those fancy filters I see on the market?

 

I'd be interested in feedback around the exposure time suggestions for my telescope in particular. 

good first attempt! 

A couple of amateur suggestions on how you could improve and I'm sure others will add to my suggestions. 

the crop is very tight cutting off part of your image. 

Increasing the exp will blow out the trapezium 

increasing the iso will increase noise but if you are stacking the majority of this will be reduced in post. 

I would not run out buying filters at this stage, get the basics right first then add extra kit as improve. 

turn Mirror lock up off it can cause vibration which can blur the shot.

use Live view to improve your focus, when achieved tape up your lens with gafer tape  

happy shooting and clear skies ! 

look forward to seeing your next shots 

[iapa]

I got some screw on Bahtinov masks from Germany with various diameters for my lenses - just remember to take it off.

What software are you using to control the camera?

 

 

[cjdawson]

15 hours ago, Leon-Fleet said:

turn Mirror lock up off it can cause vibration which can blur the shot.

I have to disagree with this point...

The whole purpose of the mirror lockup feature is to put the mirror in to photo taking position.  Once the vibrations from the movement have finished, then open the shutter to take the image.

The way I suggest to operator this feature is firstly to use either a cable release  or preferable an galvanometer. 

 

Turn on the Mirror lock.

Turn on the camera's 2 second timer.

Next, press the cable release and hold it.  The mirror will flip up and the camera will start the 2 second countdown.  This will give the necessary time for the mirror induced vibrations to stop.  Then the shutter will open.  Release the cable after the exposure time, and you are golden.    When using an intervalometer, simply add 2 seconds to the exposure time.  Program the rest of the unit as normal.  And it will function properly.

1. countdown

2. open shutter for 1st exposure. (as you programmed 2 seconds longer here. the camera's self timer will flip the mirror lock, wait 2 seconds then start the exposure)

3. closes the shutter after the exposure time.  Mirror flips down as normal.

4. Wait for interval time.

5. if there are frames left to take, go back to no.2

 

That's pretty much how it works and your images will be a bit sharper due to allowing the vibrations from the mirror to stop before opening the shutter.   Of course if the 2 second timer isn't long enough, try the 10 second timer instead.

[Leon-Fleet]

6 hours ago, cjdawson said:

I have to disagree with this point...

The whole purpose of the mirror lockup feature is to put the mirror in to photo taking position.  Once the vibrations from the movement have finished, then open the shutter to take the image.

The way I suggest to operator this feature is firstly to use either a cable release  or preferable an galvanometer. 

 

Turn on the Mirror lock.

Turn on the camera's 2 second timer.

Next, press the cable release and hold it.  The mirror will flip up and the camera will start the 2 second countdown.  This will give the necessary time for the mirror induced vibrations to stop.  Then the shutter will open.  Release the cable after the exposure time, and you are golden.    When using an intervalometer, simply add 2 seconds to the exposure time.  Program the rest of the unit as normal.  And it will function properly.

1. countdown

2. open shutter for 1st exposure. (as you programmed 2 seconds longer here. the camera's self timer will flip the mirror lock, wait 2 seconds then start the exposure)

3. closes the shutter after the exposure time.  Mirror flips down as normal.

4. Wait for interval time.

5. if there are frames left to take, go back to no.2

 

That's pretty much how it works and your images will be a bit sharper due to allowing the vibrations from the mirror to stop before opening the shutter.   Of course if the 2 second timer isn't long enough, try the 10 second timer instead.

That's really great advice, I had never considered a pause between shots.  I'll be interested to see the difference in my shots going forward. 

Thanks for sharing

[cjdawson]

There's two pauses in that routine.  1st is after the mirror lock, for 2 seconds (or 10 seconds if you need that long for the vibrations to dampen out, 2 should be fine in 99% of cases)  Then another of your choosing between frames.  This gives the camera a chance to write the image to the flash card.  Also, the gives the chips a chance to cool down a little.   For the interval, about 30 seconds between frames should be enough, longer will allow more cooling.  If you find the temperature of your camera to be an issue, try extending the break for longer between shots to let the heat dissipate.