M101 DSLR

[Adam J]

50 x 300s ISO800, CLS Filter, HEQ5pro, 130PDS, Cooled Canon 550D.

I am not sure if its worth continuing at 5min exposures or to add 10min exposures to help bring out the outer spiral arms more and merge in PS?

Or will that detail eventually come out at 300s if I increase the total exposures up to about 100?

 

Thanks for looking

Edit: Updated version opinions wanted please.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sierra Golf Mike]

Lovely image Adam, love the colours,not just of M101 but the stars as well.

[iapa]

that's good!

[al-alami]

Honestly, that looks really good ... something to look forward to (I hope).

[Adam J]

Thanks guys not sure about it as I have hardly ever done any galaxy shots this is my third ever or something. Difficult to gauge. I have focused on Nebula in the past.

[Jannis]

Nice capture.

Is your 550D filter modded? How did You add coolong to it?

Also, i see you used the cls filter, ive seen a lot of bad talk about it as far as galaxies and Star color - do you image from a very heavily light poluted area, or do you still find it helping for galaxies also? I live in qn Orange zone and i still cant decide on using it or not. For emission nebulas for sure though... :-) 

[Adam J]

32 minutes ago, Jannis said:

Nice capture.

Is your 550D filter modded? How did You add coolong to it?

Also, i see you used the cls filter, ive seen a lot of bad talk about it as far as galaxies and Star color - do you image from a very heavily light poluted area, or do you still find it helping for galaxies also? I live in qn Orange zone and i still cant decide on using it or not. For emission nebulas for sure though... :-) 

The camera is full spectrum modified. I use the non IR blocked Asrtonomik CLS Clip along with an IR/uv block.

I have had it cooled for a long time, but only just getting around to writing it up in this thread in the DIY astronomer section:

I am in a yellow zone, i get bad gradients without it. It tends to make things look purple but you can correct in processing, this is only my third galaxy so am no expert. I normally focus on nebula.

You can only try with and without.

[Adam J]

Color balance is tricky you can correct it but what is correct....for example is this better or worse no idea lol.

 

[tooth_dr]

That second one looks a bit cooler and overall blue. 

[Adam J]

Final version until I get more date I think its an improvement, but I am so unused to processing galaxies that I am very unsure. Would like opinions.

[Tangoringo]

Love this image Adam. I'm afraid I can add nothing technically speaking but from a newb's point of view starting out with DSLR imaging, if I can get anywhere near that standard I'd be very happy.