NA neb - First fumble with ASI 1600, I'm amazed

[MartinB]

My first outing with my new ZWO ASI 1600 pro.  Also , first go with SGP.  It was learning by trial, error and trauma!  Waiting for new serial to usb converter to connect to my CGEM mount so this was unguided.  Gain was set at 0 instead of 139 by mistake (sub lengths way too short).

Details - camera as above, Canon 200mm lens at f2.8.  29x3min subs - total time 1hr 27 mins under a big full moon

I thought this would be a croc of poop but was seriously impressed by how clean the image was when processed in PS.  I'm so chuffed with this camera and am really looking forward to using it more.

Many thanks to Allinthehead for his advice on use of the ASI

 

[ollypenrice]

Good to see you posting, Martin.

Great result, nicely matched to an excellent lens - and used wide open.  This could become a really popular pairing for widefield imaging. 

Olly

[MartinB]

Thanks Olly, that was exactly my thinking.  I have a small Bahtinov mask for my zx66 and it fits the lens perfectly.  It made focusing a doddle, even at F2.8.  

I forgot to mention, this image  hasn't been calibrated.  My uncalibrated QSI subs are grim in comparison

[Allinthehead]

That looks very promising even with the issues you had. Once i settled on a gain setting that suited my equipment and sky, mistakes like you made are ironed out, but it needs to become part of your checklist before starting your sequence. If only i was organised enough to have a checklist?

[ollypenrice]

27 minutes ago, MartinB said:

Thanks Olly, that was exactly my thinking.  I have a small Bahtinov mask for my zx66 and it fits the lens perfectly.  It made focusing a doddle, even at F2.8.  

I forgot to mention, this image  hasn't been calibrated.  My uncalibrated QSI subs are grim in comparison

Another option is a microfocuser from TS. I used one on this lens since I struggled, with my fingers, to make small enough movements. However, if you're finding it OK then you won't need one.

Olly

[MartinB]

13 minutes ago, Allinthehead said:

That looks very promising even with the issues you had. Once i settled on a gain setting that suited my equipment and sky, mistakes like you made are ironed out, but it needs to become part of your checklist before starting your sequence. If only i was organised enough to have a checklist?

Thanks Richard, I have made great use of checklists, my problem is that I first have to learn the things I'm going to forget!  

Thanks for the TS gizmo heads up.  I remember seeing that before.  If I just got lucky with the mask last night I might give it a shot

I stretched the image to my  liking, when posted it was quite a lot darker and on my laptop it is very dark.  Hey ho!  Looking clear tonight, my windows 10 compatible serial to USB cable has now arrived and hopefully I can start doing a proper job.

[peter shah]

I think once you have ironed out the little issues it will be a stunning combination