Some Intes MK67 Lunar Images

[PembrokeSteve]

Hi

A few lunar images taken on 06/03/2020, using my Intes MK67 Maksutov and ZWO ASI 178MC camera.

Quite pleased with the results , because as usual, it was rather windy in my corner of West Wales, UK, while I took the images!
I pushed my AVI's up to the 2000 frames mark, and it seems to have paid off, for me.
Images shot via Sharpcap, processed through Autostakkert, wavelets in Registax, then tweaked in Affinity Photo.

Regards,
Steve

The below photos show the Vallis Alpes, the crater Plato and the Montes Jura / Sinus Iridum Region (with a couple of close ups included)

 

[CraigT82]

Nice shots Steve, lovely and crisp. Is that 2000 frames stacked or collected? 

[maw lod qan]

Beautiful images!

Viewing this morning from Florida was very good. Just wish I could get images like this, but cant with my trusty Canon.

[Louis D]

Why are all the highlights blown out?  They look like video frame captures as a result.  Otherwise very nice images.

[ronl]

Really good set, nice crisp detail.

[PembrokeSteve]

Hi,

Many thanks for your comments.

Hi, CraigT82 - I gathered 2012 AVI image frames from my ZWOASI178MC camera and afterwards, via Autostakkert, then stacked 50% of them.
Previously I never really went over the 1000 frame mark, because I was not certain if Autostakkert could handle the resulting large file sizes.
However it does. In future I will now gather at least 2000 frames (and more) every time where possible. As per advice from this forum, the more frames you gather will give more image detail and less noise.

Hi, Louis D - Yes a bit annoying some of "the highlights blown out". I always try to keep my exposure and gain down as much as possible to try to prevent this, but sometimes without success.
Not sure if capturing larger amounts of AVI frames can make this issue worse. The term "lucky imaging" is often used when referring to lunar imaging, and I can see why !

Regards,

Steve

 

[Louis D]

13 hours ago, PembrokeSteve said:

Hi, Louis D - Yes a bit annoying some of "the highlights blown out". I always try to keep my exposure and gain down as much as possible to try to prevent this, but sometimes without success.
Not sure if capturing larger amounts of AVI frames can make this issue worse. The term "lucky imaging" is often used when referring to lunar imaging, and I can see why !

Go back and sample some individual frames to see if the highlights were blown out in them.  If so, you need to either resort to HDR techniques or bring your exposure level down somewhat.  Since this is essentially terrestrial photography, expose for the highlights because you can always reclaim detail out of the shadows in post processing if you're capturing at greater than 8 bits per channel.  If the highlights are not blown out in the subframes, then it's the stacking process responsible for increasing the combined exposure in those areas.

[Rusted]

What excellent and very natural looking images!

Autostakkert can handle larger file sizes if your computer can manage them.
I routinely capture 3000 frames at 320fps when [solar] imaging.
This takes only a few seconds to capture in SharpCap.
Perhaps half a minute more to complete stacking in AS!3 with my reasonably fast USB3, SSD laptop.
I imagine it depends how patient you are if you have a much slower computer.