Smartphone app for photography

[AstroNebulee]

Hi

I was hoping you could help me for an app or best settings for an android smart phone to take photos. 

 

Cheers 

 

 

[jgs001]

I like and use Open Camera a lot. Have you tried the manufacturer camera? Some of them are meant to be very good. Moto Camera is pretty good, but I find it's saves can be somewhat unreliable and lost half the images.

[johninderby]

Open Camera is good but Camera FV-5 Pro is better and more like using a DSLR and has more options plus the main settings are right on the screen not burried in sub menus.

 

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, jgs001 said:

I like and use Open Camera a lot. Have you tried the manufacturer camera? Some of them are meant to be very good. Moto Camera is pretty good, but I find it's saves can be somewhat unreliable and lost half the images.

Hi

Yes my smartphone is a huwaei p20 lite and has a good camera with Pro settings, but couldn't see an infinity focus that I seen on some videos they say to use. I'll look at the suggestions though thank you. 

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Open Camera is good but Camera FV-5 Pro is better and more like using a DSLR and has more options plus the main settings are right on the screen not burried in sub menus.

 

Hi thanks for your reply, I'll look at that thank you and for the photos supplied. I'd like to start with taking lunar shots and get them ok with my huwaei p20 lite smartphone as I don't have a dslr. What are the best settings for say the moon and other planets or star clusters using this app. I have a smart phone camera mount to provide more stable photos. 

 

Cheers 

[johninderby]

Hi

Don’t use autofocus and set focus to infinity so you can focus with the scope. Just play arpund with the exposure and ISO settings a bit. Set the image save format to .png or raw image if your phone will support it. Don’t save in .jpg.

I just use it on the moon at the moment as Jupiter and Saturn are so low down seeing is allways bad on them at the moment. Venus is a good target but would suggest using a variable polarising fiter to cut the brightness down.

I've posted these lunar photos I took a while ago many times as an example of what you can expect with a smartphone.but might as well post them again to save you looking for examples.

[AstroNebulee]

9 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Hi

Don’t use autofocus and set focus to infinity so you can focus with the scope. Just play arpund with the exposure and ISO settings a bit. Set the image save format to .png or raw image if your phone will support it. Don’t save in .jpg.

I just use it on the moon at the moment as Jupiter and Saturn are so low down seeing is allways bad on them at the moment. Venus is a good target but would suggest using a variable polarising fiter to cut the brightness down.

I've posted these lunar photos I took a while ago many times as an example of what you can expect with a smartphone.but might as well post them again to save you looking for examples.

Hi

Thank you for your reply to my post, those are superb photos I'd be proud to of taken something like those, I thought setting to infinity focus was best, as to playing with iso and exposure what is the bench mark to set to and then adjust ftom there. 

Cheers 

[johninderby]

What I like about the FV-5 Pro app is you can adjust the main settings right on the screen which makes it easy to play around with the settings. There is an FV- Lite version but a bit. of a waste of time as you can’t use many of the options. The Pro version is really cheap anyway.

Edited May 3, 2020 by johninderby

[AstroNebulee]

Hi

Yes I've downloaded the Pro version and looks much like a dslr screen with the adjustments to be made, total newbie here but would iso of 800 be good to start on and longer exposure time? 

[johninderby]

Try 200 to 400 to start with. Decrease the exposure time if the image is dim or increse if too bright.

[AstroNebulee]

Hi

Thank you for the advice I will try this thank you and will post a photo when its clear enough and if its worthy of posting here :)

[johninderby]

Looking forward to how you get on with it. 👍🏻

[AstroNebulee]

Hi

I tried to photo the moon tonight while it was clear for an hour, not great photos, kept trying to alter iso but wasn't clear, I expect my huwaei p20 lite camera not upto the job as f is only 2.2,used camera fv5 and with moon filter on 20mm and 10mm eyepieces. 

[AstroNebulee]

This was ever so slightly better 

[DaveL59]

give a try without the moon filter as that'll be darkening the image, what shutter speed/ISO are you using?

Try at ISO100 and 1/250th shutter and work from there, perhaps as the moon is pretty bright at the moment.

[johninderby]

Does seen rather dark. Yes try it without a moon filter. Might be better off with a variable polarising filter so you can adjust the brightness but not too dark.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/astro-essentials-variable-polarising-moon-filter.html

[DaveL59]

Thought I'd give this app a try with the TAL-1 and vixen NPL's, tho only loaded the lite version for now. Seems ok but limited to only one of the rear cameras on the note-10+ I have. Still I managed to get a few shoes with the 20mm EP, ISO400, I set shutter priority mode, shutter a fast 1/1600th-1/3200th range, focus to M and infinity (tap [AF] if that's on the screen, select [M] and finger on the image display and slide up to the end of travel), no filters.

switched to the NPL 10mm to get closer in

All of course saved as jpeg given this is the lite version. A little out of focus tho pin sharp at the eyepiece. I realised tho as I sat at my desk and put my glasses on that I expect the focus was fine to my no-glasses eye which would be around 1.25 off then to the camera, DOH! Can see that being a problem when I want to do this more then, guess I'll have to wear the glasses when focusing for a pic which is a drag  

Will have a think on if this FV-5 pro version is worth the purchase on this phone given the limitation on which camera it uses, but it seems OK.

Hopefully that'll help the OP a little too.

[AstroNebulee]

This was ever so slightly better, I've got a better barlow lens with a t ring attachment to put a nikon dslr on for better quality shots instead of holding camera to ep

Edited May 8, 2020 by LeeHore7

[AstroNebulee]

Supermoon waning gibbous last night bit blurry but ok I hope, in North Cornwall 

Edited May 9, 2020 by LeeHore7

[AstroNebulee]

My celestron t adapter barlow lens arrived yesterday and what a difference it made to my viewing through my scope, just goes to show pay a little bit more and branded, you get a far superior product and experience. This is a photo of the moon I took this morning. I also managed to see Jupiter with 3 moons, Saturn, Mars and a cheeky flyby of the iss. Couldn't get photos of these as waiting for my smartphone adapter to arrive, its hard holding the phone to get photos. 

[johninderby]

Will make such a diiference having the smartphone holder which will allow you to take better photos. 🙂

[AstroNebulee]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Will make such a diiference having the smartphone holder which will allow you to take better photos. 🙂

Thank you John, yes can't wait for the adapter to arrive and get better photos and of Jupiter and Saturn.

[DaveL59]

does sound like the barlow has worked out well for you Lee, you might try the DSLR without the barlow though if you can attach it to the focuser and see how that performs, should give really good pics once you get the hang of that.

Know what you mean hand-holding the phone at the eyepiece, something I struggle with too having 3 cameras on the back of the phone and waving it about trying to get a view, so I too really should get an adaptor for that, as well as get better at focusing (as in put glasses on first before trying to get a pic lol)

[AstroNebulee]

5 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

does sound like the barlow has worked out well for you Lee, you might try the DSLR without the barlow though if you can attach it to the focuser and see how that performs, should give really good pics once you get the hang of that.

Know what you mean hand-holding the phone at the eyepiece, something I struggle with too having 3 cameras on the back of the phone and waving it about trying to get a view, so I too really should get an adaptor for that, as well as get better at focusing (as in put glasses on first before trying to get a pic lol)

Hi Dave, yes the barlow is amazing, had the adapter arrive today and a bit fiddly fitting it on a rubberised ep, it's a diamond shaped clamp and not the round one that fits onto ep, may look at ones that fit on the ep round ones. Hand holding oginevto get photos are so fiddly and trying will see how it goes with this one. I struggle alligning 2 cameras on my phone let alone 3 Dave. I will try to fit the nikon dslr onto the Tring adapter and Tring but was out of focus, something I'll look into. 

[DaveL59]

you might find that the eyepiece ring unscrews off the end of the focuser tube and the T-ring screws onto that directly. That'd gain you a bit of in-focus travel if that's where it was lacking.