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M1 Crab nebula up close!


Darth Takahashi

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This time I tried to push up the magnification and image scale. Same telescope but now with the extender Q image amplifier (1.5x).

Telescope: TOA130F with ExtQ

Camera : HX916

Filter: CLS

Integration: 50 Min's

The weather last night co-operated for a while but the transparency was never good, average to poor later on. Seeing was good all night. However at 01:10 the clouds rolled in and put an end to imaging.

This time I have applied dark's to the lights and later used deconvolution to improve the image structure and quality.

Neil.

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Bigger and better I would say Neil. Stacks of filamentary detail visible in this one.

Are you going to , or will you, add any colour, or are you strictly a mono man.?

If I could just ask you. What differences are there between the HX919, and the MX916 Cameras.?

Been meaning to ask you this for a while, but kept forgetting.

Ron.:)

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Hi Ron,

To be honest I don't know? They look the same to me! I bought the HX916 second hand and wouldn't really strongly recommend the Starlight Xpress camera's.

The camera hardware itself is great and for 500 Euro's I'm getting a 1.3MPixel sensor. No, the main issue is the capture software isn't great so you need a 3rd party plug to a more expensive app like Maxin DL etc... Be aware of this if you intend to get one of these camera. Also the older versions like mine do not play well with anything but Windows XP and even then I needed to learn a little USB magic.

The USB 1.1 interface needs to be the first HID detected.

I also have an Atik 16IC as a guide camera and would have loved to buy its bigger brother... Maybe one day?

I'm not a Mono man, I'm just building up to colour slowly. Again to be honest I have a nice FLI 7x 2" USB controlled filter wheel standing by. I just under estimated the cost of 2" filters (800 Euros) :)

Strange I know, I have money for TAK scopes but begrudge spending so much on these accessories, it all add's up.

Neil

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Hi Ron,

To be honest I don't know? They look the same to me! I bought the HX916 second hand and wouldn't really strongly recommend the Starlight Xpress camera's.

The camera hardware itself is great and for 500 Euro's I'm getting a 1.3MPixel sensor. No, the main issue is the capture software isn't great so you need a 3rd party plug to a more expensive app like Maxin DL etc... Be aware of this if you intend to get one of these camera. Also the older versions like mine do not play well with anything but Windows XP and even then I needed to learn a little USB magic.

The USB 1.1 interface needs to be the first HID detected.

I also have an Atik 16IC as a guide camera and would have loved to buy its bigger brother... Maybe one day?

I'm not a Mono man, I'm just building up to colour slowly. Again to be honest I have a nice FLI 7x 2" USB controlled filter wheel standing by. I just under estimated the cost of 2" filters (800 Euros) :)

Strange I know, I have money for TAK scopes but begrudge spending so much on these accessories, it all add's up.

Neil

Well, I, fortunate in that mine has the USB 2.O Interface Neil. I also have Maxim DL v.5.

I actually bought the camera from a member of SGL, who is no slouch as an Imager. I'm sure he does not know he sold it to me though. I bought it through the hype that accompanied the Ad. Namely, that it has an extremely sensitive sensor, and Ideal for Comet hunting.

It uses the same driver as th SXV units, and with some help from Terry Platt, I soon had it working. I also bought the SXV Guidehead, as I did not care for the Idea of pixel sharing for giuiding, which would have required the Star 2000 software.

I have only used it terrestrially at the moment, as I'm still getting my Obs. set up.

The Sensor is the ICX083, which has extremely low dark noise,

which supposedly reduces the need for accurate dark frame subtractions and minimising the shot noise contribution of the dark current.

We shall soon see how accurate these claims are of course. Your M1 Image is very good, so I am heartened by that anyway.

Thanks for replying mate.

Ron.:)

PS. I know what you mean about the accessories costs. I've spent a fortune myself, and when the wife starts the Inquisition, with questions like

" When are you going to start getting some pictures". and " Would it not be cheaper buying posters."

I start to feel uncomfortable.

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The camera, hardware is good and the sensor ICX083 is very sensitive :). The newer chips are touted as being even more sensitive but I doubt it. In any case I don't believe they are worth the extra expense :D. I have applied dark's to the data but the improvement although there is marginal. Its certain not like applying dark's to a DSLR capture (Mandatory).

M1 actually popped up with only a 1min sub, on the night I tried 3, 5 and then settled on 10min sub's. They look awful when stretched in Maxim DL but what doesn't!

No, the main reason that you should take a few dark's. I took an average of 3 dark's, is to remove hot pixels. This to me at least, has the biggest impact on the final image.

My main issue is with the capture software, which incidently is still issued with the newer camera's, this has given up the ghost on me at least twice now and for no good reason. :)

I am now forced into using Maxim DL for captures.

I hope this helps Ron, it sounds like you already have all the necessary tools to take the maxmium benefit from the camera.

Neil.

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