Jupiter 2010-08-23 1100mm DSLR

[Martyn_Bannister]

Using a Canon 5D and MTO-1000A 1100mm f10.6 mirror lens at ISO800. Montage of 2 pictures. Jupiter was taken at 1/200s, while the exposure showing three of the moons was at 1/15s

Tricky thing is getting the focus right with this lens!

[Keiran]

Now that is impressive for a DSLR and a Lens, congrats martyn

[Martyn_Bannister]

Now that is impressive for a DSLR and a Lens, congrats martyn

Thanks Keiran. Need to do a bit more PP to see if I can bring out a bit more detail, without destroying the shot entirely

[SpookyKatt]

Great shot Martyn,

I have a MOT-1000CA and have been hoping to try it against Jupiter

but haven't a chance yet but your result is making me all the more

eager to try it.

Your right re the focus with the lens though,

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Great shot Martyn,

I have a MOT-1000CA and have been hoping to try it against Jupiter

but haven't a chance yet but your result is making me all the more

eager to try it.

Your right re the focus with the lens though,

Kathleen

Hi Kathleen. Mine's a 1000A. Is the 1000CA a typo? If not then I wonder what the differences are? Is it coated perhaps? If so, you will probably get better reults? Please post the shots when you get the chance.

[SpookyKatt]

Woops sorry Martyn I think its a typo on my part, its

a MTO-11CA which is the MTO-1000A so same thing.

There's a picture of it in my profile album.

I've mounted mine in rings on a dovetail so am hoping to get

shots taken with it as soon as the cloud and rain go away.

I was going to try to check my focusing with it using a bahtinov

mask, do you think this would work ?

kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Woops sorry Martyn I think its a typo on my part, its

a MTO-11CA which is the MTO-1000A so same thing.

There's a picture of it in my profile album.

I've mounted mine in rings on a dovetail so am hoping to get

shots taken with it as soon as the cloud and rain go away.

I was going to try to check my focusing with it using a bahtinov

mask, do you think this would work ?

kathleen

Yes, the 11CA looks very similar to my 1000A, although markings are a little different. You have a 5TA as well! I have a 6TA. It's 500mm f6.3 I think.

Yes, focusing on both these lenses is a real challenge, even in daylight I'll have to google "bahtinov mask", I have never heard of it

[SpookyKatt]

Yes, focusing on both these lenses is a real challenge, even in daylight I'll have to google "bahtinov mask", I have never heard of it

There are plenty of thread's on SGL re focusing masks Martyn, I have one for

my 4" refractor and think it should work with the lens but have yet to get a night

to really try it.

Yeah I have a 3M-5CA as well, luckily they're both very clean lens but as you

rightly say challenging to focus with. At least the 500mm is a little more

usable without a tripod, but not much

Saying that you achieved good results with Jupiter and the Moon.

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Hi Kathleen,

There are plenty of thread's on SGL re focusing masks Martyn' date=' I have one for

my 4" refractor and think it should work with the lens but have yet to get a night

to really try it.

Yeah I have a 3M-5CA as well, luckily they're both very clean lens but as you

rightly say challenging to focus with. At least the 500mm is a little more

usable without a tripod, but not much

[/quote']

If you look at the end of THIS thread now, you can see the effect of cleaning the 1000A lens of fungus. Can't wait for another shot at Jupiter tonight.

THIS thread recommends an even simpler "Y" shaped mask, which is definitely worth investigating I think.

Saying that you achieved good results with Jupiter and the Moon.

Thanks, but compared to the shots on here - pretty dismal I'm afraid. But I'm always learning

[SpookyKatt]

Hehe I'll be interested to hear how the Y mask works for you, I built one in the summer for

my 8" scopes but haven't tried it yet.

Hmmm nice test shots and I'm glad the cleaning of the fungus worked, what did you use to

clean it Martyn ?

It will be interesting to see how it performs against Jupiter now !

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Hehe I'll be interested to hear how the Y mask works for you, I built one in the summer for my 8" scopes but haven't tried it yet.

Yes, Hope to have it ready for tonight, in which case it's bound to be cloudy

Hmmm nice test shots and I'm glad the cleaning of the fungus worked, what did you use to

clean it Martyn ?

I used nivea cream on the back of the front lens, but for the mirror I just used lens cleaning fluid (ethanol). No discernable difference in the outcome on either surface!

[SpookyKatt]

Hi Martyn,

Well it certainly appears to have worked as the second set of test shots

show a marked improvement.

Yeah I know what you mean re the Y mask. The other night the sky was clear and

I setup the mount with the MTO on it to get a couple of shots of the nearly full moon

and the clouded over just as I had it setup

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Hi Martyn,

Well it certainly appears to have worked as the second set of test shots

show a marked improvement.

Yeah I know what you mean re the Y mask. The other night the sky was clear and

I setup the mount with the MTO on it to get a couple of shots of the nearly full moon

and the clouded over just as I had it setup

Kathleen

Told you so! Had my newly cleaned monster mirror and crude Y focus mask all set up on the tripod and ready to go. Moon came up, but behind a thin sheet of high cloud. It just got worse. Never saw Jupiter, or any stars. Gave up at 10pm and went to bed! Frustrating or what!

[SpookyKatt]

Oh dear Martyn that is not good.

We had cloud for most of the evening but it actually cleared later on, so I set the

MTO-11CA up on my EQ5 with the Canon 450D to try out the Bahtinov

mask (just through my living room window on a star) and it worked

great ! Can't wait to try it on Jupiter now, maybe tonight if the clear weather

holds.

Hopefully your Y mask will work out for you and you'll get a better result from

the lens now you cleaned off the fungus.

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Oh dear Martyn that is not good.

We had cloud for most of the evening but it actually cleared later on, so I set the MTO-11CA up on my EQ5 with the Canon 450D to try out the Bahtinov mask (just through my living room window on a star) and it worked great ! Can't wait to try it on Jupiter now, maybe tonight if the clear weather holds.

Hopefully your Y mask will work out for you and you'll get a better result from the lens now you cleaned off the fungus.

Kathleen

Well done you, glad it worked. Did you make the mask yourself? If so, how?

[SpookyKatt]

Well done you, glad it worked. Did you make the mask yourself? If so, how?

Yeah I did, there was a thread on here started by Andrew* in which he gave a

link to a website that will create the template and I got some plastic sheeting

out of Hobbycraft and glued the template onto the plastic and then cut it out

with a knife.

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-discussion/101323-home-made-bahtinov-masks-ultimate-material.html

Its a little tough but works a treat.

Kathleen

[Martyn_Bannister]

Yeah I did, there was a thread on here started by Andrew* in which he gave a

link to a website that will create the template and I got some plastic sheeting

out of Hobbycraft and glued the template onto the plastic and then cut it out

with a knife.

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-discussion/101323-home-made-bahtinov-masks-ultimate-material.html

Its a little tough but works a treat.

Kathleen

Thanks for the explanation and the links Kethleen, I'll check it out. If my Y mask doesn't work then this looks like a good alternative.....

[Kokatha man]

.....reluctant to break in on a private conversation;)but I allways like to look at folk's imaging with "different" means: a lot of noise in that image and sure, focus could be sharpened a tad but I'd like to see you keep experimenting with your "lens"

Taking multiple shots of Joop and stacking would help reduce noise and improve the image.....but you'd have to keep targetting the planet and try to get however many shots you could in around 3 minutes or so to stack in Registax, probably no big deal, and it'd be interesting to try!

Bahtinov masks really work best on point sources of light but I suppose you could use one to focus on a nearby bright star (well, any one with a roughly equivalent elevation in the sky to Joop) and then take your shots.....switching to that longer exposure for Jovian Moon shots to grab them and then process via p/shop etc to get rid of Joop and then paste/composire him in from your stack of Joops.....

Lots of interesting and worthwhile experiments and tricks for a dslr imager of planets to try there.....there have actually been some very good shots oof Joop taken with dslr's, though mainly through scopes, so your trials are something different - keep up the interesting work....!

[Martyn_Bannister]

.....reluctant to break in on a private conversation;)

Hiya. Not private at all, feel free to join in

but I allways like to look at folk's imaging with "different" means: a lot of noise in that image and sure, focus could be sharpened a tad but I'd like to see you keep experimenting with your "lens"

Taking multiple shots of Joop and stacking would help reduce noise and improve the image.....but you'd have to keep targetting the planet and try to get however many shots you could in around 3 minutes or so to stack in Registax, probably no big deal, and it'd be interesting to try!

Bahtinov masks really work best on point sources of light but I suppose you could use one to focus on a nearby bright star (well, any one with a roughly equivalent elevation in the sky to Joop) and then take your shots.....switching to that longer exposure for Jovian Moon shots to grab them and then process via p/shop etc to get rid of Joop and then paste/composire him in from your stack of Joops.....

Lots of interesting and worthwhile experiments and tricks for a dslr imager of planets to try there.....there have actually been some very good shots oof Joop taken with dslr's, though mainly through scopes, so your trials are something different - keep up the interesting work....!

I like the idea of stacking.

I have literally today received a scope I got off ebay with an EQ1 and an RA tracking motor. I will post a seperate thread on that cos having assembled it I'm now appalled by my ignorance of what looked like a relatively simple device......

However, should I ever conquer the everest-like learning curve I am hoping to do the stacking thing. With a (hopefully!) sharper image from the russian monster along with the EQ1, I'm sure I can get some better shots.

I haven't used Registrax, only DSS and Startrails, but will check it out.

Many thanks for the info. I hope to post more in the near future, when the clouds finally go away