Just as a little tangential discussion from the threads we've had about polar alignment and exposure length... I pose the question... which settings should I try next?
So far I've been taking shots mostly at ISO1600, and as it turns out it looks pretty noisy on my camera. 10 minute shots look like a snow storm
I've just ran a sequence of shots of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 minutes at both ISO800 and ISO1600 and the ISO800 shots seem a lot less noisy. I've attached a few of these (an 800x600 area from the top left corner from each shot).
Assuming I can muster a half decent polar alignment next time out
what settings should I try to capture the faint photons, and keep the noise under control? Even at ISO800, the 10 minute exposure is quite noisy...
(but the 1100D was a bargain!)
How to make the most of what I've got...?
Drop the ISO further? Rely on stacking to smooth it out?
And what sort of exposure length should I be aiming for? (I'm not guiding, yet..)