As stated in my NGC 55 thread, I have given up imaging altogether, and will
post some of my early images to show newbies that reasonable images can be obtained with pretty basic gear and technique. I won't dig out the acquisition details for these images unless somebody asks for them for a particular image.
Of recent times I have seen a slow increase in the number of newbies that from the get go are buying a slew of imaging equipment, hardware, and software, having little or no idea of how to set it all up , or use it when it is set up. I so wish all newbies would learn their way around the sky, and get a reliable basic image acquisition routine mastered before moving on to all the bells and whistles.
Happy snapping
raymo
Last edited by raymo; 19-03-2019 at 10:25 PM.
Reason: more text
Hi Raymo
Thanks for reminding me
I had a look at this image a few days ago and then get sidetracked as usual.
Its a brilliant image and probably one of the better one's I've seen of the trifid.
Its got that real 3d thing happening.
Pity you have given up Astrophotography with images like this but keep posting the old ones as it gives me encouragement to keep on trying, reading, and then try again.
Jeremy; far from showing off, these images that I shall be posting over the
next week or two are acceptable at a beginner's level, but are poor compared to what is to be seen in the main forum. My aim is to show newbies that
acceptable images can be obtained using basic equipment, very basic technique [meaning no guiding, dithering etc:].
and ultra basic processing. Unless one is after fine or very fine images, a 6" or 8" Newt,[ for light gathering ability with short exposures],
a DSLR, and preferably a $20 intervalometer from ebay, is all that is needed.
raymo
Last edited by raymo; 21-03-2019 at 09:43 PM.
Reason: more text
As your first digital DSO you must have been thrilled as you were processing this Raymo. That's a lovely image of M20 & you can reflect on the work you have produced with pride my friend.
Best,
Tony
As someone starting out on their AP Journey, I find these images to be quite frankly spectacular.
I agree with most of what you state but, not necessarily all. Again, I state I am a rank beginner & will happily defer to your experience..
Now that I have acquired a modest EQ mount, I have mapped out what I hope will be a path to success.. initially getting my head around the mount visually.. then using my DSLR & kit lens to keep it simple & work on my setup, alignments & tracking, then to my modest little Orion 80mm ST & then on & on & so forth because, like you stated, I agree that it is important to become competent at each step & sort out the basics in simple form... if you keep changing things up I think it will be near impossible to figure out where you are lacking & need improvements...
Where I disagree to some extent is on the software comment; I do use a bit of software, I don't understand it all necessarily but, with use & experimentation.. I gain a better understanding of it.. thus far, it has helped me turn some average images into something of reasonable quality so, at least I gain a measure of satisfaction out of the beginnings of my journey. That said, I've mainly got hold of the free stuff with the exception of Startools & Affinity Photo which I already owned due to my terrestrial photo activities.. Software has it's place in the digital world.. In my belief, the trick is to not let it entirely mask your ability to see the faults in your unprocessed images...
When all is said & done though, I have a huge admiration to those who did their astrophotography with film cameras; I cannot begin to imagine the challenges in achieving good outcomes in that realm & I have reasonable experience in using film cameras albeit, for terestrial photography..
I hope this post came over the right way; I have nothing but, the utmost respect for folk such as yourself & the experience & knowledge that you have & freely share...
I'd would definitely be keen to see some detail on exposure settings, ISO & shutter speeds, particularly for the single shot photo's you post but, also for any stacked shots.
Cheers for sharing
Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo
This is best viewed at 80% screen.
As stated in my NGC 55 thread, I have given up imaging altogether, and will
post some of my early images to show newbies that reasonable images can be obtained with pretty basic gear and technique. I won't dig out the acquisition details for these images unless somebody asks for them for a particular image.
Of recent times I have seen a slow increase in the number of newbies that from the get go are buying a slew of imaging equipment, hardware, and software, having little or no idea of how to set it all up , or use it when it is set up. I so wish all newbies would learn their way around the sky, and get a reliable basic image acquisition routine mastered before moving on to all the bells and whistles.
Happy snapping
raymo
Hi Carlton, I can see from your post that you agree with most of what I have espoused. Indeed it would be a dull old world if everyone agreed on everything.
Firstly, when I mentioned software, along with all the other bells and whistles, I didn't mean that newbies should initially forget about software
altogether, but start with one or two apps[ooh! aren't I modern, I'm used to calling them programmes ] :. I saw one new member on here the other day
asking for help with setting up his gear. From memory he had a new scope, a new mount, EQMOD, BYEOS, ASCOM, Stellarium,etc, etc, etc. You tell me how a total novice is supposed to make sense of all the cabling, and learning to set up, align and operate a mount and use all that software at the same time.
Yes, film AP was hard, all 58yrs of it. Manual guiding was tiring, and enough to send you cross eyed, try keeping a star centred for 10, 20, or at a dark sky site 30 mins, eventually it makes your head spin. The one good point about film AP was that you couldn't play with the image other than dodging
and burning in the dark room. The only choices were the numerous
brands, speeds, and types, of film.
The M17 I posted today was 20x 30secs with my 8" f/5 unmodded Canon 1100D ISO 1600.
Carlton, as I have mentioned to one or two interested people here over the
years, I have nothing but about half a dozen 6x4 prints left. We moved house
in 2008, and my wife and I had so many prints, slides, albums and negatives,
that we filled a large suitcase with them. Unfortunately we got burgled, and
all the b......s took was the case and a towel and some soap, missing $150
sitting on top of the fridge. The real tragedy of it was not the loss of my astro pics, but the only pic my wife had of her mother who had died when my wife was 14, and also many hundreds of slides and prints from my travels around
the world when I was in the R.A.F. and later when I was a Marine Engineer
in the British Merchant Navy. I have tried to make up for some of the loss since taking up digital, and have a small collection of a few hundred, some
of which you have seen here. If you want to see what can be achieved with
film, try and find some of the film images taken by Tony and Daphne Hallas.
One of their pics of M31 is stunning. I tried to find it recently, but maybe they have taken down their film images.
raymo
That is a real shame, I can sort of relate as we were burgled some 15 years ago. Fortunately for us, what was taken was largely replaceable.
There are some real lowlifes out there sadly & I don't get why they take things that are really of no monetary value to them, I really don't.
I will take your advice & hunt around for film images; I'm genuinely interested in their efforts.. I'm always interested in seeing the amazing things people accomplished without today's technology.. there have been some truly innovative & remarkable people throughout history in all fields of endeavour.
