Deep sky stacker wont work

[TheAstroChannel]

Hey everyone, i took a few pictures of the Orion nebula last night and i tried to stack them in Deep Sky Stacker, and it always comes up with a message about how it will only stack 1 out of 5 frames. Here is one of the pictures i tried to stack.

[Shark Bait]

It looks like the lens of your camera might be too far away from the eyepiece. Instead of taping the camera onto the eyepiece, you will probably get a better result if you can position / centre your camera over the eyepiece with a mount as mentioned in another thread.

Photo stacking programs will probably need cleaner images to get a result.

Afocal photography will always limit the quality of images but it is a good place to start. I use the same method at the moment but I know that at some point the gear will need to be upgraded.

[2stroke]

Might wanna get a toucam like the 900nc with an LX mod if your starting out and are strapped for cash. I have had far results when i started out afocal and planetary though it was more luck and a steady hand. You would be wise to buy a camera bracket which will hold the camera steady and allow for fine adjustments.

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK does suppport your camera and i would check it out http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/SD1300IS . I have used it with a powershot just for testing though it opens up a ton of features the stock firmware doesn't offer.

The first thing you want to do is loose that sticky tape lmao and at least make a bracket if cost is an issue. Have a look at bintel and copy one of there brackets :)

[TheAstroChannel]

My imaging camera is probably about 3-5 millimeters away from the eyepiece lens, so if i put the camera right up to the eyepiece, would it make a difference?

[2stroke]

Move it back from the eye peice and use the optical zoom not the digital zoom. About an inch pending how you zoom ect, also keep light off and work in the dark to stop flare/reflection between camera and eyepiece. Just experiment by hand and you will get the feel of it. It's all trail and error with the hand method and finding what works best.

Use video mode and start with planets if doing afocal, even the moon and then stack in registax. Then try Jupiter once your got the skill but by then you will find a bracket makes life so much better and also the results. With m42 you will need a bracket because there no way anyone could pull 2secs that steady by hand lol, let alone 5-10. Using that firmware will be very handy at that stage for higher iso's and custom exposures times ect.

By the way heres the features of what the firmware does and why it will be a must if you can't get you self a dslr or imager of some type. http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Features

[Shark Bait]

I have added some photos showing my very amateur setup and what you can expect image quality wise from single frame exposures of up to 30 seconds.

The lens on the DMC-FT1 Panasonic is fixed, so I don't have to worry about the zoom lens issue on my compact camera. With the camera mounted there is approx 8mm between the lens and the eyepiece glass.

As 2stroke has already mentioned, I only use the optical zoom feature and avoid using digital zoom. Optical zoom for me is a lowly x4.6 maximum. I don't rely on the camera to focus as it always gets it wrong when used for afocal at night. Instead, I let the camera think it has achieved focus and then use the telescopes focuser to get it as close as possible. Even this is a little hit and miss and multiple shots are usually required to get a reasonable result.

Afocal imaging is never going to get really high quality results but it is still a lot of fun and a great way to give others an idea of what we see at the eyepiece. That said, the views at the eyepiece are always better.

Keep at it. :thumbsup:

[TheAstroChannel]

I will consider getting one of these awesome camera adapters and until then, i will come up with some other contraptions to get better results :)

[Shark Bait]

No worries. Keep in mind that even with the adaptor it can still be a fiddly process that doesn't always deliver a result. Sometimes it can take a while just to get everything positioned correctly.

Afocal is the most basic level of astro photography but it is still worth doing and you can learn a lot at this level before spending money better quality gear.

[TheAstroChannel]

Well until i do get my own money to upgrade, it will be improvisations like the camera i have now :)

[Shark Bait]

There is no rush and at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is that you enjoy Astronomy. :thumbsup:

[TheAstroChannel]

that's exactly right, thats why i make use with my current camera and I'm going to adjust it a bit so i get better shots :)

[LAW]

It might be worth keeping eye out on eBay for cheap DSLRs too. I've always used Canons and I really like the program 'Backyard EOS' which is a dedicated astro imaging program for canons but there's some good bargain nikons on there from time to time.

If your mount does sidereal tracking then you'll only need a camera and a t-thread adapter to get started.

[jjjnettie]

Sean, you can definitely pull more out of your camera.
Quite a few of us followed the same path you are, myself included.
Another trick is to use your biggest eyepiece. I used a 20mm eyepiece for my moon shots. And butted the camera right up against the lens. Then focused using the telescopes focuser, not the cameras.
I'll share some of my pics with you on FB. :)

[TheAstroChannel]

I use a 20mm eyepiece with the camera and focus using the telescope.

[rmuhlack]

Sean - Andrews Com in sydney have small digiscoping adapters (suitable for your Ixus) for $39
http://andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-longperng.htm#accessories