Good for a Laugh!

[ballaratdragons]

<b>Need a good laugh?</b>

Have a look at my first ever astro photo!

I borrowed my daughters digital camera and couldn't resist trying it out on Saturn.

Yes! that is actually Saturn. I had a good laugh over it so I don't mind if you do too.

It was taken in a 5 minute break in the clouds using a 30mm GS SuperView EP and a hand held cheapie kodak digital camera.

[Starkler]

Uh-oh , another rabid astrophotographer in the making here :P

[ballaratdragons]

I doubt it after that effort.

Got to laugh! :reindeer:

[gbeal]

No laugh, a great start. I am sure you will be hooked from here.

[Astroman]

Well done, have to start somewhere.

[iceman]

Try using the 15 or 9mm eyepiece next time. Great shot, my first shot was almost exactly the same.

[rumples riot]

Hmmm, what can I say. Probably better than my first shot at it. More practice is the go. Keep at it.

[ving]

yeah a bit more magnification and the rings would stand out :)

wd

[Striker]

My first shot of Saturn turned out like a white blob......doing the exact same thing 30mm superview with a canon 2MP digital camera.......even though unimpressive its better then mine.

[acropolite]

Whip up a bracket to hold the :astron: cam Ken. I made one in less than 1 hour to fit over my eyepiece. (see pic) Once you work out the offset to get the lens central the rest's easy. Probably won't work for you but might give you some ideas. :)

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks all.

The only reason I used the 30mm SV was because it was a lousy night, cloud, rain, wind. There was a break in the rain with a big hole in the clouds so I raced out with the scope, set it up, and just grabbed the 30mm SV and went 'click' with the camera a couple of times, then the rain came back.

I have never packed up so fast! It must have been a funny sight to watch.

I only had the camera for two days. It has now gone back to my daughter.

When I get one it will have to be a bit better than the one she has.

Phil, Thanks for the idea. When I get a camera I will style a mount like yours.

Thanks for the encouragement eveyone. I still laugh at it though!

[mick pinner]

Yes, someone else to help ask those stupid questions

[ballaratdragons]

Yep Mick,

and I'm gonna have plenty of them! lol

[ballaratdragons]

Couldn't resist.

Beautiful night so I went and borrowed my daughters camera again.

Just my luck, right after setting up, in came the fog!

I managed to get this photo though. My first Jupiter shot!!

Don't know what happened to the moons though. (I'm getting hooked on this astro photo stuff)

[RAJAH235]

What bit you, Ken? A mozzie or a bug? :camera: L.

[ballaratdragons]

<b>THE BUG!</b>

[ving]

look at that banding will ya! :)

yup kens got the bug alright :P

you need to overexpose the image to see the moons.
fialing that you could use PSP and just pu the moons in yourself :P

[iceman]

Nice one Ken, a higher power eyepiece and you're well on your way.

[Comet Hunter]

Well Done 98!!!

[acropolite]

Ken, Nice result, especially since it's hand held..... I think I read somewhere that if you take 2 pics, :camera: the first exposing Jupiter correctly, then another exposing the moons correctly (and overexposing jupiter) then mask the overexposed jupiter and combine the 2 in photoshop.

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks all,

Phil,

I over-exposed the original and then masked out the over-exposed jupiter and pasted the dark contrast jupiter over it.

PRESTO! 3 moons on one side! Thank you.

[ballaratdragons]

No stars came out though! ??????


Sorry, found one. About 2cm above the word 'Faint'.

[Comet Hunter]

Nice work there with the moons 98! If you download the Jupiter2 program mentioned in the software section you can find out which moons they are...

[astro_south]

I have taken some quick experimental shots just to have a play around (I don't have the astrophoto bug yet :-)). Here is a shot of Saturn I took back in mid Jan using my non-tracking 12.5" dob. It was handheld using a Canon Powershot A40 (2Mpixel) camera. Saturn was steady at ~475x using a 8mm Radian and Shorty Plus barlow. I added to this by using the camera's zoom feature (not sure of the exact zoom) as it seemed easier to keep Saturn in the frame. After that I just used the auto settings and let the camera sort out the rest . I took about 10 shots of which this was probably the steadiest.

People with digital cameras and a scope should get out and experiment - even if astrophotography isn't your thing

[iceman]

What an awesome shot for handheld! That's one of the best afocal shots i've ever seen!

[ving]

definitely mike. great shot andrew!

did you play with the pic at all in some photo processing program?

[astro_south]

Thanks Ice

Anyone with some knowledge on processing is welcome to have a play (I haven't done a thing to it other that crop it for posting). If you stand back and squint a bit it starts to approach some of the fine shots taken by others on the forum - just a lot duller as it is not stacked.

If anyone is really keen I could send the original and a few others that are similar for some stacking and processing to them personally.

[iceman]

Andrew, i'm happy to give it a shot. Zip them up and email them to me!

[ballaratdragons]

That is excellent Andrew!!!

[astro_south]

Thanks Ken and Ving - sometimes you have one of those nights and things just work. I like your shots of Jove Ken. I tried that a year or so ago with a much smaller scope and had no where the success you are having.

What youself Ken - that astrophoto bug can be expensive to treat :)

[ballaratdragons]

Closest I can work out using Jupiter2 program is this below.

Problem is the moons were a bit further out than Jupiter2 says they were at the same time I viewed! Oh well, doesn't matter.

[[1ponders]]

Look out its got them :D. Nice shooting guys. Especially liked that saturn Andrew. I fyou had a few more of that quality and stacked them I think they'd turn out pretty good.

I'd like a try at the originals too andrew. If you zip them together and its not too huge PM me and I'll give you my email address to send them to.

[jackenau]

Very good guys, we all gotta start somewhere. Practice for perfection.

Better than the pictures I haven't taken.

Ken M

[acropolite]

Just to make you all want give up. :confused: Take a geek at the images on this site. All are taken with DSLR and some with modest scopes. I don't know if they're achievable but they sure look good.

http://www.mlunsold.com/ILExamples.html

[ballaratdragons]

<b>Good Grief, they are enough to make a grown man cry!!!</b>

:( :sad: :( :sad: :( :sad: :( :sad:




<i>(Just between you and me Phil, I took those photos and submitted them. I actually used my old Polaroid Instant Photo Camera. Shhhh! Don't tell the others)</i>

[acropolite]

I won't tell Ken :innocent: but I dunno how you're gunna keep the sheep quiet !!!

[ballaratdragons]

I hold up the BBQ plate and you don't hear a peep out of them!

[MiG]

Hmm, I don't know if I'd call a 180 mm TMB apochromatic refractor a modest scope.