Having trouble understanding camera & imaging settings?

[AstroViking]

Hi all,

During my searches for information about what settings were best for my new colour astro camera, I stumbled across a great series of blog posts.

These posts walk the reader through everything they need to know about cameras and how they work, what the f-ratio means and how it applies to light gathering, sources of noise, sources of image noise and how calibration frames work.

They're not long, well written, and helped me understand just what is going on inside that mysterious and expensive device.

I'll be going back to re-read them and ensure I fully understand what's necessary to make the most of my time under the stars.


Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 1 - Well Depth, Pixel Size, and Quantum Efficiency (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-1)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 2 - Focal Ratio Effects (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-2)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 3 - Gain/ISO and Offset (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-3)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 4 - ADUs and You (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-4-the-adu-and-you)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 5 - One Shot Color, Monochrome Sensors, and Filters (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-5-one-shot-color-and-monochrome-sensors)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 6 - Dirty Buckets and Calibration Frames (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-6-things-you-dont-want-in-your-bucket-and-calibration-frames)
Astrophotography, Pixel by Pixel: Part 7 - How to get Flat Abs...I mean Frames (https://cloudbreakoptics.com/blogs/news/astrophotography-pixel-by-pixel-part-7-flat-abs-i-mean-flat-frames)


Happy reading!

Cheers,
V

[Rod-AR127]

Excellent read for dummies, I mean newbies. :P
I will go back and take notes on all the terminology because remembering what dark, flats, bias frames are all at once needs some practice. Writing things down reinforces the learning process kids.
Great read and thanks for the links.

[iborg]

Hi



Thanks for this


I really like how it starts "A successful astro-photograph is an image that you are happy with."


Philip


PS make sure you click on the highlighted text, I find it entertaining!

[Drac0]

Nice find Steve. I had seen this before but forgotten all about it. Bookmarked now for future reference. :D

Cheers,
Mark

[Crater101]

That's a fantastic resource for folks new to imaging like me. Much appreciated!


Road also makes a great point. Not to derail the thread, but the attached pyramid shows roughly how much we remember... there are slightly different versions of it here and there, but the basics remain the same.