My first proper DSI image

[ballaratdragons]

Well, I did it!

I got my very first DSI image. :cool:

It ain't terrific though, it has horizontal lines across it :shrug:
and there are hot pixels galore even with the camera out in 1.3c temp, blown out stars (and I am using an Astronomiks IR/UV filter), and slight Amp glow!

I tried the 'Dark Frame' subtraction 'in camera' but it appears to have not worked, and I can't locate the 'in camera' stacked image.

So this is a stack of 26 x 80 second images stacked in Registax.

I've got a looooong way to go :thumbsup:

I'm heading back outside to give it another go. I'll get there, I just have to stop thinking it's a Toucam. :lol:

[Ric]

Congratulations Ken on your first image, you have done well in my books and I'd say the best is still to come.

Cheers

[leon]

There you go Ken, we knew you would get there, not half bad for a first go, :thumbsup: now get back out there and give us some more. :whistle: :lol: :lol:

Leon :thumbsup:

[mill]

Ken it will get better and better from now on.

[EzyStyles]

you've done well ken! top effort. in regards to those horizontal lines, did you set it to "deep sky object"?

[EzyStyles]

im looking at my Envisage screen right now, firstly, click Settings on top left.

Ignore all the other settings, under "Image Directory", choose where you want to save all your images. Do this also under "Dark Frames Directory" to save your darks.

Under "Image Process", select "Deep Sky" then click the button "Save Proc"
under file type select .TIF under save options select "save all uncombined images then click ok. By selecting "save all uncombined images", you can use eg deep sky stacker and stack all the good frames individually rather than letting envisage do it for you because some light frames, you might want to chuck out due to errors. Envisage also willl create one individual image file which is a stack of your light frames.

[ballaratdragons]

Yep.



Thanks Eric. :)

I'll have to print out your instructions and take them outside. But we are clouded out now! Was lovely 15 mins ago!!!!

I printed out the Meade instructions and followed them exactly, and almost everything went wrong, so I started fiddling and trying other ways and finally got the image above :lol:
Even your instructions are different to theirs :shrug:

Moral to the story: Never follow the Manual :lol:

[EzyStyles]

:lol::lol: yea i remember the meade manual and those instructional videos :lol: just use them as a general guide. im pretty rusty with envisage as i havent use my DSI for imaging in awhile. it became my autoguider. Ask away i see if i can remember :thumbsup:

i was just about to setup until i saw the satelite report. Think tomorrow night will be better.. hmmm might call in sick on the wednesday lol

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Eric.
As I go along I'll probably pester you for help. I need a break from it tonight though. I'm glad the clouds came in coz I was kind of losing it out there :whistle:

[EzyStyles]

actually come to think of it.... im sure i wrote a guide on here how to use the DSI... i'll see if i can find it.

[EzyStyles]

nope.. only goes back to the start of this year :(

[ballaratdragons]

OK, I'll fumble thru and pester you :lol:

[ballaratdragons]

Here is a reprocess of the same image.

It looks a bit better I hope.

[middy]

Excellent work Ken! I love it. :thumbsup:

"That's going straight to the pool room" :D

[mill]

Ken did you join the yahoo tech group?
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Deep-Sky-Imager/
They have an wealth of information in their files section.
And do not install that dsi driver update in the files section, it is no good (i know i have tried it :( ).

[Heian]

Ken,
I certainly understand how frustrating the DSI can be when starting out. I found a good source of tips and "How To" guides in the Yahoo group "Deep-Sky-Imager". There's about 15 - 20 docs and files on tips in there.
As well, there's another Yahoo group, "Meade-DSI", which is also very good.

cheer
Mark :)

[davidpretorius]

well done ken, top stuff,

just thinking, these are what ezy's first images looked like and now look at 'im....... man you will be pumping out the big ones very soon!

WOO HOO

[Rob_K]

Hmmm. Not sure about that Ken:confuse3:. Have you thought of getting a Toucam?

Nah, great start Ken, congrats! :thumbsup:

[Garyh]

Good going Ken! second reprocessed image looks good! :thumbsup:
like mentioned, all downhill now!!
look forwards to more!
cheers Gary

[Ric]

Hi Ken, I'm a member of those Yahoo groups as well I found them very helpful when I started out with the DSI II Pro, a lot of concentrated knowledge on DSI's all in one spot.

Cheers

[jjjnettie]

See, you're climbing up the learning curve already!
You've done wonders on that second image.

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Jeanette,

All I did to it was a slight Gaussian Blur, reduced star size (in PS Actions), then sharpened once and finished off with Brightness/contrast.

Thanks all for the Yahoo groups suggestions. I'll have to join some of them :thumbsup:

[ving]

well done ken. the blur has worked wonders. nice and smooth.

[higginsdj]

All you need is to take a dark then subtract it to get rid of the hot pixels. Although the ambient temp may have been 1.3c, the temp of the electronics may have been considerably higher. Even with my ST-8E mechanically cooled to -45c I get plenty of hot pixels - it's all relative.

Good job on your first image though. I still have trouble putting together colour images.

Cheers

[dcalleja]

Ken
Its a great start! Nice image and an interesting target. Is it the DSI single shot colour model?

[ballaratdragons]

Yes Dan, the DSI-C



Yep, done many images that way with the Toucam, but the DSI was supposed to subtract them 'in camera' but it didn't.