M8 M20 Widefield @ 280mm FL

[dugnsuz]

Hello all..
Got to admit I'm losing interest in imaging like water dripping from a tiny hole in a bucket!!!
Slowly but surely the Bass Guitar its drawing me back with it's low siren song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo, until the time I hang up my guidescope I'll still post god darn it!!!

Here are the Triffid and Lagoon Nebs from last night....

Canon 40D (modded)
Canon EF 70-200mm f4L + EF 1.4x Extender (280mm FL @ f5.6)
Skywatcher Synscan EQ5 Mount
Autoguided (PHD)

25x300sec Lights
13x300sec Darks Subtracted
iso1600

Images Plus/ PS CS2

Higher Res...
http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee208/dugnsuz2/?action=view&current=M8-M20-Large.jpg

and Crop...
http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee208/dugnsuz2/?action=view&current=M8-M20-Crop-L.jpg

All the best...
Doug

[renormalised]

Nice wide shot, Doug. Hey, why not combine the guitar and the scope and pen us a star ditty:D:D

[dugnsuz]

Cheers normal...
I'm an all or nothing kind of guy (dependant on all or nothing finances too!)

I'm finding the time I have to devote (alone) to getting an image I'm 'fairly' happy with isn't worth the effort when there are guys like Rob Gendler producing the stuff I love to look at already - I'll never be him and don't feel that bad that I won't either!!!

Oh bugger!! I don't know...Help I'm confused!!!!!!
:P:P
D:thumbsup:

[peter_4059]

Great wide field Doug. Was is stacked in imagesplus? Also what guide setup did you use?

[renormalised]

You know, Doug, I'm like you in that respect. I see all these absolutely fantastic images and I think, it'll take years to get that good, and I have plenty of other things to do with CCD cameras apart from taking pretty piccies. As much as I like them and would like to take piccies that good, I probably won't, but the ones I do take, if I like them then that's all that really matters. Gendler and Co have been taking images for 20-30 years or more. If you're not as good as they are after that amount of experience, you might as well give the game up.

[leon]

Hey Doug, that is a great capture mate, nice detail, colour and everything else that makes a nice astro shot, well done indeed.

leon

[dugnsuz]

Cheers Peter,
Yes, calibrated and stacked in Images Plus. Subsequent processing done in PS.
I guide with a bog standard Phillips 840k webcam through an AOE 80mm Achromat with PHD software.
Cheers
Doug:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

Thanks leon:):)

[AlexN]

Love the shot, very nice composure and a nice sized FOV to get the small open cluster in the bottom left... The modded camera really brings alot of M8 out doesnt it!

Well done.

[Robert_T]

Hi Doug, that's a beautiful and very deep image. I love it. :thumbsup:Everything's relative I guess. I'd aspire to do images as good as yours, but I could never find someone else's excellent images a substitute for my own mediocre ones...you can't beat having done something yourself I reckon.

Let yourself drift back to the Bass (my neglected Ibanez was calling me from the corner of the bedroom this morning;)).... you'll be back! I've lost count the amount of times I drifted away from Astro in the last 30 years but I always drift back. Actually right now I find myself more occupied with the Canon 40D for a new hobby in terrestrial (particularly macro) photography... who knows what next:whistle:

Good Luck,

Rob

[dugnsuz]

Thanks Alex, only starting to see the good stuff coming from the modded 40D - each target reveals just a little more of itself!



True and true Rob!
It's that personal, creative element to imaging that keeps me coming back I suppose.
Like you, I've drifted in and out of Astronomy over the years too. Sold gear, regreted it etc!!:screwy:
I will ponder the bass/imaging dilema in a zen-like state!:drink:

Really though I reckon it's "swamp fever" - Friday night was the first bit of clear night sky I've seen in weeks!!!!
All the best
Doug:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

I've had a lie down since posting last night and washed my face in the morning dew, bringing me back to my senses:P

[AlexN]

I've done the same, except with photography.. I was right into it a while back, had well over 23k worth of gear.. lost interest and sold it all... bought a drift racing car... within 5 months was wishing i had never sold the photography gear...

I've learnt from that mistake alright! never again will I sell cameras/lenses excepting due to upgrades. :) (Scopes class as lenses really... and mounts are just seriously windproof tripods :P)

[dugnsuz]

:)Crop added

[Ric]

Great looking widefield Doug, nice colour and depth.

I think that the dark lanes snaking throughout the image have come out wonderfully. You've done a good job with this one.

Cheers

[AlexN]

i like the crop. I can see more!

[dcalleja]

I have to admit to a certain level of frustration from time to time but I like to pit myself against the elements (weather, polar alignment, softwar, neighbours, etc etc) and while I may never be as good at it as some of those other guys, I get a kick out of the results I achieve.

Great widefield images by the way!

[strongmanmike]

A very fine image Doug Gendler :thumbsup:

Mike

[dugnsuz]

:lol::lol:
Cheers Mike:thumbsup:

[Craig_L]

Great stuff Doug - love it wide. Makes you want to see whats to the right and down below.

Craig

[dugnsuz]

Thanks Craig and welcome back!
Perhaps I ought to try mosaics?
Tricky enough just getting one image sometimes!!
Doug:thumbsup:

[Craig_L]

Hey Doug,

It would be good to see a version without the 1.4 extender just for comparison.

Craig

[spearo]

good widefield mate!
Dont hang up the camera just yet!
play the guitar while imaging!
frank

[Tilt]

Hmm, I'm kind of new to imaging. How do you keep from over exposing the core of the Lagoon Neb? I am imaging right now and the shots coming in look to be a little bright in the center. I am using the 350D on the 70-200 set at f/2.8, ISO1600, 120sec exposures. Should I knock back the ISO? Or set the aperture to f4? I'm dont have any guiding, but it seems to be tracking well on the EQ6.

Michael.

[dugnsuz]

Hi Michael,
That image was done at f4, perhaps that stopped core burn-out to a degree, but I did a little PS magic in curves (just a little) to pull back the core brightness on that pic. Certainly stopping down the lens will sharpen up the stars and nebular detail (but I do autoguide so I can push my exposure times to compensate for this, although for me f4 is the fastest I've got!!!)

As to iso setting - not sure, experiment.
I've found since getting the 40D modded I use iso1600 all the time - I think it's a "maximum from the camera" type of attitude - I try to suck the marrow from the bones of my imaging sessions (YUK!!!!):lol:

You could also try shorter exposures at f2.8 to reduce core burn then combine the shorter and longer exposures with a layer mask technique to save the core but bring out the faint nebulosity too as per this tutorial...
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/LAYMASK.HTM
Cheers
Doug:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Tilt]

Thanks for the link Doug, I will have a go next time with taking some shorter exposures on the image run and try the layer mask technique.

[jase]

This one almost slipped through the cracks Doug. Pleased I didn't miss it. Great composition. Colours are perhaps a little too saturated or they maybe indeed be ok, but lacking green to counteract the magenta hues. Lovely display of detail. Good stuff.

[Bassnut]

Nice Doug, a tad wide field for my tastes, and a bit over exposed in the core, but louder than a 18"/quad 10" stack with a 1Kw Gallien Krueger on top and drop tuned low B 5 string axe. Mmmm, then again, I see what you mean, is tempting.

[dugnsuz]

Cheers jase and congrats on your Malin stuff!!!
Processing, yes!!!:shrug:
I'm afraid I'm the incremental king - a bit here, a bit there, an extra bit added there!!!
All a bit of a white knuckle ride if truth be told!
I have a core initial processing regime that I follow...
star minimisation, gradient removal, Levels/Curves Stretch then the world according to Noel Carboni is my oyster!!!
I experimented with layers on that pic - the added layer being a 25% star reduction and processing to extend the nebulosity. Merged in at around 40% opacity. Didn't play around too fanatically with colour - so that is pretty much what's coming out of the 40D.
Any tips - do you have a processing workflow that might help?

Doug:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

No worries Michael,
Check out my first attempt running through that tutorial ( I think it turned out well)just followed it step by step...
http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee208/dugnsuz2/?action=view&current=M42-IIS.jpg
Doug:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

Cheers Fred you like to get up close don't you!!!!????

Must admit we diverge on the amplification - I'm tending toward a narrowfield approach on that - Mark Bass CMD 121H (12" 400W Combo):P Axe wise I'm looking at budget quality - Lakland 44-01! Too died in the wool for a 5 string! Perhaps a drop D Hipshot tuner (optional on the Lakland) might cure that!!?? Now before you scoff:P
Last bass rig was an Eden WT-400 and 210XT cab the ultimate portable "RIG" - I love a portable bass rig not something that needs a team from Pickfords to move around!:lol:

Tangential topic movement!!!

[Bassnut]

Woose, sub action is worth the lugging, "moves" the punters :D.

I use a 4 string droped black Ibanez fast thin neck (geez they go out of tune quick) and Hartke/10" quad myself, but one can dream :).

Ive never tried an Eden, but always thought they were fairly hot, supprised your going for a (single 12"?) combo, what!, do you do folk, or country or something? :D.

[dugnsuz]

No BS Fred the eden amp (small enough to fit into a aluminium photo case) and 210XLT was my best rig "ever" - amazing!!
No country/ folk player either - google Mark Bass - an Italian company...don't know how they do it (12" cones with huge amounts of in/out travel) but these tiny combos can carry R.O.C.K gigs all with capitals!!!!
I'm such a nice guy I'lll provide links in an off-topic kind of way!!!
http://www.basscentre.com.au/index.php?module=Website&action=Text&content=1134779736250-6128&parentContent=1122957391234-8397#
:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

Sorry all, we've gone way off topic here...

[Bassnut]

Yes, that Mark Bass gear looks good, your a kind kinda guy, in an off topic kinda way there with that off topic kinda link, thank you. Enough they said ;-).

[jase]

Do have some core routines, but extensions to this depend on the target. In a summarised form, the core goes something like this;
calibrate subs (darks,flats,bias)
remove blooms if applicable
register/align subs
hot/dead pixel removal
blink all subs to check for anomalies/discoveries
combine subs (mostly sigma reject)
Digital development each combined images to check for gradients. This also give an indication as to the quality of data and a hint of what the end result will look like. Cancel the DD process so no stretches are made.
If gradients are present in the individual R,G,B frames, I address this before the combine if possible. Don't want to upset colour balance. Sometimes its easier to handle later in photoshop
Manually normalise the individual R,G,B frames using pixel math. There are some nice tools available to normalise the background on OSC cameras such as CCD's or DSLR's.
RGB combine, then save.
Push luminance be in L or Ha through deconvolution routine. Either maxentropy or LR. I only go as far as tightening up the stars. This depends on if the data is oversampled, but in most cases some benefits are gained.
Save the lum, then blink the original and deconvoluted lum to check for artifacts introduced by the deconvolution routine. If found, check pixel intensities. Deconvolution works well on brighter data. If needed, the data can be scaled to increase pixel values. The run through deconvolution again.
I then bring both files into Photoshop and commence levels and curves work. Not a huge user of DDP for stretching data. It can work well if you've got good control over your mid point.
Sometimes use shadow/highlights tool to perform a non-linear stretch on the colour data while maintaining saturation. You don't need to do this, but if you do use levels and curves, its wise to follow up with a saturation tweak so your colours don't get washed out. If they do, you can bring them back by doing a hard DDP stretch on a separate RGB combine image, then relayer it in photoshop as soft light.
I usually end up with a few layers doing different things such as noise invert masks, SCM, gradient removal, I'm a sucker for adjustment layers when it comes to the finer tweaks. Other than on masks, I stay away from using the brush tools. Personally, if you need to use them, you're getting pretty close to the border line of ethics. The things you can do in photoshop to mask problems and/or enhance things is rather scary. Good data is always the starting point.There are always a few other things to throw into the mix, but depends on the data. Some data you simply can do much with i.e too noisy for example. I've been working on doing DD stretches for the Ha and Luminance data at different intensities so simply the rich highlight of the Ha data come through the luminance, but not altering the star apperances when using lighten mode. Rather basic, but effective considering Ha stars are typically tight and small compared to RGB. There are many ways to do the same thing, but most have a different effect or result in introducing noise of some sort. Anyway, that's the core for what its worth. Ask me in a few months time and I'll probably find a different method of doing something.:lol:

[dugnsuz]

Cheers jase - lots to think about there, thanks!

[gbeal]

Now what did you go and ask that for, LOL?

[skeltz]

Very nice widefield doug,it did not turn out to bad at all/
cheers