Ok, lets see if this is getting better ...

[toryglen-boy]

ok, so here is Eta Carina again, i am sorry, how many times can you look at any one thing? anyway, opinions are needed. Shots all unguided until i get that part sorted, or learn more about this part. this is 36*30 second subs, and 4 darks at ISO400 on a Canon 1000D. polished up a bit in PSP9. i have owned a camera for 2 weeks, and this is my first ever stacked shot ... i think i finally figured it out, its now what you can see, its what you can potentially see ....

[TrevorW]

Laddy keep trying, it's not beyond the laws of physics, probably a bit dark and clipped

run more darks about half as many darks to subs and do some flats as well probably same number these can be less exposure time than your darks but darks must be same exposure and temp as subs

when processing use curves first then levels try and not to clip the black levels ie: peaks all the way over on left side

Hope this makes sense

[jjjnettie]

You're getting there Duncan.
Practice practice practice

[toryglen-boy]

my god, that looks awful !!

i think i have figured out the issue, i edit these on my laptop, usually lying out, and looking at the screen from a completely different angle so from here it looks better than up there, then i get up there ...

i think i will redo it.

:)

[jjjnettie]

Don't you just hate that.
I did it tonight myself when I posted my Lagoon piccie.

[multiweb]

If you sort out your guiding first you'll get easier data to play with during processing. Unless you have a semi-permanent setup and you can leave your rig polar aligned from one session to the other it's going to be time consuming to get good polar alignment. Your colors are spot on but you drift during your exposures which makes it very challenging to stack. Keep at it. :thumbsup:

[toryglen-boy]

Thanks for that. unfortunately none of my gear is permanently mounted, and i every time i want to try my hand at this i have to bring it out from inside and get aligned, so that would explain the drift, although i didnt think it was that bad, and i have seen worse! i need that, and i am guessing a light pollution filter is needed, as after about 90 secs-2mins the sky becomes washed out and bright orange !!

thanks for the advice and kind words though.

:thumbsup:

[multiweb]

That's exactly what I'm doing. On the move all the time. Unpacking, setting-up, aligning ... sort of :whistle:, packing, moving again. So you got to try to minimise the time you spend aligning and maximise your imaging time. Guiding will make your world a lot easier believe me. Concentrate on that first and all the rest will fall into place painlessly. Having subs in focus and pinpoint stars will make your stacking and processing a breeze.

If you're setting up pretty much in the same spots it's worth your while marking where your tripod legs sit when you're within 1 degree of the pole. If it's in the grass, counter sink a couple of bricks, if it's on concrete mark it on the ground. I have dug bricks everywhere I went regularly, even in the bush so if you see some stay away, it's my spot ;)

[Glenhuon]

Getting better Duncan. Need to tweak the focus a touch more.
Polar alignmment is a pain at times, but with practice you'll get faster at it. The closer you can get the PA, the less work your auto guider has to do when you get it set up.

My setup is semi-permanent at the moment, so been giving the alignment a tweak before every session and got it to where unguided images are out to 2 1/2 mins. Any more seems to make little difference as drive train errors start to show up with the EQ5.
Work on the auto guiding, just got mine going again and getting 5 min subs with nice round stars, unfortunately the light polution here in town is going to limit how much more I can go as at that length the images are starting to get washed out.
It's a bit of a steep learning curve, but the end results are most pleasing.

Cheers
Bill

[toryglen-boy]

Thanks for the reply Bill, TBH i find focus to be the biggest issue. I will usually get setup, carry out PA, then slew to a bright star in the region (i think last night i used Antares) then use live view to focus, then zoom right in with live view to focus, then i output the live view onto a 17" laptop that i use with the scope, to focus even more, as fas as i can see, i can never get it down to an exact star-point of light, this is about as tight as i can get, i just cant seem to get pin point stars, and i dont mean i cant well enough to focus, i mean at the point of best focus, the stars are still slightly bloated, even thought i watch it go through and past focus.

I have an MPCC, so i will start using that also, that will help with the edge of field stuff. but i am starting to think maybe a Bahtinov mask is the way to go, I am using an Orion ED80 on a HEQ5-Pro mount, with a T-Ring and Canon 1000D attached, loads of others people with similar gear get pin point stars, why dont i ?

:(

[tlgerdes]

Believe me, he is like a dog marking his territory. There are "Marc" points all over Ilford.:lol::lol::lol:. It is, be careful where you are walking, there's another Marc mark.

But he is right, I am going to start marking my territory next time I am there to save the pain and maximise the enjoyment.

[toryglen-boy]

i have 3 "rings" made with marker pen out on my back deck, they have been there since the day i got the mount ...


;)

[Glenhuon]

Have'nt used Live View as its not a feature on the 300D. I use a DUSB and DSLR Focus with 5 sec images to get close and up it 20secs for a fine tune.

[dugnsuz]

Nice Going Duncan,
Love the way the keyhole stands out - 3D likesay!!
Nice!
Doug