K3CCDTools

[asimov]

I've just installed this on my laptop to take the place of the standard Philips toucam capture software. (I read it was better)Had a spot of trouble getting k3 to recognise the camera but Dave P solved that one for me in a jiffy! (ta mate)

What's got my intriqued now is: after having a play around & opening up the camera settings box (gain/saturation/brightness etc etc) It looks to be the exact same controls as the philips software has! Is this right?? If so, why did I bother getting K3ccdtools?.....I didn't know what to expect really.....maybe some extra camera setting options perhaps? (yes I know there are other options at your disposal throughout/in other places in kd3ccdtools) :confuse3:

[Robert_T]

Hi Asi,

In the capture mode I found the K3CCD easier to use, at least compared to the Neximage software - I liked the fact I can get it to automatically save files to specific sequentially number filenames with date and time stamps whearas my std software wouldn't allow that. A big advantage I think is that you can also post-process in K3CCD and using the planetary wizard software I've often got results as good (sometimes better) than using Registax.

Not much use to you, but K3CCD also allows capture from a variety of different cameras - I could for eg capture AVI's with my Meade LPI that the meade software wouldn't allow.
Give it some time, it's bound to kick in soon... welcome to the K3CCD club :nerd:

cheers,

[iceman]

K3 is good just because of
a) the sequential file numbering,
b) the white point graph
c) the easy left click start record, right click stop

I wish it had some other controls, like showing you the borders of your capture area so you know when your planet is about to run over, but otherwise it's ok.

[[1ponders]]

Asimov did you get Version 1 or paid to get Version 2?

[asimov]

Thanks Robert. Yeah, I'll give it some time & give it a workout soon. I did notice you could actually stack images etc in it! That's got to be an advantage straight away I guess! I saw a box where one can punch in your aperture scope etc....Interesting!

[asimov]

Version 1 Paul.

[[1ponders]]

OK.

As for your question re the ToUcam settings from what I understand (limited at times :P ) it doesn't matter what program you capture from the settings are ToUcam defaults. Even if you use WcCtrl to control the ToUcam you will still get the same options. BTW WcCtrl is a great adjunct to either K2 or the standard ToUcam capture.


ps. If you ever decide to pay for V2 its fantastic for helping you drift align for reeeeeaaaalllly accurate polar alignment, assuming of course your mount is up to the task. Also autoguiding, periodic error measurement.

[asimov]

Oh ok Paul, that explains a lot. Thanks mate! Yeah, I'd love to get the full-blown paid version, I saw that option for drift alignment etc.

[davidpretorius]

phillips software i found to always record at 15fps. i would change it everywhere to say 10fps or even 5fps and save it and then when i would send to iceman, he would go, why have you recorded at 15fps?

I think that the changing at the front of the controls to 15fps would change the viewer, but no the recorder. Anyway i hated it so have now moved to iris and qfocus for the recording

So instant control of the fps is great!!!


also once you set 640 x 400, it stays set!

[asimov]

That's interesting Dave!.....THAT would explain my artifact problem on my saturn pics! Yup, I noticed that too re: it stays set after nominating 640X480!!...COOL!

[Striker]

Paul cant you do that with version 1......thats how I have been doing my drift align...with version 1....maybe version 2 tells you more information.

K3 is great for stacking....I prefered it over registax.

[asimov]

Really Tony? (the stacking bit) I'm off to re-stack one of my AVIs in it then!!

[Striker]

All my images I have done has been with K3 version 1.....

[asimov]

I must say I'm not overly impressed with most registax results, I can stack using different methods & when I go & review the frames that it's stacked I will have to go in & manually chuck out another 40-50% of those frames anyway. Perhaps I don't know how to use it properly, but I've been stacking and stacking and stacking for weeks & I'm not very far advanced at all.

[[1ponders]]

I wasn't aware of that Tony.

I've just reinstalled V1 and had a look. There are quite a number of differences between the drift explorer in V1 and in V2. Notably being able to set the camera angle (so you don't have to have the guiding camera perfectly square), reset target, reverse RA and Dec, scale the graph, create a guide log that can be exported to excel, determine max/min arcsec readings, and standard deviations. The main tool bar also comes with tools for long exposure controls.

[iceman]

asi - send me one of your avi's!

[asimov]

I can't mate. I can't transfer any AVs from the laptop until I get either a memory stick or an external hard drive, sorry.

[asimov]

And while were on the subject of stacking, I've just completed my 1st one in K3....Ummm, I can't seem to find any wavelett section or anything like that to further process the stack. The final image (saturn) looks very fuzzy with no grain noise, a bit like registax after the initial stack before going into the wavelett section.

[seeker372011]

how much does it cost to get the version 2 registered Paul?

Just went to the website but cant find the cost anywhere..maybe its too obvious so I cant find it..
thanks
Narayan

[ballaratdragons]

Keep talking guys. I am reading all this (without interupting) to try and learn.

[[1ponders]]

It's $39 US Narayan. Let's see if this link takes you to the right page for registration

http://www.pk3.org/K3CCDTools/

[[1ponders]]

Damn didn't work to the right page. Ok...when you get to the main page click on "Download" when the new page opens you'll see a blue registration link under "Trial Version" in the K3CCDTools 2 disclaimer box at the top. When the registration page opens you'll see the cost about 4 lines from the top

[[1ponders]]

Read the registration page carefully . You are entitled to load the program onto two computers only. The thing is though, you have to apply for a second registration Key for the second computer as each installation develops a unique serial number. It's not a problem unless you do what I did and fully installed it on a computer I wasn't going to use for astrophotography (I didn't read the fine print carefully enought). I therefore wasted an installation.

[seeker372011]

thanks for that :)
Narayan

[[1ponders]]

Good luck with it. It's certainly my most used program when I'm out there. That and DSLR Focus :P

[davidpretorius]

bird may have to jump in, but aligning in reigistax is sharpness of detail not shape. I find saturn has beautiful shape and it has been sorted to the worst end and yet more detailed ones with the rings everywhere are towards the best???

hence hand picking!

there is that fft setting or something that may filter shape????

[asimov]

Yup...that's what happens with my saturn's too. I'm going to try to make my avi's smaller (about 1000-1200 frames) & hand pick I reckon.

[rumples riot]

I find that if you use gradient and a quality level around 80-85% you will get a nice frame selection. This alleviates hand selection.

[Robert_T]

Hi Asi - there's no wavelets as such but it does have a powerful unsharp masking functionality that produces good images - from memory I think you have to click on the histogram button after running the planetary wizard you can play around with the colour channels there but at right is unsharp masking - threshold doesn't seem to do anything but the other two do - play around and see what happens.:)

cheers,

[asimov]

Hi Paul. Unfortunately theres no gradient in the version I'm stuck with using at present (V2)...Bring on that darn memory stick so I can transfer my AV's to the main computer & use the latest version!

Yes Robert, I found that section last night. It did the trick but I feel registax does a better job after stacking..only because I'm not too bad at adjusting the waveletts these days..