Lpi..still need help...

[Starcrazzy]

Hi,
Here are a few shots ive gotten lately with the lpi...i can see a lot more detail there since stacking myself in registax but im still having difficulty with noise...grrlll...i can see so much more detail hiding behind alll the noise...any tips would be fantastic...I can't seem to sub a dark freame properly, when i search the Dark file there is nothing in there..

ps...not bad for a little 8" tho hey??:Dam having fun anyway

[EzyStyles]

nice image starcrazzy. Keep it up! to bring out hidden details, use paintshop :)

[[1ponders]]

Just a though, you might want to consider taking your darks the same way you take your lights, rather than have the lpi take them and store them automatically.

Take 5 or 6 shots at your exposure length, but with the lens cap on, and save each image that is produced. Then you can create a master dark using those saved images and then apply the master during registax.

[Starcrazzy]

thanx...good idea ponders...ill try that...cheers ezy, what do you do in paintshop??

[[1ponders]]

Something else you might want to try. Download K3CCDTools Version 1 here (http://www.pk3.org/Astro/index.htm?k3ccdtools_whats_new_3_0_ 1.htm) (It's free you just need the new key every couple of months. No drama) and try taking an AVI with the LPI and process that in Registax. See how that works out. You may even want to download the free WebCam control program WcCtrl for controlling your exposure, gain, brightness etc WcCtrl (http://www.burri-web.org/bm98/soft/wcctrl/index.htm).

BTW you might like to have a bit of a browse over this (http://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/imaging-workshop/essential-software.html) page for some other useful freeware digital imaging programs

Something new to play with if nothing else :D

[5ash]

Hi starcrazzy ,
I have used the lpi to take quite a few shots and have had some success getting pleasing pics of the planets. Your pics show lots of promise but seem overprocessed in registax. It would be interesting to see what your stacked but unprocessed pictures look like , i suspect that your capture settings might need adjusting perhaps you could make a note of these when posting pics . Also what version of the lpi software are you using ?? To give you an idea of the type of pics you should be able to achieve with an 8 inch scope i have attached some pics i took last year with my lx90.I havent used the lpi for along time now as im experimenting with dso's with my canon 350d.
philip

[Hitchhiker]

Hi Starcrazzy, for planetary or lunar images I don't use any dark frames. You only really need dark frames if you're going to take exposures longer than 1 second. I just capture as bitmaps in Envisage and use Registax to process.

What is your process? What was your exposure time and gain. Can you post a single frame so that we can have a look at the noise?