LMC and Norma with Bert's 300mm lens

[tornado33]

Howdy
Here is some more images taken with this great lens.

61645 is the area in Norma with large nebula NGC 6188, with tiny NGC 6164-5 just to left of centre, larger and full size version here
http://scottalder.fotopic.net/p28105904.html
6x200 secs

Tarantula area and part of lmc, with larger version here
http://scottalder.fotopic.net/p28106454.html
5 x 200 secs

Another shot showing more of the LMC and larger version here
http://scottalder.fotopic.net/p28119179.html
Its 2 x a long 10 mins each ISO 200 (before moonrise) taken just earlier tonight

All taken with Berts 300mm lens @f2.8 with uhcs filter installed with modded 350d, processed in IRIS and Ps CS

[tornado33]

I should note the middle pic is the one that was taken just tonight earlier before moonrise, (2x10 mins) it was easier to colourbalance and the less bright sky makes things much easier. 10 min individual shots are the longest ive done with this lens thus far too
Scott

[janoskiss]

Those LMC shots are awesome. I love the colours on all your shots. I'm used to seeing very hot pinks in nebulae from just about everyone else. Is it the processing or the camera or both?

[tornado33]

Thanks.
I think its a combination of the modified camera letting in more red light and also the UHCS nebula filter allowing in the red light of ionized hydrogen but blocking out a lot of the green and blue light pollution from streetlights :)
Scott

[h0ughy]

SCott I love your second shot of the LMC, wow.

[Itchy]

Hi Scott

Very nice indeed.

Using my critical eye, is the focus just slightly off? (Of course it could just be my bad eyesight, critical or otherwise. :whistle: :lol: )

[tornado33]

Thanks
I think Id get sharper stars with a IR/UV filter (think Im gonna ring Andrews Communications today and ask for my money back , its been over 2 months now, a carrier pidgeon would be faster)
Scott

[Itchy]

Hmm, you could be right. Looking at the large version of the red LMC shot. It shows rather dramatic red flaring around the stars. The flaring is directed towards the centre. an IR filter may help.

Cheers

[tornado33]

The other odd effect I get without an IR filter is often star patterns dont look like star charts as red stars tend to be a lot mrighter due to their excess IR output that a filter would otherwise block, though perhaps more IR light from dusty nebulae might result too.
Scott

[Lester]

The LMC is awsome, with the colour variation and much detail.

Wonder if I could get one of those lenses on layby; $50 per week, without any price rises I could have it in my hands in less than 3 years.

[avandonk]

Lester the lens Scott has was made for the movie industry in the early 70's. When new cost over 20K US. They are very rare. They are derived from the FD version. The trouble with FD versions you can't get infinity focus on a Canon EOS camera without an adapter with a lens which generally ruins the quality.
How these were produced (industry rumour) was by selecting the best FD lenses and converting them to the Arriflex mount. And then sell them for a fortune to the movie industry.
They are almost as good as a late model 300mm F2.8L, but they were the forerunner to these lenses.
You can now buy a modified Canon 300mm F2.8L for your movie camera for about 12k to 15k US! That's if you are a Movie Mogul!

Here are a few places with info on these older lenses.

http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_great_vision/index.html
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/earlyfdlenses/300mmfd.htm

To get back to the thread, why Scott produces such good images is only partly due to the lens. Every thing else has got to be correct as well. To name a few, guiding,exposure,processing and so forth. This only comes with experience, another word for many failures, but learning from them!

Bert

[Robby]

Love that middle LMC one Scott... Awesome! Be a good one to send to AS&T or S&S.
Cheers

[Lester]

Thanks for the info on the lens Bert.

[tornado33]

Thanks :)
Thats an interesting history of the Lens, I didnt realise thats where it came from. I know Canon make new EOS lenses http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras_lenses_accessories/super_telephoto_lenses/ef300mmf28lisusm.html
Wether it has a decent fine manual focus or not is unknown, Bert's lens has a beaut manual focus, fine and smooth enough to get good results. The lens is so good in fact that wide open at F2.8 it gives better stars at the edges then my 50MM F1.8 lens stopped down to F2.8. I now have a 2 inch IR filter on order from Hutech with a nice sharp IR cutoff just below the Hydrogen Alpha line :) I cant wait for that to arrive and be tested with the lens. It will get rid of the "star bloat" I get with long exposures and stretching the levels to bring out faint detail.

Actually speaking I thought the star bloat would be far worse with the lens as its not optomised for IR light, but its quite good, just goes to show its incredible quality. The supplied mounting rings hold the lens firmly, making long exposure imaging a pleasure.

Scott