Hello all...
This is my first decent first light with my new Canon 400mm f5.6L lens.
First attempts on the LMC were hampered by moon and dodgy focus etc, so I was a bit disheartened with the rather lack-lustre results.
Thankfully I’ve been proven wrong with this M42 shot - I’m liking the performance and potential of this lens for astro work given that this image isn’t one of those 3hr RGB/ 3hr Ha marathons.
Stars might look a bit harsh in this image as I probably got a bit carried away in processing - all that lovely gas/dust in this region had to be dragged out of the blackness after all!!
Details...
Canon ‘Astro’ 40D cooled/modded DSLR (Avg Temp -12ºC)
Canon 400mm f5.6L Lens
f5.6, iso1600, Total exposure time: 95mins
No light pollution filter used, Flats calibrated.
10 and 60sec images used to mask core of the nebula.
ImagesPlus, Nebulosity and PS used .
I did find this lens trickier to get accurate focus with - using Autofocus on a bright star will get you a star with a little ring of red CA around it - ? lens calibration issue, doesn't affect daytime shots though. I had to use the EOS Utility software Live View function at 10x to get the focus just right to my old eyes at least.
Really should be doing this on every shot but I’ve been lazy in the past! If this lens helps me sharpen my game then that’s all well and good!
Link to high res...
http://s327.photobucket.com/albums/k...urrent=11g.jpg
Cheers
Doug
