Hmm, what a difference Mirror Lock Up (MLU) makes!
When previously using my Pentax *ist DS on the WO 80mm ED II Apo, even with the delayed timer set to 2 ½ secs, the vibrations from the mirror slap demanded I shoot at exposures of 1/1000 to 1/1500 sec to minimise the blur from the mirror flipping up.
Our Canon 40D has the MLU capability and in addition, the mirror is lifted and released under mechanical control, not springs and gravity! The following image was taken at 1/250 sec and appears to be quite sharp.
The 1st photo is the full area resampled down to 1024x768.
The 2nd photo is a 1024x768 crop of the Crested Pigeon’s head, showing that the fine detail in the feathers has not been lost due to in-camera vibrations. The subject bird was approximately 5 metres from the camera.
The only loss experienced so far, is that the Pentax gave an audible bleep at best focus when fitted to the WO 80mm scope, whereas the Canon doesn’t, unless it’s attached to a Canon lens. And yes, I’ll be replacing the back fence shortly!
Thanks – the crested pigeon was very cooperative staying so still. The depth of field was so shallow at 5 metres with the WO 80mm F7 that you can only do “still life”. Moving objects are out!
Cheers
Dennis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tamtarn
Very sharp and detailed shot Dennis.
What do you think of the live view? Did you use it for focusing ?.
Hi Dave & Barb
Thank you. Yes, I used Live View on the 40D LCD (as opposed on a computer monitor) and it was very useful to be able to enlarge the LCD view in discrete steps from the native x1 to x5 and x10 to assist with focusing. I suspect (and hope!) that this would be very useful on a computer monitor when using a motorised focuser with the 40D attached to the telescope.
Both MLU and Live View require you to change the default “Disable” settings to “Enable” via the Menu function, and lay a few button presses deep.
Live View can then be accessed by pressing the “SET” button and I am looking to see if I can customise a button to allow MLU to be set on or off with a single button press rather than having to dive into the guts of the Menu system.
I miss the Pentax *ist DS focus confirmation beep though.
Yeah, thanks Andrew - I just re-read the manual and couldn't find a custom option available for the user to allocate MLU to a button. Oh well, C.Fn III -7 Enable/Disable it shall then remain! LOL.
Dennis is it true that since you bought your 40D it has been cloudy every day??? Nice pigeon by the way, hand him a brush and get him to paint your fence rail
Dennis is it true that since you bought your 40D it has been cloudy every day??? Nice pigeon by the way, hand him a brush and get him to paint your fence rail
Hey H0ughy,
You’re going to like this…
My Darling Wife said to me, “You know Dennis; you need to strike a better balance between enjoying each moment, living in the here and now, versus saving for the future”
“After all, whilst you are still young, vibrant, energetic and physically capable, you should enjoy your hobbies, so spend some money on the Canon. Who knows, as you get older, you may not want to do this stuff, or worse still, not have the health or desire”. Enjoy life while you can, you cannot predict what the future will bring!”
Well, maybe not those exact words, but that is what I heard as I rushed out to buy the 40D.
My Darling Wife said to me, “You know Dennis; you need to strike a better balance between enjoying each moment, living in the here and now, versus saving for the future”
“After all, whilst you are still young, vibrant, energetic and physically capable, you should enjoy your hobbies, so spend some money on the Canon. Who knows, as you get older, you may not want to do this stuff, or worse still, not have the health or desire”. Enjoy life while you can, you cannot predict what the future will bring!”
Well, maybe not those exact words, but that is what I heard as I rushed out to buy the 40D.
Cheers
Dennis
LOL the truth could have been you spend the money on that camera you spend the rest of time on the lounge
but you have a lovely understanding wife Dennis , wish mine were that understanding
LOL the truth could have been you spend the money on that camera you spend the rest of time on the lounge
but you have a lovely understanding wife Dennis , wish mine were that understanding
Hmm, understanding versus tolerating? At the risk of being ungrateful, I think it would be perhaps more accurate to say that she is resigned to acknowledging that for some curious reason, I seem to need these astro toys to make me happy!
I still like how small the Pentax is and how it, well, just nestles so perfectly in my hand, so he/she/it will still get the occasional outing where I don't need the full might of the Canon.
Although in reality, deep down inside, I recognise that the Pentax usage will fall off quite dramatically, probably exponentially, as experience tells me that it is very hard to maintain and operate 2 separate systems. So, no doubt the Canon will reign supreme, almost exclusively, sooner rather than later.
Thank you. Yes, I used Live View on the 40D LCD (as opposed on a computer monitor) and it was very useful to be able to enlarge the LCD view in discrete steps from the native x1 to x5 and x10 to assist with focusing. I suspect (and hope!) that this would be very useful on a computer monitor when using a motorised focuser with the 40D attached to the telescope.
Both MLU and Live View require you to change the default “Disable” settings to “Enable” via the Menu function, and lay a few button presses deep.
Live View can then be accessed by pressing the “SET” button and I am looking to see if I can customise a button to allow MLU to be set on or off with a single button press rather than having to dive into the guts of the Menu system.
Cheers
Dennis
Sorry Dennis, missed getting back to this thread.
Thanks for the info on the 40D.
Looks like a new camera may be on a future shopping list, so will also be interested in your deep sky shots when skies permit.
, wish mine were that understanding
