Some real (bad) beginner astrophotography!

[elfinke (Trev)]

Hi guys,

I thought I'd bring the general standard of the forum down with some brutally amateur astrophotography (I feel kind of embarrassed even calling it astrophotography)! I make no apologies for the poor images below This thread is more for the person who googles up 'beginner astrogphotography with a dobsonian' than anything else. I know I was very curious about just what I might manage with my meagre and ageing camera equipment and entry level scope before I purchased it, so if this thread helps convince even one person that it's totally worth doing then I'll be happy. For those people, it's worth noting that visually both of these objects are simply amazing to look at, clear as your eyesight allows with stunning detail. Just breathtaking.

My equipment is as basic as it gets: an 8" Dobsonian with 10mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces, an iPhone 4 and a Canon S3IS (a beaut camera from just before the backside fell out of the digital camera market, before DSLR's were easily attainable for under $1000 (or even under $500 like they are now)).

Both of these photos were taken afocally, Saturn with the iPhone (more a proof of concept for a family member than anything, though I was taken aback by what I actually captured with the damn thing!) and Jupiter with the Canon S3IS (f/7.1 and 1/10 shutter speed - don't recall the ISO (100 perhaps?)).

The Jupiter photo was taken last night, with the near-full moon in full effect and a street light illuminating my backyard. So far from ideal conditions. The Saturn pic was taken on Friday night after I returned from a night out and noticed that I could see it to the east, between the same offending street light (you know, the one that didn't exist for the first 5 years I have lived in this house but magically appeared just a month ago when I had the NBN installed and about the time I decided I wanted a telescope ), the power lines, the trees across the road and the umbrella on my deck. It was like looking at a needle through a haystack!

[bradinusa (Brad)]

That image of Saturn reminds me of when my girlfriend and I first saw Saturn through a telescope at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Wish I had a telescope! I am a beginner and would love to get an image of a planet!

Brad

[Iain.k (Iain)]

Nice start there Trev, Saturn could use some work but still every one starts at the beginning and it only gets better from there.

[RobF (Rob)]

Damn it, go back and do it properly Trev - I can clearly make out what each of those are! That's not beginners astrophotography (at least not to standard of my first woeful attempts )

[TechnoViking (James)]

Hi Trev,
Dont be disheartened by your first attempts, we all start somewhere and my first shot of Jupiter looked like a white big blob of light with no colour.
Be proud of your first shots, they are the ones you will always remember! I am no expert, and don't know much about the Dobs when it comes to AP, perhaps one of the seasoned pro's could give you some pointers?

Just remember its onward and upward from here, becareful though AP can empty you bank accounts fast

[Saturn%5 (Graeme)]

Not that bad Trev, Can tell what they are keep working on it.

[elfinke (Trev)]

Thank you all for your kind words.

Each of the images were grabbed as I decided to pack up and go in for the night and in the case of Jupiter I didn't get a chance to look at the photo correctly until the following morning at breakfast. When I saw that I had snapped some slight colour and some bands I nearly flipped the cereal bowl in excitement!

Now if these clouds and rain would just bugger off - I've had a taste now!

[ZeroID (Brent)]

You have colours and bands and rings and shape. Damn good start. Now you have the bug go out and spend !!
Here beginneth the frustrations ...

[elfinke (Trev)]

Just thought I'd bump my original thread to share my latest effort - it's only another Jupiter, taken from last night.

It's actually the result of a ~5sec video (shot afocally at 640x480/30fps, ripped into the corresponding ~150 frames using VirtuaDub and then processed using the best 50 frames in AviStack (just to see what that program is all about, compared to Registax)).

http://i.imgur.com/FJcAaMm.png

Leaves my first one for dead I think! Hopefully the clouds don't roll in until much later tonight (or atleast until after Saturn and Leo have fully risen) and I'll have another go.

[Saturn%5 (Graeme)]

Getting better Trev the second Jupiter is way better than the first just try to get as much data as you can.

cheers

Graeme.