first night with DSI - I sit here defeated!!!

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

First night out with the DSI and I am completely dumbfounded!

I'm sure the advertising said "Get great Images the first night out"

Here are the final results of my first night out.

Both Images were captured in glorious colour on the monitor, and stacked 'in camera'.
After imaging, I couldn't find the 'Stacked' images, but I found all the separate images ready for stacking.

I took them over to Registax, stacked them like I do any other images. Except that instead of the 12 images I took of each, I have about 50 of each!!!!!!

OK, and where'd the colour go?

Sculptor Galaxy turned Green and Trifid turned Black & White!!!!
And there are funny looking blotches and vertical lines when I turn the brightness up, so I turned it back down.

This is gonna be hard!!!!!!!!!

They looked so nice on the monitor while I was imaging them

[EzyStyles (Eric)]

i see your another late nighter! me too imaging right now. (check time of post )

I take it that yours is a DSI-C and not Pro? . Make sure that you are using the update v4 Envisage. I don't think you have your settings set correctly. Under save as, set it to ".tif". (i think you are saving as individual colour channels instead RGB).There is a colour button, click auto that should balance your colours.

Still great images for first go.

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

I agree with Eric, although I know SFA about the DSI, it does look like you are capturing each individual channel here.

[xelasnave]

Ken the color looks great to me

Dont give in the advice you have will ceratinly be correct and away you go...
You are getting images ... so its a matter of gradual improvement

alex

[h0ughy (David)]

KEn I think Eric has you on the right track

[Tamtarn]

Ken as Alex has said you getting images and are on your way.

Eric's experience with DSI's will be invaluable to you and he is always happy to help those of us in need.

[mill (Martin)]

Ken click the button save process.
Then klick the dropdown box "file type" and choose tif.
If you choose fits you will get 3 uncombined images uncompressed and 32 bit.
With tif you get a combined image uncompressed and 24 bit.
Then in the dropdown box "save options" you can choose to keep only the final image but it is better to choose save all uncombined images or save all raw images, so when something goes wrong you will still have all the images and the final stacked image.

[mill (Martin)]

For a lot of info go here Ken.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DeepSkyImager/
Once you are a member (for free) goto the file section on the lefthand side and goto tips and tricks.
There is heaps more in that group.
For a full explanation about fits imaging goto Files > FITS Liberator Tutorials, and download the fits imaging steps.pdf

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Thanks all.

Bert rang today and we went through what settings I used.

It turns out that I accidentally clicked on 'fits' instead of 'tifs' as Martin described above

Cloudy tonight but I'm looking forward to trying again 'the right way'.

[Karls48 (Karl)]

When everything else fails read the manual. I had lot of problems with DSI software. The options are all over the screen. So I read the manual (that I seldom do) and it started to make sense.

[mill (Martin)]

Ken i am sure you will get the same if not better pics as with your trusty old toucam
Just read and read about the dsi and then read some more.
It is going to be cloudy the rest of the week so plenty of time to do that.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Karls48

When everything else fails read the manual. I had lot of problems with DSI software. The options are all over the screen. So I read the manual (that I seldom do) and it started to make sense.

Originally Posted by mill

Just read and read about the dsi and then read some more.
It is going to be cloudy the rest of the week so plenty of time to do that.

I have watched the Meade training videos on using the DSI. Twice before I got it, and once after, and took notes (not like me to take notes).

I have surfed the net for written instructions over the last few weeks but have been unable to find any.
That's why I watched the videos 3 times.

Where do I find 'the Manual'?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

One thing I did notice in the M20 shot Ken is some substantial dust donut. Welcome to the world of having to take flats


I thought the manual was on the CD.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by EzyStyles

I take it that yours is a DSI-C and not Pro? . Make sure that you are using the update v4 Envisage.

Yes Eric, the Colour DSI.
Update V4 Envisage?

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

One thing I did notice in the M20 shot Ken is some substantial dust donut. Welcome to the world of having to take flats

Yep, I noticed that too Paul. I have to give everything a good clean
before I attempt again

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

I thought the manual was on the CD.

Ahhhhh, I didn't think to look on there

Thanks

[Karls48 (Karl)]

Meade/Autostar Suite/Docs/DSI Manual

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Karls48

Meade/Autostar Suite/Docs/DSI Manual

Where do I find that, Karl? On the disk?

[Karls48 (Karl)]

On your hard drive. If you used default installation it should be C:/ProgramFiles/Meade ....

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Karls48

On your hard drive. If you used default installation it should be C:/ProgramFiles/Meade ....

Thanks Karl. I'll load the disk into this computer so I'm not sitting out in the cold reading it in the control room

[xelasnave]

Ken I am still awaiting the arrival of my two dsi cams... it sounds like its going to be fun... I hope their claim you will be taking good photos the first night works for me...
I have been thinking of stuffing one in each tube of the 80mm binos to halve exposure times in effect...
Hope it all keeps progressing well for you.. I think there are a few people waiting upon your next photos...no pressure ..just relax and produce something better than exceptional.
alex