Again last new moon I was not able to get away to any dark site.
I haven't seen a good, dark sky since March!
In desperation I attached a Nikon 100mm F2.8 lens and Ha filter onto my QHY9 ccd, set up in my backyard, pointed to Scorpius and Sagittarius and pretended I was in Coonabarabran.
I was pleasantly surprised at the results.
What do you think.
Thanks for looking.
Ross.
QHY9 MONOCHROME CCD
OLD NIKON E SERIES 100MM F2.8 LENS AT F4
ASTRONOMIK Ha FILTER.
PHD WITH FINDERSCOPE FOR GUIDING
HEQ5Pro MOUNT
ALL PHOTOS ARE 5 X 20 MINUTE EXPOSURES, EXCEPT FOR
EAGLE AND SWAN PHOTO WHICH IS 3 X 20 MINUTE EXPOSURE.
They do look amazing. What sort of adaptor did you use to enable the lens to go onto the QHY9 as I have this camera and would love to do wide field imaging at like minus 20c.
Well, Ross, I recon they are all greeeat, these would be very satisfying for a sky starved individual for sure. They have even given me a bit inspiration for my next imaging target .....
Yeah, top stuff for sure.
I'd be interested to hear how you've attached the lens too and Ha filter too. Whatever you did, it was definitely a successful "astro fix"
Very nice, Ross! I've been thinking about doing something similar with a 100mm Zeiss lens and my STL11K.
Cheers,
Rick.
Thanks Rick.
The 100mm gives a nice field of view for this region. The quality of the Zeiss lens should give you some amazing photos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by batema
They do look amazing. What sort of adaptor did you use to enable the lens to go onto the QHY9 as I have this camera and would love to do wide field imaging at like minus 20c.
Mark
Hi Mark.
I use a Canon to QHY8 adapter I bought of Theo at Gama Electronics. I then attached to this a Nikon to Canon adapter that you can buy off Ebay for a few dollars. The benefit of Theo's adapter is that it has an internal thread to attach a filter between the lens and the ccd.
All these phots were taken at -20c.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tilbrook@rbe.ne
Wow Ross!!
You have to be pleased with those results.
Glad to see your work.
Cheers,
Justin.
Thanks Justin.
This is such an enjoyable way to astrophotograph compared to the problems I'm having with the 8 inch "monsters".
Congrats on a excellent set of images mate! well composed and processed....they look awesome.
The Antares region is a surprise to me in Ha, being dominated by reflection...very nice.
Hi Louie,
Glad you like the photos..... it means a lot to my confidence.
Your advice on "Shadows/Highlights" and not using the minimum filter was very helpful.
The Antares shot was to initially align the camera, but I also was surprised at the detail that showed up.
Thank you
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve000
They are some very nice images. Obviously its hard with the Nikon lens but id love to see them with RGB channels. very nice
Thanks Steve.
Although I love B&W photos, colour would be nice. I think, with the correct adapters, I can just squeeze in the filter wheel between the lens and the camera. Something to do I ever get away to a dark site,
Ross
You have nailed those images - very impressive.
Allan
Glad you like the photos Allan.
Thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigel003
Stunning images Ross. Love the contrast on the cat's paw.
Thanks Graeme.
If I get another chance, I would like to try the Cats Paw with a longer lens. I have a 300mm that would give a nice FOV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strongmanmike
Well, Ross, I recon they are all greeeat, these would be very satisfying for a sky starved individual for sure. They have even given me a bit inspiration for my next imaging target .....
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you, glad you like them.
The 100mm gives a nice FOV of the region, showing interesting objects for future closeups.
"Sky starved" is the operative word at the moment. I fear I'll get to the end of the year without a chance of a dark sky!
Really nice images Ross, very inspiring and impressive when you think they are from suburbia !!
Richard
Thanks Richard. Yes, don't you hate "suburbia".
Oh, to be in Coonabarabran!
Quote:
Originally Posted by naskies
Great work, Ross.
Thanks Dave. Glad you like them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
Yeah, top stuff for sure.
I'd be interested to hear how you've attached the lens too and Ha filter too. Whatever you did, it was definitely a successful "astro fix"
Thank you Rob.
I used a Canon to QHY8 adapter from Theo at Gama Electronics and to this I attached a cheap Nikon to Canon adapter from ebay. There is a thread inside Theo's adapter to attach a 2" filter.
All very well done Ross. You cant beat NB imaging when you have to compete with light polluted skies. Been there alright!
I cant tell from the JPGs you have posted, but it appears as though the lens worked really well at f4, just a couple of stops down from being wide open.
All very well done Ross. You cant beat NB imaging when you have to compete with light polluted skies. Been there alright!
I cant tell from the JPGs you have posted, but it appears as though the lens worked really well at f4, just a couple of stops down from being wide open.
cheers
Martin
Hi Martin,
Thank you. I'm glad you like the photos.
Yes, the Ha filter is a life saver when you live in Sydney. It helps keep the "astro" momentum going between what seems to be fewer and fewer dark site visits.
The lens does seem to work very well at F4 which is just one stop down from full aperture. The real test will be when I shoot colour and see how much Ca there is.
....
.
