A few images taken with SDM Dob

[alexch (Alex)]

Hi All,

The Weather Gods were a bit more accommodating this Saturday and sent some patches between the clouds. I've got all the adaptors and couldn't wait to try more imaging with my 22" f/3.6 SDM Dob and Sony NEX-5 mirrorless camera with Paracorr Type II.

I intended to do dark frames in the fridge at home, however it seems that Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CS5 deals with hot pixels quite efficiently. Also the Servocat Alt-Az motors want to correct the pointing every now and again and limit the exposure time to no more than 15 seconds.

Full-size images and equipment shots are here:
http://www.terrastro.com/galleries/deep-space-hr/

Low-res images are attached below.

I have a lot to see visually yet so I am doing the imaging just for fun without much skill involved and have no intention to get into EQ platforms or expensive field de-rotators. (Please remind me about that frequently...)

Thanks for looking.
Alex

Omega Centauri (NGC 5139): 3 x 10sec, ISO 3200
Jewel Box (NGC 4755): 3 x 15sec, ISO 3200
Centaurus A (NGC 5128): 17 x 15sec, ISO 3200
Keyhole Nebula (in NGC 3372): 8 x 15sec, ISO 3200
Orion Nebula (NGC 1976): 9 x 8sec, ISO 3200

Processed in DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop CS5

[TrevorW]

I wouldn't complain about those well done Alex (the astroholic)

[asimov (John)]

That is seriously nice work! Well done.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Geez Louise!!! They are Great Alex! What's this NEX-5 camera you talk about???

That Centaurus A shot has some awesome detail in it.






Edit: Just checked out the camera. Your kidding right??? Look out canon!

[mill (Martin)]

Yep that Centaurus shot is very good
The rest too

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Great images for such short exposures - aperture rules in this instance.
Cheers
Doug

[multiweb (Marc)]

That's awesome. Aperture rules indeed.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Geez, Alex!!! Everyone else has to shoot for hours to get shots like that and with uber gear to boot. You do it with a dob, servocat and a few short subs!!!!

Must be in the wrist

Maybe I'm not poking my tongue at the right angle

Maybe I don't have 22" of mirror

[renormalised (Carl)]

Just checked out the cameras too....not bad

Not too dear either!!!

[alexch (Alex)]

Trevor, John, Paul, Martin, Doug, Marc, Carl - thanks heaps for the encouraging comments, much appreciated!

[alexch (Alex)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Just checked out the cameras too....not bad

Not too dear either!!!

Yes I love this little camera for family photos, it is as capable as any DSLR with an APS-C sized chip but much lighter and easier to carry. Not very expensive too.

Working with the live view only and a quirky UI was frustrating for the first few days but then I got used to it. The tilting display is great for waist level shooting.

The only problem I anticipate with it for real astro-work is that live view cannot be turned off (it has no viewfinder). I tend to switch the camera off when not taking images in order not to heat up the chip. Also Sony NEX series are quite prone to getting very warm.

In the image attached below I have NEX-Nikon adapter (Photodiox, $50), Nikon T-Adapter, Televue 2.4" T Ring adapter, Televue Paracorr Type II coma corrector.

Cheers,
Alex

[renormalised (Carl)]

Is it just the live view heating everything up or does the camera as a whole heat up??

[alexch (Alex)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Is it just the live view heating everything up or does the camera as a whole heat up??

I haven't done extensive testing when imaging through the Dob so not sure. However after 20 minutes of constant live view or video recording the camera feels warm in the hand.
Edit: I mean the whole camera is warm.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Given that you're only shooting such short subs and getting these sort of results, I don't think you'll be having to worry about heating of the camera.

Helps to have a light bucket, though

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

Damn they are really well done. Aperture rules alright

[h0ughy (David)]

OMG in only a few seconds.............oh man................

[desler]

By the look of those images Alex, you've done incredibly well.

Wonder if we are about to see another aperture rules uptake!

Darren

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

LOL You've left everyone with their jaws on the ground with those pics.
Fantastic work!

[DavidU (Dave)]

How awesome is that ! Neat little camera too. I'm sure some one will come up with a switch to turn off the LCD display that I'm sure is where the heat is coming from.

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Holy Moly!

Who needs EQ platforms and hours of exposures when a handful will do?

Cant wait to see what you get when you arent "doing the imaging just for fun" !!!!

Innovation award me thinks! Doesn't Mr Malin have a category for such a thing?

Damn these are good Alex!

Cheers

Chris