LMC - Old Skool!!! NOW WITH ADDED ETA! Canon kit lens tests

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Hello all...

Last night I thought I would try out the kit lens I got with the Canon 40D for a bit of fun! I had never thought of using it before as it has a pretty so-so rep for astro work, come to think of it, it also has a pretty bad rep for daytime work too!!!

Lens in question is the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS

Again, focusing the lens with LiveView was a breeze - much easier than the struggles and trial and errors I had with the Pentax and lens combinations when I first started this journey.

Conditions - average(hazy), cooling down after a 39° day...not ideal!

Lens set at 85mm, f6.3,
Camera: Canon 40D @ iso800
6x5min exposures
ICNR on
Autoguided with ED80/PHD
Stacked/processed in ImagesPlus and PS.

...not as bad as I expected!
Doug

ps...Added Eta pic, all settings as above - took a lot more mucking around with in PS to bring out nebula in this one.

[EzyStyles (Eric)]

nice result there doug .abit of clipping around the corners though.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by EzyStyles

nice result there doug .abit of clipping around the corners though.

I'll have you know my corners are just fine thankyou very much Eric!!!!

[gbeal]

Cripes, very nice. Shoot a flat or two and it will fix Eric's "clipping".

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Thanks Eric and Gary - by clipping do you mean vignetting?
That rounded darkness to the corners?
Cheers
Doug

[leon]

Yep Doug, that is what they mean, and a few combined flats will look after that, other than that not a bad effort for that crappy lens, as you say.

Leon

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by leon

Yep Doug, that is what they mean, and a few combined flats will look after that, other than that not a bad effort for that crappy lens, as you say.

Leon

Yeah - cheap japanese rubbish them Canons!!

Don't know if I can be bothered doing flats etc and working on this image - it was really just a test to see how well the lens performed. If I use it in future I'll have to do flats as said. Maybe I'll do a crop - poor man's flats!!

I also did an Eta during the same session - same set 6x5mins etc. trying to get any red out of the stacked result was painful, so the colour correction of the lens might let it down for astro work. Rethunk(!) this one - added Eta pic...see original post above.
I'm off to re-attach the guiderings and guidescope now!!!!!
Doug

[gbeal]

Nah, don't be lazy Dug, Shoot some flats. Get yourself something that is repeatable, either a purpose built flat box, or like me a wall that is uniform and shoot them, once you get the hang of it, you won't know what all the fuss was about.
Crappy lens? Nope, looks good, very good.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Cheers Gary,
Reprocessed Eta pic, lens isn't too bad.
Don't want to fall into the "bad workmen..." trap
Doug

[xelasnave]

Great effort Doug
I think we overlook just how wonderful these lens work really.. I mean at the start of your astronomy career if you saw the shots you have taken it would not occur to you (possibly) that a big scope was not responsible for the result.
I have a cheapo 70/300 lens ($200 approx) which of course is not flash when we know better but it gets better results that I thought I would get with a scope and a ccd when I first started..

Anyways you did good
alex

[Ingo]

Wow I wish I had beautiful skies like that.

Great images

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by xelasnave

Great effort Doug
I think we overlook just how wonderful these lens work really.. I mean at the start of your astronomy career if you saw the shots you have taken it would not occur to you (possibly) that a big scope was not responsible for the result.
I have a cheapo 70/300 lens ($200 approx) which of course is not flash when we know better but it gets better results that I thought I would get with a scope and a ccd when I first started..

Anyways you did good
alex

Thanks Alex,
This is probably a lesson in not taking expert review as gospel!
I never used this lens before - even although I've owned it since Sep 07!!
All reviews say that it's a capable walk around lens but no diamond.
I extrapolated this into "crap astro lens"!!!!
Looks like that may have been a mistake. I am quite impressed with the outcome.
Another weapon in the arsenal!!
Cheers
Doug

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by Ingo

Wow I wish I had beautiful skies like that.

Great images

Thanks Ingo,
Can't believe I'm saying it but, 'roll on winter' - that's when the skies are amazing round these parts...cold ,clear and pitch black!!
Doug