My first attempts with a tracking mount

JohnPh

JohnPh

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Ngc7000
46x30secs subs
15 darks
15bias
15 flats
Iso1600
Modded 550D
135L @f/4
Star Adventurer mount

Ngc7000 by T_J_P, on Flickr

IC1805 and IC1848 - The Heart and Soul Nebulae
26 x 90 second subs
15 darks
15 flats
15 Bias
Canon 550D modded
Iso1600
135mm @f/3.2
Star adventurer mount

Heart and soul re edit by T_J_P, on Flickr

M31
15x2 minute subs
10 darks, bias + flats
200mm @f/4 Iso800
Modded 550D
Star Adventurer mount

M31 by T_J_P, on Flickr
 
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Absolutely fantastic, I never even began to think that you could get such images with a 135 or 200mm lens or am I missing something? Out of interested what mods have you done to the 550D?
 
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Thanks Chris! The mod was removal of the the rear colour correcting filter and increases the camera's sensitivity to red light frequencies by between 4 and 5 times, this was done by Andy Ellis through his astronomiser website. The skywatcher star adventurer mount of course helps with the longer exposures tracking at the same speed as the stars move.
 
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These, though already not bad, could be vastly more pleasurable if the black and white
points were defined properly!
 
Are you suggesting I set the black to 0? The black and white points have already been set using levels.
 
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JohnPh said:
Are you suggesting I set the black to 0?
Click to expand...
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"0" is just expressing the lowest extent of the dynamic range. Your shot has a
narrower range. I am suggesting you define the black and white points properly,
according to the range of the shot. I cannot demonstrate since you forbide it.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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"0" is just expressing the lowest extent of the dynamic range. Your shot has a
narrower range. I am suggesting you define the black and white points properly,
according to the range of the shot. I cannot demonstrate since you forbide it.
Click to expand...

In other terms the shadows need to be darkened and contrast boosted a little bit. I entirely agree with that.

3rd image is particularly nice.
 
daugirdas said:
In other terms the shadows need to be darkened and contrast boosted a little bit. I entirely agree with that.
Click to expand...
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NO, WAIT…
this has to be carefully executed otherwise too many faint stars will be lost!
The black point but very slowly and gently with the contrast (I would study the
data before touching the contrast).

www.kodiakmedia.at
bureau@kodiakmedia.at
Skype: kodiakonline

 
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Thanks!

Sorry for being a tad defensive, I followed quite and in depth tutorial on astrophotography processing after watching hours upon hours on the subject and I let it get the better of me when other suggestions were made, considering no such recommendations were made on astro forum I put them on. It is such a different processing workflow than I'm used to with my landscape stuff, and setting the black and white points has definitely improved the images aesthetically, though I'm sure the astro purists would say my blacks are almost clipped, I like them better.

My apologies gents for coming across as an ass :)

m31redo-1 by John Phelan, on Flickr
 
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…not to me!
NOW, THIS IS A VIEW!
When you look at the sky, do you see a black sky…or what?
As a natural sciences student (cosmology) and photo addict,
I was in-charge of printing the photo material at the university.
This is where the purists were and skies like this new rendition
of yours was the expected quality. Well done!
 
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