Why no DSLR cameras?
Brand new to Ha solar observing. While I await the arrival of my Lunt LS60HaTP, I have been perusing the forum. I don't see any reference to the use of any DSLR cameras with solar telescopes. Curious why not?
Why no DSLR cameras?
- dhkaiser
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 1702
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2019 2:57 pm
- Location: Indiana, USA
- Has thanked: 1407 times
- Been thanked: 899 times
- Merlin66
- Librarian
- Posts: 3972
- Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:23 pm
- Location: Junortoun, Australia
- Has thanked: 174 times
- Been thanked: 619 times
- Contact:
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
A fast frame mono camera allows you to freeze those fleeing moments of good seeing and by using Autostakkert 3 you can stack the video (AVI or SER) and sort for quality and then use Registax 6 to tweak the image for maximum definition.
DSLR’s are used but honestly of limited success.
DSLR’s are used but honestly of limited success.
"Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where few amateurs have gone before
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
- Rusted
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 1741
- Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:00 am
- Location: Central Denmark
- Has thanked: 8172 times
- Been thanked: 1943 times
- Contact:
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
Some astro cameras can exceed 300 fps video capture on the solar disk though an H-alpha telescope. In a few second you can have literally thousands of video frames to automatically sort for image quality using the free software mentioned by Merlin.
Atmospheric seeing conditions and even the wind, can spoil some images. But you still have so many thousands of good frames to choose from. So the chances are far greater of ending up with an incredibly sharp and detailed, still image after the clever video and image processing.
The process is called "lucky imaging." The software ensures your are far luckier than you ever would be in trying to capture individual stills. The video processing has become an advanced means of obtaining striking still images from only the best, selected frames.
Some highly skilled, solar imagers can produce amazing animations from the final processed, still images. By running them as frames, in series, as a moving video. The movement of the prominences and surface details, on the sun, can become tantalizing and almost hypnotic by being sped up from normal speed.
Enjoy your new telescope! The sun is, by far, the most active target for amateurs.
Atmospheric seeing conditions and even the wind, can spoil some images. But you still have so many thousands of good frames to choose from. So the chances are far greater of ending up with an incredibly sharp and detailed, still image after the clever video and image processing.
The process is called "lucky imaging." The software ensures your are far luckier than you ever would be in trying to capture individual stills. The video processing has become an advanced means of obtaining striking still images from only the best, selected frames.
Some highly skilled, solar imagers can produce amazing animations from the final processed, still images. By running them as frames, in series, as a moving video. The movement of the prominences and surface details, on the sun, can become tantalizing and almost hypnotic by being sped up from normal speed.
Enjoy your new telescope! The sun is, by far, the most active target for amateurs.
http://fullerscopes.blogspot.dk/
H-alpha: Baader 160mm D-ERF, iStar 150/10 H-alpha objective, 2" Baader 35nm H-a, 2" Beloptik KG3,
Lunt 60MT etalon, Lunt B1200S2 BF, Assorted T-S GPCs or 2x "Shorty" Barlow, ZWO ASI174.
H-alpha: Baader 160mm D-ERF, iStar 150/10 H-alpha objective, 2" Baader 35nm H-a, 2" Beloptik KG3,
Lunt 60MT etalon, Lunt B1200S2 BF, Assorted T-S GPCs or 2x "Shorty" Barlow, ZWO ASI174.
- dhkaiser
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 1702
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2019 2:57 pm
- Location: Indiana, USA
- Has thanked: 1407 times
- Been thanked: 899 times
- rsfoto
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 6306
- Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:30 pm
- Location: San Luis Potosi, México
- Has thanked: 9723 times
- Been thanked: 5773 times
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
Because the Bayer Matrix is your enemy, e.g. the colour filter which makes a DSLR a colour camera with its RGGB filter over the pixels of the imaging chip, and does not let through more then maybe 20% of H-Alpha light at the RED filter and the Green and Blue filters distort the H-alpha colour.
Another thing is White light images ... but for me they are boring ... It is a question of taste too ...
regards Rainer
Observatorio Real de 14
San Luis Potosi Mexico
North 22° West 101°
Observatorio Real de 14
San Luis Potosi Mexico
North 22° West 101°
-
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 2161
- Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:46 pm
- Location: France
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 2725 times
- Contact:
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
To expand a litlle bit futher on what Rainer said, with a DSLR camera we only have one pixel out of four which is sensitive to Halpha.
This means that resolution is divided by about 2 compared to a black and white sensor.
This means that resolution is divided by about 2 compared to a black and white sensor.
Christian Viladrich
Co-author of "Planetary Astronomy"
http://planetary-astronomy.com/
Editor of "Solar Astronomy"
http://www.astronomiesolaire.com/
Co-author of "Planetary Astronomy"
http://planetary-astronomy.com/
Editor of "Solar Astronomy"
http://www.astronomiesolaire.com/
- Radon86
- Almost There...
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:05 pm
- Has thanked: 763 times
- Been thanked: 663 times
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
Hi dhkaiser,
I would like a lunt ls60 Ha telescope as well but cannot be sure of its worth compared to my 70mm ED refractor+Quark.
What camera will you use as the total plus the mount could add up.
I have thought about this, but would not spend this even if I was Bill Gates. As I have less than 12 clear days a year and the weather is too humid. I need an observatory and good view of the East horizon without roofs and concrete in the way. Is this too restrictive?
I am in London.
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year everyoneveryone!
I would like a lunt ls60 Ha telescope as well but cannot be sure of its worth compared to my 70mm ED refractor+Quark.
What camera will you use as the total plus the mount could add up.
I have thought about this, but would not spend this even if I was Bill Gates. As I have less than 12 clear days a year and the weather is too humid. I need an observatory and good view of the East horizon without roofs and concrete in the way. Is this too restrictive?
I am in London.
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year everyoneveryone!
Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
- DeepSolar64
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 19068
- Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
- Location: Lowndesville S.C.
- Has thanked: 17853 times
- Been thanked: 16998 times
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
I wondered the same! I knew the video cameras were superior but was amazed at the total absence of DSLR solar photography. It makes me wonder how amateurs photographed the sun before monochrome video cameras and the stacking method. Did film SLR cameras do better than digital ones in respect to solar? Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's the best I did with solar photography was by photographing the projected WL solar image from a screen with a 110 or 126 Instamatic camera!
James
Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces
Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces
Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
-
- Way More Fun to Share It!!
- Posts: 2161
- Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:46 pm
- Location: France
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 2725 times
- Contact:
Re: Why no DSLR cameras?
In the old time, we were using BW films, for example Kodak Microfile AHU, Kodak TP 2415, etc.
Christian Viladrich
Co-author of "Planetary Astronomy"
http://planetary-astronomy.com/
Editor of "Solar Astronomy"
http://www.astronomiesolaire.com/
Co-author of "Planetary Astronomy"
http://planetary-astronomy.com/
Editor of "Solar Astronomy"
http://www.astronomiesolaire.com/