From: Ray Byrne <ray@in4media.co.uk>

Date: April 12, 2007 12:07:21 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Starting Out and Would Appreciate Camera Advice


Hi Doug,


Hopefully welcome aboard. 


I have a great interest in Solar imaging - white light (5" f/9 Achro with a Herschel wedge and Baader Solar Continuum Filter) as well as Ha with my Coronado Maxscope40. To be honest I've not attempted any Solar imaging with my DMK21AF04 (not had it long, but great for Lunar/Planetary as opposed to a ToUcam) but I'm hoping for great stuff. 


The thought of doing any of this stuff without a drive seems to me to be asking for the height of frustration. Finding and focusing the Sun is difficult visually, finding and focusing the Sun on a small chip is definitely more than doubly so. Throwing-in a non-driven scope and I think you will end-up head butting the nearest wall after a short while :o] There are other issues that make daytime imaging more difficult apart from very dodgy seeing and that is much brighter ambient light that makes it difficult to see the image on your Mac's screen (a large cardboard box works well and if you're folically-challenged like me it keeps your head from getting sunburnt). High frame rate should help a lot here I'd have thought and the low noise, hires performance of my DMK21AF04 will outdo the results I've had previously with a ToUcam. 


I fully agree with Alan's comments as well and he has more experience and great results to back it up.


BTW have you tried a Herschell wedge? quite an eyeopener compared to the Thousand Oaks type ERFs and with the Baader filter mentioned above really amazing. Unfortunately not much going on on our closest star at the moment or I'd be out every clear day now it's reaching a decent declination.


IHTH

 

On 12 Apr 2007, at 15:27, Doug wrote:

I would also prefer to stick with a non-tracking alt-az mount for the time being unless someone tells 

me this is definitely not the way to go (I'm assuming image shift over a few second capture 

period can be handled by registration/stacking software)


ATB


Ray Byrne

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