From: "Doug" <dwd3m@virginia.edu>

Date: April 12, 2007 12:19:03 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Starting Out and Would Appreciate Camera Advice

Thanks Ray - I definitely hear you guys about a mount that can track.  I'm sold.  Yes, I 

definitely own and use a wedge (Baader version with Continuum) and couldn't agree more 

about the views. I'll most likely need to invest in additional ND filters or use polarizers but 

yes, I'm also anxious to image with it.  I use a PST for Cak but my "pride and joys" have to 

be the Solarscope SF70 filter and an SV50 - can't get enough.

I need to just dive in so I'll make a mount decision and get a lower res/higher fps camera 

than I thought originally (thanks Alan and others for steering me that way) and get to 

work.

Doug

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Ray Byrne <ray@...> wrote:

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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