BackyardNIKON - Full test - M51, M63, M82

[SteveRosenow]

The last couple days have blessed the Pacific Northwest with exceptionally-clear nights with superb transparency at times.

Notwithstanding some passing high clouds, I took the advantage and seized the opportunity. I then decided to really put BackyardNIKON through a littany of tests - capturing a few hours' of data and I am pleased to say that so far, I think this is going to be a slam-dunk for those of us on the Nikonians side of things!

Before I begin, I should also advise that this was also a complete test of the DSUSB alternative cable (see the sticky thread up top in this forum), and I am pleased to say that it held its own for over four hours. One note, too, is that since it is wired to the existing MC-DC2 cable, you can also capture images using the MC-DC2 side of things and still have them download to BYN!

First, I set my sights on Messier 51. I gathered over 40 three-minute light frames and their corresponding darks @ ISO1600. Flats were utilized from a pre-established flats library I've built.

Messier 51 by Loowit Imaging - Steve Rosenow, Photographer, on Flickr

From there, it was off to Messier 63, at the suggestion of a friend.

Messier 63 by Loowit Imaging - Steve Rosenow, Photographer, on Flickr

Finally, I decided to spend the last hour of both imaging sessions from two nights, on Messier 82.

I was quite surprised to see our little cosmic friend, SN 2014J still peeking through the mist.

Messier 82 / SN 2014J by Loowit Imaging - Steve Rosenow, Photographer, on Flickr

 

[admin]

Well... images like that makes me wonder why it took me so long to release BackyardNIKON

 

This is BackyardNIKON first true light on long exposure photography.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Guylain

[SteveRosenow]

Well... images like that makes me wonder why it took me so long to release BackyardNIKON

This is BackyardNIKON first true light on long exposure photography.

Thanks for sharing.

Guylain

Guylain, if ever you come out with a site for BackyardNIKON itself like you've done with BackyardEOS, feel free to use those images for its advertising. I do have versions without the watermark logo.

 

-Steve 

[MrWellsy66]

Awesome B)

[admin]

Well... images like that makes me wonder why it took me so long to release BackyardNIKON

 

This is BackyardNIKON first true light on long exposure photography.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Guylain

 

Guylain, if ever you come out with a site for BackyardNIKON itself like you've done with BackyardEOS, feel free to use those images for its advertising. I do have versions without the watermark logo.

 

-Steve 

 

Thanks Steve, will do for sure.

 

 

[s3igell]

Beautiful Images!!

Which Nikon Camera are you using??

 

 

[SteveRosenow]

Beautiful Images!!

Which Nikon Camera are you using??

 

 

Nikon D5100.

[blndarcher]

Scope?

[SteveRosenow]

Scope?

 

10-inch Meade LX200, f/6.3 Wide Field.

 

 

[diegoesep]

Hello ,

These are awesome pictures !!

I am planning to buy a Nikon D5100 for imaging with BackyardNikon using my home made 14 inches newtonian. Have you modded your D5100 with IR-cut filter removal for these pictures or is it the original D5100 that you used?

Many thanks and congratulations!

[fade2black]

Wow, great images.  You said you used flats from a pre-existing library.  How did you build this library?  Sounds like a time saver.

[s3igell]

Flats are usually the only type of Calibration Image File which are NOT suitable for storage in a Library.

 

This is because Flats are effected by the current configuration of the entire Optics Train.  Dust on any Glass - Lens, Mirror, Reducer, Filter - surface; Vignetting from any Shield or Baffle or Field Stop or Drawtube or T-Adapter; Light Cone changes due to Drawtube Extension Length or Intrusion into Body of Scope (Newt/Dob).  All of these are dynamic elements which change from session to session, making Flats Libraries rather hard to manage or apply to the current Image Stack.

[astroman133]

Diego,

 

The thread that you replied to is several months old.  The OP has not been around much since last fall, so you may not get an answer to your question from him.

[SteveRosenow]

There are some who shoot with flats libraries - albeit that not a lot of the seasoned imagers would do it but there are some out there who have. I do it because my camera - when I'm not out shooting portraits, is otherwise permanently mounted to my telescope. Knock on wood, I've not had an issue with it.

When I started doing this a few years ago, I read an astrophotography cookbook somewhere that the author used a library of pre-made flats since his camera never left the telescope.

And another website I read (both of which I cannot recall since they were bookmarked on another computer that suffered a failure), its author devised a method to create artificial flats using Photoshop.