Newbie question regarding planetary mode

[hefy_jefy]

Hello everyone,

I know a bit about astronomy and a bit about photography, but the last time I used a telescope seriously CCDs were way out of reach.  Just purchased a copy of BYE for use with a Canon SL1 and an Orion 80mm Apo scope with an Orion GoTo Mount, I have watched most if not all of Forrest's excellent movies and read the BYE manual.

I gather that in planetary mode the camera takes a movie.  But then the camera resolution is down to 1920 x 1080 instead of its full resolution.  I suspect I am demonstrating my ignorance of modern techniques but could someone explain why this is a good idea?  I would have thought that multiple exposures at full resolution would have been better.  If there is a write up on the movie method somewhere I would be happy to read more...

Thanks for any help

Geoff

 

[admin]

Hi and welcome

 

People make that classic mistake all  the time, I want HD, full HD is best, etc... this is a myth!

 

Size does not matter, resolution does.  The best resolution is a 1:1 resolution; meaning 1 pixel on the image is exactly 1 pixel on the sensor.  No transformation occurs therefore you get the best quality possible.

 

In BackyardEOS a 1:1 pixel resolution is achieved in live view when the 5x zoom is active.  This yields the best possible quality.

 

It is not even a question of should you use 5x zoom or not... use it all the time and never look back.

 

The only exception to this rule is if you are imaging the moon and you want the full disk, then you do not use the 5x zoom.

 

Hope this help.

 

I will move this thread into the BackyardEOS support forum because this is where it belongs

 

Regards

[s3igell]

Remember how small in arcseconds each of the planets truly is...

Even using a 2.5x or 4x Barlow, the King of Planets is easily covered by the arcsecond resolution of BYE's Planetary Mode.

[astroman133]

Actually, the camera does not "take a movie".  BYE does all the heavy lifting.  It activates the camera's LiveView and downloads each LiveView image (frame) to the PC.  It stores each image in a separate JPG file.  Then when the capture run has finished, BYE assembles the individual frames into a movie (AVI file). 

 

BYE's process is different from the process for creating a movie/video in the camera, without a PC connection.  BYE does not control or support the in-camera process.

 

As Guylain said, when doing planetary imaging with Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn as the target, you always want to use the 5X zoom mode for maximum resolution, even with a 2X or greater Barlow lens between the scope and the camera.

 

I have also successfully used the 5X zoom mode when imaging the moon.  This technique results in the capture of several videos, each with a different portion of the lunar disk.  Each video is then stacked into a single image (usually using RegiStax or AutoStakkert).  The stacked images are then assembled into a final image of the entire disk with RegiStar. 

 

Note: RegiStax and AutoStakkert are freeware.  RegiStar is licensed (not free) software.

[hefy_jefy]

Hi all,

First my apologies for posting to the wrong forum, and thanks for the information, I have a lot to learn. One of the questions that comes to mind is where does Backyard EOS take over from the normal camera settings/controls?  Obviously things like setting Manual, disabling Auto Focus and Stabilization but what about the shutter speed, aperture, ISO settings.  Are these items chosen by BYE but possibly overidden by the camera settings?

I guess the question is how deeply into the camera does BYE get - maybe this varies depending on the camera model?

Thanks again,

Geoff

 

 

[s3igell]

There are a few Camera or Lens settings which one will need to do manually, only because those settings are not exposed to the programmer by Canon's ESDK.

 

If you are shooting Widefield AP Images with a Camera Lens, you'll have to set the Lens to Manual Focus and disable Image Stabilization - because these settings cannot be controlled by the Camera but only by the manual switches on the Lens Body.

 

You'll also have to handle a few Canon Camera Menu settings - Long Exposure Noise Reduction, High ISO Noise Reduction, RAW File Format.

 

But the basic Camera Settings (Exposure, ISO, F-stop, LiveView, etc) are all handled by BYE.

 

BYE will also remind you to set the Mode Dial to the proper setting - Manual or Bulb (depending on the DSLR Model).

[admin]

There are a few Camera or Lens settings which one will need to do manually, only because those settings are not exposed to the programmer by Canon's ESDK.

 

If you are shooting Widefield AP Images with a Camera Lens, you'll have to set the Lens to Manual Focus and disable Image Stabilization - because these settings cannot be controlled by the Camera but only by the manual switches on the Lens Body.

 

You'll also have to handle a few Canon Camera Menu settings - Long Exposure Noise Reduction, High ISO Noise Reduction, RAW File Format.

 

But the basic Camera Settings (Exposure, ISO, F-stop, LiveView, etc) are all handled by BYE.

 

BYE will also remind you to set the Mode Dial to the proper setting - Manual or Bulb (depending on the DSLR Model).

 

I could not have said it better

 

Thank you,

[hefy_jefy]

Yes - thanks! - just what I needed...\

Geoff