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Date: 23 May 2007 21:54:13
From: Jason H.
Subject: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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Here's Jupiter from May 21st
http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
a Kodak EasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
(each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
fun/cheap experiment anyway.
Regards, Jason H.
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Date: 06 Jun 2007 23:40:23
From: Jason H.
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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I'm looking for software that will let me use individual images like
this 42 frame stack (primitive as it is, made using the family Kodak
and Registax and it still needs cropping too) which is from June 4th
http://setisociety.org/jupiteralphastack2.jpg
and use in it in a (hopefully) slower/better animation than this
terrible 1 second test GIF movie I threw together from that same night
of ~1.5 hours of Jupiter rotation (using 7 raw/noisy low-res un-
stacked individual frames.)
http://setisociety.org/jupiter4june07rotation.gif
I'm hoping to make a better movie with many more stacked frames
similar to the first one above; however it is tediously painful to
hand select the frames for stacking, only to have them misaligned and
different brightnesses in the animation movie. Is there software that
equalizes the brightness between frames to make them not strobe, and
that automatically keeps the planet centered? There are 117,000
frames from which I can select several thousand for stacking (which
I've tediously been doing by hand) and I'd like to automate the
process if possible. Is there such an animation software? If not
available alone, is there planet rotation movie software that comes
with a purpose-built astro camera?
Regards, Jason H.
On May 23, 11:54 pm, "Jason H." <exosea...@juno.com > wrote:
> Here'sJupiterfrom May 21st
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
>
> I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
> camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
> the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
> aKodakEasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
> (each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
> 480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
> DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
> capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
> of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
> PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
> orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
> ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
> brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
> Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
> exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
> CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> Regards, Jason H.
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Date: 26 May 2007 03:49:37
From: Chris.B
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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On May 24, 6:54 am, "Jason H." <exosea...@juno.com > wrote:
> Here's Jupiter from May 21st
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
> CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> Regards, Jason H.
I am surprised that nobody has yet mentioned the poor image quality
usually available from digital still cameras when used in video
capture mode.
The heavy image compression involved does not give you very suitable
raw material to work on so patiently and so constructively.
A series of still images might be more suitable for your processing
efforts provided you avoid image rotation or object rotation between
taking your still images.
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Date: 24 May 2007 21:39:21
From: Phoon Hencman
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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On 2007-05-24 00:54:13 -0400, "Jason H." <exosearch@juno.com > said:
> Here's Jupiter from May 21st
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
>
> I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
> camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
> the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
> a Kodak EasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
> (each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
> 480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
> DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
> capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
> of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
> PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
> orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
> ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
> brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
> Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
> exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
> CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> Regards, Jason H.
VERY decent shot! Kudos!
\
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Date: 24 May 2007 18:06:06
From: Rich
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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On May 24, 12:54 am, "Jason H." <exosea...@juno.com > wrote:
> Here's Jupiter from May 21st
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
>
> I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
> camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
> the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
> a Kodak EasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
> (each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
> 480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
> DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
> capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
> of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
> PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
> orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
> ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
> brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
> Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
> exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
> CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> Regards, Jason H.
And in a recent note:
According to a report by CNET Kodak President Antonio Perez speaking
at the JPMorgan Technology Conference revealed that the company
"wasn't making much money" in the low-end digicam segment and has
decided to pull out of it. In Addition Mr Perez also revealed that the
company had developed its own five megapixel CMOS sensor which would
make its way into a future Kodak digital camera. It's unclear where Mr
Perez draws the 'low-end' line but we can't say we're that surprised
at this news
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Date: 24 May 2007 08:07:06
From: Jason H.
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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On May 24, 7:00 am, "Dennis Woos" <dpw...@gmavt.net > wrote:
...snip...
> ...Does Jupiter look a lot better
> throuogh the eyepiece?
>
> Dennis
It can look sharper, brighter and smoother in the EP, and I find
myself wishing that would translate to the image, but it never does.
Even when I use the 5MP photo mode, like this one
http://setisociety.org/jupiterkodakeasyshareMay1607.jpg
The color comes out a little better, but at every possible exposure
time and ASA, it's never as sharp as at the EP with the eye.
Actually, dissatisfaction with the above one is what caused me to try
the NTSC video mode for the one I posted at the beginning of this
thread (this one - http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg ) even
though it's from a lower resolution camera mode.
Regards, Jason H.
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Date: 25 May 2007 07:03:11
From: Dennis Woos
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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> It can look sharper, brighter and smoother in the EP, and I find
> myself wishing that would translate to the image, but it never does.
> Even when I use the 5MP photo mode, like this one
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterkodakeasyshareMay1607.jpg
>
> The color comes out a little better, but at every possible exposure
> time and ASA, it's never as sharp as at the EP with the eye.
> Actually, dissatisfaction with the above one is what caused me to try
> the NTSC video mode for the one I posted at the beginning of this
> thread (this one - http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg ) even
> though it's from a lower resolution camera mode.
>
A reasonable goal is to get images that are significantly better than what
you see, not worse. I would search the web for folks who have successfully
used your camera for astrophotos and compare their techniques/settings to
yours. Good luck, and post your results!
Dennis
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Date: 24 May 2007 07:00:53
From: Dennis Woos
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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> I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> considering my many limitations?)
An 8" SCT with good optics is a great scope for astrophotography, and the
fact that it is "ancient" is irrelevant. Does Jupiter look a lot better
throuogh the eyepiece?
Dennis
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Date: 23 May 2007 23:03:11
From:
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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On May 23, 11:54 pm, "Jason H." <exosea...@juno.com > wrote:
> Here's Jupiter from May 21st
>
> http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
>
> I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
> camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
> the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
> a Kodak EasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
> (each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
> 480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
> DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
> capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
> of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
> PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
> orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
> ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
> brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
> Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
> exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
> CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> Regards, Jason H.
Nice bite of work...very clear image
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Date: 26 May 2007 01:47:04
From: Mik3
Subject: Re: Jupiter image using Kodak EasyShare point-n-shoot camera
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zenoes@gmail.com wrote:
> On May 23, 11:54 pm, "Jason H." <exosea...@juno.com> wrote:
> > Here's Jupiter from May 21st
> >
> > http://setisociety.org/jupiterzulu5stack.jpg
> >
> > I know it's not anything as good as Chris Go's or Damian Peach's (and
> > since I'm a relative newbie and my scope is only an ancient 8" SCT, a
> > Meade 2080, and I think Chris uses an 11", perhaps came out O.K.
> > considering my many limitations?) , but I've been fiddling with this
> > camera because I have it for family photos (and my laptop isn't up to
> > the data storage task of using a webcam for astrophotos anyway), it's
> > a Kodak EasyShare Z730 Camera (discontinued) in video mode at 30 FPS
> > (each frame of which comes out from the screen capture around ~720 x
> > 480 pixels, which were 55 consecutive frames for this shot from the
> > DVD (made with a household DVR/DVD burner for TV) and saved each frame
> > capture as a BMP that Registax could process. It's around 2 seconds
> > of video. Exposure/contrast/brightness adjustments were made in Roxio
> > PhotoSuite 5 (a basic freebie disk image program I resorted to after I
> > orginally tried and failed to adjust the brightness/contrast in my
> > ancient copy of Adobe Photodeluxe/Photoshop, but I couldn't coax the
> > brightness down enough in that program; luckily the very basic Roxio
> > Photosuite 5 gave me more control over mid-level elements in the
> > exposure control, but the camera color is still off and is picking up
> > CA from either the eyepiece or the 14mm camera objective. It was a
> > fun/cheap experiment anyway.
> > Regards, Jason H.
>
> Nice bite of work...very clear image
Yes a nice effort. Beyond that you need glasses.
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