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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 14:14:34 GMT
Friends:
I am new to NRT observing but not to amateur astronomy. I have been looking for some solutions but have some self imposed constraints with regard to equipment.
I would like to observe DSOs and record pictures rather quickly. I have seen wonderful demos of Astro Toaster, and it is that sort of process I would like to follow, but:
I am a dedicated Mac user and have had very little luck with running Windows on my Macs.
I really love my Canon DSLR. I can run EOS utility for capturing, but I would really like to stack (on the fly hopefully) and do some simple quick processing of images.
So: Mac, DSLR, and on the fly stacking.
Do you know of software solutions?
Thanks!
Jack from Atlanta
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Post by davy on Jan 21, 2017 15:56:50 GMT
www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/12-essential-mac-apps-for-amateur-astronomersHijack welcome to the forum,,, Above is a link to a Mac user astronomy software site,, it's old but it may still be of use. I'm a windows based astronomer,, Mac computers are very good and reliable but software wise it lags behind windows in my opinion,, Maybe a cheap windows laptop to use, in acquiring the image before switching it to your Mac might be an option. I like others in here use canon DSLR,i have two 600d unmodified cameras and a canon 450d modded camera,, I use backyard Eos instead of canon utilities,, canon utilities is very good but byeos is a dedicated canon astronomy software are and adds a lot more options than canon utilities, a trial version is on free download,,i liked it so much I got the full programme,,I use this with astrotoaster,, Howie is one of members who has vast knowledge on astrotoaster use ,and has done great tutorials on utube and it helped me big time,, Chrisv is also a user if astrotoaster,, I think astrotoaster use is starting to take off more due to the time and effort put in by Howie and Chris.. it is a bit more work than some software but I like it.. I'm hampered by the weather in Scotland just now but by end of the year should be set up with my own observatory and with this I should be able to set up quickly and get some progress.
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 22, 2017 3:25:08 GMT
Jack I can't help either. I am a Mac user, but got a small PC laptop for astro as there's sweet little for Macs. Especially with a dslr. Maybe Howie can help - but I know he uses a PC Chris
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Post by Dragon Man on Jan 22, 2017 8:33:44 GMT
Welcome Jack. I hope you get your questions sorted.
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Post by howie1 on Jan 23, 2017 0:46:21 GMT
Welcome Jack.
I have actually always used a Macbook for EAA. I love my Canon's for fast DSO EAA. I too also love EOS Utilities. AstroToaster is what you should install for stacking etc. As per Davy and Chris' posts above, that's the software you need. I have a PDF available if you need it for the order to install it and what settings to setup in it. As per davy's post I have a video on my youtube channel re how to use it.
But its Windows only. So your options (which I have all done) are ...
Installing and using Virtual Machine VMWare stuff in order to run Windoze on the OSX Mac system. IMO way too flaky and slow and computer guru like! I gave up on that way back.
Installing WINE on Mac OSX (google WINE for Mac to see what that is if you havent used it). If you arent computer savvy that's a PITA. It works and I successfully ran a bunch of Windows apps but again = too many problems and hassle ... so I gave up on that too.
In the end I wanted simplicity and so I simply bootcamped my Macbook. I left about half the disk as an OSX partition and put Win7 on the bootcamped partition. Had no problems with it that way at all. There's plenty of stuff on the web re how to bootcamp and install Windoze on it. If you aren't game enough or dont trust yourself to do that then go see your local PC shop and I am sure they will do it for you.
A desktop live capture for my last outing video is below ... in it you will see how EOS Utils and Toaster work together with a 650D on my bootcamped macbook. Its a nice solution.
That vid is using a modded (full spectrum) 650d, but I get very close to those results using an unmodded 700d too.
I see absolutely no reason at all to shoot in RAW when doing EAA. I get much faster and IMO easier adjustments using S1 jpegs. I'm not aiming for NASA photo of the day. I'm replacing the eyepiece to "observe" stuff as fast as possible and in as much detail and in color. My aim is EAA and not post processing at home using photoshop and other software spending hours stretching and restacking and tweaking and cropping and so on. The small size allows Toaster and my old 2009 macbook to process the images FAST. And as you will see if you hook your pc up to your HD widescreen TV when viewing the video in the link below ... the quality using jpeg S1 along with the short exposure and settings I use in Toaster and the camera allow very good EAA images.
But ... my scope is a fast f/5, 8" Newt on an EQ mount. The aperture allows heaps of light through. The low F ratio of f/5 allows heaps of that light available in the tube to hit the sensor and take short exposures which still have enough detail to make me a happy camper. To get the same shots coloration and detail as I shoot in 30 secs the following applies ... f/4 scope is 20 secs, f/6 is 45secs, f/7 is 60secs, f/10 is 120 secs. Max unguided (I have never autoguided) exposure time I have achieved with my EQ mount is 90 seconds. Max achieved with my AltAz mount is 45 seconds before gear/motor blurring occurs in the image.
So beware ... you said you are equipment constrained ... if you have a slow scope and/or AltAz mount then a different camera for EAA is most likely a better choice than a DSLR.
Subscribe to my youtube channel and you will find How to use AstroToaster and other videos. Including using the live view function at 10x zoom to see Saturn, Jupiter, Mars.
cheers Howie
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2017 22:12:05 GMT
You guys are the best! Thanks to all of you! First off, Howie, are you the Australian who posted those amazing YT vids from Wayralong lake? Amazing demos. Indeed, these vids are why I am pressing this point. In the couple of days since I posted, another option has presented itself. I was having all sorts of problems with the windows side of things, but ... After talking to a tech guy in our Atlanta club, I made this move: For $127 USD, I purchased an Intel Compute Stick like this one: www.amazon.com/Intel-Compute-Computer-Processor-BOXSTK1AW32SC/dp/B01AZC4NHS/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1485209121&sr=1-2&keywords=intel+compute+stickIt comes with Win 10 already installed. The unit is about half the size, lengthwise, of a smart phone. It has two USB ports and space for a small mem card. And it outputs to a monitor via an HDMI port. My pals are using the "stick" to run BYE, PHD2, Astro Tortilla, and a bunch of other windows stuff. Of course, I am eager to add Astro Toaster to the mix. And for a monitor in the field, they are using iPads, Macs, and even iPhones, to remote in to to stick from those units. Quite literally, this evening, I am loading software and experimenting. I will post results later. Until then, many thanks to all of you. Jack
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 23, 2017 22:46:35 GMT
Certainly worth a shot. Just got one myself as there's two threads on CN describing how to do it. Seems you can do it with a mac ... i think.
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Post by davy on Jan 23, 2017 23:29:27 GMT
Hi guys,, we of course will be looking for a write up, lol. Cooperation between astronomers is the way to go and guys I'm pushing it hard,,
I would like more astronomers coming in and dropping information into the directory board for folk looking for information to get a one stop shop,
we have to look beyond who has the biggest forum and the best and all chip in and help each other,, yeah there are sacrifices to be made by the few to benefit the masses in astronomy.
I know a lot of folk in here share my view and spend a lot of there time helping others when they could just be doing astronomy for there own pleasure.
I believe the time has come to spread the word worldwide that this forum wants to help bond astronomy forums, websites, Facebook groups,,, and help advance astronomy like it has never been done before,, yes there will be hard work but with many hands it can be achieved.. imagine how far astronomy could advance in a year with groups pulling together,, the cooperation we could have with telescope manufacturers,, camera manufacturers,, software developers the list goes on... Spread the word folks,, this forum will push this to advance astronomy.
Hopefully I am not alone in my views and similar admins and moderators will share my desire to do more. I do it because I love and enjoy looking at the night sky
Davy
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Post by howie1 on Jan 24, 2017 3:18:49 GMT
Yes Jack ... 'tis I ... SEQ Skies. My youtube channel says Carl Smith as Carl's a family nickname. Won't bore you with how that came about! LOL.
I'd love to live broadcast on NSN or other such sites, but my place has only got 0.7 Mbps upload speed, so when I have tried on both NSN and Google Hangouts it keeps disconnecting a couple of times per minute. I've been told to stay connected I need minimum 2Mbps. Basically, my internet is total garbage! In the meantime I use ShareX HD desktop capture and then post the vid's up onto YouTube and put the links into various posts n threads on the net.
I mostly frequent this site AVF (astrovideoforum) because there's a few Aussies on here and that comes in handy, plus the site is the best insofar as no BS politics. All the astronomers posting on here have great tips and advice and are the friendliest I have encountered in the forums around. And what davy and the admin's are doing pulling info from everywhere and in general promoting EAA in all its forms, is great.
cheers Howie
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 24, 2017 6:51:37 GMT
Howie. I think we need the Carl story. I thought you had a split personality or something. Chris
Australia day long weekend coming up. So 4 days off (ha ha) to have a go at the computestick.
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Post by Dragon Man on Jan 24, 2017 7:56:49 GMT
Howie. I think we need the Carl story. I thought you had a split personality or something. Chris Australia day long weekend coming up. So 4 days off (ha ha) to have a go at the computestick. Yep Australia Day. The 'day' when people take off half the week But I'm not too impressed. The Missus and I bought a new car (Dodge Avenger) and today we were told it won't be ready until mid next week "because Thursday is Australia Day", and I also have my Harley in for repair and was told it may be later next week or the week after, because . . . yep . . you guessed it: "because Thursday is Australia Day". The day that stops a week Sorry, back to the original theme of this thread
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2017 23:52:33 GMT
Well, Howie or Carl, your YT vids are terrific. As for me in Atlanta, the tests of the Intel Stick continue. Got toaster and BYE loaded tonight, and am hoping to figure out how to reach the Stick from my mac using Remote soon. Will keep you posted as progress continues.
J
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Post by howie1 on Jan 25, 2017 0:55:09 GMT
Thanks Jack. Like Rick said in another thread ... Near real time with single images and no stacking but still good quality due to small pixels and software = a lot of fun! I headed out last night as it was clear for the first time in a while. Me and another guy who had a new 16" goto dob setup at the Lake. Even at 7:30pm it was 29 celsius (84 F) when we setup and didnt cool (if you can call it that) to 23 celsius (73 F) until when I left at midnight. Anyway ... got a lot of objects and am going to make a video showing how to tease out the best of the shots with Toaster. It will help show the effects of the Expand vs Logarithm vs contrast etc stretches, and hopefully show a neat workflow to start out with when you first use Toaster with a scope (as everyones cam, scope and skies combo is different). Should be posted in a few days time. I will put up a thread in the relevant section on the forum. Jack and Chris ... I too will be following the Intel compute stick with interest. Where's Carl come from? ... save that for another thread cheers Howie
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 25, 2017 6:30:59 GMT
Howie - will be interesting to see how you use expand v contrast v log.
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 25, 2017 7:01:51 GMT
Had the family over today, done a BBQ, fed all. Nice day but exhausting. Now they've all gone had time to unwind and watch the video Howie posted above. Beautiful. They blow me away for single 30sec shots. I've had to stack to get even close and then I've got the contrast over 20, expand ~10-15 etc.
Is your 650D modded ? Or maybe its your dark skies and faster scope compared to Sydney + and F5.9 refractor ??
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Post by howie1 on Jan 25, 2017 11:06:12 GMT
Thanks Chris. Did you hook it up to your HD widescreen TV? Do it ... darken the room at night and watch it at the highest YouTube quality setting 1080p on a widescreen TV ... it really pops!
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Post by ChrisV on Jan 25, 2017 12:44:27 GMT
No I didn't. They look brilliant already.
I'm more of a half cup empty person = It'll just make me depressed about how crap my images are.
But. Some progress with the compute stick. I've had it for ages but never used it. So tonight got it fired up and running sharpcap.
And figured out remote access (thanks to astrojedi on CN -EAA). Windows on the computeStick doesn't have it so downloaded RDPwrap, then set the stick to be able to see the local network. Viola ! Connected remotely with my laptop !!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2017 18:24:52 GMT
Friends:
I promised an update on the windows problem I was having, and can offer an interim report. I have the rig all set up and it seems ready to take to the field for some real trials, but for now I can at least explain how the setup works.
As I noted, I was having all sorts of trouble getting my Mac to run windows in an acceptable manner. On the advice of an astro friend from our club, I purchased an Intel Compute Stick. They come in several versions but I picked one up on sale for about $130 USD. Here, again, is the link to this device on Amazon:
www.amazon.com/Intel-Compute-Computer-Processor-BOXSTK1AW32SC/dp/B01AZC4NHS/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1485209121&sr=1-2&keywords=intel+compute+stick
It comes with Win 10, two USB ports (one 3.0 and one 2.0), an HDMI output, a micro sd card reader, and an AC adapter with several types of plugs. I am running it on AC, but my friend found a 12 v adapter for use in the field. Here is a pic of the unit connected to my Canon DSLR:
(Sorry, can't seem to get the photos to display any larger!)
It is small enough that it can be mounted to a mount or even the camera itself. In lieu of a monitor, I am using Microsoft RDC for Mac, freely available on the Apple App Store. I have a network set up with an old router. I plan to place this in my observatory. It is set up for wireless networking only -- no internet. A tech buddy helped me assign static IP addresses to the Intel Stick and to another device I use, a Star Seek wireless connection to Sky Safari. I will use Sky Safari for go to to my AVX mount on the Mac side of my MacBook. The RDC works well. Here are a couple of screen shots from my MacBook:
Though I am only using it indoors, I have been able to establish camera control in both EOS Utility and Backyard EOS. Next step is taking it to the field. More to follow.
Jack
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Post by davy on Feb 3, 2017 18:48:34 GMT
Brilliant jack,,this looks like the route I will take,, my only concern was getting byeos and astrotoaster on the pc stick,,my post in byeos disappeared???,,
Looking forward to more information filtering through on this set up with pc stick,, va is certainly progressing😃
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Post by davy on Feb 3, 2017 19:29:29 GMT
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