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Post by curtisca17 on Mar 22, 2023 15:30:32 GMT
Whether you call it Camera Assisted Astronomy or Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) I have been doing this for nearly a decade and a half. Very early on I decided that I also enjoy sharing the pursuit with others through presentations at local club meetings and star parties, an article I wrote on the topic for the March 2016 edition of Sky and Telescope, public outreach events and a series of Blogs I posted over the years on my web site www.californiaskys.com/. A little over a year ago I started making videos on topics I thought would be of interest to my fellow amateur astronomers to try and share my inputs with a wider audience. These have included a few on EAA topics (EAA with Rev Imager, EAA with an SCT on an Alt-Az Mount, Remote EAA). I just recently began putting together a video series targeted to help the beginner understand what equipment they need to do EAA as this topic comes up quite frequently on various forums. I just released the first video in this series where I discuss the basic features to look for when selecting an Optical Tube Assembly and a Mount for EAA. I hope folks find this helpful and I have already gotten some very positive feedback. If you are interested you can find the video here I would definitely appreciate any feedback which I will use when putting together future videos like this. Best Regards, Curtis
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Post by Dragon Man on Mar 23, 2023 14:42:24 GMT
G'day Curtis, Good to hear from you after such a long time. I must say this up front though, the term EAA isn't widely used as you may think. It is a term invented in the Cloudy Nights Forum, and is not used much anywhere else outside Cloudy Nights. It is actually a bit of a misnomer as almost anything can be an Electronic Assistance to Astronomy: Heaters, Electronic Focusers, etc. As you know, the debate has gone on for years, but it still hasn't been widely accepted outside of Cloudy Nights. In the United Kingdom it is known as: EEVA (Electronically Enhanced Visual Astronomy), in many websites it is still called Video Astronomy, and I have seen other names pop up as well. But what we found to be the best solution to the Nomenclature is to describe what it actually is that we all do, no matter what method, or equipment we use. Hence: Camera Assisted Astronomy. It is self-explanatory. Your video is great, and will help many
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Post by curtisca17 on Mar 23, 2023 16:06:27 GMT
Ken,
Yes it has been a long time. I fully agree that EAA is a misnomer as it is not clear what it actually entails. Since I am sometimes on the Stargazer's Lounge forum I do know that they use EEVA which can also mean a lot of other things. I don't like Video Astronomy any longer since the vast majority of cameras available today are digital and not video. I sometimes use the term Camera Assisted Viewing and I think Jacke Heurkamp calls it Camera Assisted Observing. Both similar to Camera Assisted Astronomy. So, I will add tags with these other terms to my video in the hopes that it helps to guide folks there.
Thanks for your positive feedback on the video. Keep well down there. I hope to one day visit that interesting continent where they speak (almost) the same language as I do.
Best Regards, Curtis
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Post by Dragon Man on Mar 24, 2023 11:33:40 GMT
Ken, I hope to one day visit that interesting continent where they speak (almost) the same language as I do.
Best Regards, Curtis
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Post by davy on Mar 24, 2023 18:17:04 GMT
Great video Curtis,, yeah would be great if everyone used same terminology in astronomy,, I always say,,keep it simple
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Post by curtisca17 on Apr 16, 2023 21:49:23 GMT
I just posted the second installment in this video tutorial series. This one focuses on how to choose a camera for Camera Assisted Astronomy. Be forewarned that although I grew up in this hobby using analog video cameras I do not recommend them at this junction when we have availability of such high sensitivity and low read noise CMOS cameras at affordable prices. That has already gotten me in trouble with Rock M but I haven't changed my mind. My recommendation to anyone just getting into this is to purchase one of the aforementioned CMOS cameras and not invest in an analog camera. Some may disagree like Rock - who obviously still has a lot of these cameras sitting on shelves to sell. So please take a look at my video here
Best Regards, Curtis
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Post by Dragon Man on Apr 17, 2023 13:08:39 GMT
. . . Be forewarned that although I grew up in this hobby using analog video cameras I do not recommend them at this junction when we have availability of such high sensitivity and low read noise CMOS cameras at affordable prices. That has already gotten me in trouble with Rock M but I haven't changed my mind. . . . Best Regards, Curtis Don't worry Curtis, I don't recommend Analogue cameras any more either, and I was fanatical about them Your Part 2 video is very informative and well made. I especially like the editing, you did well chopping some non-essential stuff out (names etc). I took down my whole series of Video Astronomy Videos as I realized they sounded like one long advertisement for a certain person/brand. I actually use my Canon 6d DSLR for all my Camera Assisted Astronomy now. When the general public want to see objects fast, I put the ISO up to 51,200 and I get a very nice image in only 3 - 5 seconds, and if I click on 'Loop' it is near-Live with high resolution. Visitors love it
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Post by curtisca17 on Apr 19, 2023 4:09:46 GMT
Ken,
Thanks for your kind comments. They were touchy about the fact that I did not put links to his company in the video. I did mention his company in the video as one of the potential sources of the latest digital cameras. After he threatened me I edited out that and all other mention. He has gotten a lot of good press from me over the years from talks at star parties, club meetings, the Blog series on my web site and even in my S&T article in 2016. I am sure he has gotten a fair number of sales from all of that. I was happy to do it when the product was superior even if I think he charged too much for his cameras. I will not longer mention his company in any future discussion on Camera Assisted Astronomy. There are far too many good suppliers out there with all of the latest chips at very reasonable prices. No need to pay 2X for the same thing.
Regards,
Curtis
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Post by davy on Apr 19, 2023 23:52:22 GMT
Another Great video curtis,does the hobby need folk throwing threats around absolutely not,,we have always stood our ground here,, if we buy a cameraand give it negative reviews,,on price or performance then as a consumer,,Then that's our right,, we had two certain parties years ago telling us what was what and what we should do,,,lol,,aye right,,, Told them to watch the door didn't hit them on the ass on the way out,,, were independent,,we don't have sponsors telling us what to endorse,, we give reviews and stick by them..Well done for sticking to your guns
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Post by curtisca17 on May 17, 2023 13:44:42 GMT
I am at it again with the next video in this series. This time I discuss Live Stacking software and Computers. There are lots of different Live Stacking SW choices out there and everyone already doing this has their favorite. As for computers, we definitely do not need to go out and spend a ton of money on a top of the line gaming computer. In most cases what we have already is a great place to start. This latest video can be found here I hope folks who are new to this branch of the hobby find it useful.
Best Regards, Curtis
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Post by fondofchips on Jul 28, 2023 19:50:51 GMT
Thanks Curtis, I didn't realise how much difference sensor size makes to video astronomy. My 3 cameras: - ZWO ASI 224MC - 4.9mm x 3.7mm Atik Infinity - 9.0mm x 6.6mm ZWO ASI 533MC - 11.3mm x 11.3mm
As for analog cameras, I wish I had waited for the Atik Infinity to come out and not bought a Mallincam Extreme.....
Thanks again & keep up the good work.
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Post by jaybee on Jul 31, 2023 11:18:41 GMT
Thanks Curtis, I didn't realise how much difference sensor size makes to video astronomy. My 3 cameras: - ZWO ASI 224MC - 4.9mm x 3.7mm Atik Infinity - 9.0mm x 6.6mm ZWO ASI 533MC - 11.3mm x 11.3mm As for analog cameras, I wish I had waited for the Atik Infinity to come out and not bought a Mallincam Extreme..... Thanks again & keep up the good work. I spent a lot of money on Mallincam stuff pre cmos but have no regrets. It was the best around at the time and I learnt a lot as I was just getting started . Ken had a number of instructive videos and I learned a lot from him. Then came ZWO and things moved on. I still have the Atik Infinity but havent used it for ages. I am a big fan of sharpcap and it suits the way I like to do CAA. I like to see dfo's quickly. I cant be bothered with post processing mainly because I am no good at it I have followed your videos Curtis but didnt realize you were a member of CAA. Love your work. Keep it up. cheers Paul ps. Cant believe the number of cloudy nights. Keep hearing about this monster El Nino everyone is waiting for. It has halted at present. The rain and clouds persist.
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