K-5 For Astrophotography

Aaron28 · 06-23-2015, 02:45 PM

cool!

wigley891 · 06-25-2015, 07:52 PM - **1 Like**

This is a bit closer in shot than most of the milkyway shots here.

This was done with a K5IIs and a DA 55-300 set at 55mm. I ran the K5IIs from my laptop with PK_Tether in bulb mode. The K5IIs was piggybacked over an 80mm F7.0 refractor and used a Meade DSI pro and PDH2 to autoguide the LXD55 mount with that refractor. It is centered roughly between M20 and M17

I had waited for the 1st quarter Moon to set to have darker sky and didn't start this image run until 3am. Well mistakes happen when one gets tired. I messed up and shot this at F4.0 instead of F8.0 like I had meant to, so the star shapes suffered in the corners and edges of the frame but that doesn't show too bad at this size.

I was disappointed some since I had planed on printing out a large print but I won't with stars being distorted like that. I may go back and shoot this again at F8.0 and even possibly a longer total run. I was happy with the overall detail and colors (M8, M16, M17, M20, and M22 all show well).

This is 38 x 2 minute frames @1600 ISO processed in PixInsight for a 1 hour 16 minute total exposure time.

Aaron28 · 06-25-2015, 08:10 PM

neat!

XLXW · 06-25-2015, 08:12 PM

Nice shot. M8 is terrific. Love the dark nebulae. Thanks for the detail on the data. I've got to figure out how to do it with my SCT.

---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 08:14 PM ----------

What's the "PK tether" which enabled you to run the camera off the computer? Does Pentax sell it?

wigley891 · 06-25-2015, 08:21 PM

No, "PK tether" isn't from Pentax. There is a guy that wrote it. I've been using it for several years now. It will run quite a few models but I believe the K5 ones are the last ones it supports. He had tried some of the other newer ones but they may have changed something in the firmware -- he wasn't able to get the computer to talk to that newer model.

www.pktether.com/

---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 10:23 PM ----------

Oh once in a while I've had PK Tether lock up and had to exit the program, turn off the camera, and reseat the camera battery. That hasn't happened that often, so for me it has been the best solution for running the camera when I use it for astrophotography.

XLXW · 06-25-2015, 10:07 PM

Originally posted by wigley891

No, "PK tether" isn't from Pentax. There is a guy that wrote it. I've been using it for several years now. It will run quite a few models but I believe the K5 ones are the last ones it supports. He had tried some of the other newer ones but they may have changed something in the firmware -- he wasn't able to get the computer to talk to that newer model.

www.pktether.com/

---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 10:23 PM ----------

Oh once in a while I've had PK Tether lock up and had to exit the program, turn off the camera, and reseat the camera battery. That hasn't happened that often, so for me it has been the best solution for running the camera when I use it for astrophotography.

Thank, Wigley. I'll look into it. By the way, the link did not work.

stanzhou · 06-27-2015, 12:50 PM - **1 Like**

K5 + samyang 14 2.8 + o-gps
milky way above two medicine in glacier national park

Aaron28 · 06-27-2015, 01:36 PM

very nice!

XLXW · 06-27-2015, 02:51 PM

Spectacular image. Beautiful.

mikeSF · 07-12-2015, 07:57 PM - **1 Like**

from this morning up in the mountains (7,300ft elevation)

Still of the Night
K5 & FA31 with O-GPS1

Aaron28 · 07-12-2015, 08:05 PM

super mike! envy your locations!!!

XLXW · 07-13-2015, 08:22 AM

Mike: Excellent photograph. I really like the reflections on the water -- nice capture of the stars on the a water.

mikeSF · 07-14-2015, 08:33 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Aaron28

super mike! envy your locations!!!

Originally posted by XLXW

Mike: Excellent photograph. I really like the reflections on the water -- nice capture of the stars on the a water.

thanks so much!

Usually when I travel out to shoot, I only take one, seldom two pictures. Partly because of the amount of time I spend in deciding on a comp and setting up my pano angle, etc...

Here's a 2nd pic:

K5 & Sigma10-20 & O-GPS1

XLXW · 07-14-2015, 10:40 AM

Beautiful photograph. What settings and exposure time did you shoot it? I ask because I'm trying to learn. I'd like to take photos like these two. By the way, I really like the sunflowers on that page.

---------- Post added 07-14-15 at 10:43 AM ----------

Does anyone have any experience "tethering" a K3 camera to a laptop computer? I want to hook mine up to my telescope and try it out in Joshua Tree. What about using that FLI card to connect the camera with a computer? Can it even be done? I would think that the computer screen would certainly help with the focusing of the camera through the telescope provided that the camera can, in fact, be connected to the laptop computer.

mikeSF · 07-14-2015, 10:56 AM

Originally posted by XLXW

Beautiful photograph. What settings and exposure time did you shoot it? I ask because I'm trying to learn. I'd like to take photos like these two. By the way, I really like the sunflowers on that page.

i think that last one was 2min exposure using the O-GPS1, f/5.6, 10mm, ISO1280

06-25-2015, 07:52 PM - 1 Like	#872
wigley891 New Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 6	Milkyway's dust clouds This is a bit closer in shot than most of the milkyway shots here. This was done with a K5IIs and a DA 55-300 set at 55mm. I ran the K5IIs from my laptop with PK_Tether in bulb mode. The K5IIs was piggybacked over an 80mm F7.0 refractor and used a Meade DSI pro and PDH2 to autoguide the LXD55 mount with that refractor. It is centered roughly between M20 and M17 I had waited for the 1st quarter Moon to set to have darker sky and didn't start this image run until 3am. Well mistakes happen when one gets tired. I messed up and shot this at F4.0 instead of F8.0 like I had meant to, so the star shapes suffered in the corners and edges of the frame but that doesn't show too bad at this size. I was disappointed some since I had planed on printing out a large print but I won't with stars being distorted like that. I may go back and shoot this again at F8.0 and even possibly a longer total run. I was happy with the overall detail and colors (M8, M16, M17, M20, and M22 all show well). This is 38 x 2 minute frames @1600 ISO processed in PixInsight for a 1 hour 16 minute total exposure time. Attached Images

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06-23-2015, 02:45 PM	#871
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	cool!

06-25-2015, 08:10 PM	#873
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	neat!

06-25-2015, 08:12 PM	#874
XLXW Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 102	Nice shot. M8 is terrific. Love the dark nebulae. Thanks for the detail on the data. I've got to figure out how to do it with my SCT. ---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 08:14 PM ---------- What's the "PK tether" which enabled you to run the camera off the computer? Does Pentax sell it?

06-25-2015, 08:21 PM	#875
wigley891 New Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 6	No, "PK tether" isn't from Pentax. There is a guy that wrote it. I've been using it for several years now. It will run quite a few models but I believe the K5 ones are the last ones it supports. He had tried some of the other newer ones but they may have changed something in the firmware -- he wasn't able to get the computer to talk to that newer model. www.pktether.com/ ---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 10:23 PM ---------- Oh once in a while I've had PK Tether lock up and had to exit the program, turn off the camera, and reseat the camera battery. That hasn't happened that often, so for me it has been the best solution for running the camera when I use it for astrophotography.

06-25-2015, 10:07 PM	#876
XLXW Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 102	Originally posted by wigley891 No, "PK tether" isn't from Pentax. There is a guy that wrote it. I've been using it for several years now. It will run quite a few models but I believe the K5 ones are the last ones it supports. He had tried some of the other newer ones but they may have changed something in the firmware -- he wasn't able to get the computer to talk to that newer model. www.pktether.com/ ---------- Post added 06-25-15 at 10:23 PM ---------- Oh once in a while I've had PK Tether lock up and had to exit the program, turn off the camera, and reseat the camera battery. That hasn't happened that often, so for me it has been the best solution for running the camera when I use it for astrophotography. Thank, Wigley. I'll look into it. By the way, the link did not work.

06-27-2015, 12:50 PM - 1 Like	#877
stanzhou Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 43	K5 + samyang 14 2.8 + o-gps milky way above two medicine in glacier national park

06-27-2015, 01:36 PM	#878
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	very nice!

06-27-2015, 02:51 PM	#879
XLXW Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 102	Spectacular image. Beautiful.

07-12-2015, 07:57 PM - 1 Like	#880
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,620	from this morning up in the mountains (7,300ft elevation) Still of the Night K5 & FA31 with O-GPS1

07-12-2015, 08:05 PM	#881
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	super mike! envy your locations!!!

07-13-2015, 08:22 AM	#882
XLXW Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 102	Mike: Excellent photograph. I really like the reflections on the water -- nice capture of the stars on the a water.

07-14-2015, 08:33 AM - 1 Like	#883
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,620	Originally posted by Aaron28 super mike! envy your locations!!! Originally posted by XLXW Mike: Excellent photograph. I really like the reflections on the water -- nice capture of the stars on the a water. thanks so much! Usually when I travel out to shoot, I only take one, seldom two pictures. Partly because of the amount of time I spend in deciding on a comp and setting up my pano angle, etc... Here's a 2nd pic: K5 & Sigma10-20 & O-GPS1

07-14-2015, 10:40 AM	#884
XLXW Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 102	Beautiful photograph. What settings and exposure time did you shoot it? I ask because I'm trying to learn. I'd like to take photos like these two. By the way, I really like the sunflowers on that page. ---------- Post added 07-14-15 at 10:43 AM ---------- Does anyone have any experience "tethering" a K3 camera to a laptop computer? I want to hook mine up to my telescope and try it out in Joshua Tree. What about using that FLI card to connect the camera with a computer? Can it even be done? I would think that the computer screen would certainly help with the focusing of the camera through the telescope provided that the camera can, in fact, be connected to the laptop computer.

07-14-2015, 10:56 AM	#885
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,620	Originally posted by XLXW Beautiful photograph. What settings and exposure time did you shoot it? I ask because I'm trying to learn. I'd like to take photos like these two. By the way, I really like the sunflowers on that page. i think that last one was 2min exposure using the O-GPS1, f/5.6, 10mm, ISO1280