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04-23-2013, 08:21 PM   #751
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The brghtness of the moon is easy to guess. The problem is the lcd screen isn't tied to the manual exposure settings. So if the moon isn't centered, the screen brightness is so far off you can't see to focus. A royal pain.
thanks
barondla

04-23-2013, 08:29 PM   #752
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QuoteOriginally posted by barondla Quote
The brghtness of the moon is easy to guess. The problem is the lcd screen isn't tied to the manual exposure settings. So if the moon isn't centered, the screen brightness is so far off you can't see to focus. A royal pain.
thanks
barondla
Oh, stupid me. I must have forgot what I answered too while answering. Are there meds around for this?
04-24-2013, 12:44 AM   #753
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QuoteOriginally posted by VisualDarkness Quote
Oh, stupid me. I must have forgot what I answered too while answering. Are there meds around for this?
Chocolate.

Doesn't help of course, but it's delicious, so who cares?

(Or not posting too late in the night / early in the morning might help. Not posting at all will let you hide your shame, if that's how you roll.)
04-24-2013, 08:17 PM   #754
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Good reach mediocre IQ

I'm absolutely loving the reach I'm able to get on a budget with this camera but was hoping for a little better quality shots. Using a $20 Fotodiox MD-P/Q adapter with an old MF 70-210mm Quantaray lens I borrowed (stole) from my dad on my $206 Pentax Q I got at an open box sale. Am I being picky considering I spent less than $250 or is there something I could do to improve the IQ a bit, particularly getting more detail.

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04-24-2013, 09:06 PM   #755
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QuoteOriginally posted by timothybobw Quote
I'm absolutely loving the reach I'm able to get on a budget with this camera but was hoping for a little better quality shots. Using a $20 Fotodiox MD-P/Q adapter with an old MF 70-210mm Quantaray lens I borrowed (stole) from my dad on my $206 Pentax Q I got at an open box sale. Am I being picky considering I spent less than $250 or is there something I could do to improve the IQ a bit, particularly getting more detail.
Long distances are not easy to get sharp, as the slightest movement works against you. Haze can be a problem as well. Here are some points that have been recommended:
Use a tripod
Use focusing aids such as image expansion focus assist.
Use a lens hood.
use remote release, either with the remote, or a timer delay.
04-24-2013, 09:09 PM - 1 Like   #756
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It's still a bit hazy tonite but i thought i'd attach the tamron 60-300mm with 2x tc and see if i could find saturn. Not great, but not bad for a first attempt (Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU, from the Earth when the two are at their closest approach)

Last edited by ivoire; 12-22-2013 at 06:51 AM.
04-24-2013, 09:18 PM   #757
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QuoteOriginally posted by ivoire Quote
It's still a bit hazy tonite but i thought i'd attach the tamron 60-300mm with 2x tc and see if i could find saturn. Not great, but not bad for a first attempt (Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU, from the Earth when the two are at their closest approach)
A most unusual shot for such a little camera. Intriguing.

04-24-2013, 09:32 PM   #758
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QuoteOriginally posted by ivoire Quote
It's still a bit hazy tonite but i thought i'd attach the tamron 60-300mm with 2x tc and see if i could find saturn. Not great, but not bad for a first attempt (Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU, from the Earth when the two are at their closest approach)
That's awesome. Did you stack photos? How long was your exposure?
04-24-2013, 09:47 PM   #759
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QuoteOriginally posted by ivoire Quote
It's still a bit hazy tonite but i thought i'd attach the tamron 60-300mm with 2x tc and see if i could find saturn. Not great, but not bad for a first attempt (Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU, from the Earth when the two are at their closest approach)
That is amazing! I haven't been successful in getting that "star" to actually become a planet myself.
QuoteOriginally posted by arnold Quote
A most unusual shot for such a little camera. Intriguing.
Well, considering how many astrophotoguys are using webcameras and stack movie frames to capture satellites, planets, planets, asteroids etc I'm not surprised.
04-24-2013, 09:48 PM   #760
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QuoteOriginally posted by bullitt_60 Quote
That's awesome. Did you stack photos? How long was your exposure?
manual mode, no stacking (picked best of 20 images), iso 1600, 1/10th sec, f5.6 (fotodiox adapter). Its supposed to be better weather in a few days so i'll try again with a nikon mount tokina sd 400mm and 2x tc.

Last edited by ivoire; 04-24-2013 at 09:54 PM.
04-24-2013, 10:00 PM   #761
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QuoteOriginally posted by timothybobw Quote
is there something I could do to improve the IQ a bit, particularly getting more detail.
Welcome to the Q and this forum. It takes some practice to master any ultra telephoto kit. Even more so with the Q. Post some of your shots so we can see your results. Things I find helpful:

1. Paint or flock the inside of the adapter. Paint should be good quality like Rust-O-Leum or Krylon flat black. Killing reflections in the adapter can make a huge diference. Especially on older lenses.

2. Shoot the lowest ISO possible.

3. Set noise reduction to lowest.

4. Check out all the Q focusing aids to see what works for you. Try lcd magnification and focus peaking. You must do firmware update to get focus peaking. There are also firmware updates for the Q 01 and 02 lenses.

5. Use self timer or wireless remote.

6. Use a bigger, stronger tripod than you think is needed.

7. Shoot Raw.

8. Try different aperture settings on lens. Most lenses seem their sharpest at F4-5.6 on the Q. Q pushes a lens hard. Find your best aperture.

9. Play with sharpening in the supplied Pentax Silkypix software. Don't over sharpen.

10. Practice, practice, practice!
thanks
barondla
04-24-2013, 10:17 PM   #762
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QuoteOriginally posted by ivoire Quote
manual mode, no stacking (picked best of 20 images), iso 1600, 1/10th sec, f5.6 (fotodiox adapter). Its supposed to be better weather in a few days so i'll try again with a nikon mount tokina sd 400mm and 2x tc.
Dang, that's awesome. Thanks for letting me know. How far away from Chicago are you? I'm wonder if I could try that here...
04-25-2013, 04:25 AM - 1 Like   #763
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QuoteOriginally posted by bullitt_60 Quote
Dang, that's awesome. Thanks for letting me know. How far away from Chicago are you? I'm wonder if I could try that here...
i'm 25 miles west of chicago in a small town. you just need a clear view of the sky, no obstructions. download stellarium to help find saturn.

http://www.stellarium.org/

Last edited by ivoire; 04-25-2013 at 04:49 AM.
04-25-2013, 05:32 AM - 2 Likes   #764
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I'm in Sydney AUS, I looked where to find Saturn on google and then on www.calsky.com.

It said tonight it would be somewhere near the full moon and easist to pick out before all the stars became visible.
I just looked for the brightest thing close to the moon and there it was.
(With the sun aligned showing us full moon then if Saturn is in a similar position in the sky then it will also be lit well by the Sun I guess.)

I was surprised how bright it was. using DA*300 / AFA1.7x @ f 6.7
I started off at ISO 1600 1/50 and got a whit blob, speeding up to 1/800sec the shape of grainy Saturn was defined. I quickly realised with the shutter speeds i was getting i could go right down to ISO125 and about 1/40. for much less noise.




shot DNG, Heavily cropped of course (about 3:2) . Some adjustment of clarity slider only in LR4.

Just like the moon shots posted above, my Saturn is upside down to yours.
04-25-2013, 05:53 AM   #765
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Nice capture! I tried iso125 but couldn't get the planet to show up no matter what i did. Last night was the first semi-clear nite in weeks. perhaps that was the problem (or my frozen fingers). It is supposed to be clear and warmer soon and i intend to make another attempt.
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