Originally posted by Snapppy Fantastic picture! I know it's a lot of work out in the field, and then the same or more on the computer. Well done!
I bought the DA 300* for this (and wildlife of course). I have experience with Andromeda/Orion's nebula with my Samyang 135mm f/2, but wanted to try something more versatile for other uses. I am getting ready to try it out soon. In my preliminary tests in the backyard I was having a frustrating time focusing it. Do you use any sort of focusing aid like a bahtinov mask? Or any other technique tips for focusing you could pass on? Thanks in advance!
To focus the *300mm (using manual focus), I use live view X16 and try to make a star as small as I can. I don't have a bahtinov mask but I would think I would get better focus with it.
I was in my driveway with the temp. in the low 40s for about an hour. I reviewed each of the 242 10 second "light" subs with the Digital Camera Utility after I downloaded them to the computer at 50x, checking the tracking. I do this early in the photo session outside with the LCD to make sure the tracking is OK. Even with 10 second subs (I can often get 30 second subs with the *300), the tracking was just OK, not great. The subs were OK but not great. I stacked all of them, which took a while. Processing with Star Tools takes a while. Tweaking with Photoshop Elements was pretty quick. I was surprised and pleased with the result.
Star Tools has been a quantum leap in processing for me. You can get the free trial and do processing, but you cant save it until you buy it for about $50. Astrotracer is a nice fringe benefit with the K-1. I bought it to take plant photos with the 35mm f2.8 macro and get good results. I think I am starting to get pretty good astro results with the *300.
Have fun!!