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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-03-2016, 03:08 PM
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I'll see if replacing the battery works. But it allowed me one precise calibration earlier in the evening, just not later when I tried to recalibrate to try to improve my results.
Can I calibrate it inside (where warm) and then move quickly outside to set it up? At least then I won't care as much if it takes 20 tries to get calibration to work....
I can certainly use a remote. No problem there.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-02-2016, 07:13 PM
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So, I was finally able to get out tonight: not too cold, moonless, clear. Tried the astrotracer on a much sturdier tripod and much sturdier gimbal head tightly locked down. That should have eliminated most user-caused movement. I stayed with the DA* 300 but went up to f8 and ISO 400, moving from 30 seconds to 20 seconds to 10 seconds. While the results were much better than the first time, they were not as sharp as I would have liked, and there is still some trailing. I was again shooting the Orion Nebula, which is in the East at roughly 45 degrees above the horizon. Am I supposed to be shooting due South? I tried portrait and landscape orientation.... Naturally, my manual focus might be a bit off, and that would explain the sharpness issue, but what explains the trailing at even 10 seconds? Then, on top of everything, I tried to calibrate again, thinking that perhaps my precise calibration could stand redoing. I was able to do the first rough calibration but never again the second precise calibration. Aaargh! Can't figure out what I might be doing wrong there....
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-16-2015, 10:03 AM
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2-second delay instead of a remote. 90 second shot on Bulb, governed by the astrotracer.
I'll try the same setup tonight, as well as shorter times (with higher ISOs), and I'll try some shorter lenses.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-16-2015, 09:19 AM
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Harumph! I was using a gimbal head on a steady tripod. Perhaps I didn't lock down the gimbal's axes enough. I'll try it again tonight.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-16-2015, 05:28 AM
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So, here's my first attempt with my astrotracer, which did not turn out well. I was using a DA*300 set at f5.6 in a K5iis. ISO 100. Bulb mode of course, with 2-second delay. Manual focus. The astrotracer limited exposure to 90 seconds, so that is what I tried. Orion's Belt was perhaps at 45 degrees above the horizon, possibly slightly higher. Is this just too long an exposure for this long a lens?
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-14-2015, 10:48 AM
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Very interested in this thread, since I am getting ready to use my recently acquired Astrotracer.
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