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Post by clm1545 on Oct 9, 2014 19:29:30 GMT -5
I'm sure you are right. Calvin. Mine is a 55-200 lens. I have not played with the manual settings yet. I just leave it on "auto" and push the button. You really need a tripod with the 400 lens, dont you?
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Post by Calvin on Oct 9, 2014 19:43:28 GMT -5
You really need a tripod with the 400 lens, dont you? Oh yeah....I use a Tripod whenever I can.....also using a tripod at night is almost a must 100% of the time.
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Post by Calvin on Jan 3, 2015 21:02:39 GMT -5
Last week before I got screwed up I tried to photograph the Lovejoy Comet in the southern sky. This comet was discovered last August and for the first time we are able to see it up here in the northern hemisphere.....IMO it's still impossible to see with the naked eye.....and we will be able to see it for most of January then it will gone....we will have to wait 8,000 more years for it to come around again. The professionals have not reported a tail but the main characteristic of this comet is the green glow which is from the presence of cyanogen, a poisonous gas, as well as diatomic carbon. Both of these substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight. This is called "resonant fluorescence." The professionals have some pretty amazing shots but they are using these HUGE 12 inch telescope cameras that prolly cost more than some houses......I'm just using a little 600D Canon with a 400mm lens. (Basically the bare bone minimum for doing any kind of astrophotography) and a few weeks before this I got my first shot of the Orion Nebula......its a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is very hard to see with the naked eye, but the camera can see it way better! I used my 400mm lens set at f/5.8, 2.5sec, ISO 6400. Michael P. has been teaching me all the basics of doing this - his shots are way more impressive, but I'm just happy to have proof that I can take a few OK shots.
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Post by clm1545 on Jan 3, 2015 21:19:31 GMT -5
Cool stuff, Calvin.
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Post by indycals on Jan 4, 2015 3:54:16 GMT -5
Calvin and have talked about the need for a motorized mount for our cameras to do longer exposures, but at $300+ a pop-it's a hefty investment for it's limited use - it might be best to go in on one together...I could use it MWF, Calvin Tu, Th, Sat, and we'll alternate Sunday's.
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Post by alterrenner on Jan 4, 2015 8:29:40 GMT -5
That is a great photo of the comet! For some reason, I missed the news about it. I really miss Jack Horkheimer from PBS! Maybe by the time the comet returns, I'll have finished my stash of unbuilt kits?
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Post by Calvin on Jan 4, 2015 11:46:10 GMT -5
Maybe by the time the comet returns, It will be in our sky for most of this month.....I have no idea if anyone will be able to see it with the naked eye or not as it took me to take pics of the sky to find it.
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Post by indydog on Jan 4, 2015 15:51:20 GMT -5
Cool photo!
I'm gonna have to have talk a with Michael about taking photos with my telescope.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 4, 2015 20:39:19 GMT -5
I remember seeing a comet in the skies back in the 90s and I remember seeing Saturn's rings for the first time in SF at a group's telescope street view...amazing! Thanks for sharing you guys. Patrick
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 23:53:47 GMT -5
Calvin and have talked about the need for a motorized mount for our cameras to do longer exposures, but at $300+ a pop-it's a hefty investment for it's limited use - it might be best to go in on one together...I could use it MWF, Calvin Tu, Th, Sat, and we'll alternate Sunday's. Taking multiple shorter exposures and then “stacking” them with software is another option and it’s free. You can also use dark frames to reduce high ISO digital noise. If you bought a motorized mount it would still be very difficult to align it to the rotation of night’s sky and you might be able to only get up to 30 second exposures before you start getting trails (if you’re lucky). www.instructables.com/id/Astrophotography-Star-Photo-Stacking/?ALLSTEPSdeepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html
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Post by indycals on Jan 5, 2015 0:47:27 GMT -5
Stacking is a good start - that is where Calvin and I are at now, but it is still very limited. I have one decent Orion nebula shot, but it has received a LOT of work and still is lacking detail. With just stacking I still need to shoot wide open and high ISO to get something usable. At 200mm I still get trails at 1.3 seconds, and if I go 400mm, even just under a second is asking a lot (and at 400mm I'm limited to F5.6, whereas at least at 200mm I can go 2.8). If I could get 30 seconds (even 15) I could lower ISO, stop down a bit, and still use stacking. Case in point my Orion nebula shots are F2.8, ISO6400 1.3 seconds. The focus isn't very sharp, most likely due to shooting wide open and star movement, and the noise is extremely high. If I could get 8 seconds, I could go F4, ISO1600 and still get about the same exposure, but with no trails, better sharpness and probably less noise.
I can get 30 second exposures with no trails, but only at 10mm.
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Post by Calvin on Jan 5, 2015 2:23:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the info john........My comet picture is stacked with 30 shots but my Orion nebula is a single shot.......I used PS to stack with but I'm still not too sure if I'm doing it correctly or not....it seemed to make difference but I might need 50 shots to really do the trick........I used ISO6400 on both shots and with my Canon 600D ......6400 is an option ISO and I know that the rule of thumb is not to use the max ISO but I felt I wasn't getting the full amount with 3200......I dont know, I'm so new to this I still dont know the tricks.
The most I can go with my 400mm is no more than 2sec - f/5.6 (Comet pic)
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Post by Calvin on Mar 23, 2015 22:31:27 GMT -5
I got a surprise from Patrick today! He gave me a very COOL 1/25 Allison V-12! I'm sure I can find a use for it but if not its awesome as it sits right now. Thank you Patrick...this really made my day. I know.....maybe I can buy another 1/25 Testors 1978 Miss Budweiser kit and convert it into a 1986 Holset Miss Madison so I can put two BIG Truck Turbos on the Allison! and for those that get a kick out of drivers being thrown out of boats the Holset Miss Madison threw Ron Snider into the water in Evansville in Heat 2A (Start the video at 2:32 for the lead up to the accident!) "LOOK OUT!"
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Post by Calvin on Mar 23, 2015 22:46:55 GMT -5
I keep on forgetting to post this here but a few weeks ago Spokane Falls was really ripping and roaring. I was feeling well enough to go downtown with dad and take shots of downtown at night and it came out very well.....I've already sold three large prints of this to some local friends and one of my Doctors (Using my high pressure sales tactics )......its one of those pics that would really only sell around here as it would be more meaningful to people who live here, but I just thought I would share as it's still kinda neat for anyone to see.
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Post by pje on Mar 24, 2015 0:28:02 GMT -5
Very pretty area and you've captured it beautifully Calvin. Was in Spokane for a wedding a couple of years ago and stayed at the nearby historic Davenport Hotel. Wonderful place with a great bar and restaurant.
Paul Erlendson
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Post by harveythedog2 on Mar 24, 2015 6:49:20 GMT -5
Looks great. Nice shot!
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Post by racerbrown on Mar 24, 2015 7:03:16 GMT -5
beauty of a shot calvin! i assume that the boat that snyder flew out of started as the pay n' pak? duane
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Post by clm1545 on Mar 24, 2015 9:09:18 GMT -5
Great shot, Calvin.
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Post by Calvin on Mar 24, 2015 11:25:53 GMT -5
and stayed at the nearby historic Davenport Hotel. That's were rich people stay at....plus they are famous for their beds.
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Post by Calvin on Mar 24, 2015 11:30:25 GMT -5
i assume that the boat that snyder flew out of started as the pay n' pak? Yep, one of the best hulls ever build......it was used from 1973 and retired finally in 1988! 1973-1975 (Pay n Pak) 1976 (Atlas Van Lines) 1977 (Pay n Pak) 1978-1988 (Miss Madison) and this summer the Hydro Museum should have it all restored into the original 1973 Pay n Pak scheme and ready to run again for this years vintage race at the Columbia cup (I would love to be there to witness it)
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Post by raceparke on Mar 24, 2015 13:54:49 GMT -5
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Post by Patrick on Mar 24, 2015 18:46:13 GMT -5
I'm a friend of Paul's and he told me about this about a year ago. The Bug racer is just beautiful and when I was at the SoCal NNL just last May I was told that it was at a Bug museum in Oxnard . I hoped to visit it, but the Museum was closed on Monday and you had to make a reservation for a visit. A beautiful flyer! Patrick
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Post by mjjracer on Mar 24, 2015 19:16:38 GMT -5
It's funny you mention that. I was looking at Fisher's site last night and saw the same thing. Crazy looking plane I had never heard of. It looks like the pilot had "drive shafts" on either side of him. A roadster driver with one next to him or a sprint car drive with only one between his legs look much safer. MJ
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Post by indydog on Mar 24, 2015 19:26:59 GMT -5
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Post by Patrick on Mar 25, 2015 0:02:10 GMT -5
The quality of Paul's models is reflected in the price its true, but if you like Kevin's or Lance's work you'd love one of Paul's closed wheel models. I have one of his Ferraris.
Patrick
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Post by Calvin on Jun 1, 2015 1:04:08 GMT -5
The other night I finally got my first lightning shots! This one is of Mt Spokane getting BOLTED! and this one was taken from the back deck at 3 am.
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Post by racerbrown on Jun 1, 2015 6:04:22 GMT -5
great shot calvin! and speaking of lightning, i'll take the moment to wish our tampa bay lightning good luck in the stanley cup finals! go bolts! duane
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Post by macsparty on Jun 1, 2015 9:13:47 GMT -5
great shot calvin! and speaking of lightning, i'll take the moment to wish our tampa bay lightning good luck in the stanley cup finals! go bolts! duane OK, Duane, I'll give you that one. I picked up a Lightning drink cozie at the race in St. Pete this year. I took it to Indy, and while, ahem, taking a stroll down Georgetown Road with an, ahem, beverage, I actually got a comment from an Indiana State Trooper pulling for your Lightning. Personally I'm a Wings fan, but what the heck. Have fun!
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Post by racerbrown on Jun 1, 2015 17:19:52 GMT -5
well the red wing connection is there with yzerman running our team now. he's done a heck of a job bringing in talent and making sure the farm teams? are well stocked. it's been a heck of a ride so far this year. who would have thought... duane
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Post by Calvin on Jun 2, 2015 0:14:05 GMT -5
I'm sitting in the dark once again. Another big storm came through and is dumping lots of rain and hail for the last 2 hrs and the lightning just blew up one of the transformers down the road......which was an unbelievable big blast of blue and green flash.
And I came very close to mixing up some silicone rubber before the power went out! That woulda sucked!
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