Q1) How to save astro photo settings for the Canon 450D XSi
Q2) Checklists for Canon 450D XSi astro photo taking?
Is there a way in the Canon 450D to globally save these settings as a profile so I do not have to individually reset them when swapping camera use between daily terrestrial pictures and astrophotography?
There are many setting changes (a checklist of which are appended).
The camera appears to have a function to save six of the settings, but this is too few for the many setting changes for astrophotography.
I purchased a Canon 450D XSi a few months ago, and I am getting around to starting to try to use it for astrophotography. The first step in that process was to determine what changes in the default camera settings would be needed to optimize the XSi for astrophotography use. Using Covington's _DSLR Astrophotography for Amateurs_ as a guide, I have gone through the camera to make Covington's suggested setting changes (in Chap. 2) to optimize the XSi for astrophotography. Covington's suggested setting changes appear to be designed to dumb the camera down so that all the automatic features are disabled. In dumb mode, the camera can be operated like an old Meade DSI.
The attached draft checklist procedure was used this evening to take some successful test Orion constellation pictures under light polluted skies using the Canon 450D mounted on a fixed tripod.
Are there online checklists for taking astrophotos with the XSi?
Comments on any obvious errors in this beginner authored XSi imaging checklist by more experienced users would be greatly appreciated. The checklist is intended to be something that I store in my camera bag and to consult when taking astrophotographs with XSi connected to a telescope.
Clear Skies - Kurt
Draft: Checklist for Camera Setting Changes to Configure Canon 450D XSi for Astrophotography
All physical directions are referenced with holding camera with lens pointing away from the user.
I. Camera Session Setup:
II. Settings on the Camera Body:
1) Set Mode Dial to Manual - ``M.'' Dial on top right of camera body.
2) Turn Power to ``On.''
3) Set White Balance to ``daylight.''
Per Covington's suggestion, set white balance to daylight mode when taking astrophotographs. Press White Balance ``WB'' button on center rear body of camera. Change settings using circular arrows and SET button.
4) Set Exposure Time to ``Bulb.''
Rotate toothed wheel knob on right top front of camera body until exposure time on display screen reads ``Bulb.''
5) Set Aperature to lowest setting.
Hold AV button (back, upper right of body) down and rotate toothed wheel knob on right top front of camera body until aperature on display screen reads desired setting.
III. Menu Option Settings:
6) Set Menu 1 options:
A) Set Quality to Raw + Luminous or ``R + L.'' On Menu 1 | Quality | R + L. This is a key setting. Only RAW images can be translated in a FITS image using the cameras entire camera well. Otherwise, images will be in 8-bit jpeg mode. On the Canon 450D, these are 12Mb images.
B) Set Red-eye to ``Off.'' On Menu 1 | Red Eye | Off.
C) Set Review Time to ``Off.'' On Menu 1 | Review Time | Off. The LCD display only displays when you press the ``display'' button on the camera back. This is power saving option.
7) Set Menu 2 options:
A) Set Color space to sRGB. On Menu 2 | Color space | sRGB.
B) Set Picture style to ``Standard.'' On Menu 2 | Picture style | Standard.
8) Set Histogram to ``Brightness.'' On Menu 3 | Histogram | Brightness.
9) Set Menu 4 options:
A) Set Auto power off to 30 secs or less. This is a power saving option.
B) Set Auto Rotate to ``Off.'' This is critical setting. Without disabling auto-rotate, the camera may rotate your DSO image to portrait mode, but leave your dark flats in landscape mode.
C) Set LCD auto off to ``Enable.'' This is a power saving option.
10) Set Menu 5 options:
A) Adjust LCD brightness to desired setting.
Set LCD brightness lower for dark sky sites. Covington suggests covering the LCD display with rubylith red plastic. Use double-sided tape. This is the same transparent film used to cover flashlights at star parties. Obtain from a local plastics supply house.
B) Live View function settings: Menu 5 | Live view function settigns | Set Live View Shoot to ``Enable'', Grid Display to ``On.''
C) Set-check Date-time setting
D) Flash control - Disable.
11) Set Custom Features Menu Options -
A) Optionally, set Long Exposure Noise reduction to ``Disabled'' - Custom Feature CN 3
In Menu | Custom Functions | Function CN 3 | set to ``Disabled.'' The XSi has automatic built-in dark frame subtraction. Use the ``disabled'' mode to take a raw image.
B) Optionally, set High ISO Exposure Noise reduction to ``Disabled'' - Custom Feature CN 4
In Menu | Custom Functions | Function CN 4 | set to ``Disabled.'' The XSi has automatic built-in dark frame subtraction. Use the ``disabled'' mode to take a raw image.
C) Set AutoFocusing Mode to Manual - Custom Feature CN 7.
With terresteral lens, switch AG-MF switch on lens to ``MF'' and the image stablization switch to ``Off.'' When connected to telescope with no lens, in Menu | Custom Functions | Function CN 7 | set to ``Disabled.''
D) Set AutoFocusing Mode During LiveView to Manual - Custom Feature CN 8.
When connected to telescope and using LiveView, in Menu | Custom Functions | Function CN 8 | set to ``Disabled.''
E) Enable mirror locking anti-shake - Custom Feature CN 9. This is a critical setting.
In Menu | Custom Functions | Function CN 9 | set to ``Enabled.'' In this mode, it takes two full shutter button presses to take an image. The first shutter button press raises the mirror and waits 2 seconds. The second shutter button press waits 2 seconds and then takes the image. Then the camera lowers the mirror. See discussion under ``Taking an image with an intervolmeter'' for more discussion. Covington does not use the anti-shake mode. He states that camera shake is not a factor in low light level DSOs because the camera does not collect enough light in the first two seconds of a several minute exposure to create a detectable image shake. Camera shaking is a problem that ruins planetary and lunar images that use low exposure times. Anti-shake mode must be used for LPI astrophotography.
IV. Image Taking Settings:
For terresterial images, both the aperature and ISO speed are changed. See above for how to change the aperature setting.
12) Adjust Picture Style on Menu 2: Standard is the default which is a three-color plus luminosity image. ``Monochrome'' is another picture style option.
13) Focus the camera.
i) Center a nearby bright star. Go into Live View mode by pressing the SET button on the back of the camera.
ii) Use the plus magnifying button (the plus magnification icon on the upper right back camera body) in order to zoom into the portion of the Live View image that contains a visible star. (At minimum digital zoom magnification, no star may be visible on the Live View LCD display.)
iii) Focus the star.
iv) Press the magnification button until the Live View zoom factor resets to 1:1.
14) Recenter the target object field of view.
15) Set ISO Speed.
Press ISO button (top right of camera body). Set using circular arrows on back of camera body and SET button. Covington recommends for DSOs starting at 3 minutes at 400 ISO and raising to 8 minutes at 800 ISO.
16) Set the intervolmeter:
A) Start-lag before image is taken: 5 sec. (To allow camera shake to settle.)
B) Exposure time: Set desired exposure time. Typically, use 30 seconds for a tripod mounted initial shot.
C) Interval before next picture: 3 sec.
C) Bell or audio counter: ``off'' for silent operation.
D) Number of images: 1 or 2 (see discussion below).
V. Taking Images with an intervolmeter and the Canon XSi 450D in anti-shake mirror-lock mode.
Taking an image requires pushing small camera buttons in the dark. A small hat mounted or forearm mounted handsfree mini-flashlight is a necessity for frequently finding camera buttons in the dark.
There are two methods of taking an anti-shake mode image: (1) Manually depress the shutter button once and then use the intervolmeter, or (2) trigger the intyervolmeter. The constraining operation is that in anti-shake mode, the shutter must be pressed twice. The first time lifts the mirror and lholds it in an up position. With the second shutter trigger, the image is taken and then the mirror is released. If the intervalometer is used to push the shutter trigger twice, then the exposure time must run twice. This is impractical for long exposures of several minutes.
Anti-shake mode also has the potential to drain the camera battery where the mirror is held in the up position for extended periods. Sometimes the intervolmeter and the mirror position can get unsynched. This may leave your mirror in a battery draining up position. To assure that the mirror is in the down position, shine a flash light down the scope tube. The viewfinder will light up if the mirror is in the normal down position. Another simple option in ``Bulb'' mode is to manually press the shutter until you are sure that you have taken a blank image the mirror is in the down position.
17) DSO picture taking step sequence.
This procedure assumes you have focused the camera and done other pre-image taking steps under 12 to 17, above.
A) Set the guess exposure time on the intervolmeter, e.g. 30 seconds for a test tripod mounted constellation picture.
B) Set the number of exposures setting on the intervolmeter to 1 exposure.
C) Press the shutter button _on the camera body_ to trigger the anti-shake raising of the DSLR mirror.
D) Recenter the target object if necessary.
E) Press the Start button on the intervolmeter to trigger the picture taking sequence. Note the recommended start delay of 5 seconds will allow the camera and telescope to settle down before the image is taken.
F) After the image is taken, the mirror will be heard physically falling to the mirror down position.
G) Press the arrow button at the lower right hand corner of rear LCD display to display the image taken. View the image and use the magnifier button (on the upper right-hand corner of the rear of the camera body) to zoom in on any details.
H) Reestimate the exposure time and/or the ISO setting.
I) If necessary, switch the ISO speed setting on the camera.
J) Repeat steps A through I as needed.
K) Lens cap the camera (for tripod-mounted constellation pictures) or the telescope, and take a dark frame image of the same exposure time as the object image. For the Canon XSi, the camera chip significantly heats up over time, so you want to take a dark near the time that the object image is taken.
18) Lunar-planetary picture taking step sequence.
LPI picture taking is similar to DSO except that the exposure times are much shorter and the intervolmeter can be used to trigger both the first and second shutter releases. For a lunar image, exposure times can be as low as 1/1000th of a second. Distinct from the DSO image taking steps, in LPI picture taking with a telescope, the intervolmeter exposure time is set for 1 or 2 seconds, but the image duration is controlled by the camera.
A) Set Exposure Time to ``1/1000 a second'' to ``1/4'' as second as applicable for the lunar planetary target.
Rotate toothed wheel knob on right top front of camera body until exposure time on display screen reads not ``Bulb'' but the applicable fraction of a second exposure time.
B) Change the intervolmeter from the DSO default setting to expose for 1 or 2 seconds. Any exposure time longer than camera exposure time setting is fine.
C) Change the intervolmeter image count setting to ``2'' take 2 exposures.
D) Change the inter-image delay time to ``5'' seconds.
E) Press the Start button on the intervolmeter to trigger the picture taking sequence. The sequence will run _twice_. In the first sequence, the intervolmeter will trigger the mirror to raise and wait for two seconds. The second sequence, executed after a delay of 5 seconds, will trigger taking of the fraction of a second exposure.
F) After the image is taken, the mirror will be heard physically falling to the mirror down position.
G) Press the arrow button at the lower right hand corner of rear LCD display to display the image taken. View the image and use the magnifier button (on the upper right-hand corner of the rear of the camera body) to zoom in on any details.
H) Reestimate the exposure time and/or the ISO setting.
I) If necessary, switch the ISO speed setting on the camera.
J) Repeat steps A through I as needed.
K) Lens cap the camera (for tripod-mounted constellation pictures) or the telescope, and take a dark frame image of the same exposure time as the object image. For the Canon XSi, the camera chip significantly heats up over time, so you want to take a dark near the time that the object image is taken.
19) Other image taking notes.
Covington suggests for many exposure to turn the camera off to let the camera chip cool down. This may reduce noise.
The above procedure assumes that dark flats are manually taken and are recombined using image processing software. Another option to experiment with is to reactivate Long Exposure Noise control and the High ISO Exposure control features. See Custom Feature Menu, Item CN 3 and Custom Function Menu, Item CN 4, above (under Step 11). This will cause the camera to autogenerate a dark flat and combine it within the camera in order to reduce noise.
Experimentation with these settings during daylight and using a terresterial lens provides the user with needed practice to fluidly use the camera when attached to a telescope and in the dark.
