I need some help. The other night I took some shots of Mars using my Sony 707 through a ScopeTronix 40mm and a Teleview 3X barlow. On the camera's LCD screen, the shots looked *VERY* nice, almost to the point of being photographic quality. But when I printed a couple of them out, they were fuzzy and the detail that I could see on the LCD was washed out. I downloaded a beta version of RegiStax (V 1.1) and have tried to stack some shots to see if that improves anything, but I'm not having any luck getting the program to work. Every time I load in a jpg photo, the program reproduces it as an over exposed blob with multi-colored rings around the perimeter. Needless to say, when I stack two or three of these together all I get is a large multi-colored blob with no detail. Any suggestions??? Barney B PS: Thanks to Joe and Debbie for getting me started on digital photography...Now help me to get it work.
Hi, you might try converting the jpg files to bmps, then loading them. But the difficulty probably is in your digital camera. I had the same experience you did, using a Nikon D1 camera I borrowed from the Deseret News. I think the view is somewhat blown out by the camera's light, giving a false impression of the reality of the photos, when you take them at night with your eyes somewhat night-adapted. The best way to use Registax, I am convinced, is with a video. Many of the great Mars views I have seen were shot with little webcams. I bought a Logitech Pro 4000 web cam from Bes Buy -- they are about $100, but I got one for $90 as the package had been opened. The video files they make are made up of avi frames and Registax handles them amazingly well, providing much more detail in the final view than in any any individual frame. It improves the resolution greatly. To use it you have to have a PC or laptop, with Windows, connected to the webcam. If you don't have a laptop, you have to drag your PC out to the backyard so it can be plugged in. I think it's better to use an indoor outlet and extension cord than depend on an outdoor outlet, whose power supply might damage the PC. Also, to use the web cam you need either a Barlow scope or to remove the webcam lens. I think the latter is the better solution. It wasn't hard to take the lens out and reassemble it with the "eyeshade" or whatever it is, in place. Then you have to protect the chip from dust. I used electrician's tape to attach the webcam to my usual camara adapter. I haven't had good enough weather to try it with Mars yet. But the videos I shot with this setup are extremely encouraging, and they work well with Registax. Good luck, Joe On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, Barney B. wrote:
Hi all, I don't know why my last message seems to have gone out twice. My apologies. I also wanted to say I meant "Best Buy," not "Bes Buy" and that you should be extremely careful if you do use a computer outside. I don't want anyone to let the cord go through a puddle, and zap! -- no more computer or no more amateur astronomer! Watch out for rain! Probably a laptop would be better, but I don't own a laptop so I have experimented with my PC. Best wishes, Joe
Hi, one more fussy concern: make sure your webcam (or computer) doesn't overheat. After a few video sessions my webcam felt a little hot. This morning, Cory thought she smelled an electrical wire-burning scent near the computer. So make sure that the webcam has adequate ventillation. Maybe it shouldn't be too wrapped with tape when you attach it. Best wishes, Joe
Joe, I'm receiving two copies of all your emails. Am I the only one? Or are you sending out two? :) From the CC box it looks like you have a couple addys in there, but then my Outlook is not the best email client. :) Thanks, Cyn -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 11:02 AM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Cc: Utah-Astronomy@Lists.Xmission.Com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] RegiStax Hi, you might try converting the jpg files to bmps, then loading them. But the difficulty probably is in your digital camera. I had the same experience you did, using a Nikon D1 camera I borrowed from the Deseret News. I think the view is somewhat blown out by the camera's light, giving a false impression of the reality of the photos, when you take them at night with your eyes somewhat night-adapted. The best way to use Registax, I am convinced, is with a video. Many of the great Mars views I have seen were shot with little webcams. I bought a Logitech Pro 4000 web cam from Bes Buy -- they are about $100, but I got one for $90 as the package had been opened. The video files they make are made up of avi frames and Registax handles them amazingly well, providing much more detail in the final view than in any any individual frame. It improves the resolution greatly. To use it you have to have a PC or laptop, with Windows, connected to the webcam. If you don't have a laptop, you have to drag your PC out to the backyard so it can be plugged in. I think it's better to use an indoor outlet and extension cord than depend on an outdoor outlet, whose power supply might damage the PC. Also, to use the web cam you need either a Barlow scope or to remove the webcam lens. I think the latter is the better solution. It wasn't hard to take the lens out and reassemble it with the "eyeshade" or whatever it is, in place. Then you have to protect the chip from dust. I used electrician's tape to attach the webcam to my usual camara adapter. I haven't had good enough weather to try it with Mars yet. But the videos I shot with this setup are extremely encouraging, and they work well with Registax. Good luck, Joe On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, Barney B. wrote: _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy
Hi Cyn, No I'm sending out only one. Somehow this dopey email system must be doing it when I connect from home. Very sorry to bother everyone. Thanks, Joe
participants (3)
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Barney B. -
Cynthia Blue -
Joe Bauman