camera – Page 3 – A Darker View

The Gear

The current astrophoto setup in the driveway… The TeleVue 76mm atop the iOptron ZEQ-25 mount. The camera is currently the Canon 6D, providing a 5.35° x 3.57° field of view with a 3.52 arcsecond per pixel image scale.

Atop the main scope an SBIG STi provides auto-guiding. With a 100mm lens it has a 15 arc-second per pixel image scale. It is mounted with a custom mount machined for this setup.

The setup is intended to provide a high performance astrophoto setup with a minimum of fuss. This is about as far as I can reduce things without giving up performance. It is pretty portable, airline luggable at least. The whole setup fit in two suitcases for the trip to Oregon Star Party last summer.

The only real issue with this setup is the laptop. The big old 17″ HP Pavalion chews a lot of power, requiring an AC outlet to supply. I have my little Asus netbook configured to run the setup, a far more power efficient machine. With the netbook I can setup anywhere and shoot.

Cable management is a bit of a chore. A lot of separate cables must be routed to connect everything together. Much of the time I keep the setup assembled in the garage for deployment in the driveway. The cable tangle can be tamed with a handful of zip ties and velcro strips this way. A wheeled dolly allows the entire setup to be rolled out of the garage.

With this setup I have a capable astrophoto rig, capable of producing very nice material for processing. I just need a chance to get out and use it more often.

Astrophoto Setup — The astrophoto setup in the driveway.

Capturing the Mountian Shadow

A high quality pan-tilt-zoom camera on the roof of the observatory at an altitude of 13,630ft? Just too much fun. I have found myself logging into the camera at sunset to enjoy the view, or keeping the video in the corner of my screen through a Hawaiian blizzard. I have even forwarded images to a local television station when they requested views of a white Christmas in Hawaiʻi. Yes, they used them for the evening news!

Weather Mast — The Keck weather mast with a sonic anemometer at top, MastCam, and the housings for the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure sensors.

This camera can do more… The camera is an Axis Q6044-E dome style security camera. The camera contains a small Linux computer with a huge array of scripting and control options. Combined with a 720p HD camera, reasonably decent optics, and an accurate PTZ mechanism the camera is quite capable.

To make the best of this wonderful toy I need some tools. To that end several Python programs have been written, including a camera scheduler. This program takes a text file with a schedule and captures images at the programmed time and date. All of this was easy to implement in Python, all of the necessary ‘net protocol support is available in the libraries.

The schedule file can contain any number of separate schedules for multiple sequences. At the specified time the program insures the camera is set properly, moves the camera to the correct position and captures the image. Each sequence is saved to a unique directory and given a sequential name suitable for compiling time lapse video. Add a simple GUI to allow images and status to be monitored and the program becomes a very useful tool.

There are now multiple sequences running… Photos of the summit ridge at each sunset, the shadow of the GPS antenna every day at noon, the Kohala mountain every day mid-morning, the TMT construction site several times a day, and more.

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A Flooded Camera

When diving with a camera you understand the situation… It is not a question of if you flood the camera, it is a question of when you flood the camera.

Pipe Dreams — The author diving the intake pipes at OTEC, photo by Pete Tucker

Yes, I flooded a camera this weekend.

Just 15-20ft down on a dive off the old Kona airport, I went to turn the camera on and saw something that made my heart miss a beat. The camera case was half full of water. Nooooo!

As we were just starting the dive I popped to the surface and drained the case. I knew that the damage was already done, salt water and electro-optics simply do not mix. Re-seating the rear hatch I dive again, the leak has stopped.

Continuing the dive without a camera was painful. I dive to shoot, not being able to take photos takes the color out of the dive. At least nothing special wandered by, no 14ft tiger shark or underwater humpback sighting, that would have been excruciating.

The leak appeared to be on the rear hatch, I could see a trickle originating on the top right corner. Some small debris in the seal? A slight kink in seating the seal. Later examination shows nothing wrong, I will probably never know.

The memory card appears to be just fine, I read out the few shots that were on it. This includes the photo of the folks drying coffee on the old runway. I simply marked the card so I know which one it was in case there are questions about the reliability later. The camera battery also appears to have survived the immersion, need to use it a through a couple cycles to be sure.

Otherwise the camera is an expensive desk ornament.

As Pete said after the dive… “Insert $400 to play again.”

Fortunately there is EBay… Inserting a mere $200 has a used G12 on it’s way for me to play again. It appears the the G12 is old enough that used cameras are very available and the prices are falling. I may want to pick up another one. This is why I use a few hundred dollar camera underwater, not a few thousand dollar camera, it will happen again. In the meantime Pete is currently assembling a Canon 5D MkII underwater rig. Not me.

A New Camera – The Canon 6D

What to do when you get a check from selling some time-lapse footage? Go out and buy another camera, of course. Just a case of using hobby income to support the hobby. The curious coincidence of the check arrival and a very nice package deal at B&H Photo helped in the process.

Rasalhague mugging for the camera. Canon 6D and 50mm f/1.8 lens

The new camera is a Canon 6D, my first full-frame digital camera. I have been considering the purchase for quite a while, basically since the camera was first announced just over a year ago.

The real attraction to me is the low noise performance of the full frame sensor. This is critical when shooting in the dark for nightscapes and for astrophotography. The camera is currently one of the best on the market, beating out the more expensive Canon 5D MkII and MkIII’s. I am looking forward to what this camera can do when mounted to a telescope or paired with a fast lens in the dark.

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A Second Try for the EOS-M

My readers may remember that I purchased an EOS-M last fall. For a number of reasons I ended up returning the camera, a failed experiment.

Tenakee Docks at Night — Fishing boats under sodium lamps haunt the Tenakee docks

With the rumors of a new model or two on the horizon the prices on the original EOS-M dropped. Not just a little either, a camera that listed for over $800 was now available for $360 with the 18-55mm lens. Even less if you wanted the 22mm f/2 lens. For this price would I give the camera a second go?

In the interim a new revision of the camera firmware has addressed some of the major complaints about the camera, including the sluggish focusing. Low price, improved focusing, why not give it a try? I still like the idea of a camera with near DLSR capability, that is small enough to be carried at all times. Fine, I will order it again.

John Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

With EOS-M in hand I went on two trips this summer, to Oregon Star Party and a ten day boat trip out from Juneau. On both trips I used the camera extensively, shooting under a huge range of conditions. This includes a fair amount of night shooting under the stars. I also set up the camera on the telescope again.

In Alaska I had four cameras with me… A Canon 60D, the EOS-M, a GoPro Hero 2 HD, and a Canon G12. It was the EOS-M that I used for all of the walkabout shooting on and off the boat.

The only real drawback to the EOS-M is speed, it simply does not shoot fast. As a result I kept the full DLSR ready with the long lens, the 70-200mm L series telephoto. When wildlife appeared I was ready to shoot fast. Whales bubble net feeding, a gizzly on shore, for these it was the Canon 60D I grabbed. For everything else it was the EOS-M in my hand.

Camping Under the Stars — A camper and telescope set up under a starry sky

One of the features I liked about the camera when first trying it was the touch screen. My first thoughts about this feature were not positive, I wondered just how useful it would be. I have come to really appreciate the touch screen and the ease with which some functions can be used. With my heavy use of an iPad and iPhone, the touch gestures are quite natural. There are drawbacks, inadvertent photos with the touch shutter are common. Plus, it is possible to switch a setting without knowing. Many operations such as selecting the focus point or reviewing exposures are much easier with the touch screen. More than once I have found myself brushing fingers on the LCD of my Canon 60D before remembering it is not a touch screen camera.

I have come to appreciate the EOS-M for the reason I originally wanted the camera. It is a great carry camera, small enough to keep with you at all times, ready to get the shot. It isn’t fast, but it does take beautiful photos, providing better quality than a compact and capable of shooting in a wider range of conditions.

Canon EOS-M

DSLR cameras have been the design of choice for professional and serious amateur photographers for over a decade, ever since the era of digital photography began. Big lenses and big sensors made the most of what light was available offering the best possible photographic performance. This performance is a huge jump over what the smaller lenses and sensors of compact cameras offer. A performance gain that makes carrying such a large camera worthwhile.

A DSLR is big because of the demands of the available technology. The swinging mirror directs light into optical viewfinders and phase detection focus sensors. Over the last couple years a new type of camera has appeared, taking advantage of advances in technology to dispense with the bulky swinging mirror design. Fast, high resolution electronic viewfinders and better focus technology allow this transformation. Engineers can create a camera far smaller while keeping the large sensor and interchangeable lens. Better yet, getting the lens closer to the image sensor allows a smaller, lighter, less expensive lens without sacrificing performance. Enter a new paradigm of camera that offers much of the performance of a DSLR in a compact design.

All of the major players have now released their own spin on the mirror-less design. Panasonic and Olympus jointly released compatible designs under the Micro Four-Thirds standard. Sony has released their NEX system and Nikon the Nikon 1 system. A number of lens makers, Zeiss, Tamron, and Sigma now make lenses for these cameras. Canon was the last to release an entry into this new market segment.

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UFO over Mauna Kea? Not!

There is a battery of webcams atop Mauna Kea, a few of which feature good sensitivity and are useful after dark. The telescope operators depend on these cameras to evaluate conditions around the telescopes during observation. From the warm control rooms, they can see clouds overhead, or even fog blowing over the summit.

The imagery from the Mauna Kea cameras is publicly available, a very useful feature to those of us who live and work around the mountain. But there are others use this video, looking for things that those who install and operate the cameras did not intend.

A video showed up recently, purported to show a UFO maneuvering over Mauna Kea. The camera is again the CFHT Cloudcam, a very nice camera installed to give CFHT operators a good look at approaching weather. The high quality images of this camera have occasionally shown odd events in the sky. Back in June the camera recorded a strange expanding halo of light that was eventually linked to the launch of a Minuteman Missile from Vandenburg AFB.

Purported UFO video from the CFHT Cloudcam

I have embedded the latest video to the right…

OK, just a dot of light that appears then fades, not very impressive. Particularly interesting is that the dot of light does not move with respect to the camera. To me this suggests some nearby fixed source of light that entered the camera from another angle. Another reasonable possibility is a geostationary satellite glinting in the sun. Making this out to be a UFO is a stretch by any measure.

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Miniature Effect

What to do while waiting for your plane? Fiddle with the camera?

My camera was already in-hand and I had almost an hour to wait for boarding. I may as well explore some of the little used functions and hidden menus the camera has to offer. Thus I took a few photos of a plane debarking and boarding on the open flightline of the Kona airport, playing with the camera settings. I didn’t realize just how much photos of a jet taken in black and white really do conjure up memories of vintage jet travel in the 60’s.

The Sandpit

One effect that I was somewhat surprised to find was the miniature effect.

The miniature effect is just a bit of photographic fun. Something that can be used quite creatively in the right circumstance. I have been aware of the effect for some time, recently I had come across the effect in a number of online photos, and some great timelapse videos.

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Dress Rehearsal for Venus Transit

It was a full dress rehearsal. Both telescopes, two cameras, the entire streaming rig set up on the lanai. No less than three computers with cables all over the driveway! Surprisingly enough, everything went pretty well!

If you had been watching the Keck Transit of Venus stream, you would have been looking at a live image of the Sun for several hours. The seeing from my driveway was pretty poor, but there is a nice collection of smaller sunspots across the disk.

Everyone wandering by the house noted the telescopes. I gave peeks to our mail-lady and a couple young women who stopped by, intending to read me a bible verse or two (that was fun;)

Two technical issues were key today… Using thirty feet of active USB extension cables to run the streaming camera remotely, no problem. Co-aligning the two telescopes to aim at the same point, no action needed, aligned from the start. I had thought I might need to shim the mount for the piggyback ‘scope. I was also able to play with the streaming camera further. The Baader film filter gives a blue-white image. Adjustment of the camera white balance will restore a little yellow cast. I do not have much problem with the white, but a hint of yellow will allow people to instantly realize they are seeing the Sun. The same reason I adjust my processed photos for a golden orange hue.

We are all swapping gear around to get the set-up ready. Chris was nice enough to loan me a Canon T-ring and some Baader film. I built a battery pack and some sun-finders for several telescopes. Last night I picked up a whole solar rig from Cliff for delivery to Olivier. Olivier lent a 40mm eyepiece to Keck for the public telescope that will be setup at HQ. The list goes on…

I was not the only one doing a dress rehearsal. So far today I have been on the phone to other folks setting up and using a sunny Saturday to check gear. Some of the guys over on Maui even posted a video of their test run. I should have thought to do the same thing! Will have to time lapse the summit setup.

Canon Introduces the 60Da

Most of my astrophotos are taken with my venerable Canon 20Da, a special version of the EOS 20D that was produced for astrophotography. Normal DSLR cameras work quite well for astrophotography, with one major drawback… The filter placed in front of the sensor blocks much of the Hα light emitted by many nebulae.

NGC1976 or M42, the Great Orion Nebula, taken with the Canon 20Da and a AT6RC telescope.

This light, emitted at 656mn, a wavelength deep in the red, give emission nebulae their characteristic shades of rich red. Hα is the strongest component of light produced by emission nebulae. Without this light, the nebulae will often appear bluish in photographs, as the next strongest component OIII dominates.

Specifically for astrophotography, Canon produced a special version of the 20D with a re-designed filter that allowed Hα light to reach the sensor, the Canon 20Da. The camera also featured on-screen focusing, a feature now found on most DLSR cameras, but unusual back in 2005.

The 20Da was discontinued in 2006. Astrophotographers wanting a DSLR camera with a filter that admits Hα light must buy a standard camera and remove the filter, or have it modified by specialist that offers a conversion service.

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