20190123 Sun

Got a break today, took a short video clip.  Not featureless, but still silent.

0645 (UT)

20190122-0123 水浪窩 Camping

I am trying out my new ultra-light gear.  Everything packed and it was less than 8kg including my Canon 450D modified with my new Canon 24mm STM.  I really love this new backpack for ultra-light trips.

Bu then I forgot that regular camera lens won't come to infinity focus after removing the low pass filter, last time I made the same mistake in Chek King (赤徑) and life has to repeat the same failure. 

Given the failure last time, I didn't realize that until after several shots.  To solve the problem, I found that EF lens could reach infinity focus with a CLS filter installed in front of the CMOS, but then EF-S lens was not compatible with the drop-in CLS filter.  So, I'll have to come back to EF lenses.

It was Tuesday night, but we still got two other groups around.  One was a family, they even setup a campfire, singing some Christian hymns with guitar.  I went to the other side of the wind in order to get rid of the smoke.

My minimalist setup, but yet still quite comfortable, for I've a carbon fiber foldable camp chair.

Here are the out of focus shots before bright moon light comes!  By then, I didn't even need a flashlight to move around the campsite.  I even have to use eye patch to sleep inside the tent.  Temperature was below 10 degree Celsius, but I forgot to bring my thermometer to tell the actual reading.  Wind kept sneaking into my tent, moving the inner mesh wall.

I got only a small tripod.

I shall try to make some star trails next time if the sky was not great, and then I shall try to bring a tracking mount when the sky might be better.  This is not a perfect site for astrophotography, but then it's reachable to me easily.

After maybe around two hours, I went to sleep.  Breakfast time on the next morning!

On the way leaving the site, I found the grass land besides the helicopter pad could be a good spot for imaging.

We should stay outside the landing pad, in order not to hinder any emergency mission.

For ultra-portable setup, I shall use a fixed short tripod.

For tracked imaging, I shall use a taller tripod, in order to do the polar alignment.

20190111 Sun

This is the first imaging session for 2019!

First up is a full disc shot at 0721 (UT), foggy sky but rather nice seeing.  The solar surface remains inactive, note the bigger prominence on the 9 O'Clock position.

Close up at 0726 (UT), higher gain faster shutter, higher fps as a result:

Another close up at 0729 (UT), lower gain slower shutter, lower fps as a result, but less noise:

For better seeing, we don't need high fps or faster shutter to freeze seeing... slower shutter and lower gain means less noise!

Canon 24mm f2.8 STM and Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM

Since I've started some simple astrophotography during my camping trips, I gathered enough reason to re-organized my lens line-up finally.

What was missing from my collection is a really wide angle lens.  I have been using a 8mm f3.5 manual fisheye lens for that purpose before, but then it has limited usage during day time, and it is a little bit too wide if I have only one lens.  You took a few shots and those will cover the whole sky!

Therefore, a 10-22mm or a 10-18mm is always in the wanted list.  Today, I get a great 2nd hand deal on a Canon 10-22mm, the lens is aged but it works.

And for ultimate portability, I got another nice deal of a brand new pancake Canon 24mm f2.8 lens a couple of days ago, too!

Vignetting is rather heavy if it was used wide open, but for the price, its size and weight, it is a must have other than my existing 50mm f1.8 lens.

Let's see how they work out.