We're back in the game!

I just placed my order for a modified Canon 350D with Hap Griffin. The camera will have the UV/IR Baader filter in place. I am very excited about re-entering astrophotography. I am excited to bring what I have learned over the past 3 years to image optimization and composition. There are at least 8 compositions I find interesting with the 135mm f2 lens and I hope to begin imaging in June. Some testing will take place before then with the first images coming on-line later in the summer. So, here we go, it is definitely not as intense as when I was imaging 3 years ago, but it will be fun and I believe very capable of producing portfolio quality images.

First Look at PS3 beta

Adobe has released a beta version of Photoshop PS3. I have been reading some remarkable stories of the enhanced Photomerge function with PS3 over PS2. I have recently gone to utilizing tilt/shift lenses as well as panoramic gear to aid in the quality of digital stitching. While at the Fine Art Digital Summit I captured a 3 pane image with the 24mm tilt/shift from Horseshoe Bend. I had played around with PS2 Photomerge and the results were not that impressive. Now my core program for stitching had been PTAssembler, so I was not concerned, it was simply an act of experimentation more than anything. Well I have been quite busy with the San Juan work and finally had a chance to take a look at PS3 Photomerge with the same 3 Horseshoe Bend images. I must say that the first impression is extremely positive. The blend was seamless and dead-on with alignment as well as tonal transitions in the sky. This is really impressive for an automatic setting. Now I just went through the paces rather quickly tonight and hope to really give the image a thorough workup over the next few weeks, but I must say that the initial impression is very favorable and I am relieved to now have a very high quality stitching solution with a very simple user interface. Stay tuned for more.

The San Juan River Exhibit Debut

On Friday night the San Juan River exhibit opened and was very well received. I am very happy with the look and feel of the exhibit. It is really my first attempt at building a gallery style show and I am hopeful to place the show in other galleries. Now my attention will turn to some other publications I am seeking on this as well as updating the website for the portfolio and individual webpages for each portfolio image. All prints will be in a limited production of 100 and will be available in one print size. More to come soon so stay tuned. Also, more Podcasts to come from Florida as well as on numbering prints. A lot to come, so stay tuned and thanks for your interest.

Getting closer to AP gear decisions!

OK, things are getting very clear now. I have settled on the 135 f2 Canon L lens for my main imaging lens for the next few months. After comparing the field of view with the 200mm, I really like the compositions I have in mind for the 135mm much better. Reviews for the 135 are very good and like I mentioned before, Loke Tan's work with the lens is excellent. I am not 100% sure on the camera yet. It is between the Hutech modified Canon 350D or the XTi. From my readings it appears that the 350D may have some advantages for one night sessions over the XTi and therefore be the most appropriate camera for my needs. The mount is a G11 which will be most graciously loaned to me by my very good friend Dave Tolley. So, the Astro-Photography picture is getting very clear and I am hoping to pursue my first compositions this summer. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update: The weather did not cooperate for photographic opportunities of the Lunar Eclipse, but we did catch some of the reddish glow of the total eclipse during the early moments of the penumbra eclipse. The clouds parted just enough to see the beautiful glow on the totally eclipsed portion of the moon.

Maybe I found it!

Wrapping up a crazy weekend with a very successful opening of the San Juan River exhibit. I am writing to follow up on some of the "return to astrophotography" musings I posted earlier. To reiterate some of my criteria for re-entry:

1. Ease of setup. This means no computers, no autoguiding, and lightweight mounts and scopes.
2. Quality data in one night. The system must be fast and produce superb images.
   
3. Everything must come together in a unique package that I am not seeing done by anyone else. This is very challenging, but we will give it a try.

So, I revisited some of my first impressions of astrophotography and recalled that I just loved the Schmidt camera field of view. Today everyone seems to be headed for the big 20" RC and small fields of view, at least with one non-mosaiced frame. My first thoughts on an imaging system were the Tak FSQ. Now this is a great scope and may be in my future, but I believe I have found a better alternative for my needs. The Canon 135mm f2 lens performed for Loke Tan very admirably on his trip to Chile. I revisited his website as I recalled the remarkable photographs taken with that lens and the SBIG 11000 camera. The 135 stopped down to 5.6 provides excellent quality at a fast speed. The field of view is roughly 9x6 degrees which is nearly equivalent to a 5" Schmidt camera. Even better is that it should not require a computer or sophisticated equipment for focusing as I should just be able to utilize infinity for focus on the barrel. I just reviewed the field of view in compositions on my star charts and I calculate at least 10 compositions that I feel are worthy to pursue with this lens. It should be simple to piggyback on a scope and should not require autoguiding with a well trained PEC mount. So, that is the update today as we are looking at the 135mm f2 lens with the modified Canon 400XTi camera from Hutech. Now to find a mount! No hurry, just thinking out loud, remember?

Addendum: After further research, it appears that the Canon 200mm f2.8L II lens is very good giving a little tighter field of view at a very affordable price. So this is perhaps the direction now.