Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Moon: Canon T3i vs. QHY-5L-II-M

I took series of videos of the moon using my Orion ED80 f/7.5 refractor on 4/20/16.  I first took the videos with the Canon T3i controlled with Backyard EOS and then switched to the QHY-5L-II-M Planetary Imager in an effort to see which gave better results.  I processed the images roughly the same through Registax and Photoshop.  The results are as follows:

Canon T3i Images: 

Image 1-Prime Focus 2-in (1/2500s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)

Image 2 - Prime Focus 2-in BYE 5x (1/2500s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)
Crator: Plato - center top
Maria; Sea of Rains - center

Image 3 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (1/640s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)
Crator: Tycho - center bottom with striations radiating outward

Image 4 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow BYE 5x (1/800s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)
Crator: Plato - center left

QHY-5L_II_M Images:

Image 1 - Prime Focus 1.25-in (500 frames)
Crators: Copernicus - center, Plato - center right, Grimaldi - top left

Image 2 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)

Image 3 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)

Image 4 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)
Crator: Plato - center 

Both cameras did well and they are close.  However, I think the QHY-5L-II-M gave slightly better results especially with the closeup views.  None of these images were cropped, only the brightness, contrast, exposure was adjusted in Photoshop. The QHY-5L-II-M Image 4 showing the crater Plato was rotated so it matched T3i Image 3.

Image 5 - Prime Focus 1.25-in (1000 frames)
Image 5 was taken on April 16, the night of the ISS Transit through the Orion 80 mm Short Tube refractor.  I had this recording but it shut off right before the transit occurred. Fortunately I got with the Canon T3i mounted on the Orion ED80.  For a comparison of ED80 vs. the ST80 look at Image 1.


1 comment:

  1. Great comparison between the Canon T3i and QHY5L-II-M—the difference between DSLR imaging and dedicated planetary/guide cameras is really well demonstrated, especially in terms of detail and capture technique.

    It’s impressive how setups like this evolve, and pairing such workflows with modern ZWO gear shows just how far astrophotography technology has come for both beginners and advanced users!

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