Sharpcap exposure calculator. 3sec is plenty long and no point in a longer exposure.

Sharpcap exposure calculator For example, Live View @8 second exposure, shift to Still Mode, reduce exposure to 4 seconds, initiate Live View - exposures are still running at 8 seconds. Smart Histogram requires a SharpCap Pro license and you must perform SharpCap Pro: There isn’t a separate download for SharpCap Pro – just download the latest version of SharpCap and enter a license key to unlock the SharpCap Pro features. From my experience avoid going under the minimum exposure. uk. For a given exposure if the image background is less than 1000 ADU then increase the exposure, but if the background is more than 1000 ADU then decrease it. uk calculator. an exposure of 12. 1 - The Smart Histogram 'Brain' window will run these calculations automatically for you (and more) and suggest optimal gain and exposure values for your observiing conditions! What i am trying to do is work out in a ball park way, what sort of exposure times i should be looking at with my equipment. Attached Fig01 spec for ASI533 MC Pro. the read noise SNR. It can be downloaded SharpCap Pro can measure the sky background brightness and simulate the impact of different gain and exposure combinations on final image quality. (10, 10, 3036, 2028) dumpdata = True SharpCap. " It says to add 1000 ADU to your offset, and then increase the exposure until dark space registers at or above it. sharpcap. 13, 0. I have a rule of thumb called the "1000 ADU rule. Re: Exposure vs FPS. When I press the 'measure sky' button, the gain and exposure time change, but then nothing happens even if I wait for ~15 minutes. Sky Background Electron Rate Formula - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: In my quest to learn Ive stumbled down the rabbit hole of the math behind AP. A. As a general guideline: lower exposure => higher frame rate => better image This is possible because the results of the Sensor Analysis allow SharpCap to calculate the behaviour of the sensor for any combination of gain and exposure. Edit: As David noted, the Smart Histogram Brain in SharpCap has implemented the calculation described above. I call it the "Minimum Exposure Calculator" mostly because you can expose longer but the rewards diminish and the risks increase from satellites, aircraft, and clouds. I love the display of measured and calculated values, but it would be nice if there was some way to save this information for use later. Minimum Exposure & Maximum Exposure – the maximum I am trying to find the exposure time, how to calculate the ideal exposure length for my CMOS (QHY268C) cameras with a CLS clip filter fitted? For example, I have calculated my ideal sub length using the formula of: 10x (read noise sq/LP in electrons). Overall you should reap the benefit because the signal-to-noise ratio in your final image will go down because you have excluded much of the light pollution, but the flipside of that shorter exposures are going to be less attractive and produce lower quality I'm having trouble with the histogram exposure calculator. 63pixel at 75% QE gives me 1. From the histograms, I decided that for that particular object and filter, at least 15m exposure was needed. Smart Histogram requires a SharpCap Pro license and SharpCap needs Nina optimal exposure calculator - posted in Astronomy Software & Computers: Hi all. The image histogram acts as a graphical representation of the tonal distribution in a digital image. See what’s included in the Free and Pro versions here. 7. I can enter a number in the exposure If auto setting of exposure/gain is selected, SharpCap will choose what it thinks is the brightest panel to perform the auto exposure before the capturing starts. Page 1 of 2 - Determining optimal exposure and gain - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: I’m familiar with sharpcap’s and NINA’s ability to calculate the optimal exposures. I admit my post-processing skills are limited, but I just could not bring out much detail without getting into the noise. Kind regards Olivier SharpCap will prompt you to cover the sensor to allow dark measurements to proceed. What is the longest exposure I can take using an alt az driven mount? also, I've been told that I can only take and stack so many exposures before field rotation will become a problem - what is that limit? Using SharpCap; ↳ Planetary Imaging; ↳ Solar and Lunar Imaging; ↳ Deep Sky Imaging; ↳ Other Astro Imaging; ↳ Non-Astro Imaging SharpCap Pro 3. admin Site Admin Posts: 14719 SharpCap just exposes them to the user. Lowering exposure time back to 100msand at this point SharpCap would not capture any frames if the exposure time were set to less than ~3 seconds. Smart Histogram requires 2. In the javascript I found the formula to calculate the read noise of sky to embed in my excel sheet. Is there a practical method of validating that Need Help Determining Exposure Time - ASI2600MC Pro - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: I recently upgraded to an ASI2600MC Pro and need advice on how to determine exposure times. csv files into the same folder as they were saved to my desktop for some Doing a lot of Sharpcap exposure evaluation, it always needs the current sky brightness measurement and camera sensor analysis data the determine the optimal sub exposure length. Hope that makes sense, Robin Of course, if you don't fancy doing these calculations in the dark and cold every time you observe, then just check out the Smart Hisogram functionality in SharpCap 3. Controls. Just enter details of your light pollution levels and imaging system. You can pop the figures for your camera into the calculator at https://tools. Propose combinations of exposure / integration / gain to maximise target signal over skyglow + noise under certain constraints (e. I posted on the other thread the process I use. All that is required from the user is to run the sensor analyses tool in SharpCap and paste the results table into appropriate cells (C4:H14). Unless you're changing exposure, gain, brightness etc settings the offset= should be pretty much the same. 4 seconds), on the right a long exposure flat (4. SharpCap will calculate the mouse movement required and then send a GOTO I observed that if I let sharpcap calculate the exposure time , offset etc for me the everything is ok. The "Time remaining" counter will start each exposure at 4. uk tool for Whenever the exposure setting was changed, "The exposure count down rolled on past the new exposure length through several durations of the new exposure length before the camera recognized the change and began providing subs to SharpCap. SharpCap does have a sensor analysis feature which I believe you can use w/o the license, but you can't Page 1 of 3 - Gain and Sub-exposure calculation spreadsheet for the ZWO ASI533 - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: Hi, I made an attempt at a Gain and Sub Another thing to watch out for is if you have changed which colour channel SharpCap is measuring in the sky background - if you have (for instance) set the blue channel but the filter you are using does not transmit much in the blue then you will get very long suggested times. 5, Bortle 3 observing site resulting in a sky flux of approx. I'm using a ZWO ASI071MCPro which has been very reliable in SharpCap. Minimum exposures for the LRGB filters were calculated using a combination of Sensor Analysis, Quantum Efficiency Curve for the IMX183M sensor, the Sky Background Calculator and the Minimum Exposure Formula using Camera Read Noise and the Sky Electron Rate (SER) You will find lots of discussions elsewhere on the forums about how the minimum sub length for deep sky astrophotography should be calculated from measurements of your light pollution, sensor read noise and other information. The calculations will work out for you whether it is better to take 360 x 10 second images or 10 x 360 second images or some other Optimal Sub Exposure Time Calculator - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: I recently watched Dr. SharpCap will set a high gain and a 100ms exposure which will most likely lead to a white image showing on screen at this point. I realize a number of forum discussions have addressed this topic but I have not found what I need as far as reasonable times coupled with a reasonable number of subs for DSOs. When enabled, SharpCap will reduce the exposure during the main movement stage and during the plate solving/re-centering stage (if selected). Being new to astrophotography (9 months) I have done a lot of reading on hear about how to judge the best exposure time. Smart Histogram requires It was only at 15m that the histogram moved away from the left hand side. SharpCap does have a sensor analysis feature which I believe you can use w/o the license, but you can't However, the formula is not aimed at calculating the total imaging time, it's aimed at calculating the optimum *sub exposure* time - that is, should we divide our 1 hour of imaging into taking 4 images of 15 minute exposure each, or 60 of 1 minute exposure, or 240 of 15s exposure? Making the wrong choice of sub-exposure time will give poor results Sky brightness (sky background calculator), Bortle number 5. Cheers, Robin Since you are new to scripting, I'd suggest not trying to script it until you become more familiar with it. Also, from recent experience, my photo stack of the Bubble Nebula of over 200 15-sec photos had very little nebula detail. Instead, use SC's "Start Capture" tool to capture 4 minutes of fixed-exposure frames. The tools are particularly powerful if an After a brief alignment process, SharpCap will calculate the optimum arrangement of mosaic panels to cover the target and after fine-tuning of settings will proceed to perform the entire mosaic capture automatically. I admit, it is a totally subjective, but it works. 75 micron ) What i am trying to do is work out in a ball park way, what sort of exposure times i should be looking at with my equipment. SharpCap Pro has this calculation built in as part of the 'Smart Histogram' functionality. Track Bar Value 10000 <=> Exposure 60s from this we can calculate that ExposureMS = 6 * track bar value + 0. I have SharpCap 3. I will check out the planning, plate solving, focusing and long exposure features in SharpCap over the next two months. Another thing to watch out for is if you have changed which colour channel SharpCap is measuring in the sky background - if you have (for instance) set the blue channel but the filter you are using does not transmit much in the blue then you will get very long suggested times. When I use my DSLR I SharpCap's sky calculator shows how they match. NINA does have an optimal exposure calculator which I assume is similar to the calculator in SharpCap. All this will vary depending on factors such as atmospheric conditions, proximity of the moon and equipment. I have the possibility to reach by car a 21. (if feasible), then calculate the BEST (Recommended) sub length, take an image, and then use Histogram provided by SharpCap to analyze and adjust the exposure time, and then make a shooting plan. I have created an online calculator to do the sky brightness Hi Steve, don't think it is quite that bad, but narrowband always does require longer exposures. Is there a practical method of validating that Hi, it's the use of narrowband (or at least fairly narrowband) filters that pushes the required exposure time upwards. Your sensor can handle a lot more. When you cover the sensor, the camera image will go dark and the Proceed button will become enabled. admin Site Admin Posts: 14780 It looks like a "paint-by-numbers" kit. I also wanted to get a little better understanding of how the math all worked. total integration time because night are not infinite, max exposure time because guiding can be an issue for some, minimum signal to noise ratio wanted because quality means different things for different users I ran sharpcap sensor analysis, imported the results into nina via the dropdown box, calculated the BIAS median value in NINA with the cap on and the Camera cooled (I also ran the sensor analysis at -10) and then aimed my scope at the region of sky I plan on targeting for a 30second exposure in the optimal exposure calculator. To achieve a total SNR of 100. Im trying to find a better way to calculate my sub-exposure times for various conditions, setups and targets. 2) I was also confused by the "Swamp factor". These include a ‘Quick Picks’ dropdown to select commonly used exposure times, up and down On the left a short exposure flat (0. · Processing to produce mono on a colour If I select an exposure time of 60 seconds in the Camera control using the Quick Pick dropdown menu, the Frame Timer in the lower right corner begins counting and cycling through 60 seconds of time. Just increase the black level until the whole peak is visible. Some mention I’m posting this to draw attention to a useful tool, a “Sky Background Electron Rate Calculator” that Robin Glover (developer of SharpCap) has made available online, which can SharpCap will suggest the optimum exposure length (more accurately the exposure length that you should treat as a minimum) for all the different gain values in the This is an ideal exposure calculator that can be used to. Smart Histogram requires a SharpCap Pro license and SharpCap needs After a brief alignment process, SharpCap will calculate the optimum arrangement of mosaic panels to cover the target and after fine-tuning of settings will proceed to perform the entire mosaic capture automatically. I need to run some offset calculations yet, but I think the days are numbered for SGP. Calculate Focus Score. Using an SQM and calculating is probably quicker but less accurate - for instance with the SQM you have to trust the manufacturer claims on QE of the device and you are probably somewhat less accurate in measuring the exact area of the sky that you will be working in. Note that the Altitude, Exposure, and Frame count fields require user input. 0\Lib\Pyro4 Python version: IronPython 2. 3 PhotoShop. Of interest is the Note that the Brain is not aiming to give you fabulous quality sub-exposure images, it is calculating how to get the best final image when you stack all frames taken in a set period of time (1 hour by default). 10 posts • Page 1 of 1. 0 seconds, but will run until ~ -4 seconds. that's easy to answer: The exposure time must be short enough to have sufficient temporal resolution over the duration of the event. The SharpCap values are a generic values (the result of a fit calculation), but the cameras have some deviation from these values. The Exposure control has additional options to make choosing the right 2. If you run the calculations either in SharpCap or in a spreadsheet calculator, you will notice that the recommended gain, exposure and offset values don't change if you change the total imaging time. SharpCap will calculate the mouse movement required and then send a GOTO command to the mount to put the ‘dragged’ point to the position where you released the mount. In Sharpcap, the interval (again set to 60 seconds) only Whatever you did it worked perfect. Ive been watching videos, reading what I can find and I stumbled on to the sharpcap. Moste of the time I do shoot with 60s exp, gain 100 , ofset 396 and temp -10°c and I am using the dark accrodingly. 8 - 12. When I use my DSLR I Very interesting indeed. admin (typically 1 ms or less). From this information, SharpCap can calculate a true flat frame without any bias signal (by subtracting the shorter set of frames from the Forum rules ‍ If you have a problem or question, please check the FAQ to see if it already has an answer : https://www. See this Gary Palmer M31 done with SharpCap and 62 x 120s exposures https: It seems to be associated with reducing the exposure time while in Still Mode. uk/sharpcap-faqs Just got this camera and SharpCap is recommending very short exposures, 6. However this will not have built-in calculator functionality initially so won't quite fulfil the target Pros: · Smaller file size (1 byte per pixel), ideal for monochrome targets (narrowband filters, moon). Notice also that the histogram starts to move towards the right hand side as exposure is increased. Page 2 of 3 - Ideal Exposure Calculator - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: Im trying to use this calculator to get a feel for exposure times on a QHY168C that I have on the way. A rule of thumb calculation is that your exposure length should be 10 time read noise squared divided by light pollution rate. The astrophotography calculator is based on information from a talk by Robin Glover of SharpCap 1. 9, but will be available for a much wider range of cameras in 2. Pause only works for DirectShow cameras in SharpCap 2. uk), I would like to ask some questions (to some expert or even the sharpcap's creator Dr. The Exposure control has additional options to make choosing the right exposure easier. So, contrary to the first experiment, this earlier experiment indicated that, for the same total exposure time (10 min) the subframe exposure length did appear to matter -- the 40s exposures giving a slightly better SNR in all three colours than the 20s (attributable to a slightly longer total exposure of 14 min at 40s) but the 10s exposures This is possible because the results of the Sensor Analysis allow SharpCap to calculate the behaviour of the sensor for any combination of gain and exposure. Top. As the exposure increases, the histogram gets fatter (= more data). Rather than just focal Calculating exposure time and gain from data - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: I understand there is a way to get an idea where to set the offset by looking at the histogram of a bias or dark frame. An admin replies with some tips and Users and admin of SharpCap, a software for astrophotography, exchange their understanding and questions about the formula for calculating sub exposure length. 8 seconds (WOW, is this correct?) This is possible because the results of the Sensor Analysis allow SharpCap to calculate the behaviour of the sensor for any combination of gain and exposure. I have the data I need. This tool can also be used with the Image Histogram and Calculate Focus Score tools to limit an action This is a more extreme example using the moon – the camera exposure setting needs to be reduced to remove the It tells me that I need an exposure of 30 seconds in order to capture a 16th magnitude star at SNR 9. It is very difficult to establish an exposure time that is valid both for the beginning (magnitude <1) and for the end after a few seconds, which will be magnitude 13. CaptureEvent += evthandler monitorFrames() expos_ms = SharpCap. 8s comes out as the minimum sub length. Basically the author takes the same approach as in Robin's Brain algorithm calculating a mimimum exposure length based on light pollution and restricting read noise to (say) 5% of the total (EQ 9) BUT at the same time combines and contrasts this with a target-based approach (EQ 14) which says that individual exposures must also exceed a certain level (say I am trying to emulate the Exposure TrackBar from SharpCap on to my script's GUI & while it sort of works I am having real trouble with the floating values because the TrackBar only excepts Integers. 32 or 64 bit version of SharpCap? thanks for the report - sigma clipping certainly introduces a fair bit of extra calculation over the default stacking, so will be slower. 05 I just read Robin's post about Sharpcap's update for the QHY168c adding a digital gain adjustment bar and gain adjustments bars for the red/green/blue channels. " (It is based on the Optimal Exposure Calculator available at Starizona's website. youtube. The Sharpcap calculation is actually the _minimum_ sub exposure at which the sky noise drowns out the read noise by a given factor. My calculation is as follows - convert [mag/arcsec2] to illuminance [lux] - convert [lux] to [photons/m2 s] - calculate photon rate captured by the aperture - calculate impact of pixelscale [arcsec/pixel] Page 3 of 6 - Gain and Sub-exposure calculation spreadsheet for the ZWO ASI183, ASI294, and ASI1600 - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: Bookmarked it, since i got the 533 as well as qhy183 which has similar specs as the asi version. Exposure. N. I can change the ISO setting on the camera and within SharpCap and the picture changes accordingly. At this point, you may (if required) adjust the brightness of illumination and The faintest detected object calculation is based on the nose level for the final stacked image (which is in the calculations in the first 8 or so posts) divided by the total integration time. I have read the Deep Sky Imaging Primer and been on several websites as mentioned in other posts. 7s. This tool will suggest a recommended exposure time based I revised the Gain and Sub-exposure calculation spreadsheet for the ZWO ASI183 and developed a new one for the ASI294. This will create a If the answer to (2) is that exposure time is always maintained, why does FPS matter, other than taking longer to capture a sequence? Thanks! Top. Robin Glover): Where the 3. In those cases, SharpCap estimates the exposure based on the time between subsequent frames. I have found the SharpCap Background calculator, but i am a bit confused at what i am suppose to do with the numbers. ?) = SharpCap exposure within 1 microsecond? Andy Howell Gainesville, FL. Determining optimal exposure time - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: Ive jumped into this hobby only recently, and whilst I have managed to get out a few times for I am trying to control my camera using Directshow Driver. This gives the noise (in electrons per pixel) divided by the time (in seconds), giving an e/pix/second equivalent for the noise in the final stacked image. RH93UvP358&t=5s) and wanted too visualize the exposure time to SNR for my setup. Robin Glovers presentation called CMOS Deep Sky Astrophotography (https://www. 10. We can talk more about that later. When it proposes an exposure strategy -- so many images at an exposure time, pressing the button activates the values. 75 micron ) Need Help Determining Exposure Time - ASI2600MC Pro - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: I recently upgraded to an ASI2600MC Pro and need advice on how to determine exposure times. A Rel 1. 3. It plots the number of pixels for each tonal value. So since I got my Asi294mm, filters etc I have been the thing that links the two is the (approximate) formula for minimum sub exposure time, which is 10 * read noise squared / (light pollution rate in e/pix/second) So, if you are using your camera at a gain where the read noise is 2e, and your local light pollution is 0. 77 SQM (at zenith of course) location. 92, I need to stack 120 frames. I’ve ran it against 3 different types of filter: L, RGB & 7Nm NB filters. -Chris. Cons: The following cons apply only when capturing in MONO on a colour camera. The random noise associated with that 27 electrons is going to be about 5 electrons worth. 46 mag/arc sec^2) according to lightpollutionmap. Using multiple screen captures is a real pain. For some advanced sequences it may not be possible for SharpCap to calculate how long the sequence will take to run. I listened to Dr Robin The 90 second calculation comes from the Optimal Sub length slide in Dr Assuming a read noise limit of 5% and a total stack of 60 minutes here's what SharpCap Pro says: Unity gain of 119: 283 seconds Dynamic range The same settings are also going to be optimal for getting to a particular image quality in the shortest time possible. cheers, Robin I tried to verify the results of the "Sky Background calculator" by my own calculation but I get for any input a discrepancy by the factor PI. These past couple years I've been improving upon a calculator for determining LRGB exposures. JethroXP Posts: 8 Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am. for example, if you have read noise in the analysis for gains 100 and 150 but specify 125, the tool will set the read noise exactly between the two. I first set the selection 'box' on a dark sky area. I figured, that one thing that would help greatly is automatic exposure control so handle both day and night imaging. co. And - at shorter times, the hardware restrictions occur more and more. That means I get varying number This calculator goes beyond the basic “500 Rule” to determine the best shutter time for non-tracked astrophotography on a fixed tripod. 74 e/pixel/s (I used 2 in the histogram) Assuming a read noise limit of 5% and a total stack of 60 minutes here's what SharpCap Pro says: Unity gain of 119: 283 seconds Dynamic range Gain 121: 28. Let's think about what the calculation tells you – if you take a 3s exposure, you will accumulate about 27 electrons of sky noise per pixel. So it seems that an exposure longer than 4s actually puts the system in an odd state, where subsequent exposures of even less than 4s are random durations. I’ve ran the sensor analysis earlier today & managed to get out tonight between the clouds to run the optimal exposure calculator. When you choose to capture then those frames get displayed I have just released the Gain and Sub-Exposure Calculation Spreadsheet for the ZWO ASI 6200, with the SONY IMX 455 sensor:. 2 seconds) with all the same settings. displays a Histogram with statistics. Robin Glover about the longest reasonable sub-exposure time, depending on your sky brightness and the read noise of your CMOS camera: https: 0. Letting SharpCap measure will be more accurate as you are actually measuring the e/pix/s on the Hello, I am new to this forum but not to sharpcap. You will find lots of discussions elsewhere on the forums about how the minimum sub length for deep sky astrophotography should be calculated from measurements of your light pollution, sensor read noise and other information. The brain will suggest a value as part of its calculations, but you can also do this by looking at the histogram of dark frames. A user asks how to use SharpCap Background calculator and smart histogram to find the optimal exposure time for astrophotography. Sharpcap controls every aspect of the camera, except the exposure, the slider is just pushed all the way to the right and I cannot move it. info (which I would estimate too optimistic) or Bortle 6. If you think in terms of dark frames you realise that increasing the exposure isn't the right solution for this! Page 1 of 2 - Gain and Sub-Exposure Calculator Spreadsheet for ZWO Cameras - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: Hi, I added a new feature to the Gain and Sub Back to the age old question of optimum exposure time, previously I had got to grips with ISO, but now moving on to Gain. The camera is an Altair Astro 26M & SharpCap is saying that my optimum gain is 200 with 396 offset. Bortle 7, f/10, 6 micron pixels, 80% QE and 3nm filter (choose mono, since everything that passes your 3nm filter will be in a single colour channel - the other two NINA does have an optimal exposure calculator which I assume is similar to the calculator in SharpCap. If I change exposure time, it will be set back to 2. 2 sec exposure time. The sharpcap sensor analysis only needs to be done once (can be inside during the day), and then you just point at your target and run the smart histogram tool. What exposure? It's the minimum exposure that pulls the light energy away from the left-hand-side of the histogram. · Override Exposure For some advanced sequences it may not be possible for SharpCap to calculate how long the sequence will take to run. The A forum thread where astrophotographers share their opinions and experiences on how to calculate the optimal exposure time for their cameras and skies. Can't comment so easily on the brightness - I expect that a careful look at the histogram (turn on the saving of a CSV histogram, then snapshot an image and look at the CSV) will Pause only works for DirectShow cameras in SharpCap 2. SharpCap works a bit like a video camera in that it is taking frames all the time. Need Help Determining Exposure Time - ASI2600MC Pro - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: I recently upgraded to an ASI2600MC Pro and need advice on how to determine exposure times. The two mosaic planner tools will be available to use in the Sequencer menu providing the following conditions are satisfied: SharpCap will begin by moving to position 13550, then to 12750, then to 12950 before starting the scan – these moves clear any backlash on the focuser movement. 6 e/pix/s, you calculate 10 * 2 * 2 / 0. However, I connot convince Sensor Analysis to use any other value than 2. Greetings to everybody! Recently I saw a video of Dr. This tool will calculate the sky background electron rate you can expect. So, I believe, I should always aim ideally for unity gain or greater, in this case 100 or 100>. SharpCap's "Brain" helps with that. For reference: My Camera is asi2600mc ( 3. ) What it says is this. Now I am looking to find an answer to find the right set of exposure/ gain settings by looking at numbers and not shapes and visual clues. I have created an online calculator to do the sky brightness SharpCap User Manual Foreword Introduction Requirements Supported Cameras Altair Cameras Calculate Focus Score Camera Control Panel Capture Profiles Capture Profile Management Adjust Exposure to get correct Histogram Shape Choose Options Start Capturing Flat Frames When enabled, SharpCap will reduce the exposure during the main movement stage and during the plate solving/re-centering stage (if selected). 032 I'm a little impressed and skeptical and wanted to confirm my optimal exposure time. 21 e/pix/s sounds reasonable. 0013 seconds, sequencing through 6 cycles, with an ASI178mm on USB3, full frame storing 16-bit FITS files to a SSD. 6473 installed and have run sensor analysis for both RAW8 and RAW16 with the . 6 mag/arc sec^2) according to Sharpcap‘s Sky Background Calculator. 1e/px/s (according to Sharpcap online calculator tool) At a complete loss and very frustrated! Videos and forum threads, advice. admin Site Admin Thanks for making SharpCap and supporting it so well! Top. The two mosaic planner tools will be available to use in the Sequencer menu providing the following conditions are satisfied: If I didn't make any mistake (apparently I didn't as the equation provides results matching those ones calculated by tools. I also watched Dr. 4 (18. 2 sec, no matter if I do it on the camera or in Quick Pick or in the field "Exposure", LX Mode on or Also, from recent experience, my photo stack of the Bubble Nebula of over 200 15-sec photos had very little nebula detail. I have set up most things but I have come unstuck with the SharpCap Sensor Analysis data for the exposure calculator. 3sec is plenty long and no point in a longer exposure. I ran your equipment through my calculator and discovered that a one-second exposure is allowing in only about two photons per pixel in the mid-tones. AllSkEye will start the pause as the exposure starts, so if the exposure was 30 seconds, there would be a 30 second pause until the next exposure. The calculator predicts that 4. When I use my DSLR I The optimal sub-exposure length is proportional to the square of the read noise in his analysis, so if you have an even lower read noise camera, the optimal sub exposures will be shorter. 0 ships with . SC4. ZWO ASI2600MC Exposure Time Question Revisited - posted in Beginning Deep Sky Imaging: I have just started using a ZWO ASI2600MC camera with a TV NP127is. The histogram will quickly highlight However, the formula is not aimed at calculating the total imaging time, it's aimed at calculating the optimum *sub exposure* time - that is, should we divide our 1 hour of imaging into taking 4 images of 15 minute exposure each, or 60 of 1 minute exposure, or 240 of 15s exposure? Making the wrong choice of sub-exposure time will give poor results Further details on the theory for the optimal exposure calculation can be found here > The analysis will use whatever gain is specified and linear interpolate between the values calculated by sharpcap. SharpCap has a several options to help acquire focus on targets (possibly one of the most challenging aspects of astrophotography). Glover's presentations on which types of noise affect our SNR and how to calculate exposure times based upon sensor Read Noise and the Light Pollution in the Sky (along with Focal Ratio, OSC, and Filters used). 013 and 0. 2. They are too large to attach, so I setup a read-only Google share drive: Andy Lucy wrote: I’m posting this to draw attention to a useful tool, a “Sky Background Electron Rate Calculator” that Robin Glover (developer of SharpCap) has made available online, which can be used to help set exposure for astrophotography sub-frames. I am imaging from a Bortle 8 site and am using N. SharpCap sensor analysis & NINA exposure calculator plugin - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: Does anyone know what file format a sensor analysis completed in SharpCap needs to be in for the NINA exposure calculator plugin to recognize and utilize the data? My sensor analysis data from SharpCap is currently in Windows spreadsheet format Once you uncover the sensor, SharpCap will begin to adjust the exposure to correctly exposure the selection area. Page 1 of 4 - Gain and Sub-exposure calculation spreadsheet for the ZWO ASI183 and 294 (the 183) with Sharpcap sensor analysis and brain and it perfectly matched in terms of suggested optimal sub exposures Nik Just a sidebar, I have this rule of thumb called the "1000 ADU Rule. It tries to take into account things that change depending on your equipment and Values you’ll need to know for Brian, I'm glad to hear you discuss the brightness of our targets when considering exposures. 8. You can always go longer for various reasons. \SharpCap 3. All cells that Calculate Focus Score. Smart Histogram requires a SharpCap Pro license and you must perform SharpCap User Manual Foreword Introduction Installation and Getting Started Requirements Calculate Focus Score Connect/Disconnect Hardware The Camera Control Panel reducing exposure to compensate for the increased brightness, taking an exposure and then putting the gain and exposure back to their original values. 3, 0. I also put the . Find out more about SharpCap Pro here. 6 and get a minimum exposure of 2. 0, 4. when I use Sharpcap They also seduce beginners to try to achieve this calculated exposure time at any means, instead of using the appropriate strategy for the situation. It is very informative and like I said easy to follow if not a tad long. procyon12 Posts: 259 Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2020 11:32 am. admin Site Admin Posts: 14565 Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK By adjusting StartPos and EndPos in "real time," you achieved GPSU (GPS Exp. SelectedCamera. Can I use Sharpcap for long exposure with a CMOS camera to image something like a nebula? thanks. 837 factor comes from ? and why 550 instead of the full 300 (nm) visible bandwidth spectrum ? Questions, tips, information and discussions about using the SharpCap Sequencer and Sequence Planner tools. 3, F7. ExposureMs wait_time = 0. Some cameras cannot report their exposure value to SharpCap (for instance DirectShow Frame Grabbers). the read noise variance per sub, so in RMS you end up with a 5% SNR minimum exposure penalty of the LP vs. Many here call it the "Optimal Exposure Calculator". In Glover's terminology I think it is what he calls C, the weight of the light pollution variance (=mean) vs. SharpCap has to deal with this itself in the sensor analysis and will wait for up to 5 frames after making a setting change before assuming that the change has As an example, an exposure of 250ms would give: 1000/250 = 4 fps. I. *Camera* ASI 1600MM Pro *Troubleshooting* My first suspicion was that my installation of SharpCap was corrupted. To be honest, I would tend to only use auto exposure for video imaging of daylight scenes and maybe all sky cameras. That should calculate gain, exposure and offset settings appropriate for your conditions based on measurements of your sensor noise and control characteristics. Focusing. This is possible because the results of the Sensor Analysis allow SharpCap to calculate the behaviour of the sensor for any combination of gain and exposure. I still don't get it. These are just a single FITS from a 100 series, so not stacked. So if my offset is 200 ADU, then I set the exposure until dark space is at 1200 ADU. g. I am trying to find the exposure time, how to calculate the ideal exposure length for my CMOS (QHY268C) cameras with a CLS clip filter fitted? For example, I have calculated my ideal sub length using the formula of: 10x (read noise sq/LP in electrons). As an example, an exposure of 30ms would give: 1000/30 = 33fps. Reduce your exposure. Glover where he mentioned tools. N. For reference: My Camera is asi2600mc Your 0. The Double Cluster, data captured 3rd October 2024 with a total integration time of 1h 6m. bin files stored in the default location. Auto exposure for your ZWO camera is handled the ZWO code - SharpCap just sends a message to the camera SDK saying 'auto exposure please' and the camera will then do some sort of auto exposure. You should see though that if you move to a 16s exposure, you should see 'Unstack' available for a sensible amount of time even with sigma clipping. This would translate to a Bortle level of either Bortle 5 (20. This tool can also be used with the Image Histogram and Calculate Focus Score tools to limit an action This is a more extreme example using the moon – the camera exposure setting needs to be reduced to remove the There is this excellent talk of Dr. Smart Histogram requires a SharpCap Pro license and SharpCap needs sensor analysis data on each model of camera that you intend to use. 0068e/px/s Refractor Telescope f/5. I also have SharpCap Pro; so maybe I could use the Smart Histogram to determine the sky fog rate like This is possible because the results of the Sensor Analysis allow SharpCap to calculate the behaviour of the sensor for any combination of gain and exposure. Bottle 5, f4. 6 (cli, nt) Protocol version: 48 then wait until 8:13 AM then stop capturing. well calculate the idea exposure for any given camera, filter, telescope and sky conditions. 10 to control my equipment. I have also revised the ZWO ASI 2600 I ran some tests with exposure times of 1. The default is for read noise to be 10% of the sky noise. Running with autoexposure as the sun goes down and the light fades, the exposure time will get longer as it gets darker, as would be expected. If for example you want this to be 5%, the recommended minimum sub exposure will increase. My first version required that I take a test exposure with a luminance filter to discover the exposure that lifts the galaxy out of the noise. It will give you recommended gain/offset/exposure times based on your choice of best DR or unity gain, and I have found it very accurate/useful with my camera. 21 at an altitude of 60 degrees above the horizon with the luminance filter. Exposure time lecture by SharpCap author - posted in Experienced Deep Sky Imaging: I just watched a very easy to follow video lecture on how to compute an exposure time using a CCD/CMOS sensor. I suppose the length of exposure is limited by how good the tracking/camera cooling is. Raising my exposure time to 5 seconds and ensuring frames are being captured 3. turfpit Posts: 1849 Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:13 pm Location: UK. Last night I tried capturing images of the Beehive with my ZWO ASI120MC-S planetary / DSO camera. I was correct the ASCOM driver is quit limiting from a gain perspective. Learn how to use the coloured bars, the Brain window and the graphs to optimize Right now I have to connect my camera to NINA, use the exposure calculator and then connect the camera to APT. " Once the new exposure length starts to provide subs to SharpCap, "Everything works smoothly until you Remember that you want dark space to capture at a level significantly above your camera's offset. Essentially it takes a light exposure for 30 sec and I assume measures sky glow and then comes up with a good exposure time suggestion. Both made with a LED-panel where I had to use a brighter setting for the short exposure and a lot lower brightness setting for the long exposure flat. qsl kefowbv uky ejz dmrgi baqay frzrt qcwids gvq hlg