What does your live view look like?

[Simon E]

Probably a really stupid question here.
When you set this up on the tripod, camera connected via t piece etc to where the eye piece goes, what does your Live view look like. Mine just looks like a ting little star/ smudge. As you haven't got a lens before the camera, what makes your images sooo big and detailed?

is it them fact that you are taking such long exposures and the fact that these are zoomed in images, done whilst you process the photo?
Thanks Si

[MarkS]

What scope are you using?
What camera are you using?
If you are in focus you should see a whole starfield in liveview.  If you are out of focus you might only see a few tiny hot pixels.

With some camera/scope combinations it is impossible to achieve focus e.g. DSLR on many Newtonian reflectors.

You are lucky right now because the moon is in the sky.  Start off trying to focus on the moon - this will be easy to do and will show you what focuser position achieves focus.

By the way, since this question is not related to reprocessing an image of M31 it ought to be in a new thread

Mark

[Carole]

Simon, with a DSLR you probably will only see a smudge on live view.  With a Mono CCD camera you will see a lot more as it is more sensitive.

With long exposure and stacking you will see much more once the image has been processed, I will be processing an image at the meeting on Thursday so try to come and see it Simon.

There is a lens on the camera (the telescope). the images are not zoomed in.

Carole

[Mike]

Simon, with a DSLR you probably will only see a smudge on live view. 

Unless you have a Sony A7

[Roy]

The amount you will see will also depend on any filters you may be using, for example I've an Astronomic CLS type filter mounted in the throat of the Canon 500D I use for imaging and it does reduce the brightness of the stars. As a result I have to focus using bright stars or a planet.

[Simon E]

Just makes me scratch my head. Carole you see the amazing shots you have of Andromeda. But we don't actually see that. We see a smudge, and only after we have processed it and zoomed in, we get the amazing colourful picture.

si

[The Thing]

I have never found live view useful on a 1000D and an 1100D unless pointing at a very bright star e.g. Vega. though focusing accurately with a Bahtinov Mask does increase the number of stars that show up. The 1100D is better as it has a more sensitive chip. Saying that I never look at the rear screen live view as I always have a laptop connected. I tend to use 1s exposures for focusing via software.

[MarkS]

Simon, with a DSLR you probably will only see a smudge on live view. 

Unless you have a Sony A7

I wasn't going to mention that but since you have done so, here's the link:
http://forum.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/index.php?topic=10448.msg76215#msg76215

Mark

[Carole]

Yes the Sony A7 is am amazing camera, but I knew that Simon has got/is getting a Nikon.

Carole

[Carole]

By the way, since this question is not related to reprocessing an image of M31 it ought to be in a new thread

Yes this should have gone in a new thread, perhaps Rick could split off please.

Thanks
Carole

[Rick]

Yes this should have gone in a new thread, perhaps Rick could split off please.

It got split off about a day ago...