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Fun with the Fuji X ___!

Gbealnz

Member
Well after lurking for an eternity, and throwing the odd ringside comment in occasionally, it is about time I put an image up.
I actually have a few travel shots, but need to work on the processing.
Instead, I'll go in a different direction here.
Another passion of mine is astrophotography, and I have used all manner of cameras over the years, DSLR style being one. If anything the astro imaging is best suited with a dedicated, cooled CCD camera, but apart from a few modifications the chip is essentially the same or very similar to what you and I use every day. Cooling via a Peltier cooler, and usually no filter on the front of the chip, so full spectrum.
Last night it was crisp, above zero degrees, just, and with the odd intermittent cloud passing. I slipped the X-Pro 1 on the the rear of the little 80mm refractor, and used either a focal reducer (for the M8-M20 shot) or a field flattener (for the Omega Cent shot).
With the reducer the focal length becomes about388mm, and with the flattener it remains about it's native 480mm. Yo will see that the spacing distance with the reducer was not bang on, so we have "warp factor 5" happening in the extreme corners, this is a simple fix, get the spacing correct.
M8 and M20 are in the Sagittarius area, both are just visible to the naked eye, and spectacular through a decent sized scope. M8 is known as the Lagoon Nebula, and M20 known as the Trifid.
Omega Centaurus is also known as NGC5139, and is THE most spectacular globular cluster in the sky, it was directly overhead last night.
Focus was effected by way of a Bahtinov mask, difficult but not impossible, and the magnified live view really helped.
ISO was in the vicinity of3200 or 1600 for the M8/M20 shots, and ISO800 for the Omega shots.
M8/M20 was 6 shots each 45 seconds, I used a cable release and the bulb setting. If I had used my noodle, the T setting would have been better, but dark/cold/old age conspired.
The Omega shots were 10 shots at 45 seconds. One really neat idea is the counter timer visible on the rear LCD, makes my astro shots simpler, although an intervalometer would be better, I could then program a series and walk away.
Gary Beal
New Zealand
 
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Braeside

New member
Great Astro work Gary. What software do you use for the stacking? Using Raw or JPG?
How does the Fuji compare with other cameras you have tried on for astrophotography?
 

Gbealnz

Member
Hi David,
thank you. I reckon the "cleanliness" of the Fuji is way better, but really I need to test it some more, and these were real quick and dirty shots, more to see if it would actually work even.
Used RAW, but converted them to TIFF via SilkyPix, then used AstroArt to stack them.
Ordinarily I would use Images Plus when I use the Sony a700, as Images Plus can convert the RAW, but this Fuji will not be supported by IP as of yet, so I went another way.
I had used briefly the NEX5 for the odd astro shot, and the one thing I missed with not having it last night was the tilting LCD. Believe me, the scope pointing directly up, means a lot of groveling around to see the LCD, not pleasant.
Gary
 

Simon M.

New member
There are some great macro shots in here, its making me lust for the 60mm and here I thought once I picked up the 18mm to add to the 35mm I'd be done...

Here is another small set; two from some hiking last weekend and then one from the only short break I had to walk about on a business trip.






Cheers,
Simon
 

marlof

Member
Th way to get in or out:



Not an x pro 1 image, but it gives the idea. The one in my image is a BMW Isetta. The one in David's image looks like a Heinkel Kabine. They're called micro cars or Bubble cars, and I think you can see why...
 

Braeside

New member
Hehe! Terry I am old enough to remember these German Heinkel "bubble cars" as they were known. The door is in the front, it swings open from one side.

A side effect of this was rather amusing. Some versions had no reverse gear, and if you parked with the front up against a wall you couldn't get out!

I remember a school pal of mine had a bubble car in the early 70's, he had it in the garage for repairs to the brakes. I went with him to collect it and he offered to give me a run in it. It was totally terrifying in the heavy traffic of Edinburgh. He approached the rear of a bus and jammed on the brakes and it only imperceptibly slowed down and just stopped in time. He then pronounced that the brakes were "much better now". I politely asked to exit the vehicle at this point...

Cheers
 
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Terry

New member
There is no way it would make it up the hills in SF....sometimes even my modern mini isn't very happy.

Hehe! Terry I am old enough to remember these German Heinkel "bubble cars" as they were known. The door is in the front, it swings open from one side.

A side effect of this was rather amusing. Some versions had no reverse gear, and if you parked with the front up against a wall you could't get out!

I remember a school pal of mine had a bubble car in the early 70's, he had it in the garage for repairs to the brakes. I went with him to collect it and he offered to give me a run in it. It was totally terrifying in the heavy traffic of Edinburgh. He approached the rear of a bus and jammed on the brakes and it only imperceptibly slowed down and just stopped in time. He then pronounced that the brakes were "much better now". I politely asked to exit the vehicle at this point...

Cheers
 

Braeside

New member
You got a MINI as well Terry! - I had a classic mini of course, but I do have the New MINI Cooper nowadays (I call her new, though I will have had her for 10 years this November).
 

Terry

New member
You got a MINI as well Terry! - I had a classic mini of course, but I do have the New MINI Cooper nowadays (I call her new, though I will have had her for 10 years this November).
The only classic bit on mine is the color - British Racing Green
 

Braeside

New member
The only classic bit on mine is the color - British Racing Green
Very cool Terry!

Mine is Blue with a White roof, wing mirrors and wheels.

The Classic Mini was quite a different car, much smaller but in its way as much fun to drive as it was so light and the wheels were tiny (10"). My brother still has one in his outhouse, it has been on the Italian Job charity run a few times. I did have a run in it a few years ago and I had forgotten just how basic it was!

A Classic mini last weekend:

 
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