Noisy image QHY5LII-C

A place to report problems and bugs in SharpCap
Forum rules


If you have a problem or question, please check the FAQ to see if it already has an answer : https://www.sharpcap.co.uk/sharpcap-faqs

Please also read about Troubleshooting USB Issues before posting.

*** Please do not post license keys - please report any problems with licensing to 'admin' by private message ***

Please include the following details in any bug report:

* Version of SharpCap
* Camera and other hardware being user
* Operating system version
* Contents of the SharpCap log after the problem has occurred.
[If SharpCap crashes, please send the bug report when prompted instead of including the log]
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#1

Post by cairomike »

Has anyone noticed the image noise in version 2.9? I am using a QHY5LII-C, and the first time I started V2.9 I noticed significant noise on the image, thinking it was something I was doing wrong I spent a considerable amount of time trying to fix it, without success, finally I switched back to V2.8 and, lo and behold no noise. What has happened?
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#2

Post by cairomike »

Update: I've just discovered V3.0, just the same noise as 2.9, for me neither 2.9 or 3.0 are useable.
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#3

Post by admin »

Hi,

could you post a screenshot of the problem so I can see what sort of noise you are getting and also see what values you have for various controls. A pair of screenshots (one for 2.8 and one for 3.0) would be great to compare.

thanks,

Robin
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#4

Post by cairomike »

Thanks for your reply.

Ok, I'll do that next time I set the scope up, hopefully next weekend weather permitting.
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#5

Post by cairomike »

Hi Robin

I've taken a couple of snapshots but the png file size is too big to attach and I don't want to reduce the quality to jpg. Is there another way to get them to you?

Just an observation; I noticed that with 2.8 the exposure setting has to be a lot higher than with 2.9 and 3.0. In 2.8 if I increase the gain so that the exposure is the same as 2.9/3.0 then the image quality/noise is much the same. So it appears that the issue has something to do with the camera gain setting.
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

sounds like you have tracked down the cause to a higher gain setting, which would be expected to give significantly more noise. I keep the attachment size limited because I don't want to end up with high res astro images needing to be stored on the forums server (and backed up too). Best way to send larger files is you use an alternative image sharing service or a file sharing service like Google drive, DropBox, OneDrive, etc. and share a public link to the files in question.

cheers,

Robin
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#7

Post by cairomike »

Hi Robin

I agree it has to be the gain setting, in 2.9/3.0 the minimum gain shows as 1 but is roughly equivalent to maybe 15-20 in 2.8. Anyhow here's a link to the files on drop box.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bsued1mls72y ... EAIga?dl=0

Let me know when you have them so I can remove them.

Mike
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#8

Post by admin »

Ah, now I understand the issue - the gain values have definitely changed between 2.8 and 3.0 - looks like it is down to the QHY SDK (new version) having a bug. I will pass the info on to QHY. Please leave the sample files online for the moment as I will share the link with QHY.

cheers,

Robin
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#9

Post by cairomike »

Ok
cairomike
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:18 pm
Contact:

Re: Noisy image QHY5LII-C

#10

Post by cairomike »

Hi Robin. Have you finished with the images yet?
Post Reply