SharpCap Forums

Hi all, first post. So I fully understand the limitations of this camera for deep sky but I want to have a go. I’ve a lot to learn about sharpcap but would appreciate some pointers as to how to get going. I have Skywatcher 150p on Heq5 pro and need some quick pointers:
Raw 8 or 16, fits or tiffs?

Hi,

RAW16, FITS is a good starting point.

Set an exposure between 15-30s and gain between 0 and 200 and you should get some results. Pick the values to bring out some stars and faint detail without letting the background get too bright. You can use the Smart Histogram functionality if you want more detailed suggestions on camera exposure/gain.

Trying out live stacking is also probably a good idea

cheers,

Robin

Thanks that’s a great help. And does DSS stack RAW16 as well or do I need to run through PIPP 1st?

I hoping for 2 minutes exposures now I can use sharpcap to refine my polar alignment with plate solving, fingers crossed .

Hi,

yes, DSS will stack RAW16. You need to tweak a setting in DSS to tell it to debayer the FITS files otherwise you will get no colour. See this post : viewtopic.php?p=4320#p4320

cheers,

Robin