Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

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JethroXP
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am

Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#1

Post by JethroXP »

I'm setting up a sequence that will bracket the corona for the April, 2024 Eclipse. I've found that once I set an exposure length longer than 4s the exposure instead ends up being 0.825s, is 4s really the maximum exposure length possible in the sequencer?

Here is the log showing the exposure set to 5s, and the actual exposure length captured:

[ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (31124B041D010900, via USB3)]
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=0
Tilt=0
Output Format=FITS files (*.fits)
Binning=1
Capture Area=6248x4176
Colour Space=RAW16
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=100(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=0
Exposure=5.000s
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=95
White Bal (R)=52
Brightness=1
Window Heater Power=Off
Cooler Power=0
Temperature=40.1
Target Temperature=0
Cooler=Off
Auto Exp Max Gain=337
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0
Display MidTone Point=0.5
Display White Point=1
Notes=
TimeStamp=2024-02-01T06:02:02.8149578Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.11680.0
StartCapture=2024-02-01T06:02:02.4095837Z
MidCapture=2024-02-01T06:02:02.8222803Z
EndCapture=2024-02-01T06:02:03.2349769Z
JDStartCapture=2460339.751417
JDMidCapture=2460339.751422
JDEndCapture=2460339.751426
Duration=0.825s
FrameCount=1
ActualFrameRate=1.2115fps
TimeZone=-8.00
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Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

the only time I would expect to see things like that happening is if you have just changed the exposure control value - in that case SharpCap may know that the camera is in the middle of say a 5s exposure and as it to stop early to allow the new exposure value to be set. It shouldn't happen in repeated frames and it's not something I have seen before.

If you watch the frame count (bottom left), is it incrementing about once per second when the exposure is set to 4 or 5s? How about if you set 30s or 60s? I am trying to work out if this is a book-keeping error on the frame timings or an error with the camera not doing what it's been told to do.

cheers,

Robin
JethroXP
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am

Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#3

Post by JethroXP »

Watching the bottom left when it's capturing a 4s exposure shows the count at 0 until the exposure is complete. When it gets to a longer exposure, the count is briefly at zero (like for about 0.825 seconds ;) ) and then increments rapidly. I tried this with an exposure of 30s and it was the same behavior as 5s or 8s.

Initially I was using "Wait until Time" to manage when these bracketed shots fired, but realized it was better to just let them run sequentially so I've commented out those lines in the script. So I'm assuming that the commands are executed serially? In each sequence of the bracket I'm capturing a Live image, then setting the exposure time for the next one.

This is the script I'm running (the issue is in the very last Live Capture). This is just part of what will be a larger script, which is why there is a final set exposure command but no following Live capture, because those will be added later. I'll also include the log output from the script below that:

------------------------------
----------script-------------
------------------------------

SEQUENCE
DELAY 1
LIVE MODE
SET COLOUR SPACE TO RAW16
SET RESOLUTION TO 6248x4176
SET BINNING TO 1
SET OUTPUT FORMAT TO "FITS files (*.fits)"
FRAMETYPE Light
TARGETNAME Sun

SET EXPOSURE TO 0.016667
SET GAIN TO 0

WAIT UNTIL LOCALTIME "11:35:08.1 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Diamond Ring C2 27x
CAPTURE 27 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.00025
END SEQUENCE

WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:23.3 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Baily's Beads C2 12x
CAPTURE 12 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.0005
END SEQUENCE

WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:29.1 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Chromosphere C2 12x
CAPTURE 12 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.0001
END SEQUENCE

WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:40.0 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Prominences C2 12x
CAPTURE 12 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.004
END SEQUENCE

WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.3 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.008
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.8 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.01667
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:52.3 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.03333
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.3.0 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.06666
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.3 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.125
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.5 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.25
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.8 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 1.0 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.5
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.1 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 2.0 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 1.0
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.5 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 2.0
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.2 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 4.0
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:51.4 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing 8.0 Rs
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 30.0
END SEQUENCE

# WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.6 AM"

SEQUENCE
#Corona bracketing Deep
CAPTURE 1 LIVE FRAMES
#Set exposure for next sequence
SET EXPOSURE TO 0.002
END SEQUENCE

END SEQUENCE

------------------------------
------execution log-------
------------------------------

11:35:05 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:05 AM Starting : Wait for 1 seconds
11:35:06 AM Completed : Wait for 1 seconds
11:35:06 AM Starting : Put Camera in Live Mode
11:35:06 AM Completed : Put Camera in Live Mode
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Colour Space to RAW16
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Colour Space to RAW16
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Resolution to 6248x4176
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Resolution to 6248x4176
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Binning to 1
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Binning to 1
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Output Format to FITS files (*.fits)
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Output Format to FITS files (*.fits)
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set frame type to 'Light'
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set frame type to 'Light'
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set imaging target name to 'Sun'
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set imaging target name to 'Sun'
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0167s
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0167s
11:35:06 AM Starting : Set Gain to 0
11:35:06 AM Completed : Set Gain to 0
11:35:06 AM Starting : Wait until 11:35:08 AM
11:35:08 AM Completed : Wait until 11:35:08 AM
11:35:08 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:08 AM Starting : ### Comment : Diamond Ring C2 27x
11:35:08 AM Completed : ### Comment : Diamond Ring C2 27x
11:35:08 AM Starting : Capture 27 live view frames
11:35:20 AM Completed : Capture 27 live view frames
11:35:20 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:20 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:20 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0003s
11:35:20 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0003s
11:35:20 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:20 AM Starting : Wait until later than 11:35:23 AM
11:35:23 AM Completed : Wait until later than 11:35:23 AM
11:35:23 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:23 AM Starting : ### Comment : Baily's Beads C2 12x
11:35:23 AM Completed : ### Comment : Baily's Beads C2 12x
11:35:23 AM Starting : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:28 AM Completed : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:28 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:28 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:28 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0005s
11:35:28 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0005s
11:35:28 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:28 AM Starting : Wait until later than 11:35:29 AM
11:35:29 AM Completed : Wait until later than 11:35:29 AM
11:35:29 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:29 AM Starting : ### Comment : Chromosphere C2 12x
11:35:29 AM Completed : ### Comment : Chromosphere C2 12x
11:35:29 AM Starting : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:34 AM Completed : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:34 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:35 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:35 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0001s
11:35:35 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0001s
11:35:35 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:35 AM Starting : Wait until later than 11:35:40 AM
11:35:40 AM Completed : Wait until later than 11:35:40 AM
11:35:40 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:40 AM Starting : ### Comment : Prominences C2 12x
11:35:40 AM Completed : ### Comment : Prominences C2 12x
11:35:40 AM Starting : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:45 AM Completed : Capture 12 live view frames
11:35:45 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:45 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:45 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0040s
11:35:45 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0040s
11:35:45 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:45 AM Starting : Wait until later than 11:35:50 AM
11:35:50 AM Completed : Wait until later than 11:35:50 AM
11:35:50 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:50 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
11:35:50 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
11:35:50 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:50 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:50 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:50 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:50 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0080s
11:35:50 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0080s
11:35:50 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:50 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.8 AM"
11:35:50 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.8 AM"
11:35:50 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:50 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
11:35:50 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.1 Rs
11:35:50 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:51 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0167s
11:35:51 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0167s
11:35:51 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:52.3 AM"
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:52.3 AM"
11:35:51 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
11:35:51 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:51 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0333s
11:35:51 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0333s
11:35:51 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.3.0 AM"
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.3.0 AM"
11:35:51 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:51 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
11:35:51 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.2 Rs
11:35:51 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:52 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:52 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:52 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:52 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0667s
11:35:52 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0667s
11:35:52 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:52 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.3 AM"
11:35:52 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.3 AM"
11:35:52 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:52 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
11:35:52 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
11:35:52 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:53 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.1250s
11:35:53 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.1250s
11:35:53 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.5 AM"
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.5 AM"
11:35:53 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 0.5 Rs
11:35:53 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:53 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.2500s
11:35:53 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.2500s
11:35:53 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.8 AM"
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:48.8 AM"
11:35:53 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:53 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 1.0 Rs
11:35:53 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 1.0 Rs
11:35:53 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:54 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.5000s
11:35:54 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.5000s
11:35:54 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.1 AM"
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.1 AM"
11:35:54 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 2.0 Rs
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 2.0 Rs
11:35:54 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:54 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 1.0000s
11:35:54 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 1.0000s
11:35:54 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.5 AM"
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:49.5 AM"
11:35:54 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:54 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
11:35:54 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
11:35:54 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:56 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:56 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:56 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:56 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 2.0000s
11:35:56 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 2.0000s
11:35:56 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:56 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.2 AM"
11:35:56 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:50.2 AM"
11:35:56 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:56 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
11:35:56 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 4.0 Rs
11:35:56 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:58 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:35:58 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:58 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:35:58 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 4.0000s
11:35:58 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 4.0000s
11:35:58 AM Completed : Sequence
11:35:58 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:51.4 AM"
11:35:58 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:51.4 AM"
11:35:58 AM Starting : Sequence
11:35:58 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 8.0 Rs
11:35:58 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing 8.0 Rs
11:35:58 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:36:02 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:36:02 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:36:02 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:36:02 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 30.0000s
11:36:02 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 30.0000s
11:36:02 AM Completed : Sequence
11:36:02 AM Starting : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.6 AM"
11:36:02 AM Completed : ### Comment : WAIT UNTIL LATER THAN LOCALTIME "11:35:53.6 AM"
11:36:02 AM Starting : Sequence
11:36:02 AM Starting : ### Comment : Corona bracketing Deep
11:36:02 AM Completed : ### Comment : Corona bracketing Deep
11:36:02 AM Starting : Capture 1 live view frames
11:36:03 AM Completed : Capture 1 live view frames
11:36:03 AM Starting : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:36:03 AM Completed : ### Comment : Set exposure for next sequence
11:36:03 AM Starting : Set Exposure to 0.0020s
11:36:03 AM Completed : Set Exposure to 0.0020s
11:36:03 AM Completed : Sequence
11:36:03 AM Completed : Sequence
11:36:03 AM Finished
JethroXP
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am

Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#4

Post by JethroXP »

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 added another Capture Live Frame command after the longest one, and tried 10s, and it was very fast as I've come to expect for exposures longer than 4s, these are the relevant log lines:

Exposure=10.000s
StartCapture=2024-02-02T04:14:03.0577022Z
MidCapture=2024-02-02T04:14:03.4740493Z
EndCapture=2024-02-02T04:14:03.8903964Z
JDStartCapture=2460340.676424
JDMidCapture=2460340.676429
JDEndCapture=2460340.676434
Duration=0.833s
FrameCount=0
ActualFrameRate=0.0000fps

But then I tried a 4s exposure after the longer exposure and it was too fast as well:

Exposure=4.000s
StartCapture=2024-02-02T04:17:03.2790720Z
MidCapture=2024-02-02T04:17:03.6944523Z
EndCapture=2024-02-02T04:17:04.1098326Z
JDStartCapture=2460340.678510
JDMidCapture=2460340.678515
JDEndCapture=2460340.678520
Duration=0.831s
FrameCount=1
ActualFrameRate=1.2037fps

Same with a 3s exposure:

Exposure=3.000s
SharpCapVersion=4.1.11680.0
StartCapture=2024-02-02T04:20:03.7923766Z
MidCapture=2024-02-02T04:20:04.2586496Z
EndCapture=2024-02-02T04:20:04.7249226Z
JDStartCapture=2460340.680599
JDMidCapture=2460340.680605
JDEndCapture=2460340.680610
Duration=0.933s
FrameCount=1
ActualFrameRate=1.0723fps

And even a 0.5s exposure was odd, but this time longer than specified:

Exposure=500.0000ms
SharpCapVersion=4.1.11680.0
StartCapture=2024-02-02T04:23:02.9080958Z
MidCapture=2024-02-02T04:23:03.5246817Z
EndCapture=2024-02-02T04:23:04.1412677Z
JDStartCapture=2460340.682673
JDMidCapture=2460340.682680
JDEndCapture=2460340.682687
Duration=1.233s
FrameCount=1
ActualFrameRate=0.8109fps

It seems that one exposure longer than 4s is putting the system in a state where none of the subsequent exposure times are accurate.
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13350
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
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Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#5

Post by admin »

Hi,

I can see from your script that you are setting things up to capture 1 live view frame, and doing it straight after an exposure change. That's not ideal, because in live view there is no guarantee as to how quickly changes made to the camera settings are reflected in the images. For some camera manufacturers, the image that SharpCap gets seems to be always at least 3 frames behind, so that making a change to exposure, gain or some other setting will not be reflected in the image for at least 3 frames. For other manufacturers, the delay may not even be constant (ie may be several frames at short exposures, but less at longer exposures).

What this means is that your sequence is very likely to end up saving frames that came off the camera before the exposure setting change was applied, which might well explain some of the issues with the sequence. If you are capturing exposures longer than about 2s then using the camera in still mode is a good idea (particularly if you are only capturing a small number of frames) to ensure that the frames you capture reflect the settings that you want. For shorter exposures, it's a good idea to capture multiple frames (10+) to ensure that even if you pick up a few frames at the start that have the old settings, you will get a good selection of frames with the correct settings applied.

I think it's likely that most of the problems you are seeing are related to this, and that you would not see them if you were doing things manually with some delay between changing settings and starting capuring.

cheers,

Robin
JethroXP
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am

Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#6

Post by JethroXP »

Given the nature of an eclipse, where the brightness changes immensely over a short period of time, and requires the ability to rapidly capture multiple frames at different exposure values, do you recommend using a mix of LIVE and STILL modes in the script as a good strategy? Or is it best to stick with one or the other?
JethroXP
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:20 am

Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#7

Post by JethroXP »

I've updated the script to use a mix of LIVE MODE and STILL MODE captures and it seems to be working as expected now. This is now largely an exercise of testing to understand the inherent capabilities of the system, including the time needed to both capture and write images to disk, and the delays associated with settings changes.

Cheers!
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Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#8

Post by admin »

Hi,

to answer your first question - yes... Use a mix of live and still mode as they are each better at different aspects. Live mode is optimized to get frames at the highest rate, and if you are saving hundreds of frames then the uncertainty about whether settings changes are applied immediately or not is not too much of an issue. Still mode gives you control over the exact settings on a frame-by-frame basis, but cannot give you the high frame rate throughput.

cheers,

Robin
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Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#9

Post by dizzydlz »

Hi JethroXP,
I am interested in how you mixed the live and still modes into your eclipse script to accomplish your goals. Would you be able to post your resulting script? Dean
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Re: Live view maximum exposure time seems to be 4s

#10

Post by admin »

Hi,

I happened to spot that JethroXP has done just that the other day over on CloudyNights...

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/9099 ... ry13249012

I will just point out that the latest versions of SharpCap 4.1 *should* maintain 0.1s accuracy of delay steps and allow you to edit them in SharpCap rather than having to do that in a text editor.

cheers,

Robin
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