SharpCap Forums

Sadly I have an AVX Mount controled by CPWI. All of my cameras are ZWO.
When imaging the Moon I like to select a crater or feature with the ROI and Check Mark the [Lock] option. The Problem I have is the selection BOX doesn't move; but the selected area drifts to the edge and out of the selection box. Roughly every 45 seconds I have to manually move the ROI Box using the controls.

Question: Is that ROI Lock feature only work for imaging Planets?

I've used it many times to image craters on the moon and the BOX usually drifts across the camera's sensor area where I will eventually get the expected warning when it reaches the sensor's edge. In my case the selection box never moves and the selected area drifts out of ROI box. Kind of the oposite of what I'd expect. It's a slow drift but constant.

Michael

Thank you for SharpCap. Without it I don't think I would have stayed with the hobby.

Hi Michael,

unfortunately those 'Center' and 'Lock' buttons in the ROI area are only for tracking planets (they expect a single, bright target to keep centered against a dark background).

You need to use the 'Feature Tracking' tool to achieve what you want...

* Activate 'Feature Tracking'
* Choose for movement via 'Camera ROI' rather than mount
* Choose either image features or phase offset in the 'Image Movement Monitoring' section
* Press 'Monitor' then 'Calibrate' then 'Guide'.

This should then follow your target feature until the ROI hits the edge of the camera sensor area.

cheers,

Robin

admin wrote: Fri Sep 05, 2025 2:52 pm Hi Michael,

unfortunately those 'Center' and 'Lock' buttons in the ROI area are only for tracking planets (they expect a single, bright target to keep centered against a dark background).

You need to use the 'Feature Tracking' tool to achieve what you want...

* Activate 'Feature Tracking'
* Choose for movement via 'Camera ROI' rather than mount
* Choose either image features or phase offset in the 'Image Movement Monitoring' section
* Press 'Monitor' then 'Calibrate' then 'Guide'.

This should then follow your target feature until the ROI hits the edge of the camera sensor area.

cheers,

Robin

Dear Robin:

The feature tracking works. Thank you.
However there is still an issue I can't solve. When imaging Saturn...
Celestron AVX Mount via CPWI, ZWO ASI662MC, RAW16, Sharpcap 4.1.13724.0-64bit...
when I use the Capture Area [Select ROI] and [Apply ROI] I do get the expected appearance on screen; however, about 6 seconds later Saturn quickly starts bumping to the right and out of the ROI window. The planet is moving in short bumps to the right, leaving the visible area within a few seconds. NOTE HERE: I have turned on the AVX Mounts PEC option and ran the PEC calibration. Perhaps that should be turned OFF? As is; I can't use that feature at all. Perhaps some other setting is causing this to happen? I've seen the "Planet/Disk Stabalization' option in the "Processing" section cause simular issues; but that is set to OFF.

One other issue that is new since installing version 4.1.13724.0-64bit just prior to the issue starting is .....
When running "Live Solar/Lunar/Planetary Stacking and Enhancment"...
I usually utilize the Time Lapse TAB features, especially the "Save an extra timelapse file with unsharpened/unadjusted images" option for processing in BiggSky. I always save to SER Video.
The issue is when I 'want to stop using the "Live Planetary Stacking/Enhancement" and close that features control pannel, SharpCap crashes with a message that the camera is no longer connected and I should close and restart Sharpcap and also unplug and reconnect the camera. (ASI662MC). This occurs repeatedly every time I exit the Live planetary Stacking/Enhancement Pannel. I can use the tool for any length of time but when I [X] out the pannels window I get the same warning. This is new since installing 4.1.13724.0-64bit.

I'm going to roll back to SharpCapInstall-4.1.13417.0-64bit and see if the same issue happens in the previous version.

Hi Michael,

are you using the 'flip image' options at all to re-orient the planet? It sounds like the adjustment to center the planet is moving the wrong way, and then just keeps moving the wrong way after that (because the first move the wrong way put it even further off center). I could imagine that maybe the flip image options could cause that sort of thing, since they invert the relationship between image ROI offset co-ordinates and the image movements. I *thought* I had dealt with that, but maybe not - I will check.

For the crash, could you send me a log please - I have noticed a crash if you change from 8 to 16 bit during a stack which I plan to investigate, but that might not be the same thing.

cheers,

Robin

Robin:

I have used that image rotation option but don't know if it was active at the time of my issue. I will test further ASAP and let you know.

Sometimes that option seems to dissapear. I was looking for it this morning (3:30 AM) in the newest release and couldn't find it.
I'll send a log. Not sure how but one of the FAQs probably explain where the log is and how to send it.

Michael

Hi Michael,

if you have an Altair/ToupTek camera, the option to flip the image is only there if you are in MONO or RGB mode, not in RAW mode.

I did try a test with the flip option used in the camera and ROI planet tracking yesterday (tracking the flashlight on my phone) and it moved in the right direction in spite of the flip being adjusted, so I don't think that is the problem (unless perhaps you have an out-of-date version of SharpCap that might have a bug in that area). Another thing that occurred to me was that the tracking is supposed to find a bright object on a black background - if the background is noticeably bright then that might confuse matters.

cheers,

Robin