QHY IMG132E - Anyone managed any decent planetary images with it?

[lukebl]

Hi all,

I've been imaging for a few years now, but just can't get crisp planetary images. I did have a DFK 21AU618.AS, but sold it in a rash moment, then got a QHY IMG132E despite reading no positive reviews about it. I think I was seduced by the small pixel size, which I thought might give me sharper images. Here's my best effort so far, from last night, 1st February 2013.

I managed 10ms exposures at a frame rate of 25 fps. 250mm f/4.8 Reflector, 3x Televue Barlow. This is the result of 2000 frames stacked in Registax

It's just not sharp at all, and wondered if this about all I can expect. Has anyone produced decent planetary images with one? I know that it's possible to get some really excellent crisp detailed planetary images with a 10" Newtonian (Someone on this forum does it, but I cant find his images at the moment), and I don't expect the results to be as good as a C14. But it can't just be seeing, inexperience or collimation, as I've been doing this for years, collimation is good but I still can't get the results that others are acheiving with a 10" Newt.

Or is the QHY IMG132E as bad as I think it is?

[Bizibilder]

These are about the best I've managed with mine, although the seeing has been awful thiese last few weeks: (But only 120mm aparture!)

And these with the 180 Mak.

I must admit that I've been considering getting an Imaging Source DFK 21AU618.AS Colour but I need to do come proper research this time!!

[lukebl]

Thanks Roger.

Some nice images there, but I'm still not convinced by the IMG132. Hardly anyone seems to use them and although I can get reasonably fast capture times of 1/100 sec at 25 fps, they're always 'soft'. Probably operator error, but expect this to appear in the classified section soon for someone else to have a go it.

[Bizibilder]

I had another try last night - (I use 7ms exposure and gain of 100) - and normally capture 10,000 frames at about 65fps using firecapture - I had to drop to 5000 frames last night so i could get in the gaps between the clouds!:

Still not as good as most of the Images you see on here (and elseware!) with the same scope set-up but different camera.

[lukebl]

Roger, I'm impressed that you can manage 65fps. I've had real problems with Firecapture (it just crashes), and use the bundled IMGVideo software instead.

[Bizibilder]

I could never get the IMGVideo to give me more than 4fps!! (Yes - four). Firecapture seems to work very well - but you do have to load an "extra" to get the QHY to work - have a look on the Firecapture website and it explains it. (Although you probably have already done so!)

[SimonfromSussex]

Interesting thread, I have been playing with an IMG and the settings for a few months now.

These are my best efforts with the IMG, it's certainly no 618 but then it is a £100 cheaper.

C925 with x2 barlow

and then one without barlow

I agree getting a sharp image is a challenge. I find too much gain tends to make it more grainy but less gain and you loose some detail.

I tended to get about 20fps with a x2 barlow and the 925.

On the moon (brighter target) I could get nearer 40fps.

I wondered if it was my laptop that actually restricts the fps, i.e. it's not powerful enough to manage faster and I think my next go will be with a newer laptop.

[Bizibilder]

I found I had to use a tiny ROI to get the higher frame rate (252x250px). if I go to 480 "square" then i can only get around 20fps - full frame and it drops to 15 fps. The other trick I sometimes use is to collect RAW data and to debayer it afterwards - Firecapture comes with a debayering program to do this. As a bonus it also gives you much smaller capture file sizes. For the tiny ROI that I use there is no advantage and I collect the colour image directly.

Other tricks I have learned is to ensure that things like Antivirus are up to date (or it treats your "download" from the camera as dodgy data!), wireless internet is off (AV or windows downloads!!) and the AV is not doing a background scan of your hard drive .......to name but a few.

[riklaunim]

Pixel size doesn't affect sharpness, it just affects which focal ratio gives maximal-optimal resolution. A Newtonian can easily do planetary imaging, and at some aspects it will have an advantage over SCT.

Your initial image just needs some color balance and noise reduction to give it quite good look. Super sharp and very nice images can be achieved only at very good seeing. And using 10 ms it actually to short exposure. You shoot that at high gain which increases the noise. Also if the camera can't do at least 30 FPS (while for brighter Jupiter 50-60 FPS would be nice) then it's quite useless at efficient planetary imaging. For Jupiter it's good to record at around 50-60 FPS at 1/50 - 1/60 sec exposures and lower gain to match the histogram fill.

[lukebl]

Thanks, Gents. I'll tinker with the settings a bit more before I write if off completely!

[Bizibilder]

Looks as if we should be trying around 20ms then and not 7! I'm not entirely sure there is enough left in the gain slider to accomodate that? Hopefully it will be clear tomorrow night (if a bit breezy!) so some experiments may get done for once.

[lukebl]

Hi all,

I done a bit of tinkering and have now managed to get my IMG132e to work with Firecapture, and have managed to get a framerate of 40/50 fps at 12ms, and even 70 fps at 11ms, working on a ROI (Region of Interest) of 400x400 pixels.

However, I have noticed that when using the ROI selection, it automatically chooses the top left-hand corner of the sensor. It occurs to me that you're not going to get the sharpest images towards the edge, and I could tell by the chromatic aberration in my images that this was the case. Surely the ROI selection ought to select the centre of the frame. Any thoughts on this?

[Bizibilder]

I think you are stuck with the top corner! (Luckily for me as there is a humungous dust bunny on mine - dead centre and 1/5 way from the top - I must get a blower to try and remove it!).

[lukebl]

Hi all,

Perhaps I might have written off my IMG132e too soon. This is a capture from this evening (9th Feb 2013) and it's much better than anything I've acheived previously. I lengthened the exposure to 20ms, and captured it at 40 fps with the standard IMGVideo software. c. 2400 frames stacked from 3000 frames. 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian + 3x Televue Barlow.

For comparison, here's a capture of approximately the same region from a couple of nights ago. It must be better seeing tonight, or maybe I've just got the settings right this time.

[Bizibilder]

Well done Luke that is by far the best Jupiter you have posted. It seems the QHY needs quite a bit of fine tuning to get good images from it.

- I've just posted some images I took tonight with the camera gain set at zero - seems to have made a difference too!

[emadmoussa]

Interesting...I'm buying this cam, and will definitely get back to you guys for a piece of advice.

[lukebl]

Interesting...I'm buying this cam, and will definitely get back to you guys for a piece of advice.

Welcome to the club. Quite a small club, I think, but I'm certain the IMG132e has a lot of potential!

[emadmoussa]

Welcome to the club. Quite a small club, I think, but I'm certain the IMG132e has a lot of potential!

Small club indeed. I looked around online for reviews...not many out there who have this camera. The ones who did expressed nothing but praise. Having checked specs and produced images, I'd say it's a camera has a great potential - like you say.

[lukebl]

..... I looked around online for reviews...not many out there who have this camera.......

Same here, I ended up buying it blind, and as you see from this thread I was rather disappointed at first. You just need to get the hang of the settings and, of course, ensure that focus and collimation are spot on.

[ollypenrice]

Well, I'm impressed! I suspect that some careful noise reduction in processing could add a little polish but, as a non planetary imager, that looks good to me. Not many years ago it would have sparked a sensation.

Olly

[emadmoussa]

Same here, I ended up buying it blind, and as you see from this thread I was rather disappointed at first. You just need to get the hang of the settings and, of course, ensure that focus and collimation are spot on.

This thread actually helped me make up my mind. I see you're happy with:)

Yep, like everything else in astronomy it'll take some hair pulling and frustration, but eventually you'll overcome your learning curve...or at least I am hoping so...fingers crossed.