Some busy days!

Phew!  Have things been busy!  As it was my birthday on Friday, the Birthday Faerie visited with cash.  Cash is good.  I took said cash out to see my mate Lance, and exchanged it for some new toys. Nice nice toys.  I got a variable camera projection mount and the noise pollution filter to play with :D  So I thought that with new kit, I would do a kit post, not been one of those for a while :)  So here's most of my kit.  I don't take all of this out, and the camera (astroCam 2) I used to shoot these with is not shown of course.

Some notes:  Galaxy tab is used for geotagging, star charts and reading books whilst waiting for timlapses.  Webcam and Finepix are not in use yet, they're earmarked for prime focus stuffs, once I get them apart.  Hardly ever use the 70-200mm, although its a fine lens indeed.  Enough of this kit-style blather Val!

Here's the first results of what can be done with them.


Here's the first shot through the camera projection mount, taken by Jacqui, so qualifies as her first astro shot ever!  Didn't she do well?  It's the crescent moon, shot on the 20D, using the 25mm mount inside the Camera projection tube.






Then toinght I bodge mounted the noise pollution filter on the IXUS80 and took 2 shots through it.  Done nothing but reduced the noise here.

As you can see that knocks the streetlights right the hell out, so I am defintely looking forward to using this both in the scope and in the camera projection mount.

I just wanted to give a big Thank You to Lance for selling me this stuff oh and the 62mm lens up there in the first Kit picture.

Shots!

Finally we move onto the latest shots, I have been out at the Warkworth satellite dish recently, it's one of two new sites i have become attached to for the shootings.  I know it's kind of cliched with the huge dishes and all, but I like the location.

Also, Timelapse!

The other location was scouted by myself and gfkBill a couple of weeks ago, it's on top of a hill just north of Warkworth called Conical Peak.  unfortunately I haven't been able to get many shots up there yet, due to factors such as it's spooky up there!  Got some tests tho.

So that about wraps up this update really.  Still lots to do, also trips to organize and plan, tutorials to write, fun to have.