Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

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Ben Cartwright SASS
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Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

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Post by Ben Cartwright SASS »


I keep hearing about people using their Quark Chromospheres at -1, 0, or +1 and getting good results on the Chromosphere, it seems like a Quark should be on band when the temp knob is centered, at least I would think.

What I have found with mine is that when it is centered straight up, 0 or 12 o'clock, the proms are hard to see and the surface has minimal definition and contrast. When I set it at -3 I really can't see proms and the surface is not there really.

When I set it at +3 ( 3 o'clock) I get good Proms and Chromosphere, although maybe it is looking through it a bit, as +5 gives an even darker image and less of the photosphere - and I can't turn it past +5


Here are images from 3 different settings, -3, 0, and +3 I captured in Sharpcap with 16 bit mono and stacked in AS!3 these are the "raw" images of 50 of 500 stacked, no sharpening or any other processing.


What do people think?


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Image
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Re: Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

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Post by AstroBee »


Looks to me like 3 o'clock for the prominences and somewhere around 12 or 1 o'clock for the surface is a good pick.
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Re: Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

#3

Post by 515bonner »


Have you tried adjusting your exposure settings on the camera? That could make somewhat of a difference. Are you getting the same results visually?
If it looks okay visually with the adjustments, I'd say play around with the camera settings. What you see visually and what you see with the camera are
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Re: Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

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Post by Gordon »


Here's what I have found.

Each Quark is different, some seem to work with lower setting and others with higher settings. Also the ambient temperature seems to come into play, in the warmer times I use different settings than the cooler times. Also it seems that using different settings for Proms vs surface works. I wish there was an "easy" way to figure it out but if there is I sure haven't found it.
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Re: Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

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Post by Ben Cartwright SASS »


I never look visually, tough enough to see the laptop screen with my eyes and cataracts.

What I do is the following, on the ASI cameras there are no setting on the camera such as are on DSLR's

I warm the Quark up to between +3 and +4 and then I will set the gamma to 100 and crank the exposure and check for proms. when I find one to image I back the gamma off to 95 and adjust the exposure to get the best looking image, then do 500 frames, then I will play with the gamma backing it off a bit and do another capture after each change.
Next I drop the gamma to 1 and adjust the exposure to get the surface I want, I then do 1,000 - 2,000 frames and then will adjust the exposure a couple times and capture an avi at each change.

I have never had a problem getting both proms and the surface that I process separately and combine in Photoshop.

I just thought a test would interesting

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"Sometimes having is not so pleasing as wanting, it's not logical but it is true"
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Re: Test of knob setting on Quark Chromosphere - Thoughts?

#6

Post by Lowjiber »


Quarks are aptly named. Like their namesakes in the subatomic world, in seems that no two are alike (Gordon's point).

From a practical standpoint, it is difficult to compare notes... Jeff and I have compared settings several times over the years, and it is hard to draw parallel conclusions from each other's data. In his examples above, the +3 settings for both the prom and surface look great. In my case, there is no way that I could get those two results with an identical setting on my Quark... I would have to at least back the +3 down to around +1 to capture that prom detail that he shows in his example.

As Gordon pointed out above, ambient temperature plays an important part as well. I'm unsure of how the Quark actually functions internally. Here in the desert summertime temps are well above 100deg (F) every day. When I shift the wavelength with the "magic" knob, I really don't trust it... I give it a little more time. That may seem like voodoo, but my experience tells me otherwise. (That's the main reason I don't shoot in the summer months.)

Another factor that I keep in mind is that Quarks seem to have a limited lifespan... More voodoo?? I keep a watchful eye on mine. The moment it appears to have "issues", I'll pull-the-trigger and get a new one.

I know I've rambled a bit, but we all need to share our thoughts on that mystical red thing that we all love and hate at the same time.:)

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