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Re: Upgrade to new keypad version (was RE: [ap-gto] Unguided imaging with Mach2) #Keypad

Dale Ghent
 


Which app do you normally use to drive your camera and imaging sessions? Do you not use SGP, but something else? What does your normal imaging workflow involve?

Because of the proprietary formats of DSLR cameras (Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, etc) apps typically need an ancillary program or library to convert those formats into a more common format that it can make better use of, such as converting the camera raw image a basic bitmap and then on to FITS, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and the like. Individual plate solver apps such as Platesolve2, ASTAP, and others generally do not include these libraries (which must be constantly updated to support new cameras as they are released)  so typically only accept inputs of what we call Well-Known Formats, such as the aforementioned. For this, you need a surrogate program which can manage the raw camera files, which SGP and other apps can do, but of those APPM only gets along with SGP at the moment.

I'm under the impression that SGP will just do the right thing when it comes to DSLR raw files and sending them to a configured platesolver such as Platesolve2. Under the camera options for Canon EOS or Nikon, the default option is to save the image data as FITS. It's this data that is used to send on to the configured plate solver in SGP. See the attached screenshot.


/dale

On Jan 3, 2020, at 1:45 AM, Worsel via Groups.Io <bryancashion@...> wrote:

I downloaded trial versions of APCC-Pro and PinPoint from DC3.  In the process of testing these, it appears that PinPoint can only use FIT files for plate solving.  As I image mostly with a DSLR, this presents a barrier, since APPM links to PinPoint in order to build a sky-model.

While I can convert the Raw images to FIT manually, this obviously negates the advantages of automatic mapping.

Have I missed something?  Is PinPoint (and therefore APPM) capable of reading Raw or even JPG files?

Before I go through the process of downloading, installing, and tinkering with SGP, does it allow the use of DSLR Raw or JPG files for PlateSolve2?  SGP can capture images from a DSLR, but I cannot tell if it can use Raw images for PlateSolve2.

I use AstroTortilla now for platesolving vias ANSVR.  Is it possible for APPM to connect directly to ANSVR? rather than go through PinPpoint or PlateSolve2?

Bryan

Thanks.

Bryan
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