Seestar update: How to do flats!

AstroRoom

Easy guide on how to do flats : )
https://youtu.be/KvPVjUSpN0w?si=lqdcP8d_Lz5hRH_W

starnet59

Has anybody managed to do this new flat field calibration thing? I watched the tutorial, I watched the YT video, but it does not work. As soon as I press the Shoot button:

some text flashes on the screen, way too fast to read what it says and then this dialog takes its place:

I press the Got it button but nothing else happens. I am pretty sure no flat field calibration happens but I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

This would be a nice feature to have, if it worked.

AstroRoom

starnet59 what are you using to shoot the flats? White t shirt? Phone screen? Sky only? Are you indoors or outdoors

starnet59

I am indoors, it is still daytime here. I had given up on the whole thing, after you listen to the annoying lady with the British accent 10 times you would too, so I shut the S50 down. But then I saw your message, turned it back on and now it works! I cannot use the phone because I need it to issue the flat screen command, so I used a sheet of paper. As for white t-shirts, that's harder to find than a EQ wedge ;-)

So now it works and I have no idea what the problem was.

Daemon42

They really should add a 3-5 second delay between the time you press the button and it starting to shoot. Could even add an audible cue or countdown.. "3 2 1 go" It seems to take the first exposure (no filters I assume) immediately when you press the button, which means there's no time to place your white screen phone over the lens and it always fails when the lighting changes on the next shot. I had to charge my tablet and use that instead.

As for using paper, I'd think that'd only work outside in the daytime with uniform lighting on the backside of it.

3AC9bx99

Worked for me. Using a piece of A4 paper outside was a bit hit and miss as the slightest breeze would disturb the paper and the procedure would fail. So I used a white handkerchief with the paper on top and weighed it down with a lens cover cap, then it worked. You can hear clicks as the filters are engaged and then the message it was successful.

The-Patrician

The introduction of flat shooting is a nice addition, I agree a delay might be useful, does anybody know if they are applied in all modes i.e. - Lunar Solar & Scenery ?

starnet59

I have an even better idea than just a delay, a delay and a blank white screen on the same phone, directly in the SeeStar app, how hard can that be? Press the Shoot button, turn the screen white and wait for a few seconds until the user places it on the top of the S50/S30.

Brille

starnet59 That's exactly the suggestion I was about to post. Please build the white screen directly into the app - with a small time delay before shooting. I couldn't get the flats to work last night because I only had a tablet outside and no other smartphone or similar.

bschnitzer

I would also like to know if the flat field data is applied to each sub (thereby making the subs pre-flatted for use in external stackers) or are they applied only to the final stacked image within the Seestar deep sky stacking routine (thereby making external stacking unable to use flat field data)?