They are named after paul bahtinov, who developed the first designs. This model generator allowed for the size of the mask to be adjusted according to the measurements of my own telescope. After reading many discussions and articles in web pages and forums i decided to build my own bahtinov mask. How does this mask work, and how did mr bahtinov get the idea to cut such a peculiar shape. The spikea bahtinov mask is made from quality light weight aluminum and machined with precision tools, then anodized black to eliminate light reflection. The mask is a joy to use, and makes absolutely precise focussing easy and quick, and is more accurate than the traditional hartmann mask. Bahtinov mask created by 3d printing astronomy notebook. It can be used alone or in conjunction with software such. Some friends of mine recently won a 3d printer in a contest, so i thought id design and print a bahtinov mask for my telescope. Therefore, the most obvious way to me is to have three bahtinov masks designed into the mask. Continuing the discussion from focusing using bahtinov mask. I have looked into diy bahtinov mask but my hands are not steady enough to cut one.
In each panel, im showing the star as viewed with top and without bottom the mask in place. I get focus on the moon by looking at a zoomed in image from my camera and rolling the focus back and forward to determine a range of best focus and then dropping the focus in the middle. I made a simple program that detects the three lines of the bahtinov pattern and tells you how far the central line is from the crossing of the diagonal lines. Jun 23, 2017 a homemade bahtinov mask by reddit user ozvooky. May 10, 2011 does a focus mask work for lunar imaging, so you focus on a star then pan across to the moon keeping the same focus. To help get an accurate focus with my c11, a bahtinov mask was placed over the corrector lens. I have made a new mask the carey mask, which i think can be even more accurate than the bahtinov.
This farpoint bahtinov mask fits telescopes with outside diameters of between 5. The spikea attaches securely to your scope using nylon screws to ensure the finish of your telescope is protected. Ive also made a number of bahtinov masks myself and ive seen a few commercial offerings. Anyone who has ever taken a photograph knows the importance of focusing.
This symmetry should produce a diffraction pattern that is also. They are an inexpensive tool which will allow you to achieve pinsharp levels of focus, saving you time and improving your work. Had access to 3d printer, so i made a bahtinov mask. I have down loaded the software, and a box with set capture area, and donate is all that shows up. This distance depends on the focal length of the objective and the distance between the objective and the subject.
I have recently purchased a sigma 1424 art to use primarily in widefield astro. The bahtinov mask achieves perfect focus in seconds. Jan 02, 2014 to help get an accurate focus with my c11, a bahtinov mask was placed over the corrector lens. The mask will produce six long angled diffraction spikes on the star. Measure your diameter from the end of the tube or dew shield. Dec 02, 2017 to 3d print the bahtinov mask as shown in the images above, i used opencad a free software and a readymade tweakable template or model called bahtinov mask generator modded which i found on. Carey focus masks use slits in two angles, 12 degrees on the left and 10 degrees on the right.
To 3d print the bahtinov mask as shown in the images above, i used opencad a free software and a readymade tweakable template or model called bahtinov mask generator modded which i found on. One mask is a general purpose mask designed to fit refractors and newtonian telescope. As long as the mask slots are not damaged, the mask should continue to perform well over time. A bahtinov mask is a musthave for every astrophotographer. Astromania bahtinov mask focusing mask for telescopes fm200mm for a tube outer diameter od from 215mm260mm can be mounted with the brass screws inside or outside the drawtube. Im running the 32bit version on a netbook, canon 300d camera and dslrfocus software. The slots are angled in such a way that they create a diffraction pattern with 3 spikes in an x when aimed at a point light source.
Im running the 32bit version on a netbook, canon 300d camera and dslrfocus software for image capture. So i thought i would try a farpoint fp400 bahtinov focus mask to see if it would help me focus better. It consists of a disk made of opaque material fitted over the telescope objective with slots cut out in a specific pattern devised by amateur astrophotographer pavel bahtinov. The bahtinov mask, invented in 2005 by a russian amateur astronomer, pavel bahtinov in 2005, is a device used to focus using a bright star. But i cant get the mask to show the starshaped rays of light emanating from the star i. Farpoint fp410 bahtinov focus mask celestron 8in sct fp410. See and buy bahtinov focusing masks at our hertfordshire uk based showroom or buy online. It will require a dslr to be unmounted to attach the mask and again to remove it, but that is a minor issue. Thus, my idea of a tri bahtinov mask that has three bahtinov masks arranged in a 3fold symmetric fashion. Unlike autofocus and star measuring software tools, this old school method can be done without the use of an external computer, and only takes a minute. There might have been condensation on the lens but i do not know. A bahtinov mask can help you achieve a sharp focus for your astrophotography images. Although masks have long been used as focusing aids, the distinctive. Great bahtinov mask for c11 with hyperstar or without.
This process is an essential step of any deepsky astrophotography session. The bahtinov mask the sky at night in digital images. Starwave tm bahtinov masks are adjustable to fit a wide range of optical tubes, unlike. Relativetothehartmannmask,the diffraction pattern created by the bahtinov mask allows for much more precise focus.
Even the smallest possible deviation from perfect focus noticeably degrades image quality when zoomed in to 100%. Pick on a nice high contrast region the moon has lots and it is quite simple and gives good results. Bahtinov grabber for any camera niels noordhoeks weblog. Telescope focus aids telescope focus masks high point. Two of them form an x shape, and another spike crosses it, forming a shape. This example shows a simulation using another of niels software marvels maskulator. Select the farpoint fp410h version not this item for all new celestron scopes.
Bahtinov mask other focusing methods the bahtinov mask, invented in 2005 by a russian amateur astronomer, pavel bahtinov in 2005, is a device used to focus using a bright star. Bahtinov focus mask to fit canon efs 1585mm adapter to fit canon ef 100mm f2. Msc thesis student theses faculty of science and engineering. The bahtinov mask is a very elegant solution to one of the biggest problems that besets the deep sky astrophotographer focus. Achieving focus has been a tough challenge since i began with astrophotography, so i decided to do something serious about it, preferably something that does not cost a lot of money. See image 6 this software analyzes the pattern created by the bahtinov mask and reports how far from perfect focus you are. The center hole fits well over either the secondary mirror or a hyperstar attachment with a qhy10 camera attached. Bahtinov grabber goes 64 bit and 32 bit update niels. Fine focus and bahtinov masks ask craig stark labs. Credit goes to russian amateur astronomer pavel bahtinov for making his idea available to the astronomy community. Astromania bahtinov mask focusing mask for telescopes. Three patterns were calculated for each of the masks, one in precise focus, one with 12 microns off focus, and one at 36 microns. Aspikeaexample of the nowclassic bahtinov mask is shown in image1. Hartmann masks are cut either with circular or triangular holes.
Also when the problem occurs the mask angle is also shown incorrectly. It provides an intuitive new way to simplify dslr, webcam or ccd camera focusing for. Bahtinov mask other focusing methods astronomy notebook. It is common practice to focus your camera dslr or astroccd on a bright star as this star and the object you want to image will both be at infinity so getting the star in focus will ensure that the deep sky object. This focus mask type is the only one that does not use diffraction and are best suited for gross focus adjustments as smaller discrepancies can be difficult to detect. Farpoint manufactures this lifesaving astrophotography tool out of virtually indestructable abs plastic and comes in two major types and in a range of sizes. Comparison of focusing masks gabor toth astrophotography. Farpoint bahtinov focus mask for celestron 8 classic sct. How to make bahtinov mask, pdf templates deepsky watch. This mask attaches to the front of the scopes objective lens to show the astronomer how to precisely focus their telescope.
The idea is to create a specific diffraction pattern so that you know if you image is in focus. Input values appropriate for your telescope, and press the generate. Most if not all newer celestrons have fastar or they are fastar ready. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Bahtinov mask the easiest way to achieve sharp focus. There are many methods, software and devices on the market but the bahtinov mask is the least expensive and is a very effective tool. Bahtinov mask focusing feature backyardeos otelescope. On a recent shoot i used mf set to infinity but focus was off. No matter which type of camera you use, a bahtinov mask can help you achieve a higher level of accuracy when focusing your telescope or a camera lens. For focusing the image of a telescope, one can use a bahtinov mask. It is common practice to focus your camera dslr or astroccd on a bright star as this star and the object you want to image will both be at infinity so getting the star in focus will ensure that the deep. In 2008, pavel bahtinov, a russian amateur telescope maker and astronomer, published an ingenious new way to easily focus your dslr camera, webcam or ccd camera for astrophotography. Farpoint astro bahtinov focus mask for meade 10 sct fp4. When precize focus is achieved the pattern becomes symmetrical.
Its also much quicker than focussing using software. Simply place the bahtinov focus mask over the end of your telescope made in the usa by farpoint astro amazon warehouse. The focus error was 300 microns, and the distance between the x. The gerd neumann bahtinov mask is of high quality and should last a long time with care. Farpoint fp410 bahtinov focus mask celestron 8in sct. It requires the capability to acquire 640x480 images. Here, ill show a video of me using both the current version of the fine focus tool and augmenting this with the use of a bahtinov mask. Use of this network, its equipment, and resources is monitored at all times and requires explicit permission from the network administrator and focus student. Unlike a hartmann mask which provides no visual cues on the direction of travel needed for focusing, the spikea mask is a bahtinov mask which clearly shows the direction of travel needed to achieve focus.
I can also say without reservation that the spikea mask is the bestmade version ive seen. We have not yet decided if we are going to do this. With adapter it fits lenses smaller than 77mm outer diameter. The bahtinov mask is a device used to focus small astronomical telescopes accurately. Bahtinov focus masks are the brainchild of pavel bahtinov, a russian amateur telescope maker and astronomer. Farpoint bahtinov focus mask for astrophotography manufacturer part number fp410. A software tool has been written using python to analyse the obtained images at the focal. Using and making flyscreen bahtinov mask for focusing. Farpoint bahtinov mask for refractors or newtonians with 5. Unlike autofocus and star measuring software tools, this old school method can be done without the use of an external computer, and only takes. These are not generic masks, each mask is tuned to the telescopes focal ratio for the very best performance.
Apt has a function called bahtinov aid based on bahtinov grabber technology and it provides an excellent visual and digital reference when using a bahtinov mask to come to focus. Its an elaboration on the idea of a hartmann mask something you stick over the front end of your scope to induce a diffraction pattern that makes focusing. The bahtinov mask has become the preferred method of focusing a telescope, either visually or when imaging with a ccd camera, dslr or webcam. Improve your astrophotography focus with a bahtinov mask. Whether youre doing planetary visual observing, planetary imaging, or deep sky imaging, the bahtinov mask is a great accessory to get the best focus for your telescope quickly and easily. The batinov mask consists of three separate grids that produce three angled diffraction spikes when the telescope is pointed at a bright star. The pattern is so that you end up with 3 lines crossing the source. A bahtinov mask is a focusing aid for astronomy in general, and. Lightweight, precision cnc cut, non flexing and with adjustable rubber tabs. For an sct, the secondary mirror has three adjustment screws. When i tried it on my 14 inch, which was still settling down to ambient temperature, i could watch the centre line move as the focus changed with temperature. Basic and advanced tips for getting the most out of this popular. I have used the bahtinov mask feature and byes fwhm.
The spikea focusing mask astronomy technology today 61 the focus knob, the line will either move towards the center of the v or away from it. Designing a mask using drawing, design, or cad software can be challenging, as the. I used the patterns from astrojargon and copied the rest from my telescopes normal cap im super impressed with how well it works, and gets the focus way more accurately than i could by eye. The bahtinov mask was invented by pavel bahtinov from russia. Since there was a very bright star in the field alnitak, the leftmost star in orions belt, the diffraction pattern produced by the mask was easy to see in the camera display.
Adjust the telescopes focus so that the central spike appears directly between the other two. A bahtinov mask creates diffraction spikes visible to the viewer, with each direction of slots in the mask corresponding to a spike. If you are unable to have a pc outside with you while you are imaging with a dslr and it can be problematic with moisture, cold and power issues there are some alternatives to aid obtaining an accurate focus. Whilst its of no use to me now, before i used autofocus the bahtinov grabber was so useful to quickly achieve accurate focus so i think it would be a really useful addition to sgp. The bahtinov mask gets focus as good as can be achieved with this lens. Sep 07, 2016 the mask will produce six long angled diffraction spikes on the star. The telescope parameters were set to be a 10 at f4. If you get a deadon polar alignment, and focus then on a near by bright star, using the fwhm feature is really superior to the bahtinov mask.
A bahtinov mask is a focusing aid for astronomy in general, and astrophotography in particular. Bahtinov focus mask for older classic celestron 8 sct without fastar or hyperstar. Ive been having difficulty focusing to infinity with my canon 6d and samyang 14mm f2. This indispensable astrophotography tool is constructed from nearly indestructible abs plastic. Farpoint bahtinov masks are by far, the easiest, fastest and most consistent manual focusing aid available to the amateur astrophotographer. It is very easy to use and will result in obtaining precise focus with a camera lens. The other mask is designed to fit schmidt cassegrain telescopes. The bahtinov mask makes it easy to focus your dslr camera, ccd camera, or webcam when imaging the night sky. Although masks have long been used as focusing aids, the distinctive pattern was invented by russian amateur astrophotographer pavel bahtinov russian. Of the two i have come to prefer the full width half maximum fwhm feature of bye. Precise focusing of telescopes and astrographs is critical to performing astrophotography. Shop great deals on millions of quality used products browse now. The image projected by the objective gets sharp at a certain distance behind the objective. Bahtinov mask to focus on a star focusing tips youtube.
1495 467 1307 107 1390 651 108 589 343 642 1540 922 373 1002 1158 513 637 1335 301 910 698 1260 103 1396 1637 747 1029 77 938 651 1357 221 184 880 1331 31 106 873 174 1404 597 1436 1456 279 1174 1437 437 700 369 1391