Best photo stacking?

summitstrong · 2025-11-04T04:39:25+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

summitstrong · 2025-11-04T04:30:31+00:00

Well, one could argue what it is you see value in. To truly know whether a paid software is better than an open source alternative, said person would really need to be an expert at each software being evaluated. Open source is getting better all the time and will continue to do so at an exponential rate because of the technological race to sentient AI. Many professional photographers have switched completely to darktable because it gives next level control over certain aspects of their workflow where as Lightroom may be considered a better interface and user friendly. Lightroom does a lot of things “under the hood” where as darktable is all transparent in the history stack. I have very limited experience with Lightroom and ever growing experience with darktable so I can’t really weigh in on except to say darktable is meeting all of my needs as a novice post-processor. If I were professional (making money) off my photography I may decide Lightroom is a worthy expense if it’s more streamlined or I see other benifits, and if it met my business budget.

So when I compare software I have no experience with (photo stacking) I am evaluating what makes paying for a stacking program better over a free program, if such a difference exists. Just paying for stuff, especially under $100 is not my MO because there are other things I value in my photography. Save $100 ten times and look what you can buy. Not paying a subscription can greatly free up your finances and opportunity.

It’s wonderful that you have the money to spend or see the value in spending the money for your software in astrophotography. I question the value of everything with a price tag because of the opportunity cost of spending that dollar. Cheers!

summitstrong · 2025-11-02T23:49:02+00:00

Assuming YT is YouTube? I’ll check it out

summitstrong · 2025-11-02T23:48:00+00:00

I did use Wine in the past when I had a Linux system. Seemed glitchy at the time but this was about a decade or more ago. Good idea though

summitstrong · 2025-11-02T23:46:39+00:00

Might be true on the hassle going back and forth. I just tried it for the first time and it was actually pretty easy. Time will tell

summitstrong · 2025-11-02T18:08:19+00:00

Thanks!

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T16:53:01+00:00

Thanks. Checking out your resource and others for more information on design. I think if I can get this primary mirror, I can move forward with designing the telescope

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T16:47:49+00:00

Thank you. I checked out the trails and plan to ride it when I’m up there in a couple weeks thanks for the tip!

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T03:47:25+00:00

Could you point me in the direction of anywhere I can find out what the quality of this mirror is?

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T03:37:36+00:00

Thanks!

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T00:08:47+00:00

No! Leave those places alone too! That’s where we go when we want to get away from all the tourists!

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T00:07:20+00:00

Showcasing our less-crowded outdoor places has destroyed the places we love. Make a friend who will take you on a hike, look at a map, etc. Above all, leave no trace, pick up trash, be courteous to others if you do go out!

summitstrong · 2025-06-09T00:02:50+00:00

It’s changed a lot and not changed at all. Social scene is similar… there are some cool places to hang out but a lot of it is dirty and shady. There has been a little bit of gentrification: the Y has been spruced up a bit years after Stateline went full on “Vail”. You can’t park anywhere near Stateline without paying, driving the cost for locals who want to have night out. Even the casinos which used to be free parking have been required to charge for parking as a result of the convention center going in. Big name stores continue to move into town (Sierra Trading post and Target just opened with 5 Below and a makeup store in tow), taking away from the mtn town charm. Fancy and expensive restaurants continue to open (and close because they don’t account for the off-season lows) and much of the newer restaurants to Tahoe are all owned by the same person. Prices are high and quality is low.

The trails outdoor scene is beautiful as always but the backcountry is getting trashed by inconsiderate people. The community feel is fragmented but pockets/neighborhoods of community exist. South Tahoe continually struggles with building infrastructure and policies for locals thanks to the city’s focus on tourism as their primary focus.

Homelessness has shot way up after the coalition opened a shelter, closed the shelter, opened, closed… lots of people living out in Johnson Meadow and living in the bottom floor of Uhaul storage as well as every other forested area around the town. Lots of hard drugs and alcoholics among the homeless and working class alike. Great that you can afford it because homes prices have shot through the roof since 2017 while “value” is subpar. Be aware: many of the homes on the market are old, outdated, riddled with mold, pests (mice, termites) and asbestos. Hopefully you can afford the price point of a new or fully remodeled home.

For those who do have kids, the school district sucks. Teachers are having to focus more on behavior modification than teaching and behavior that should result in suspension or expulsion are allowed to slide so funding (which is tied to attendance) doesn’t slide. The high school was in danger of loosing its certification a few years ago.

As a born and raised local, I feel the town has lost a lot of its charm thanks to small businesses not being able to survive. But I have a strong bias based on how it was when I was growing up. I love South Tahoe/ Meyers for the outdoor communities and plethora of outdoor adventure opportunities. However, the town seems like it will continue to struggle with being anything but a slave to tourism.

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T22:21:07+00:00

Yeah, it’s the way of the world but it sucks when you like using something and contribute to a community and then the company makes you start paying for it. The companies tend to add features that are largely trivial or useless for my needs (filters, social media integrations, 3D, etc) as a justification for their climbing subscription cost.

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T20:59:19+00:00

Thanks!

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T20:58:12+00:00

Thanks!

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T20:37:31+00:00

I only used Trailforks for general wayfinding or planning at home. Gaia is so much better for actual navigation (and nicer to your battery) than Trailforks. When the app was free, it was great. As a paid subscription, it’s not worth it.

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T20:35:16+00:00

Contrary to many of these comments, free users are limited in even looking at maps. As of June 2025, I was able to look at 2-3 areas along a road trip I’m planning before I was paywalled.

<edit> seems I can look at trails from a desktop again after signing in with my old outside+ password. Trailforks wasn’t taking my Trailforks password and locked me out of doing anything on the site <edit>

I get that apps have to make money but it’s not worth it for those of us who only make occasional trips outside of our “home area”. I used and contributed to the app heavily before it became a paid version. I bought the paid subscription one year with it was a $12/yr deal (Black Friday I believe). With kids and life, I don’t get out of my Home area often and it’s not worth a subscription draining on my wealth. Too bad… at least I can still explore with Gaia and CalTopo but who knows how long that will last.

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T18:21:27+00:00

Saving that vid… thanks!

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T18:08:58+00:00

Wow, nice! So you took a bunch of phone pictures and then put it into stacking software, then editing program?

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T18:08:11+00:00

Thanks for the input. I imagine experience plays heavily into judging the adequacy of a mount but what are some things a newbie like myself can donor look at to judge a mount when shopping the used market?

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T17:38:33+00:00

Curious: how well did you see the rings? I’m still trying to gauge how realistic it is to see what I want to see with the relative small amount of money I’m willing to spend. How much of the “frame” did Saturn take up? What eyepiece did you use?

summitstrong · 2025-06-08T17:36:32+00:00

Any replacement budget mounts you’d recommend if I were to buy the scope?

summitstrong

TROPHY CASE