For MSB Astroart 8.0/7.0/6.0 under Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7.
Copyright 2017-2022 MSB Software. All rights reserved.

Version 1.50 for NIKON™ DSLR cameras.

This plugin is copyrighted freeware. This means that this plugin can be freely copied, but not sold or used as a separate product. This plugin should be used only with Astroart software, by the owner of the Astroart license.
This plugin is provided "AS IS". It's not guaranteed that it will work properly on all PCs and all Nikon cameras and related hardware. This plugin and its documentation are provided without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including the fitness for every purpose. In no event shall MSB software be liable to you for any special, consequential, indirect, or similar damages, including any lost profits or lost data arising out of the use or inability to use this product even if MSB software has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation may not apply to you. In no case shall the MSB software liability exceed the purchase price for the product. MSB Software will help to solve the most common problems related to the setup of this plugin and the host PC, but it's not guaranteed that this plugin is able to work on all systems.
If you don't accept these terms don't install the plugin in the system.

To install the plugin execute the program AANikonSetup, select your camera model, the PTP version (use the older version for old cameras on Windows 7) then click the "install" button.

This plugin is compatible with newer Nikon cameras where the Bulb mode can be controlled via USB, (since 2013, so theoretically: D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600, D7100, D7200, D600, D610, D750, DF, D4S, D500, D810, D810A, D5, 1V3, D800, D800, D850, plus: D5100, D7000, D7200, D300, D300S, D700 using the Shoestring DSUSB cable for bulb exposures) and the mirrorless models (Z6, Z7, Z50). The plugin have been tested only with some models, so at the moment it's not guaranteed that all the cameras above are really supported.
Some cameras may require the Microsoft Visual Studio x86 Redistributable 2013 available here, or 2017 available here.

Before to start we suggest to set the camera to "M" mode (to allow Bulb) and Manual Focus, then start Astroart and click Camera Interface from the menu Plug-ins.
Click the "SETUP" button to display the plugin dialog box, then click "Connect" to connect to the camera.
If this fails, check all hardware connections and verify your camera with the free program: DigiCamControl.

Focusing requires the Camera Interface 6.01 ore newer, which is available at the Astroart web site. This plugin also works with Astroart 5.0, but focusing is not supported. Focusing is performed shooting real exposures (usually 0.2 - 0.5 seconds) since the LiveView exposures would be too short.

• Image and focus format: The default option is "Images in RAW and focus in JPEG" which uses the maximum quality (RAW) for images and fastest download speed (JPEG) for focus frames. Focusing require the Camera Interface 6.01 or newer.
   
• Use Bulb mode for short exposures If enabled, Bulb mode will be always used, but you must remember that the minimum exposure time for Bulb if approx 0.1 seconds. If disabled, the exposure time for short exposures (shorter than 2 seconds) will be approximated with a classical camera exposure time, for example if you set 0.01 seconds, then 1/125 will be used.
   
• Ambient temperature You may set a value which will be saved into the FITS header of each image.
   
• Temporary folder The path of the folder used for temporary files.
   

• If you use RAW mode, remember to don't set binning 2x2 when downloading images, otherwise the bayer pattern (which contains color information) will be deleted and it won't be possible to synthesize a color image. Instead, use binning 2x2 for autofocusing.
   
• Stopping an exposure may return a blank image or just the previous exposure, so don't consider it as real data.
   

2022/08/01: 1.50: RAW images supported on Nikon Z6 and Z7.

2020/01/12: 1.40: Added support for the Nikon D850.

2020/01/12: 1.30: Added support for the Nikon D300, D300S, D700, with DSUSB cable.

2019/04/18: 1.20: Added support for the Nikon D800/D800E.

2017/05/21: 1.10: Shoestring DSUSB support for the D5100 and D7000, fixed a bug with the D7200.

2017/03/16: 1.00: The first public release.


Copyright 2022 MSB Software. All rights reserved.
www.msb-astroart.com