From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>
Date: July 14, 2005 11:10:21 AM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] just wishing
Hi Alan;
I wouldn't exactly call the Lumenera cameras "Web Cams", especially if you look at their pricing, and their Microscopy Cameras are pretty expensive. However the images he posted are done with both the Lumenera (for luma) and a Cannon D300 (for color) camera, so their is a bit more too it than just a single camera shot. Also when run using their WDM Direct X drivers, they only deliver 8 bits per pixel video (ie mono8 or RGB24) too (same with QuickTime out of the box as well).
I know the guys at Lumenera pretty well, since I used to work with the owners and main hardware / software developers there back in our Vitana days. We all left the company at about the same time (actually I left 3 weeks before they did) - just going in different directions.
The biggest thing you need to overcome with any camera system for doing DSO's is your guiding. If the scope isn't actively tracking perfectly, then your stars aren't pin points and you scatter those feeble photons across multiple CCD detectors and lose the image brightness. So you need sub-pixel guiding of your scope before you'll ever get really good DSO's, like those incredible shots that Richard Crisp and other do with say 4 hour ha exposures.
As for other cameras, I've been looking at Prosilica's offerings
http://www.prosilica.com/products.htm
, especially their EC1380 or EC1380C it's Sony 2/3" EXview HAD IXC-285(AL or AQ) CCD
http://www.prosilica.com/news/EC1380_CCD_camera.htm
or
http://www.prosilica.com/products/ec1380c.htm
the color CCD has about 2x the sensitivity of the 1/4" CCD that the Unibrain web camera for the same exposure time. I don't know if they are compatible or what their pricing is like yet.
On a side note, I bought a Peltier cooler ($45 CDN with shipping and taxes) and have been experimenting with cooling some of my cameras (especially the Flea PGR - which due to it's small form factor runs hot) down to below ambient room temp. I was all set to test it out this week (we finally got clear skies and no wind) and my !@#$%%$%&%* hand controller dies on the Orion scope, so I've go no motor drive. It's ordered, but given the hassle it is getting things across the border with all the paper work, it will be 2 weeks before I can even use it again.
TTYL..
Milton J. Aupperle
President
ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting
Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist
#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.
Calgary Alberta Canada T2R0N5
1-(403)-229-9456
www.outcastsoft.com
On 14-Jul-05, at 10:19 AM, Alan Friedman wrote:
You might enjoy a look at the very nice images posted by Paolo Lazzaroti to the Astromart CCD Imaging/Solar System this morning. He took images of three bright summer Messier objects with his Lumenera camera. This camera connects via USB 2.0 and is not compatible with ASTRO IIDC. But it might give you some idea of the image quality and the field of view of webcams used for deep sky.
BTW, this forum on Astromart is an excellent source of info for planetary imaging and processing techniques.
Alan
On Jul 14, 2005, at 11:59 AM, Alan Friedman wrote:
Hi Willie -
Just my .02, but I would enjoy your webcam for the planets, sun and moon and save your money for a dedicated cooled astro CCD camera if your interests take you to deep sky photography (or perhaps a digital SLR if you do a lot of daytime photography too.)
If you really get into planetary imaging you will find enough targets (and hours of processing) to keep you busy year round - and your equipment will be capable of state of the art results as your skills improve.
While you can do good work on double stars I think you will quickly be disappointed with the limitations of webcams for extended deep sky objects.
best,
Alan Friedman
On Jul 14, 2005, at 4:32 AM, Willie Strickland wrote:
OK, if I had the funds and my wife would go along with the deal, what
would be the best firewire camera to get if I wanted to use Astro
IIDC and wanted to get some decent images of deep space objects? How
much would it cost me? Am I dreaming? Would that camera still be
capable of planetary imaging?
This is just for discussion, I didn't win the lottery or anything like that.
--
Willie Strickland
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