From: "Tim" <tjp314@pacbell.net>

Date: December 8, 2005 2:47:02 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Optronics Magnafire SP camera

Jim:

I looked at the ads, and considering it's a discontinued, used product with no warranty, I

don't think that $500 bucks is such a good deal. Particularly since for astro use you can

probably only count on it being useful for deep sky imaging using the microscpe

application software and modifying your acquisition and processing routine for the

specialized purpose of DSO imaging. And then, it's only 8-bits when you're done anyway.

Even if it were Astro IIDC compatible, it doesn't seem so great stacked up against one of

the Pt Grey or Imaging Source cameras with a comparable number of pixels (though the

Magnafire's are larger and thus possibly more sensitive than the Pt Grey's at that number

of pixels).

I still believe that the best imaging setup for planetary is a 16-bit firewire camera (I shoot

color, but I may add a monochrome camera at some point) and Astro IIDC. I recently

purchased a SBIG ST2000XM for deep sky, and it might be worth trying on the planets, but

nothing beats the simplicity, light weight, and ease of setup and data acquisition of my Pt

Grey Flea and Astro IIDC for planetary, of the 6+ camera/software combos I've tried.

The Flea/Astro IIDC even does a decent job on DSOs (better than my Meade DSI Pro/

Envisage), as a trip to the files area will show you. I've taken a few, and posted one, but I

didn't have any way to autoguide before now. Now, with the SBIG camera and autoguiding

cables for my Tak mounts, I may shoot simultaneous video sequences with the Flea on a

piggyback scope to see how far I can push it.

best,

-Tim.

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Milton Aupperle <milton@o...> wrote:

Hi Jim;

We've never tested the MagnaFire, only the MacroFire and MicroFire

cameras. The Quanitifire is based off the MacroFire design so it

should work fine. I have no idea if the MagnaFire would work or not.

The main issue I have with all Optronics cameras is they have very

slow IO read/write at the register level compared to any other camera

I've worked with. This is really noticeable, especially when Astro

IIDC first access the camera and it takes a few seconds before the

camera control window appears. With other cameras that's much less

thna 0.5 seconds.

You also only get 8 bit out of the cameras and limited frame rate

support (7.5 or 15). To run in 16 (12 actual) bit mode means going to

Format 7 and I really have very little interest in supporting it

within Astro IIDC.

Also they have a huge heavy 120 volt power supply brick for these

cameras too - they are not bus powered. Even the cameras themselves

are really large and heavy.

So it it may be a "deal", but it may not work. And supporting

obsolete camera is pretty low on the totem pole for Astro IIDC.

Hope That Helps..

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

milton@o...

www.outcastsoft.com

On 8-Dec-05, at 11:28 AM, jimchung2338 wrote:

This message is probably best answered by Milton but I also wanted to

let everyone else know about it.

eBay has about three Optronics Magnafire SP cameras for sale, a

discontinued product that is firewire and 1.2 Megapixels designed for

microscope imaging. I know Astro IIDC supports Optronics current

cameras being the Macrofire and Microfire but will Magnafire work

too? Specs look quite good, long exposure time and affordable.

regards,

Jim