From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: October 29, 2007 9:57:39 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Newbie question about real time viewing


Dear telescopaholic;


On 29-Oct-07, at 8:38 AM, telescopaholic wrote:

I have not yet purchased my Imaging Source Camera and request advice.  I want to be able to 

observe in real time, not a video image, but stacked images.


No it doesn't display stacked images in the live Video preview window. It can auto open an the resulting 16 bit (Mono 16 or RGB48) stacked image with another application though. Then you have a permanent record of it too.



Can the software be configured to automatically examine the frames as they come in, discard 

bad ones, stack the rest and display the ever improving image as the camera runs ie for a 

minute?  I assume that setting gain, gamma and frame rate would affect the picture.


Yes it can stack and discard, but to how well this will works is debatable. Turbulence is a major issue with any form of stacking and discarding what looks good and is not good it subjective. And because your doing it live which has time constraints, it's far less flexible in your options or what it can do than post processing a movie.


For now I'm not interested in using the video camera to capture frames for later Photoshop 

processing, but as an aid to help me see in light polluted NYC and for public viewing.  I have 

a Meade video eyepiece and while it does display an image on an LCD TV for all to see, I hope 

to be able to use a digital Firewire camera and computer (MAC) to enhance the live image.


What sort of objects are you going to be mainly imaging? The FireWire cameras are not "TV video cameras", and they have far more flexibility for exposure times and gains rather than a fixed 30 fps frame rate ones. You can also run the cameras with Astro IIDC in binned modes which improve light gathering at the expense of resolution too.


Is this possible and if so which camera would you recommend?


It is difficult to say what camera you should get.


1) Is color important or not? Most Astro object except Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are not colorful at all and monochrome cameras are more sensitive than color.


2) What size video do you want out of the camera without scaling? Large sizes mean slower frame rates and more processing time, so there are trade offs.


3) What sorts of targets are you going after?


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 T2R0N5

1-(403)-229-9456

milton@outcastsoft.com

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