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

Date: October 29, 2007 11:46:10 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Newbie question about real time viewing

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "telescopaholic" <bgloger@...> wrote:

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.

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

Jeff's suggestion of a video camera might be a good one, except you

also say you want a firewire camera to work with a computer.

In my experience, you can likely accomplish all the objectives you're

talking about using a video camera to achieve, with a firewire digital

camera and Astro IIDC - you just adjust the exposure time, gains, and

such and you have a real-time display of the images as they're being

acquired by the camera, but on a computer screen rather than a TV. 

Unlike the video camera, however, you have the ability to save your

videos to your computer for later processing (you can do this with a

video camera and frame-grabber as well, but that still requires a

computer in the loop at some point).

I don't have any experience with the Imaging Source cameras, just a

couple of Point Grey color cameras.  I'm very happy with them.

-Tim.