From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: March 3, 2010 9:09:40 AM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] ExoPlanet Database


Just to clarify.


NONE of the PGR Cameras are real 16 bit cameras.


They  are 10 , 12 or 14 bit depending on what Camera model it is. You'll have to look it up on the PGR web site to know what bit depth the camera can support.


Except for Sony, all the cameras that deliver > 8 bits upscale the video into 16 bit by multiplying the original result to make the video range 0 to 65535, which makes it very convenient for the devloper to handle.


Also discontinued Scorpions have small pixels (3.65 microns), so they don't gather a lot of light. They likely are good for Solar or Lunar, but are not all that sensitive for long focal length planetary or DSO. I've commented many times on this list in the past the difference that CCD Pixel Size has for sensitivity.


HTH..


Milton Aupperle


On 3-Mar-10, at 5:44 AM, Mark Gaffney wrote:



Terry, 

I checked that seller again just now & it seems he has no more 2nd hand Point Grey Research cameras for sale. I quickly entered this companies` name in the Search box & couldn`t find any listings either. PGR cameras are 16 bit (I have a Flea 2 & the Scorpion bought on eBay) but are quite expensive new. My Flea 2 which is 640 x 480 pixels was about $1400 last May. The Scorpion which is now discontinued is 1600 x 1200 pixels..The firewire types here are supported by Milton..

http://www.ptgrey.com/ 

They`re excellent cameras!


Mark.

On 03/03/2010, at 8:37 PM, Terrence R. Redding, Ph.D. wrote:

So the Grasshopper is a contender.


What about the cameras that have been purchased off of e-Bay recently?  It seems to me they were a larger format and 16 bit?


Terry - W6LMJ - 14.287 


Terrence R. Redding, Ph.D. 

Redding Observatory South, West Palm Beach, Florida

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