camera

[nightfisher]

Hi all, im trying to purchase another camera for lunar afocal work and its bewildering with so many different types of compact camera`s, there is ones with big lens and others with tiny lens.......can any one help out with some suggestions before i pay out and maybe get it wrong:icon_scratch:

[Ad Astra]

Just a rule of thumb, larger lens and larger sensor (CCD chip size) usually means a better image.

I don't know what's available locally where you are, others may be able to offer more specific help.

Dan

[Bizibilder]

Have you considered using a webcam?

[nightfisher]

i do use spc900 but i really like afocal imaging:D

[benjy85pb]

I use afocal a lot because I'm poor and can't afford anything fancy. Plus I'm also lazy and can't be bother with over-complicating my setup with things like laptops and external power supplies etc etc.

YouTube - ‪AstronomyAndNatureTV's Channel‬‏

YouTube - ‪AstronomyAndNatureTV's Channel‬‏

I found those two video's quite helpful for picking up some tips on afocal work, and don't let the name digiscoping turn you off! It's the same thing! But basically a camera with a small lens similar in size to a 1.25 inch eye piece appears to be the easiest to use for afocal.

Also in my personally experience, to get the best from afocal you'll want to look into something that'll attach the camera to the eye piece, like the ST98 digital camera adaptor. Really helps get those steady shots and makes it easier to do mosaics because you're not trying to balance the camera near the eye piece whilst quiding the scope and trying to press a button at the same time... well that's if you manually track that is!

Another suggestion of mine is to look for a camera with good time delay's on them. Mine's only got a 2 sec and and 10 sec and the 2 sec is the only useful one. So look for something with 3 sec delay or above because when using that it gives the scope or the yourself the time to steady the image when pressing the button, as pressing the button can give blurred shots unless you do it carefully enough. But also because if you're manually tracking the scope it gives the scope time to stop shacking when you move it.

Hmm... that's about all I can think of right now with what I've learn't from afocal imaging. Not much, but I'm learning as I go!

[nightfisher]

many thanks benjy, that was very helpul, i already do afocal and have a digiscope mount, just want to get the right camera, this has stopped me from wasting money on an unsuitable camera

[benjy85pb]

many thanks benjy, that was very helpul, i already do afocal and have a digiscope mount, just want to get the right camera, this has stopped me from wasting money on an unsuitable camera

Oh right, fair enough! Glad I was helpful though and hopefully help you save you money and tears.