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Which mod should I get for SPC900NC?

mpeniak

By mpeniak
in DIY Astronomer

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mpeniak

mpeniak

Posted
Posted

Hi

I am sure that some of you guys could recommend me what modification I should go for if I wanna get the most of my toucam. Basically I would like to start DSO imaging but also get my webcam modified to B&W as it should be more sensitive even for planetary imaging. I've been on astronomiser's website and the mod I would probably go for is SC3 with T-ring(not sure if I need that) and focuser adapter and air cooling( not sure how that helps). However it costs £215 and there is no mention of B&W modification only of bigger CCD ship. Do I have to pay separately for SC3 mod and for B&W mod please? Please help me decide what would be good choice for me.

Thanks

Martin :wink:

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MartinB

MartinB

Posted
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The SC3 chip is B+W.

Don't expect a huge boost to the resolution of your planetary images though. Sensitivity isn't an issue as it is with deep sky imaging. Your unmodded cam has small pixels so resolution is good. A more serious limitation is the USB 1 connection which restricts you to 5-10 frames per second. This applies to the SC3 as well. That said, you can still get a massive amount of data at that frame rate.

The SC3 is a great DSO web cam - very sensitive and K3CCD tools is very good software for it. Images are a little noisy with some amp glow in one corner despite the amp off control. The chip is small but there are lots of suitable targets. It is 8bit which hits the resolution a little when you stretch the image. These are minor niggles, it would be a great choice

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geppetto

geppetto

Posted
Posted

Probably get shot down for this but here goes... :wink:

£215 for a Toucam (modded or not) is too much to pay in my opinion.

Very little planet stuff around to use it on at the moment and it will never

quite make it as a serious DSO camera.

Standard unmodded Toucam takes some beating (at the price) for lunar

and planets.

Save up a bit more (and it is only a bit more) and buy a DSLR.

You won't look back :cool:

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MartinB

MartinB

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Probably get shot down for this but here goes... :cool:

Yes you are :wink::lol: You can't really compare a DSLR with an SC3 because they perform in such different ways. Here are some areas where an SC3 might offer benefits over a DSLR

1) More sensitive chip (a good bit more than a DSLR) - provides a decent amount of data off relatively short exposures.

2) Work really well with short focal length scopes - smaller pixels give good resolution whilst the short focal length is forgiving on the mount.

3) Can be used with narrow band filters much more easily than DSLRs - all those very sensitive pixels are working.

4) Solar system imaging - the small chip is a major plus here for high frame rate capture. A DSLR is really just not at the races here (although an unmodded cam is more or less as good)

5) Extremely easy to use with K3CCDtools provided you are happy about using a laptop.

Just have a look at Roger Warner's results with an Atik 2HS which is really an SC3

Now there's a list of advantages for DSLRs so you probably need both or pay megabucks and go down the ccd route!

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geppetto

geppetto

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Fair comments Martin.

But, my argument is that in Mpeniac's case he already ( I think) has a webcam

and un modded, it's an already very capable planet/lunar camera so it was a

question of worth spending £215 to get a bit better webcam...

I still think that it's a three option thing, webcam: DSLR: £1000+ dedicated camera (or all three if you can )

The in betweens never seem very good value to me (Meade DSI is a case in point)

Not to forget of course that as the skies get poorer (and they are), dedicated astro cameras

are'nt going to get much use in any one year

In my case, my Toucam (LX modded) and my D40 DSLR offer a realy good cost effective astrophotography

set up. I would love a higher end CCD camera but there just aren't enough clear skies to justify the cost. :wink:

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MartinB

MartinB

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In my case, my Toucam (LX modded) and my D40 DSLR offer a realy good cost effective astrophotography

set up. I would love a higher end CCD camera but there just aren't enough clear skies to justify the cost. :wink:

We're saying the same thing Philip! A modded webcam and DSLR is a great combination. As far as which modded web cam - you pays your money and takes your choice - an SC3 is a proven performer

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Trevor

Trevor

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Martin

The SC3 has 7.4 micron pixel size from a quick look on the site, use this chart to see what focal length you will need to image your chosen objects.

I think the Toucam has 5.6 micron so the image size with the Toucam will be bigger for a given focal length, hope I am making sense…….. :wink:

574_thumbnail.gif

(click to enlarge)

Trev

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mpeniak

mpeniak

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Martin

The SC3 has 7.4 micron pixel size from a quick look on the site, use this chart to see what focal length you will need to image your chosen objects.

I think the Toucam has 5.6 micron so the image size with the Toucam will be bigger for a given focal length, hope I am making sense…….. :cool:

574_thumbnail.gif

(click to enlarge)

Trev

Thanks Trev

So when I get SC3 it'll give me smaller pictures of planets and DSO if I understand it well. Is that correct? I was quite happy with the picture size of my planetary images taken with toucam and 4ximagemate.

Martin :wink:

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Trevor

Trevor

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Martin

You will get smaller images of the planets, and a better field of view for DSOs with that size chip.

I could be totally wrong but that’s my understanding of it.

I chose to go the planetary route and changed my scope to match what my interest is, when I looked at Venus for the first time with my C11 all I could say was “my god” the difference between a 8 inch newt and a 11 inch SCT really has to be seen to be believed especially on the planets and the moon.

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Kaptain Klevtsov

Kaptain Klevtsov

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Martin, I have an SC3 modified webcam and wouldn't dream of using it on planets. Firstly you would need to do RGB using a filter wheel to get the colour, secondly the pixels are bigger so the planet image covers fewer of them (smaller image size) and finally the planets are bright enough that you don't need a long exposure modification anyway. Stick with a standard webcam for planets, its so much easier.

The camera that Pete Lawrence uses is a very high frame rate (probably USB2) mono camera so it makes sense to RGB the images. The benifit is the high frame rate which the SC3 can't do.

If you want to get into DSO imaging, the SC3 is a great way to go. Ha narrow band imaging is fun with an SC3 but you will struggle to get wide views of M42, big nebulae and so on. I used a 135mm camera lens and had some good results.

Kaptain Klevtsov

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mpeniak

mpeniak

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Ahh well. :wink: Maybe SC1.5 would be the way to go for me. It's the same chip and I can use it for DSO and it's B and W so I can get more detail from planets using RGB filters. And for DSO I could use focal reducers, couldn't I?

Thanks for help to all

Martin :cool:

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mpeniak

mpeniak

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Don't get too carried away and forget the limitations of

your mount Martin.

Don't think you'll be taking 4 minute exposures with the EQ5 :cool:

What is the maximum exposure length I can take on EQ5 then :wink:? I can still take more shorter exposures and stack them up in registax, can't I?

Thanks

Martin :lol:

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geppetto

geppetto

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What is the maximum exposure length I can take on EQ5 then

Varies a lot as to how well tweaked they are but to be realistic,

your looking at maybe 1 minute maximum with a drop of say

40% of the images due to PEC errors and such.

Only reason I mentioned it is that if your wanting to move up a gear

in the astrophotography field then maybe a better mount might take priority

over a better camera. :wink:

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mpeniak

mpeniak

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What is the maximum exposure length I can take on EQ5 then

Varies a lot as to how well tweaked they are but to be realistic,

your looking at maybe 1 minute maximum with a drop of say

40% of the images due to PEC errors and such.

Only reason I mentioned it is that if your wanting to move up a gear

in the astrophotography field then maybe a better mount might take priority

over a better camera. :wink:

What is PEC error and is not 1 minute long enough to begin with DSO imaging?

Thanks

Martin

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geppetto

geppetto

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It's general errors in the worm and other gear mating surfaces.

1 minute is indeed enough to do some DSO imaging, I did it for

three years or more with an EQ5 and a modded Toucam and enjoyed it.

When I moved up to an HEQ5 though, the difference in tracking accuracy was amazing.

I can get up to 2 minutes unguided with the Toucam and only scrap maybe 20%

of the shots.

It's the main reason that I mentioned a DSLR, the much wider field is a lot more

forgiving of a shaky mount....

Expensive hobby :wink:

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