NexImage 5 Solar System Imager (5MP)

[sologuitarist61]

Just wondering if anyone has this camera. A 5mp it seems a decent size and the the price isn't too bad (if it is any good, that is). Any comments gratefully received.

http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/neximagetm-5-solar-system-imager.html

[scoobee]

Hi richard

me again, just searched flickr and the images look good, when i was looking for a camera i just searched on flickr to see what can be done, below is a link to some samples

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=neximage+5+solar+system+imager

P.S my ST 102 came the other day so bang on for some solar white images when the sun comes out :grin:

[JamesF]

Does the size really come into it? Depends what you want it for. There's no gain in having a 5MP camera if you use less than 1MP for imaging planets, say, and in fact it could be a disadvantage.

James

[JamesF]

just searched flickr and the images look good, when i was looking for a camera i just searched on flickr to see what can be done, below is a link to some samples

To be honest, I don't think the images that come up in the flickr search are that good. The lunar ones are more promising, but I've seen far better planetary imaging done with other cameras.

Are you thinking of it for solar imaging, Richard?

James

[scoobee]

To be honest, I don't think the images that come up in the flickr search are that good. The lunar ones are more promising, but I've seen far better planetary imaging done with other cameras.

Are you thinking of it for solar imaging, Richard?

James

James

I was just using flickr as a guide as to what others have done with the mentioned camera mainly as a tool to aid Richard decide or partly decide if he thinks it good enough

[JamesF]

I was just using flickr as a guide as to what others have done with the mentioned camera mainly as a tool to aid Richard decide or partly decide if he thinks it good enough

Sure. I just don't think they show it in a particularly good light

James

[sologuitarist61]

To be honest, I don't think the images that come up in the flickr search are that good. The lunar ones are more promising, but I've seen far better planetary imaging done with other cameras.

Are you thinking of it for solar imaging, Richard?

James

Yes James, I was. Using the DSLR I am used to full disk images at 15mp (OK I probably on use 10mp ) and was thinking along those lines but a DSLR on a Hyperion zoom is big and heavy, but I also want to get into DSO imaging at some time, and this seemed a smaller, lighter possibility but the chip size isn't huge. I know a web cam together with image stitching would give me the same thing, but I find the processing side of things rather tedious. A DMK41 would do the trick (as per our previosu discussions on the subject James) but that is out of ,y price range at the moment.

[sologuitarist61]

Hi richard

me again, just searched flickr and the images look good, when i was looking for a camera i just searched on flickr to see what can be done, below is a link to some samples

http://www.flickr.co...r system imager

P.S my ST 102 came the other day so bang on for some solar white images when the sun comes out :grin:

Thanks for the link Matt, never thought od searching Flickr like that, doh ! Glad you have the scope now, do you have a Baader filter for it yet? Certainly am looking forward to seeing your results as and when - good luck

[Gina]

That camera wouldn't be very good for DSO imaging. Looks quite a fair planetary camera though.

[sologuitarist61]

Thanks Gina, I feared someone might say that . Perhaps it is better that I stay with what I am used to - the 50D has plenty of pixels to play with, so blow ups from quite small sections are still many millions of pixels in size.

[scoobee]

Thanks for the link Matt, never thought od searching Flickr like that, doh ! Glad you have the scope now, do you have a Baader filter for it yet? Certainly am looking forward to seeing your results as and when - good luck

Richard

All in hand i managed to get that metal holder to go on the ST 102 from a charity shop and going to replace the film with some new Baader (which is at the post office waiting to be collected), then should be well away. I hope to put some images on here ASAP for your perusal and others, rather bashful about it considering the high class images that I have seen on here (EEK :laugh: ).

[sologuitarist61]

Go for it. I have put some rubbish on here and received a lot of replies that haven't discouraged me to much and helped me along the way, most people are kind and give you the benefit of their wisdom. Don't forget I am only just down the road if there is anything I can help with, just PM me first

[Gina]

We all were at the starting gate sometime so don't worry about posting what you consider as rubbish. What I like about SGL is that everyone is very helpful and nobody makes nasty remarks. We will try to give positive criticism and help beginners improve their techniques.

Good luck

[Gina]

Thanks Gina, I feared someone might say that . Perhaps it is better that I stay with what I am used to - the 50D has plenty of pixels to play with, so blow ups from quite small sections are still many millions of pixels in size.

A DSLR provides a good starting point for getting into imaging DSOs and many great images have been produced with them.

[sologuitarist61]

Yes I have been following your DSLR work with great interest and admiration Gina.

Edit

I wonder why no one has taken a DSLR sensor, say a 15mp one, and done some circuitry for it to make a decent, small, self cooling astro camera with plenty of pixels? The money you have to pay for a 3mp astro camera just makes me squirm - I haven't spent that sort of money on my entire kit!!

[scoobee]

We all were at the starting gate sometime so don't worry about posting what you consider as rubbish. What I like about SGL is that everyone is very helpful and nobody makes nasty remarks. We will try to give positive criticism and help beginners improve their techniques.

Good luck

Go for it. I have put some rubbish on here and received a lot of replies that haven't discouraged me to much and helped me along the way, most people are kind and give you the benefit of their wisdom. Don't forget I am only just down the road if there is anything I can help with, just PM me first

The transition between terrestrial and astrophotography is a vast difference I spent many a year doing 35mm and medium format and now facing the challenges of dealing with digital and the many aids on offer (registax and gimp alike) well please don’t hold your breath anyway onwards and upwards

[Gina]

Yes I have been following your DSLR work with great interest and admiration Gina.

Thank you

I wonder why no one has taken a DSLR sensor, say a 15mp one, and done some circuitry for it to make a decent, small, self cooling astro camera with plenty of pixels? The money you have to pay for a 3mp astro camera just makes me squirm - I haven't spent that sort of money on my entire kit!!

I guess the main reason is that Canon (and other manufacturers) don't publish the data required to use their sensors. Also, there is little or nothing to be gained by buying a sensor (as a replacement item) as these cost more than a refurbished body from ebay. It's easier and cheaper to start with a complete body and remove unwanted parts than to build up from the sensor or even the imaging assembly.

[JamesF]

Richard, is my recollection correct that you're using an ST120 for solar imaging, with a Herschel wedge, but the image thus produced is too large for the camera sensor so you're imaging through an eyepiece to reduce the image size? Or is it that you can't focus the camera without the eyepiece?

James

[sologuitarist61]

Richard, is my recollection correct that you're using an ST120 for solar imaging, with a Herschel wedge, but the image thus produced is too large for the camera sensor so you're imaging through an eyepiece to reduce the image size? Or is it that you can't focus the camera without the eyepiece?

James

Can't focus without the eyepiece for some reason. Strangely it seems that I cannot get the camera close enough to the scope to achieve focus, as when I rack out the focuser the image gets less and less focussed. I have found that it does this at prime focus as well ie without a wedge/diagonal in place.

[sologuitarist61]

Thank you

I guess the main reason is that Canon (and other manufacturers) don't publish the data required to use their sensors. Also, there is little or nothing to be gained by buying a sensor (as a replacement item) as these cost more than a refurbished body from ebay. It's easier and cheaper to start with a complete body and remove unwanted parts than to build up from the sensor or even the imaging assembly.

There has to be a market there Gina for some electrocnics whiz kid, to buy up old 8mp 300D bodies and figure out a way around the problem.

Isn't it strange how manufacturers charge more for a part that the itme is worth sometimes - I had that with a printer once where a new print head cost more than going down to Staples and buying a new one - talk about a throw away society!!

[JamesF]

Can't focus without the eyepiece for some reason. Strangely it seems that I cannot get the camera close enough to the scope to achieve focus, as when I rack out the focuser the image gets less and less focussed. I have found that it does this at prime focus as well ie without a wedge/diagonal in place.

So, it appears that you have two separate problems, the first of which is that the image scale is too small and the second is that there's insufficient inwards travel of the focuser.

Assuming there's nothing in the wedge that affects the image size, the ST120 has an image scale of 344 arcseconds per mm. The Sun is about half a degree in diameter, or 1800 arcseconds, That ought to mean that the Sun only appears 5.25mm wide on the image plane which suggests to me that something is happening inside the wedge that enlarges the image. Does that sound possible? Does it contain lenses as well as optically flat components?

I'm genuinely surprised that you can't get the camera to focus without the wedge or diagonal. I've used my ST120 for imaging with an SPC900 and had no problems getting focus with a reasonable amount of travel to spare. When you tried that, how were you connecting the camera up to the focuser?

James

[Gina]

I've found sometimes that it's cheaper to buy a new printer with ink included than it is to buy new ink cartridges In fact the one I've got now is only slightly more than replacement inks even though it's an all-in-one. With my last printer the foam pad that takes the overflow ink from cleaning was full it said and that it needed to be sent back to the factory to be fixed! What a ridiculous state of affairs! So I just bought the cheapest printer that filled my needs. I hate this "throw away" society! I might take the old printer apart sometime and see if I can fix it. If not there may be some parts I can make use of.

[Cornelius Varley]

Can't focus without the eyepiece for some reason. Strangely it seems that I cannot get the camera close enough to the scope to achieve focus, as when I rack out the focuser the image gets less and less focussed. I have found that it does this at prime focus as well ie without a wedge/diagonal in place.

The problem is usually that you can't rack out the focuser to achieve focus, the problem being that the telescope was designed to reach focus with a diagonal in place. Removing the diagonal and attaching a camera directly to the focuser shortens the optical path by the length of the diagonal. This distance needs to be added back in to the path by the use of an extension tube to maintain the correct distance.

[Cornelius Varley]

Yes I have been following your DSLR work with great interest and admiration Gina.

Edit

I wonder why no one has taken a DSLR sensor, say a 15mp one, and done some circuitry for it to make a decent, small, self cooling astro camera with plenty of pixels? The money you have to pay for a 3mp astro camera just makes me squirm - I haven't spent that sort of money on my entire kit!!

Someone has http://www.centralds.net/cam/

[sologuitarist61]

Someone has http://www.centralds.net/cam/

Thanks for that Peter, I must investigate further