DFK72 Jupiter First Light

[bus_ter]

A quick test from the new camera last night...

There are so many options and settings I don't know where to start! This was taken *without* a barlow and an ROI setting over the planet to boost the FPS. 50fps uncompressed means I'm getting 3000 frames a minute...

Initial thoughts on the camera..

1) Large 5MP sensor means it's easy to find Jupiter.

2) Once you 'ROI' this down to 640x480 Jupiter is about the same size as using the SPC900 with a 3x barlow

3) Had to back the gain right down to stop it over exposing.

4) There seems to be an IR filter built in. I'll try adding a IR/UV block filter and see if it makes any difference.

5) Default white balance was way off, but a quick play in the camera settings sorted that out

6) High gain settings show a lot of 'hot pixels' ?

Looking forward to having a proper night out with this camera...

[stellawolf]

I think that is a nice capture well done

[Stephen Green]

Very nice images

Stephen

[bus_ter]

I thought it's worth giving a little info on this camera..

It's a 'Celestron Neximage 5' which uses the 'Micron MT9P031' 2592x1944 5MP CMOS Sensor. This is the same sensor used in the Imaging Source DFK72 (and DMK72 for the Mono version). It's also used in the new QHY 5P-II camera. Because it's designed for astro use it comes with a 1.25" nose adapter and a built in IR 'window' filter over the sensor.

The internals are pretty much identical to the DFK72, so much so that Celestron include DFK72 drivers and a custom version of the Imaging Source capture software iCap. I have even successfully flashed a new version of the DFK72 firmware which allows long exposures up to 30s. The software gives a lot of control over the sensor, including ROI and 2x/4x Binning.

Don't be put off by the fact it's a CMOS sensor. They've come along a long way in the last couple of years and I think we will see them replace CCD sensors.

I found this graph online comparing sensor performances

Only the Sony ICX618 significantly outperforms this chip, however because of the 2x/4x binning and the high pixel count we can bin and still maintain a good resolution.

So how much do these bad boys cost? Well they're rare over here but you can find them for about £250. However you can import them from the states for £120 + p&p (which is what I did). So for £150 I think this is potentially THE bargain camera of the moment. Especially when you consider it doesn't need any extra adapters or filters like a webcam.

[JamesF]

Not too much to complain about there for a first night out with a new camera.

James