Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

BEST Webcam for planets?

t0ny

By t0ny
in Getting Started With Imaging

Recommended Posts

t0ny

t0ny

Posted
Posted

Hi, I don't even own a telescope yet but my finger is hovering over getting a Skywatcher 130m.

I'd like to get some nice lunar shots and try my hand at Jupiter. (Heard this all before? Sorry!)

I realise dSLR is too expensive and not much better for planets?

So us the telescope good enough? (Not the p model)

Do I need the motor?

And lastly what's the best and highest quality webcam I could get? And will the quality if webcam make any difference?

Found this in another thread which seems crazy cheap??

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=251125680037

Thanks for any help!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

In my opinion the best webcam for planets is still the SPC900. They come up for sale now and again (there's at least one on ebay at the moment I think) and whilst they're more expensive than most other cameras they are far better. I did a comparison of some of the commonly used webcams:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/168060-spc900-vs-xbox-live-webcam-vs-lifecam-cinema/

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169561-spc900-vs-ps2-eye-camera/

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scott

Scott

Posted
Posted

I would get the "p" (parabolic) better optics.

As for webcams :- xbox= cheap and very reasonable

philips= moderately priced and very good

astro webcams= much dearer but exceptional

Tracking makes things so so much easier

Scott

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scott

Scott

Posted
Posted

sorry, if your sure you just want to image planets then the parabolic isn't so important. if you did want the parabolic then you can buy the ra motor for about £50-£70. pretty sure that once you start imaging planets you'll want to have a crack at dso's. it's very addictive

Link to comment
Share on other sites
t0ny

t0ny

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I thought the 130 would do nothing more than show a smudge for dso which is why I though for my money it would be no chance?

Is it the case then that the 130p will be a better all round device?

So a 130pm (thanks nephilim) would be perfect?

I did read the pm was discontinued, is this ancient stock?

Also, dual axis motor? Is that needed? My ultra basic brain tells me it only needs to move one way? Or is this so it can follow an angle too?

Thanks again everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AstroJOE

AstroJOE

Posted
Posted

Phillips spc900 seems to be widely reguarded as best web cam. I ordered mine brand new from eBay last year. Probably paid a bit over the odds at £70 plus import tax but didn't want to settle for second best and didn't have the patience to wait around. Xbox cam much cheaper and also seems to get decent reviews so depends how much you're prepared to spend I guess....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nephilim

nephilim

Posted
Posted

I thought the 130 would do nothing more than show a smudge for dso which is why I though for my money it would be no chance?

Is it the case then that the 130p will be a better all round device?

So a 130pm (thanks nephilim) would be perfect?

I did read the pm was discontinued, is this ancient stock?

Also, dual axis motor? Is that needed? My ultra basic brain tells me it only needs to move one way? Or is this so it can follow an angle too?

Thanks again everyone!

Ah, didnt realise that, the skywatcher 130m with ra (cant get dual for an eq2) is about £180. :smiley: I find the ra motor is fine & u only need the odd tweak in dec now n again.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
t0ny

t0ny

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok, getting a little bit over my head now...

Sounds like to get the most out of my first scope a parabolic is much better and I need a motor for the webcam shots. Is there maybe something a tiny bit more expensive that will do this? (No one tell my wife though) this birthday present has grown from the pair of shoes I was getting!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nephilim

nephilim

Posted
Posted

It really depends on how much 'a tiny bit' is, I've only used the xbox cam and i'm more than happy with it, JamesF has alot more experience than me and recommends the phillips if u can get one. The next step up to making it 'easier' is to start remotley guiding ur scope (start thinking thousand & not hundreds of pounds) and thats a whole step up!! I bought 'making every photon count' & it's been a great read & given me lots of good info & advice so i really would buy that, Personaly thats the extent of my knowledge at the mo, but like most people, I'm always learning. :smiley: Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
burger

burger

Posted
Posted

Hi All

I am very new to this and got my 130M 2 weeks ago and had approx 20 mins clear sky, I have spent the last two weeks scouring ebay for CCD webcams, I now have 3.

Creative labs NX ultra

Logitech 4000

D-link net cam

All for under £10 each.

I have fitted the eyepiece adapter and had a quick go in the daytime to check they work and the quality is unbelievable to be honest, I was not expecting them to be so clear.

The creative one seems a bit clearer as I believe has the Sony CCD rather than Sharp ( i could be wrong).

There are still a few running on ebay at the moment for about £8, if you dont mind taking them apart to fit the eyepiece adapter.

Still not sure how to get them to do long exposures or if it is controlled by Sharpcap, still playing around with the software.

Anyway even after 20 mins looking at the moon im hooked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
burger

burger

Posted
Posted

Creative Labs camera looks interesting. It has the ICX068BQ CCD sensor I believe.

James

Hi

According to the website it has Sony ICX098BQ I never looked to be honest when it was in bits, just compared the connections so I knew it was a Sony rather than Sharp CCD.

I think I am confusing myself regarding the long exposures needed.

Do I just run for as long as needed in AVI mode(movie) then stack the images (registax) or need to set long exposure in picture mode (jpg) like I would on my DSLR.

I have a feeling I have just answered my own question.

Sorry for such a basic question but so used to SLR work this webcam stuff is confusing the old grey matter a tad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

My typo. Apologies :)

For planetary imaging you need exposures as fast as you can get away with, usually saved as an avi. It's really a case of experimenting with exposure time and gain to get the best balance.

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites
burger

burger

Posted
Posted

My typo. Apologies :)

For planetary imaging you need exposures as fast as you can get away with, usually saved as an avi. It's really a case of experimenting with exposure time and gain to get the best balance.

James

Thanks James for the replies,

Yes best to try the software on all options I suppose and work out the best ones, only tried in daylight due to cloud coverage so just need to wait.

Cheers

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.