Do you need a cheap planetry camera.

[Grotemobile]

http://www.teleskop-...connection.html

I just found this on line.A lot of people

ask about planetry camers.This seems

a good buy for the price.Considering

what the Philips web cams are fetching.

Steve.

[emadmoussa]

I really don't understand all the fuss about the Phillips webcams...I tried them and also modded Xbox ones. They're not even near a good dedicated planetary cameras. I guess it's all about the cost.

[Grotemobile]

I have got one.I think its more about the hype.

Things have moved along, since they first came

out.They are only USB-1, so the down load speed

is slow.One went on the bay for £155 the other day.

Mad,mad mad. Someone made a killing.

Steve.

[emadmoussa]

I have got one.I think its more about the hype.

Things have moved along, since they first came

out.They are only USB-1, so the down load speed

is slow.One went on the bay for £155 the other day.

Mad,mad mad. Someone made a killing.

Steve.

Herd mentality, is it not?!!

[Cozzy]

As you know this is not a cheap hobby.

It’s not a case of herd mentality!

It’s a case of not having a deep pot of cash or a spare car to sell for cash to throw at a section of (Amateur Astronomy) namely astrophotography. A large proportion of astronomers do it on a very tight budget and ‘do it well’ might I say considering they may have financial constraints. There is no point as a newbie spending £250+ for a QHY IMG132e planetary camera only to find out after trialing that the astrophotography world is not for them. Surely better to purchase a camera that will give pleasing results but by no means ‘PERFECT’ but will give them a ‘taster’ which they either will or won’t like.

Tim

[Steve Ward]

@ Emad ,

They're obviously not up to Flea 3's , but for the money they produce cracking results.

As far as UK imaging is concerned there's a lot to be said for a cheap camera as the seeing is rarely good enough to warrant splashing out on expensive kit that cannot perform at its best through no fault of its own.

Why would it be " herd mentality " ?

Unless the " herd " you refer to are that bunch of us that are actually outside attempting to image something , as opposed to just amassing a collection of expensive gadgetry that never sees the outdoors . . .

The SPC900NC is a very capable imaging camera in the right conditions . . .

Mini-rant over . . .

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I liked my SPC900, and got some nice shots with it. I sold it with nosepiece and Baader UV-IR filter to a member of SGL at a much lower price than what they are fetching, because I do agree they are going for crazy prices.

The TS camera seems to be a copy of the SPC900, or rather a Neximage model. Again, compression is a bit of a problem due to USB1.1, so a real USB2.0 with the same chip will be better. An ASI120MC is a much better option, but then those are a good deal more expensive. Not everybody can afford that.

I do not agree with faster, better cameras not being worth it in our climate. In poor seeing a very fast, sensitive camera stand a better chance of capturing those fleeting moments of stability in the atmosphere than a slower, less sensitive one.

[emadmoussa]

I liked my SPC900, and got some nice shots with it. I sold it with nosepiece and Baader UV-IR filter to a member of SGL at a much lower price than what they are fetching, because I do agree they are going for crazy prices.

The TS camera seems to be a copy of the SPC900, or rather a Neximage model. Again, compression is a bit of a problem due to USB1.1, so a real USB2.0 with the same chip will be better. An ASI120MC is a much better option, but then those are a good deal more expensive. Not everybody can afford that.

I do not agree with faster, better cameras not being worth it in our climate. In poor seeing a very fast, sensitive camera stand a better chance of capturing those fleeting moments of stability in the atmosphere than a slower, less sensitive one.

You beat me to it, almost what I wanted to say

[JamesF]

Given that the images below were created with an SPC900 and 127 Mak, I'd not be desperately keen to buy the TS camera given the example they publish. If that's the best they could find with that camera it's not exactly encouraging.

When they were going for £5 a time they were an excellent beginner's planetary camera, especially considering that a dedicated camera with the same sensor is nearer £250. Even at £50 I think they're a very good choice and there's little (If anything) to match them. At £155 I don't think it makes any sense whatsoever. It would be far more sensible to go for a second hand DFK21 (or some other camera) instead. Of course they're not perfect, but if you want perfect you're probably already best chums with the guys at Point Grey.

I don't think there's ever been any hype. No-one (who has a clue) has ever said it's technically better than a DFK21.618 or Flea 3 for instance. However, it is a genuinely good planetary camera for what it cost to buy new (even before it was heavily discounted). The issue is that some foolish people seem to get so fixated on owning one that they fail to realise there are other choices that are probably far better once you get beyond a certain price, and as a result they pay stupid money for them.

What I don't understand is why although there are a whole range of dedicated planetary imaging cameras out there in the £100 to £200 range (new) we very rarely see anything posted by people using them. Are people not buying them? Or are they buying them and aren't very happy with the performance? Or something else?

James

[2stroke]

Are those TS camera's on a real usb 2 bus or fake and 1.1 like the nextimager toucam ect? I have a nextimager and a toucam and they are great cams for the buck and can be modded with a mono 618 though the usb 1.1 kills things in the butt. Personally for me seeing conditions are mostly always poor for planetary, so for me i would need to folk out for the best in the hope to get a couple of descent frames and i can't afford that. The way cmos tech is going and usb3 the future is looking better and hopefully we start seeing some 1080p cams spitting lossless comparsion sooner or later at webcam prices.