My first webcam image

[webby962]

OK, i decided to butcher my £30 MS Lifecam HD webcam and see if it could capture anything at all, mainly as a project and to give me something to practice with to develop my skills.

The converting of the webcam was easy enough, but learning how to use Sharp Cap, Registax 6 and a Windoze laptop was the biggest challenge LOL

I managed to capture about 2 minutes of avi at HD (about 12 frames per second) with the homemade webcam in  my Skywatcher 130P and the kit Barlow. Not sure on the Sharp Cap settings, I was too excited to actually get a round blob on the screen and keep it there to note them down. I also didn't have time to properly polar align my EQ mount (did it with a compass and magnetic North) as I can't see the Pole star from my Garden, but it was close enough to keep the tracking adjustments to something manageable.

Then after about 20 minutes of youtube videos later, I managed to get Registax to process something.

OK, its not brilliant, but it was successful enough to keep me interested. I'm sure there is more I can squeeze out of the £30 cam before I convince the wife I need a 'proper' camera ;-)

Hope its OK.

Adie

[Leveye]

Excellent first attempt results! Can you post a picture of how you're attaching it to your scope please? 

[webby962]

Thanks for the support. I will upload a pic of the adaptor I made.

[webby962]

Here are 3 quick photos of the webcam modified, the mount I made for it from a bit of plastic bar machined to fit both the scope eyepiece and the webcam, and it fitted.

Rgds Adie

[Langy]

That's a great attempt, far better than mine.

[leelee970]

Really good first image, well done.

Lee

[Kirscovitch]

Nice first image. Way better than my first.

[Robbo AR]

Really nice first image , well done !

[glowingturnip]

very good job, nice and clear.

You've got a slight misalignment of colour channels in there, notice how it's blue on the left edge of the planet and red on the right edge ?  Common with webcams I think, at least mine does it all the time.  Fortunately very easily fixed though - in Registax, on the wavelet page, there's a button called 'RGB Align' - click that, draw a box round the planet, and click Solve (or whatever the button is called, am working from memory)

[Pete Presland]

Nicely modded and congrats on your 1st image!

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