Webcam Help.

[UnboxingReviews1997]

If you can't find them anymore. In meantime you can just use a cheap plosl 1.25" eyepiece and screw off the lens Assembly and use the 1.25" aluminum threaded tube to fit in the webcam with some Heavy duty tape.

It's how I did it 4 years ago.

ok, thanks for the tip, just ordered the Microsoft Lifecam Cinema, should be arriving on the 24th. 

[UnboxingReviews1997]

ok, thanks for the tip, just ordered the Microsoft Lifecam Cinema, should be arriving on the 24th. 

Would some electrical tape wrapped around the lens assembly work?

[Skipper Billy]

The chap at Billetparts makes them in batches of a dozen and they sell out fast.

He has also had issues with his CNC machine and a couple of weeks ago he was still waiting for parts from the USA.

Its worth waiting for though !!!!

Wrapping tape might work but any movement and your video is staring right at the delete key ;-)

[UnboxingReviews1997]

The chap at Billetparts makes them in batches of a dozen and they sell out fast.

He has also had issues with his CNC machine and a couple of weeks ago he was still waiting for parts from the USA.

Its worth waiting for though !!!!

Wrapping tape might work but any movement and your video is staring right at the delete key ;-)

thanks, i just need to find some software now

[Thalestris24]

Hi

These links might be useful:

http://www.opennautics.com/tutorials/lifecam_studio_mod_correct

http://www.tanstaafl.co.uk/2012/04/microsoft-lifecam-cinema-planetary-camera-mod/

http://dslrmodifications.com/lifecam/lifecam1.html

Louise

[JamesF]

Louise's second link is me

I'm still getting to grips with my Mac, but my understanding is that any genuine UVC camera (which includes the Lifecam) should work on OSX.

I'm working on porting my capture software to OSX.  My intention is to get the v0.0.5 release out in the next week or so, then get it working on the Mac for v0.0.6.

James

[knobby]

Louise's second link is me

I'm still getting to grips with my Mac, but my understanding is that any genuine UVC camera (which includes the Lifecam) should work on OSX.

I'm working on porting my capture software to OSX. My intention is to get the v0.0.5 release out in the next week or so, then get it working on the Mac for v0.0.6.

James

You do know that if you manage that James... You will become a legend :-)

[UnboxingReviews1997]

You do know that if you manage that James... You will become a legend :-)

Just modded my Microsoft Lifecam Cinema, but there is a small film of tape over the CCD chip, should that be removed, see image below. It might be hard to see

[JamesF]

Not something I've seen before, I have to say.  The only reason I can think of for something like that to be present would be to keep the sensor clean during assembly and I'd expect it to be removed before shipping.  I'll be interested to see if anyone else has other suggestions.

James

[UnboxingReviews1997]

Not something I've seen before, I have to say.  The only reason I can think of for something like that to be present would be to keep the sensor clean during assembly and I'd expect it to be removed before shipping.  I'll be interested to see if anyone else has other suggestions.

James

Just took the scope outside and attached the webcam, i noticed when focused onto trees the image had a pinky hue, see image below, will the images be like that at night?

[JamesF]

Could be over-exposure in the red because of increased sensitivity to IR.  My preferred fix for that would be to fit an IR filter.  To a certain degree it's possible to fix in processing.

James

[UnboxingReviews1997]

Could be over-exposure in the red because of increased sensitivity to IR.  My preferred fix for that would be to fit an IR filter.  To a certain degree it's possible to fix in processing.

James

Thanks James!

I will be purchasing an adapter from Billetparts that allows me to house the webcam, http://www.billetparts.co.uk/catalog/lifecam-adapter-p-122.html

Then i will be able to attach filters to it, For the time being i hope the pics at night of saturn and jupiter dont turn out pink

I just need to scour the internet for some software for the mac!

Thanks

Ben

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Well done!

As to the pink hue. A 1.25" UV&IR cut filter will address that.

They are not expensive. £20-25 or so.

[UnboxingReviews1997]

Well done!

As to the pink hue. A 1.25" UV&IR cut filter will address that.

They are not expensive. £20-25 or so.

Thankyou, Just been out to try and get a bit of jupiter, i must say i wasnt pleased at all. No clouds, got jupiter on the screen, focused correctly, but all i got was a white blob, even with a 3x barlow. Any suggestions as to why this is happening?

I will attach a link to the raw video footage.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t9yd6vost99f3wn/Movie%20on%2023-04-2014%20at%2023.32.mp4

Many Regards,

Ben Rolfe

[Thalestris24]

Hi Ben

I'm not a planetary person but I'd say you were overexposed - Jupiter is very bright! Once you get the exposure right you'll be able to fine tune the focus (it may already be ok). Then when you can make out some detail you should be able to stack the frames to get a much better final image. I believe people save their movies as .avi format for stacking. I'm sure there are experts here that can help.

Good luck

Louise

[UnboxingReviews1997]

Hi Ben

I'm not a planetary person but I'd say you were overexposed - Jupiter is very bright! Once you get the exposure right you'll be able to fine tune the focus (it may already be ok). Then when you can make out some detail you should be able to stack the frames to get a much better final image. I believe people save their movies as .avi format for stacking. I'm sure there are experts here that can help.

Good luck

Louise

Thanks, I just need to find some software for Mac to allow me to adjust exposure etc.

[RichM63]

^try here, abut half way down the list.

https://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/imaging-workshop/essential-software.html

hth,

Richard

[RichM63]

edit the above.

Don't try there, the blas*#d link is broken.

However: the guy who wrote it now has a website.

http://keithwiley.com/software.shtml

Look in the software section.

hth,

Richard

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

Just took the scope outside and attached the webcam, i noticed when focused onto trees the image had a pinky hue, see image below, will the images be like that at night?

so you went outside, snapped a shot and the pink image is what was returned ........ is it working right ..... 

Hell Yeah she is working fine.

this camera is now highly IR senestive, it means it will not only focus white light, but it now see's in mild infrared.

thats the pink hue you have. 

the IR blocking filter has been removed and hence its pink hue.... BUT we can remove this in post.

open up something like GIMP or paintshop. below is the gimp way to flip the color ( we call it false color IR)

open gimp and image.

Top of work space hit COLORS

roll down and choose COMPONENTS > Channel Mixer 

now a new box appears. i want you to adjust red channel and the blue channel, we will swap them.

where it says output channel select this as red. now below you will see three sliders ( red green blue ).

in this red channel move the RED SLIDER to ZERO , and the BLUE SLIDER to 100.

now back to the Output channel and change this to blue.

in this blue channel move the BLUE SLIDER to ZERO , and the RED SLIDER to 100. 

click ok. now your image is a false color image, we have swapped the red and blue.

now go and click COLORS > Levels, the black gray and white arrow sliders you can adjust these will help contrast

brightness. save image and your done.

To see the true effect of false color IR, google IR72 Photography, you will notice some images have that pink hue,

but others have a white/blue look to them, the tree leaves maybe white and the grass an odd color ( this is IR photography )

Problem is a Modded IR camera still thinks like a color camera it does not adjust the whitebalance correct and hence the pink hue.

Same with a DSLR converted to astro, but here they can take a picture of some grass , when the camera is told to use the image as a white balance

the DSLR compensates and turns IR to false color.

now you have done this, you really want to replace the IR flilter thats removed with a better version Blocking IR filter.

this will turn the camera back into a color camera.

WITHOUT a filter and pointing at jupiter your just going to be trying to focus two wavelengths now.

your camera is seeing both normal light AND infrared , when one band is in focus the second is out of focus,

given the face the camera is now 99.4% more sensitive to IR your flooding the sensor and its saturation the pixel wells ( overexposed )

a moon filter or a color filter will help bash that glare away.

[UnboxingReviews1997]

so you went outside, snapped a shot and the pink image is what was returned ........ is it working right .....

Hell Yeah she is working fine.

this camera is now highly IR senestive, it means it will not only focus white light, but it now see's in mild infrared.

thats the pink hue you have.

the IR blocking filter has been removed and hence its pink hue.... BUT we can remove this in post.

open up something like GIMP or paintshop. below is the gimp way to flip the color ( we call it false color IR)

open gimp and image.

Top of work space hit COLORS

roll down and choose COMPONENTS > Channel Mixer

now a new box appears. i want you to adjust red channel and the blue channel, we will swap them.

where it says output channel select this as red. now below you will see three sliders ( red green blue ).

in this red channel move the RED SLIDER to ZERO , and the BLUE SLIDER to 100.

now back to the Output channel and change this to blue.

in this blue channel move the BLUE SLIDER to ZERO , and the RED SLIDER to 100.

click ok. now your image is a false color image, we have swapped the red and blue.

now go and click COLORS > Levels, the black gray and white arrow sliders you can adjust these will help contrast

brightness. save image and your done.

To see the true effect of false color IR, google IR72 Photography, you will notice some images have that pink hue,

but others have a white/blue look to them, the tree leaves maybe white and the grass an odd color ( this is IR photography )

Problem is a Modded IR camera still thinks like a color camera it does not adjust the whitebalance correct and hence the pink hue.

Same with a DSLR converted to astro, but here they can take a picture of some grass , when the camera is told to use the image as a white balance

the DSLR compensates and turns IR to false color.

now you have done this, you really want to replace the IR flilter thats removed with a better version Blocking IR filter.

this will turn the camera back into a color camera

Oh, right, ok. So at the moment the camera isn't colour, but if I attach an IR blocking filter it will return back to its original state?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GuillermoBarrancos]

edit the above.

Don't try there, the blas*#d link is broken.

However: the guy who wrote it now has a website.

http://keithwiley.com/software.shtml

Look in the software section.

hth,

Richard

Ehmm... I think it has already been said earlier in this thread. That Imager software hasn´t been updated since 2007.

It works only on the old PowerPC´s. It won´t work on todays Intel Mac´s.

The only software I have so far seen to alllows some basic control over the webcam on the Mac is BTV Pro. I tried that earlier this week while testing the Cinema Cam in OSX for the OP.

http://www.bensoftware.com/btv/

[UnboxingReviews1997]

Ehmm... I think it has already been said earlier in this thread. That Imager software hasn´t been updated since 2007.

It works only on the old PowerPC´s. It won´t work on todays Intel Mac´s.

The only software I have so far seen to alllows some basic control over the webcam on the Mac is BTV Pro. I tried that earlier this week while testing the Cinema Cam in OSX for the OP.

http://www.bensoftware.com/btv/

I found some software, it's called iGlasses for Mac, it enables the user to change the exposure, white balance etc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Oh, right, ok. So at the moment the camera isn't colour, but if I attach an IR blocking filter it will return back to its original state?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The camera is color. That is not going to change. By removing the lens Assembly for the mod, you also removed the UV/IR cut filter and so the sensor is now also sensitive in the UV/IR range, causing the pink hue.

The same happens when you fully astro modify a DSLR by removing the filter entirely, then you also get a pink hue on daytime photos. But on the DSLR you can compensate for this by adjusting the white Balance in camera settings (cheapest option) or using a clip filter or filter on the lens.

With your webcam you can either adjust this in processing afterwards or use a UV/IR cut filter (like the one I posted in the link yesterday).

[UnboxingReviews1997]

I found some software, it's called iGlasses for Mac, it enables the user to change the exposure, white balance etc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is an image:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Nice find!

Now if they start making some OSX drivers for the popular planetary cameras, it´s going to make some Mac users happy for sure.