Which webcam?

[redstamp]

I want to image DSOs, planets and whole sky as just starting out.  I have tried DSLR movies and single shots and will keep trying with various small improvements (although I have a Nikon D7000 and it seems the best improvement would be to swap if for a Canon!).

I wanted to compare the DSLR movies and therefore buy (and modify) a webcam.  All the stuff I read says the good 'ol Philips SPC900 is the bees knees, but now they seem as rare as rocking horse manure... and hence quite expensive.

So reading more up-to-date comparisons of newer alternatives suggest Xbox Live or MS Lifecam (with Lifecam winning slightly).

Is this the latest info / view from the community?

And if so, which Lifecam is best, as there seem to be a multitude of these (VX, HD, Studio, Cinema)?

I will probably end up bricking my first attempt when applying some advanced mod, so I am not going over £50, but these all seem available in that bracket.

Thanks in advance.

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

go very very cheap. Buy an XBOX webcam , its cheap and dont matter if you brick up a 3 quid camera.

mod this, shove into telescope and find saturn / mars / jupiter 

next is the lunar disk / surface, webcams get close so craters start to pop up

once you got the xbox cam running and working you could upgrade to a cinema - studio ( microsoft lifecam)

Nikon - Canon - fuji - sony yadda yadda 

lots of DSLR's to chose from. i seen fantastic pictures from both canon and nikon cameras,

and not expensive prosumer DLSR im talking entry level dslr jobs. 

fantastic pictures , but yours are not so fantastic, we have all been there, and still have those first images  

many years on. one mans camera settings may not be so good on another mans camera even if they are the same.

there are always slight errors and the likes. i found with my 350D i spent ages just working out what buttons did what.

and how it affected a picture. its the same for astronomy imaging. 

take a or two, import and have a look, adjust camera a little and go again.

it takes time for you to learn the camera, and are able to look through the finder/liveview

and say Yep 12x 120s exposure should work, you set it up take those shots and you were correct.

maybe 125s next time at a push. 

[Thalestris24]

I want to image DSOs, planets and whole sky as just starting out.  I have tried DSLR movies and single shots and will keep trying with various small improvements (although I have a Nikon D7000 and it seems the best improvement would be to swap if for a Canon!).

Hi

If you're still interested in using the Nikon, there is a 'Backyard Nikon' beta available now. I have no knowledge of it but it might be worth investigating. I believe you have to register with the forum in order to download it. Here is a link: http://forum.otelescope.com/post/finally%E2%80%A6-backyardnikon-v1-beta01-is-released-6838201?pid=1282245117

Hth

Louise

[redstamp]

If you're still interested in using the Nikon, there is a 'Backyard Nikon' beta available now. I have no knowledge of it but it might be worth investigating.

Many thanks Louise and you're right they are at v1 Beta 01C and testing connectivity so far - jut downloaded and now on the hunt for a tutorial! 

[Astrosurf]

Please let us know how you get on with Backyard Nikon. Maybe post it in the Member Equipment Reviews section, even though it's sw! Others will be interested.

Alexxx