Neximage 5 and software

[djpaul]

Hi

Does anyone know if the Celestron Neximage 5 software will run on a Macbook Pro?

Paul

[JamesF]

Hi

Does anyone know if the Celestron Neximage 5 software will run on a Macbook Pro?

Paul

Not exactly

As far as I'm aware Celestron only ship software for Windows.

The Neximage 5 is actually a rebadged Imaging Source DFK72 (assuming we're talking about a colour camera).  The standard DFK72 firmware will apparently load on it.  I assume therefore that means the alternative DFK72 firmware that makes the camera UVC-compliant will also load.  If that is the case then the camera should work with oaCapture on OSX.  I've not tried that, but will when I have some time to experiment.

I do intend to find some way to get the Neximage to work with oaCapture on OSX without the user having to faff about at some point, but it's unlikely to make it near the top of my "todo list" in the next couple of months.

James

[djpaul]

Hi

Thanks for the info

Paul

[rasper]

Hi Paul found this on software web site hope it is useful

Graham

http://www.telescopes.com/telescope-accessories/digital-imaging/celestronneximagesolarsystemimagerwsoftware.cfm   Celestron NexImage Solar System Imager w/Software

Q4: Is there software that will allow me to capture the video from this on a Mac? I know YOUR CD only contains Windows versions, and I already have Keiths Image Stacker and Lynkeos for processing. I just need to capture the video.

A: Starry Night Software puts out AstroPhoto Suite that will allow you to use a CCD imager with a Mac. Here's the URL; just paste it into your browser's address window: http://telescopes.com/products/Starry_Night_Software_Starry_Night_AstroPhoto_Suite_42300.html.

[JamesF]

I don't think that software is available any more, and I'm pretty sure it never supported the Neximage 5.

James

[rasper]

Sorry about that james

[JamesF]

That's mostly the way it goes with astro software for OSX.  There's very little support for anything at all.  There are people working on different bits and pieces, but it's going to take a while to get any decent coverage.

James

[rasper]

try this link, hopefully it might be useful

http://www.mcwetboy.com/mcwetlog/2008/03/webcams_astrophotography_and_the_mac.php

[JamesF]

I've just been looking at this and I think it might be easier than I thought.

Is this a camera you have now, or just one you were considering buying?

James

[JamesF]

In fact, to short-cut the process...

If you do already have this camera, could you plug it into your Mac and then do as follows:

Go to "About this Mac" and "System Report", then click on "USB" on the left hand menu then you should see the camera name on the list of connected devices.  Click on the camera name and you should see some information in the bottom right window including "Product ID" and "Vendor ID".  I'd guess the Vendor Id should be 0x199e.

If you could get a screen grab of that window it would certainly help me.  Let me know if you can and I'll PM you my email address.

Thanks,

James

[djpaul]

Hi James

I was thinking of buying it

I dont have it at the moment

I do have an old windows laptop here its about 4 years old

i might have to use that if i buy the neximage

Paul

[JamesF]

I have a fair number of cameras working on OSX with oaCapture now if you're looking for other possibilities.  I should hopefully have another release out this weekend, at which point I believe all the ZWO cameras should work as well as the Imaging Source and Celestron Skyris models and the QHY5 and QHY5L-II.  Probably quite a few others too, but those are likely to be the most interesting.

What I was tinkering with last night is actually a Neximage Burst C.  I can get the software to recognise the camera, but transferring data from it appears to be a little more tricky.  It appears to be not entirely unlike a UVC-compliant camera, but it looks like data is transferred as two fields of alternate rows of data from the sensor which then have to be recombined in the driver.  I haven't written any code to do that in my UVC library yet, so there will probably be a fair bit of work to be done there to get it going.  I have no idea if the Neximage (the new model, not the one that was basically the same as the SPC900) and the Neximage 5 are the same.  Without getting my grubby little mitts on them I really can't say.

James