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webcam recommendation for phd2

alacant

By alacant
in Getting Started With Imaging

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alacant

alacant

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Hi

I've got phd2 working via ascom-eqmod. The mount is working OK but my cheepo webcam just isn't up to showing any stars. €200 for a dedicated guide camera seems overkill. Is there a camera around €50 which will do?

Cheers and TIA.

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riklaunim

riklaunim

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Well, if it has to guide efficiently then it's not an overkill. The cheapest ST4 guider is http://www.aliexpress.com/item/QHY5R-II-color-guide-planetary-multifunction-camera/32578964247.html or http://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/guide-cameras/qhy-guide-cameras/qhy5r-ii/

It won't need EQmod too. Also be sure that the guide camera is in perfect focus or it won't show any stars even when it's good enough.

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John78

John78

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16 minutes ago, alacant said:

Hi

I've got phd2 working via ascom-eqmod. The mount is working OK but my cheepo webcam just isn't up to showing any stars. €200 for a dedicated guide camera seems overkill. Is there a camera around €50 which will do?

Cheers and TIA.

What is your guide scope?  It's surely infinitely more important than the camera.

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John78

John78

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29 minutes ago, alacant said:

Hi. It's a bresser 400mm f5, I think what sgl call st80.

 

Then a Microsoft lifecamhd will surely work as that's what I'm setting up and can see stars no problem with an st60 there's a number of online guides on how to modify it for astro, it's a really nice form factor :)

 

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alacant

alacant

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Phew, I'd rather not have to modify it! Is there anything like the lifecam that doesn't need modifying?

Oh, and not sure whether I need the st4 port on the camera. One of the recommendations has st4, the other hasn't.

Cheers

 

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alacant

alacant

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16 hours ago, riklaunim said:

Well, if it has to guide efficiently then it's not an overkill. The cheapest ST4 guider is http://www.aliexpress.com/item/QHY5R-II-color-guide-planetary-multifunction-camera/32578964247.html or http://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/guide-cameras/qhy-guide-cameras/qhy5r-ii/

The seller doesn't respond so,  if  I have to have st4, how about this:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-CE-1-25-interface-USB2-0-Long-Exposure-Digital-Astronomical-Telescope-Eyepiece-Camera/32576660551.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.129.GaSagi&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_6,searchweb201602_2_10034_507_10032_10020_10001_10002_10017_10010_10005_10011_10006_10021_10003_10004_10022_10009_401_10008_10018_10019,searchweb201603_8&btsid=05e6f3a8-d57c-438f-8c55-79741b7aa3c3

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glowingturnip

glowingturnip

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i used a meade LPI for a while, which was ok, would show the brighter stars after some nudging of the guidescope, but it was pretty frustrating trying to find stars.  I eventually upgraded to a QHY5liic and it does the job every time, finds several stars in each frame without having to shift the guidescope around, and better snr too.

As someone else mentioned, make sure the focus is very close - if you're out of focus, a guide cam won't see any stars at all.  Worth taking the time during daytime to figure out a parfocal relationship between your guide cam and an eyepiece so that you can quickly find focus with the guidecam at night

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alacant

alacant

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Thanks everyone. The last thing I want is to have to adjust the guidescope for every shot. Thanks for the heads up on the focus and star availability. It's beginning to look like the zwo mono camera I was suggested elsewhere is the minimum I'm gonna get away with.

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riklaunim

riklaunim

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On 21.03.2016 at 09:36, alacant said:

The seller doesn't respond so,  if  I have to have st4, how about this:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-CE-1-25-interface-USB2-0-Long-Exposure-Digital-Astronomical-Telescope-Eyepiece-Camera/32576660551.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.129.GaSagi&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_6,searchweb201602_2_10034_507_10032_10020_10001_10002_10017_10010_10005_10011_10006_10021_10003_10004_10022_10009_401_10008_10018_10019,searchweb201603_8&btsid=05e6f3a8-d57c-438f-8c55-79741b7aa3c3

 

I ordered from them recently and it was shipped next day. Note that a lot of aliexpress stores is quite poor in English :) What you linked is a Touptec camera. You can get it in UK as http://www.altairastro.com/xcms_entry.php?xcmsentryid=20 and it will as a guider.  Aliexpress is worth buying only if the price is lower by like 30% or more as you may get taxes/duties when ordering from outside EU. That's also why UK prices for the same cameras are higher ;) (plus transport prices).

 

You can go with cheap TIS D*K cameras (I used DMK21AU618 long ago as a guider) with EQMod, but if you get ST4 camera then it's easier as less software is involved. If would want to use an OAG or long focal guide scope then mono good cameras would be the best option. With short and fast guidescopes even the color/low priced cameras should work just as fine.

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alacant

alacant

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Hi

OK, thanks again for your reply. My main telescope is 760mm f5 and my guide is 400mm f5. Does that help with the decision? I'm all for simplicity so the st4 port on camera seems to be the way to go. Presumably if they have st4, they've been designed with guiding in mind(?). Also, I have the PHD2 simulator working choosing 'on camera' for the mount so that's one fewer piece in the puzzle. Maybe if I order via AliExpress, I'll get something in time for the August new moon!  

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alacant

alacant

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Yeah, OK. I'm slowly getting there. So with st4, I can lose the eqmod usb-serial mess use the synscan handset as normal and use just PHD2 to guide? Presumably for the mount connection, I choose 'on camera'? To begin with, I'd cerainly like it that way. BTW, I just tried again with this camera:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/like/191601300288?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=115&chn=ps

I can see the moon via PHD2 so I can focus, but turn it to a star and nothing. Not even Sirius or Jupiter shows. The whole thing is loose both the plastic adapter and the camera body to the adapter. I suppose that's what you'd expect for €10.

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John78

John78

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Well if your not going to mod a webcam to remove the IR filter and lens assembly then I'd rather spend my money on a 

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p5916_ASI120MM-MONO-USB2-0-Camera---2-1mm-T2-Objective---Autoguider.html

or 

http://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/specials/qhy5l-ii-mono/

Rather than take a punt on something from aliexpress which will arrive just as our sun begins to die, and when it arrives might not work.  You'll get a proper, well respected camera, with support.

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alacant

alacant

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Thanks. Is the ASI120MM the same as ZWO120mm? I'm bidding on a 'client returned new but without cables' ZWO. Can you advise if the cables are anything other than easily obtainable items? It seems to be a normal usb server cable on the compuer side and what looks like a telephobe cable on the other. Cheers and TIA 

** Oh, and does it screw onto a st80 with t2-0.75 threads?

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alacant

alacant

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1 hour ago, glowingturnip said:

the telephone cable socket is the ST4 socket.  Both the QHY and ASI ZWO came with st4 cables iirc

Hi. Is the st4 cable a telephone cable? The zwo I'm interested in comes without cables. I think I already have the usb. TIA.

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