Celestron Neximage 5

[Sunshine]

Unexpectedly i ran into a guy selling a Neximage 5 imager for just $70 canadian so i figured it would be a decent beginners camera and since i'm an imaging noobie i just grabbed it.

I am aware it will not be for solar but i figured why not start with small steps in imaging before i buy my good camera, $70 is not a pile to waste should i only use it on limited objects then never touch it again lol.

Does anyone out there have any tips and tricks that would be useful in my attempts for first time imaging??.

[happy-kat]

If you are using Windows 10 I've found mine will only work using one of the main usb ports on the back of the base unit. Using XP on same base unit all usb ports work.

I didn't have a CD with mine so got the driver for it by going to the company that made the sensor in the neximage 5 camera I've got. The driver from there is window only. Their drive supports long exposure.

[spillage]

Hi

I used to own one and they are fairly much only good for planets but with a good mount can give you some nice results. Sold mine for about £90 so it sounds like you got a bargain.

 

Mark.

[Cosmic Geoff]

It's a planetary camera IIRC.  Your first step is to try it on the moon which unlike other objects is big, bright, and hard to miss even when out of focus.  Your first task is to find the focal point of the camera by winding the focus of your Mak or Meade till the Moon is in focus.  Then put an eyepiece back in and note for future reference where you have to hold it to get the Moon in focus.  (In my case this occurs with the 25mm eyepiece lifted about 6mm).

You need to know this because fainter objects will not show up on the live screen at all unless they are nearly in focus, so you need a method of pre-focusing the telescope. 

[MarsG76]

I wouldn't simplify that camera to only a beginners camera. It is capable of very good images, even solar.... the trick is to image during good seeing, and match the focal length to you scope/seeing conditions, than processing is the next 50% of the ordeal.

Planetary images will come out very well, as will the moon and solar. Being a OSC camera, it has a reputation of having the bayer matrix that will interfere with it, but when you capture and drizzle the frames, like have it drift here and there randomly, plus with the added movement due to atmospheric conditions, when you stack the 700, 100 or more frames, it will drizzle and negate a lot of the bayer limitations... practice makes perfect.... my best planetary images are from the Skyris 618C and its also a OSC camera.

I think you have yourself a nice little bargain there.

 

[Sunshine]

42 minutes ago, MarsG76 said:

I wouldn't simplify that camera to only a beginners camera

Well, i hurried through the tiny manual and installed Icap and Registax and went right to it, first i familiarized myself with the gains, exposure, FPS, etc, then i was quick to insert it into my Lunt.

I played with the extension tube and what not to achieve focus, then played with the FPS,gain, exposure, resolution sliders and voila!! there was the suns limb and a prominence on the screen! i have no idea what FPS to use with what resolution,

but i played around and had a decent image that was more detailed than i figured it would be since its not mono. 

i did not hit record because i didn't have my motor attached and the sun was sprinting away while i adjusted the scope with this seemingly huge 15.6 laptop (i regret not getting the 14") it was a bit of a gong show just keeping the sun on screen.

Regardless, i was able to focus and see a lot more on the screen than i hoped, including a nice prom, so needless to say, im charged up like the energizer bunny about the whole thing!!

As for registax, i can see myself red eyed tomorrow after spending tonight trying to understand its hieroglyphics, which is what it seems like to me having never touched a dedicated cam, all SGL'ers tips and tricks are 

immensely appreciated of course. 

thanks!

[MarsG76]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Well, i hurried through the tiny manual and installed Icap and Registax and went right to it, first i familiarized myself with the gains, exposure, FPS, etc, then i was quick to insert it into my Lunt.

I played with the extension tube and what not to achieve focus, then played with the FPS,gain, exposure, resolution sliders and voila!! there was the suns limb and a prominence on the screen! i have no idea what FPS to use with what resolution,

but i played around and had a decent image that was more detailed than i figured it would be since its not mono. 

i did not hit record because i didn't have my motor attached and the sun was sprinting away while i adjusted the scope with this seemingly huge 15.6 laptop (i regret not getting the 14") it was a bit of a gong show just keeping the sun on screen.

Regardless, i was able to focus and see a lot more on the screen than i hoped, including a nice prom, so needless to say, im charged up like the energizer bunny about the whole thing!!

As for registax, i can se myself red eyed tomorrow after spending tonight trying to understand its hieroglyphics, which is what it seems like to me having never touched a dedicated cam, all SGL'ers tips and tricks are 

immensely appreciated of course. 

thanks!

Yeah, you'll get some awesome pics.... can't wait to see some.

 

[Sunshine]

3 minutes ago, MarsG76 said:

Yeah, you'll get some awesome pics.... can't wait to see some.

I think the first decent image i capture i just may wet myself like an excited dog!

[MarsG76]

20 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

I think the first decent image i capture i just may wet myself like an excited dog!

Just remember that NexImage 5 is NOT waterproof....

 

[Sunshine]

Just wondering, after stacking, can files be saved in Tiff or Raw for final adjustments in Adobe apps instead of using the wavelets in registax??

[MarsG76]

20 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Just wondering, after stacking, can files be saved in Tiff or Raw for final adjustments in Adobe apps instead of using the wavelets in registax??

Yes of course... just make sure that youre saving the TIFFs as 16 bit files.... that will give you much more stacked data to work with.

[Sunshine]

9 minutes ago, MarsG76 said:

Yes of course... just make sure that youre saving the TIFFs as 16 bit files.... that will give you much more stacked data to work with.

Brilliant! i was afraid that my first foray into imaging would leave me crying, in the fetal position, with my fist in my mouth but so far i've learned a bunch thank to you all and youtube (gotta love the tube) and managed to see a sweet prom lol.

[MarsG76]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Brilliant! i was afraid that my first foray into imaging would leave me crying, in the fetal position, with my fist in my mouth but so far i've learned a bunch thank to you all and youtube (gotta love the tube) and managed to see a sweet prom lol.

AND.. AND this is only the beginning... good start huh?