Can I use old cameras on windows 11

[Nebulasnow]

Hi All,

A friend of mine is retiring from astrophotography and has asked me if I’m interested in one of his old cameras. He’s got a few. We haven’t discussed whether what he would sell them to me for.  Do you think old cameras will run on NINA on Windows  11? Could I find old drivers somewhere? I think he has QSI and SBIG.

Thanks for your input.

[malc-c]

See if you can get the model numbers and check the websites to confirm windows 11 drivers or the camera are supported

[Nebulasnow]

Thank you so much for your help. I’ll get that info and hopefully it will work!
cheers

[Martyn87]

Are we talking DSLR or astro-specific cameras? The former might be a bit more difficult, as some of them don't support cumputer control at all. The latter should be able to be made to work in most cases. 

Edit: apologies, saw that you mentioned a couple of astro specific brands at the end of your post. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find usable drivers for those, but definitely worth checking before buying anything. 

Sbig - https://diffractionlimited.com/legacy-product-support/

QSI - https://qsimaging.com/drivers-software/

 

Edited July 26 by Martyn87

[malc-c]

Good point.   I used an old Canon D400.  Its a lovely camera to work with at an entry level, but like a lot of cameras of its era the USB will only handle externally controlled exposures up to 30s.   To overcome this a "serial shutter release" cable had to be made (FTDI USB to 5v TTL serial cable connected to an opto isolator who's terminals connect to a 3.5mm jack plug which then plugs into the normal cable shutter release port).  I also found that whilst APT still supports serial shutter control, NINA didn't and the developers were less than helpful when I questioned this on their discord server.