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Kain

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Kain

Kain

Posted
Posted

Man, it's like I'm taking over this forum lol//

Anway I noticed people use webcams for imaging more so than cameras, is there a certain function or something that I need to look for when buying a webcam for imaging through the scope?

I would really like to have a dabble with imaging especially when I get the dobs.

I currently have a Creative Webcam Vista Plus which is probably totally wrong or totally no good..

Just looking for info really, oh and what the hell is Registax??

Cheers

Kain

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geppetto

geppetto

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Posted

Kain

For ease of use, go for a Philips Toucam webcam and preferably the newest

model which has just come out. The new one is easier to mod for long exposure work.

You will need a Toucam to scope adapter which again are easy to come by.

Registax is a great bit of software that opens multiple images of a subject

and stacks them together giving better detail and lower noise images.

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Ambermile

Ambermile

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Hi Kain

The general wisdom is not to get a webcam that uses a cmos chip but to make sure you get a ccd-based one. This is because there is less noise generated with a ccd due to the nature of the beast. (Put simply, the cmos chips are effectively a camera on a chip. this means that any electrical "noise" is generated right under the imaging area and is liable to be interpreted as photons by the sensor. CCD-based cameras have just the sensor area on the imaging chip - the rest of the processing is done elswhere on the board so moving the noise-generation bits away.)

When you are simply using the camera for planetary then this noise issue is not a problem and so in theory cmos cams would be OK. When it comes to modifying the camera though things get complicated because all the timing circuits are on one chip and so it's more diffficult to interupt them in the way necessary to trigger a long exposure. also, a cmos chip will saturate in about 4 seconds unless you do some *serious* electronic messing.

So, now you should see why a ccd-based camera is what most would recommend. Because there is less noise, there is less chance of your images becoming spoiled by it. When you come to modify your camera you will find mod instructions for most ccd-based models somewhere on the internet - to my knowledge only one cmos-based webcam has been modified (A Trust 300 ISTR). Modding a ccd camera is rather more easily achieved and the results are worth the effort.

People here have recommended the Philips Toucam range (make sure you get a ccd one as there are cmos ones also in this line waiting to ambush you) purely because they are the easiest to get ahold of. *Any* ccd webcam can be modified for long exposure, the only thing I will say though (and this may be why everyone jumps in with Philips) is make sure the camera you choose has a SONY ccd inside rather than the Sharp or other manufacturers' chips. You will get significantly less noise from a Sony chip - Sharp chips tend to introduce banding for some reason.

Arthur

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Ambermile

Ambermile

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Oh, btw, the QuickCams were excellent, the QC3000 certainly ideal. Also early QC4000 but halfway through the production Logitech swapped to Sharp and they were pooh after that. I think Rob is selling a QC3000 with adapter that is well worth jumping on with all fingers and toes outstretched...

Arthur

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MartinB

MartinB

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Kain, you have done well with that purchase. Start with the moon and planets. Read the primer here

http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?topic=3523.0.

This will take you through the whole process. The web cam wont do deep sky since it can't do long enough exposures. I don't know if your mount is motorised or not. If not you can still do planets and the moon but deep sky will be a no no. You need a laptop with a parallel port on you laptop, if not I think you can get an adaptor

Once you have had a go at planets you will definitely have the bug and will want to be after the DSOs. You can then modify your cam - either yourself if you have a steady hand and a bit of nerve or you can get it done for you.

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Kaptain Klevtsov

Kaptain Klevtsov

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And just to add, a webcam WILL do DSO stuff if you don't mind a poor image. Stuff like M13 will get an image on a webcam if you go mad with the gain and exposure time, it just won't be really good. If you do a lot of processing you will end up with an image of sorts.

Captain Chaos

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Kain

Kain

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I'm going to try and take a pic of M13 tonight with my Powershot A70!

Found out you can have total control over everthing in the manual setting mode....However I aint got the faintest clue what I'm doing and what the the whatsits do lol!!

Blind leading the stupid with me lol

Kain

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