Jupiter through a PSEye (PS3 camera)

[teh_orph]

Hello guys,

I can't compete with you lot with the more expensive kit but I'd just like to show that it can be done with console cameras

I took some pliers to the camera (they cost about £15 I think) and eventually managed to get the zoom lens out. I mounted it onto my 2x Skywatcher Barlow (not that great a piece of kit IMO) with elastic bands and set it recording with some custom software I wrote.

Processed and debayered in Registax 5.1, 1700 frames at 4fps.

Captured last night at 12:03 (no GRS?) in central London through a Skywatcher 130P with a shiny new motor drive

Thanks

[Pauln]

That looks excellent. Love the fact there are 2 moons in there as well.

[Space Cowboy]

Excellent work for such a low budget "quirky" kit! Very good focus getting those moons so clear! Will be interesting to see what detail you can get on Jupiter with a little less exposure. Can you get the frame rate any higher than 4fps? 10fps would be ideal. 7 mins of capture time will produce some rotational blur.

[johnkirkpatrick]

wow. thats great for a ps3 cam, lol

I really like it

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Just goes to show, you can get nice pics on a budget!!

Nice work

[brantuk]

Excellent pic considering the kit

[teh_orph]

Ah thanks guys

The camera does seem to bloom easily though which is a bit annoying since it seems to blur detail. Also the rolling shutter makes for a lot of distortion.

Regarding higher frame-rates I had guessed longer exposures are better than shorter? Is that not the right for planetary imaging? Will that help with the blooming? I need to use longer exposures for nebulas and stuff though, right?

[Space Cowboy]

Shutter speed for Jupiter should be 1/25 sec or 1/33. The moon is even faster exposure. Yes, deep sky objects are very long exposures.

[teh_orph]

Right, I'll have a go and see if the picture improves. At least I should have fewer rolling shutter artifacts!