Webcam question?

[JB80]

OK, due to living so far away from my parents and them not being around to see their grandson both my wife and mum have convinced me to get a webcam so we can use skype, and all of the sudden it hit me that I can use the webcam for imaging as well although I know nothing about the process or hardware itself having never owned a webcam.

So I guess my main questions would be is the webcam going to be compatible for both astro and skype usage? Are there different types of webcam that are astro specific?

I am guessing you need to have a laptop running or pda or something at the same time, I just don't know.

And remember I have to be able to use the webcam for skype too.

Sorry for the silly noob question but is it one of those things I can 'kill 2 birds with 1 stone' type of thing?

[rowan46]

sorry pibbles I am not an expert but I hate to see a post unanswered. there are threads on the type of webcam and some of the ones used by astronomers. it seems the best webcams for astro use ccd rather than a cmos chip and need a little modification to fit in the telescope it appears that most modern webcams use cmos and finding older webcams can be difficult. there is thread running in the astrolounge about scourcing some phillips spc 900 cameras. as to your question about using the same camera for both uses it would be possible but i imagine a bit of a drag having to reassemble the camera each time.

[oldfruit]

You can use a webcam for skype and for imaging. I use my philips toucam to speak to family on skype. When i want to image i just take the lense out, put the webcam adapter in and slot it into the scope.

[TheThing]

Yes, the requirements for webcam imaging are pretty reversable, so you should be able to use one for both.

Get one of the Phillips 880's from Morgans and flash it to a SPC900 (or Morgans can do it for you). They also sell the nosepiece to put into your scope focuser and the IR cut filter, so you can get the whole package.

You need to take the webcam lens out by gently pulling the grey housing up until it clicks free and unscrewing the lens. Then screw the nosepiece in and away you go. Easy to revers for skyping the G'ma and G'pa.

For capture software, use Sharpcap. There is a whole thread dedicated to it and links to download it in the imaging section. It is completely free and written by rwg - one of our members - plus it is the best software I've used.

You'd then be set up for lunar and planetary imaging. For deep sky work, you'd need to carry out a long exposure modification to the webcam, which is not so easy to reverse. At £9 from Morgans though you could probably treat yourself to a dedicated imaging and a dedicated skyping webcam though!

[JB80]

Thanks guys, I was kind of worried that there may be a mod done so it changes the coloursor the spectrum. I didn't realize how affordable they are as well.

Will definitely be chasing this up now and lurking the webcam threads.