Manual Imaging

[JohnDenim]

So I'm going to get a phillips spc webcam everyone seems to rate very highly.

My question is, is it worth it with a manual newt?

Are goto's recommended for imaging?

What kind of result would I expect with a manual?

Thanks all!

[steppenwolf]

You don't need GoTo for imaging but a driven mount is vital for deep sky (not the SPC's natural domain) and very much preferable for Lunar and Planetary work which is where the SPC comes into its own. You could take a small AVI of the moon and stack the results in Registax to get a reasonably good image without tracking but it would be an additional problem to overcome. If you can get an RA drive for your mount, it would be worth doing so.

[JohnDenim]

Thanks Steve.

Iv'e got an modded ( el cheapo vivitar) camera which fits into an Ep, it's 7MP, but when I take an Avi

And try to stack it, the results are always worse than a single jpeg?

This is why I'm going to try the SPC.

Well that, and I can't keep buying Duracell ultra batts at £5 for 4!

Nowhere near DSO imaging, but I'd love to have a good shot of the moon and Jupiter.

[Pete Presland]

i did manual webcam imaging with a c8-n on the standard cg5 mount for about 12 month's.i would say its definitely possible.

you can get some pretty good results with a x2 (f10) barlow but once you start to get to longer focal length's its harder to keep the image in the field of view.

but give it a go and when you get a motorised mount you will appreciate it more

[Trull]

Its possible, but a little frustrating, but if you have a good finder and have practised lots you can do it. Have you tried just sticking the camera onto the eyepiece? I can get pretty decent photos of the moon onto camera phones, and did this at a public evening recently - its pretty cool to give away photos of the moon! Have fun!

[JohnDenim]

Thanks guys.

My scope is not worth buying a motorized mount, not long started up with a pretty basic reflector.

When funds are good the first thing I'm gonna do is buy a good' un!

Anyway, yes Trull, I can fix my camera to a lens, via a pretty brutal bodge, I cut a lens box in half, and just taped it in place on the camera.

The EP sits snug in the box, (taped to the camera) and I just slide the EP complete with camera into the focuser.

I can get some pretty good shots of the moon like this, but planets are out of my league. (ATM!) we just move to damn fast!

Although I can see Saturn through the EP with my eye, when my camera is on, It can't make out Saturn at all?

It's a camera with only an LCD, anyone know why this is?