Firewire Camera - any experience

Great info Mike...thanks for the comments! Yeah, I would have loved to get a 1024x cam but at this price, I took what I could get. I got the cam, minus the software, for $49 USD!
It all worked out well as since I have a scope with a relatively small focal length, i need to get as much detail as I can from the resulting lack of magnification I get from the cam.

Your right about the filters...i hear they can be a pain...and you have to move smartly when using them. If I want Jupiter, you know how they say capture all ur pix within a couple of minutes or you'll get planet rotation to deal with...well, that means we (mono users) have to get the L, flip the wheel through the R, G and B's all within that 2 minutes lol....good thing the cam caps at 60 fps lol...the filter wheel and GOOD filters are VERY expensive as well. For now, i'm using my luminesence data and adding color from Hubble etc to it.


M82
40 subs luminescense @ 32 seconds per, color data added from a previous session

I may just for now, get a set of cheapo filters just to practice ($40 or so) The good astronomics filters are $400 USD
Great moon pic as well! Post some results using it on those mountains with the shadows!

Hi FoxK

May I ask what other equipment you are using for imaging? I have a Celestron NS 8SE on an alt-az mount with an F6.3 focal reducer / Meade #647 flip mirror system. I have tried imaging DSOs such as M42 but my alt-az mount is unbalanced as it is back heavy at the moment and therefore any DSOs are difficult for me presently. Anyway here is a poor attempt at M42, cant remember the details too well but I think it was 2 second exposure x 20. I think a good EQ mount is on my wish list if I want to get better results with DSOs. Looking forward to seeing your results with LRGB filters.
farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2284796586_997f8afdaa_o.jpg

The tech details of the Moon shot are:
Moon image taken on 16th February at 23:36 UT from location 006º 47min 59sec West, 53º 28min 59sec North.
Equipment: Celestron NexStar 8 SE at F6.3 and Imaging Source DFK FireWire camera at 15fps RAW mode, 1/60 sec exposure. 2 minute AVI processed in RegiStax V4 and best 600 frames selected for final image. FOV: ~ 13 x 17 Arc Min, image scale ~ 0.8 arcsec/pix.
This image was taken when the sky conditions were hazy. Despite the unfavourable conditions I was quite happy with the final image derived from a two minute video which clearly shows Mare Imbrium & Mare Serenitatis Regions and other major features such as crater “Plato” 101 km, crater “Archimedes” 83 km, Montes Alpes, Vallis Alpes, crater “Copernicus” 100 km and Montes Jura towering above the terminator and catching the Sunlight above the Sinus Iridium (Bay of Rainbows) region at top of image.

Clear skies
Mike

No problem I hope my equipment has been added to the sig.

Looking Good FoxK

Clear skies
Mike

Fox & Dave.
The mono camera is defiantly better in terms of the quality and detail you
get in the final image.
Fox is 100 % correct when he says the mono captures practically all the
detail in the R, G, B when used with filters.

www.theimagingsource.com/en/resources/glossary/entry/ccd.htm

I've heard Damien Peach talking about this and he maintains you can only
get a 'true' final colour image with this method.
Especially on targets like Mars.
(Remember Dave the discussion in the pub about what is
'real' and 'perceived' colour )

I think I have settled on this one
www.theimagingsource.com/en/products/cam.../dfk21au04/overview/
(Yeah it's really just a webcam that can capture 60fps and is more sensitive but look at the price!!)

I can't see myself getting the mono one for the same reasons why
I have 0 intrest in (doing) Deep Sky imaging.

I'm certain technology will advance and the day will come
when there will be a camera that will have 'out of the box'
capture quality the same as the expensive ccd cameras today
along with scopes with adaptive optics ( ) and there will be no
need for fiddling around with filters and spending eons processing.

I'd much prefer to get average results now , spend the lions share of
my time observing and then when I'm 65 get images like Damien Peach
without even trying.






I'm joking of course!

hang on, doesn't the firewire version require an external power supply, the usb camera doesn't !!!, that seals it for me, usb all the way.
Needing an external PSU means you need mains power in the field.

Does it though?

This from the spec sheet;

''Supply Voltage - 8 V to 30 V via the FireWire cable''