My, my! The little camera that can!

[mental4astro]

Hi all,

I don't do astrophotography. For this reason I thought that this would be a better forum to post my amazement on the little astro video camera I've had for some time.

A year ago I got my hands on a brand new G-STAR EX colour camera from My Astro Shop (http://myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-071C). I got it to improve the experience for novices at star parties considering that most young folk today best relate to a monitor than they do to an eyepiece. Plus, combine lack of observing experience, urban light pollution, dim objects and constant bumping of the EP, I thought a video camera would compliment EP observing and add a new dimension to public star viewing.

This year's day I set up my 30 year old C8 with this little camera for a little star show for my family on my 34cm CRT TV. HOLY COW! What a punch the little guy has! Colour in M42 & oh-so subtle cloud details in Jupiter! A bit of star hoping & I pinned the little GC M79. WOW! It was resolved so nicely!

I need to use an 0.5X focal reducer with it, and with the C8 objects are still quite large. Knowing this I thought I'd try the OC M46. HOLY COW, AGAIN! BANG! Not only was M46 dead centre (lucky really), but there was the little planetary nebula that lies in the same line of sight! Not a ghost, but a lovely round ruby bubble!

Then I got greedy! :wink2: :evil: I thought I'd try for the GC in the LMC NGC 1850. After a bit of mucking around, I star hoped to it, and wouldn't you know? There it was, along with its GC companion NGC 1854!!!

I've only used this little camera a handful of times, and I'm still learning how to best use it on a monitor, but I am soooo impressed.

I am not going over to The Dark Side of astronomy any time soon, but I have no regrets what so ever on getting this little camera. My thinking that such a tool would be a boon for public viewing has been vindicated. And to think that cameras like this were unavailable to amateurs a few years ago. As I only use the camera on an old TV, I don't have any images to share - Sorry.

Please excuse this little rant, :) . I just thought it would be a good experience to share, and maybe even open some fellow amateurs to the capacity of these modest little cameras when it comes to public viewings. Like I said, I've only used this camera a handful of times, and each time I am constantly amazed when coupled to this modest C8: Saturn is amazing; colour in Eta Carina; Omega Centauri filling the FOV; M 104 & Centaurus A unmistakable. And all from my backyard in Sydney. Galaxies in particular benifit from this video camera as they can be most disappointing through an EP to a novice from urban areas, even with a large aperture.

Steve Massey has been invalueble to me getting the most out of this camera. Thanks mate, for putting up with my questions.

Wishing you all a happy new year,

Mental.

[Varangian]

Hmmm, sounds like you are constructing a new 'red' light sabre Alex.

[erick]

Do I ever need to get together with you to learn. :prey:

I did the same thing a few years back with the same intention - showing objects from within the city light dome. I got a GStar Clr and a big TV monitor, and I have to say that I haven't had the same success. OK, but not stunning. I now have a little 3.5" reversing monitor that gives me a better image. I have had some discussions and demos that suggest I might do better with the Gstar capture software (and all its camera and image handling options) on a computer, rather than taking the video signal into a TV.

I'll have to be in touch. :thumbsup:

ps, Of course this means I have to have a tracking scope, fairly well aligned. One of my bugbears! I'll try again with the C8 on a wedge.

[jjjnettie]

:) They're a great little camera. I had the mono version and it was a pleasure to be able to sit back in a comfy chair, with controller in hand and go on a tour of our Galaxy. No squinting into eyepieces!!

[mental4astro]

Eric, Steve had emailed me some more extensive control instructions after I asked for help. These even include a 'reset' function if things get hairy - very useful. I can forward them onto you. Just send me a PM.

My polar alignment is nothing more than levelling the tripod & using a compass. Usually good enough with some tweaks of the slow motion knobs. Sometimes I hit upon a great alignment this way & the image doesn't shift for hours. Nothing as dedicated as you, JJJ! :)

John, ever shon your tourch into the diagonal or focuser of your scope? Bit light saberesque... a bit :rolleyes:

[whitek2h]

Thanks alex, I was considering one of these cameras and you have spured be along...

[erick]

Thanks for the control instructions Alex. I'm inspired to try again. :)

[Jen]

Thanks for the heads up Alex have been eyeing off these cameras for a while now I would love to see one In action :thumbsup:

[Tinderboxsky]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the heads up. You certainly sound impressed. As Jen is implying it is had to imagine the performance without seeing one in action. Is it possible to rate the viewing experience you had compared to using an eyepiece? Perhaps a simple percentage rating, or is this not doing it justice?

I have a good 12 inch f8 mirror (acquired as a freebie) that I am contemplating as a DIY project. Your comments make me think that perhaps I could do away with a normal eyepiece altogether to solve the awkwardness of observing up ladders etc. I would value your comments.

Cheers

Steve.

[Poita]

It took a while, but I knew video astronomy would eventually bite you when we talked about it all that time ago.

The GSTAR is the best bang for buck I reckon, the Mallincam Extreme is better, but costs over three times as much, and the GSTAR EX is pretty close in terms of quality.

I used it for outreach with a car DVD screen thingie that had video input, and it is great as people of all ages and all eyesight capability can view the images, and getting DSOs in colour is a real plus.

Having said that, for home use I grabbed a big old CRT telly from the Salvo's for $10, it looks *amazing* on the old TVs, much better than on an LCD screen.

Video astronomy is fantastic fun, you get the immediacy of visual astronomy, and the full colour and detail that astrophotography brings.

It is a great middle ground, and for me returned the joy of 'visual' again.

Steve, the comparison to visual, well, no comparison in my book. I haven't really used an eyepiece since getting a Mallincam. I attach the camera, run the cables to an old CRT TV back in the house and the kids and I control the scope from inside and view the targets on the TV.

The downside is the relatively low resolution video image, but you get colour, effectively in realtime and faint details that could never be seen visually.

There is a Mallincam userin Tassie, I'll see if I can dig his details up, maybe you could go take a look.

I have a mono GSTAR EX as well for solar work, and it displays wonderful detail on DSOs.

Jen, you could probably take a trip out to one of Ken's (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/member.php?u=98) viewing nights to check it out.

[mental4astro]

Steve, what Peter said, :D

Video astronomy is a fantastic way to enjoy this hobby if you have some type of visual or movement difficulty. It gives an immediate result. The sensitivity of the CCD, along with the automatic stacking of shots means that the image of a DSO is brighter than seen through the eyepiece of the scope being used. Like I've said before, you actually see colour in M42 & Eta Carina nebulae using an 8" scope.

After having taken my little converted webcam coupled to my C5 to the children's hospice Bear Cottage, I've been convinced of the potential & legitimacy of webcams & Astro video cameras as tools for not only teaching, but for personal use. Those kids at the hospice had no chance at all of looking into an eyepiece. They were all very restricted in their movements & all confined to wheelchairs. The web cam & little C5 rendered my 17.5" totally useless that night!!!! The big scope just became dead weight, :eyepop:

[Tinderboxsky]

Many thanks for your comments Peter and Alex. You have convinced me - I am going to finish the design on the basis that the new scope will be optimised for video.

Cheers

Steve

[Poita]

What is impressive is that video astronomy works really really well on small fast scopes, like an ED80.

The faster the scope the better.

[Liz]

I have this camera too, but have found it very tricky - not just a case of attaching and turning on. You have to alter this, adjust this and that and that too. Then after getting a image, it is inside for processing.

Just never got the hang of it, and lacking in patience. :help:

Might have another go though, especially with Comets abrewing!! :D

Can you please send me the info Steve gave you Alex. :thumbsup:

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

You are a persuasive devil Alex :lol: You have got me thinking about this sort of thing now :camera: There are a few boofheads I know that I'd like to impress the stuffing out of :bowdown:

Cheers

[GeoffW1]

But Alex can use it :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Apologies Alex :prey2:

[entity62]

I have been into video astronomy for a few years now. I started with the GStar B/W, then the colour version, then i got a Mallincam extreme.
To see live colour images on the pc screen is just a joy.
And the best part, NO sore neck..

[Astro_Bot]

This thread has got me thinking about buying one, too .....

How much more money must I spend before I'm satisfied ?! :screwy:

[mental4astro]

Here's another way to use this camera. You can simply get a c-mount lens from ebay for around $50. That's the first photo with a 50mm c-mount lens. OR, you can get a [your camera]lens-to-c-mount adapter and use your existing photo lenses. The second and third photos are the G-Star with my old 135mm camera lens. You can then either piggy-back the camera onto your scope, or mount it onto its own eq mount. Easy!

Poita, you wanted short focal length - this is the best way I know.

Oh, and colour can also be see in Eta Carina with BOTH these lenses.