I've ordered it! DMK21AF04

[iceman]

Yay :clap:

I've placed the order for the DMK21AF04 mono camera. Hopefully it will be here in the next 2 weeks or so.

Next:
- Firewire PCMCIA card (within the next 2 weeks)
- Manual filter wheel + tricolor filters (when budget allows)

I am *not* selling my Pentax 7mm XW or my 14mm Meade s4000 UWA to fund any more imaging gear :)

Don't know if i'll have it up and running in time to do much with Jupiter this apparition, but Saturn will be around again soon, and then there's always the chance to get reacquainted with the moon. :)

Can't wait to try it out.

[h0ughy]

what so now the toucam now goes into the cupboard or gets sold?

Congrats

[Striker]

Congrats Mike....I love new toys.

Should be a nice camera.

[netwolf]

Mike, thats great news, how the hell to you guys afford your toys.
I wonder how long it will take you to make the move to an Equatorial Mount.

Regards
Netwolf.

[Lester]

I am happy for you Mike,

so long as you share the results.

Noticed you are getting the manual filter wheel, if it is the Atik which looks like it has a toothed wheel that you turn by hand; may be able to mount a small geared motor onto it to convert to electric. Just a thought.

[RB]

Excellent news Mike.
Can't wait to see some images.

:)

[iceman]

I sold 2 very nice eyepieces :(


Thanks Lester, I'm definitely considering the Atik at US$199. I just can't afford US$500 for a motorised wheel.

[davidpretorius]

awesome mike, cant wait also. I am off to a aluminium fabricator in next few days and will be discussing a new tube, peltier cooling base and peripherals like filter wheels built in.

I reckon imaging in b/w will still be great!

[Rodstar]

Excuse my ignorance, but what does this new thingo do, Mike, that makes it so much better than your ToUcam?

[iceman]

Higher sensitivity (cause it's monochrome)
Faster framerate
Uncompressed data

So it should be able to get better images in poorer seeing, and when the seeing IS good, you can make the most of it!

[wavelandscott]

Congratulations and good luck with your new toy...I have no idea what it is or any of the associated lingo but it "sounds" cool!

[RB]

It's very very cool.
Can't wait to have a look at it and at the results Mike can get with it.

:eyepop:

[Rodstar]

We'll be expecting BIG things then Mike. Just be careful though that you don't make Hubble entirely redundant. We want that reservicing mission to go ahead, you know....:P

[[1ponders]]

Mike can you post a link to the camera specs. I've done a google but get very little (except your post on CN)

[iceman]

This is the one, Paul.

DMK21AF04 (http://www.1394imaging.com/en/products/cameras/firewire_mono/dmk21af04/overview/)

[Striker]

First time I have seen one Mike...I like the color...are you going to get any lenses or just the camera....looks neat.

[[1ponders]]

Thanks Mike...I've certainly bookmarked that site. I like some of those colour ones as well Tony. :cool:

[iceman]

Just the camera. I need to get a manual filter wheel and some colour filters for planetary work.

You can get an EOS adapter and hook my Canon lenses up to them too, apparently.

If money is no object, you can get the 1280x1024 resolution ones too.

[spacezebra]

Hi Mike

Interested in why you have chosen this particular CCD camera, what were the main selling points in your opinion?

Cheers Petra

[iceman]

Hi petra, sorry for the late reply.

There are a couple of options if you want a better-than-ToUcam webcam for planetary work.

- DMK21AF04 colour or mono
- Lumenera 075 colour or mono
- Point Grey Research Flea2 colour or mono
- Point Grey Research Dragon Fly Express mono

They are all better than the ToUcam, due to being fast framerate, uncompressed data transfer, and sensitive CCD chips.

The mono versions are better than the colour versions, due to increased resolution on each colour channel. With a colour chip, you're only getting 1/3 of the 640x480 resolution on each channel. With a mono chip using R/G/B filters, you're getting the full resolution in each channel.

Of course it comes at the expensive of convenience. A colour chip means you capture once and process. A mono chip means you need a filter wheel (motorised or manual) as well as R/G/B filters, neither of which are cheap. You also have to capture 3 times for the one image - once with each filter. So time is against you.

3 times the processing as well, to make up the resulting colour image.

I chose the DMK due to cost - it's US$490 for the mono and about the same for the colour. I chose the mono. The Lumenera's come in at least twice that amount, but they are 12-bit cameras whereas the DMK is still only 8-bit.

The PtGrey Flea2 cameras are also good, 12-bit like the Lumenera, but still US$300 more expensive than the DMK. I was wanting to get the Flea2, but couldn't afford the extra, especially since i have to buy a filter wheel (I'm getting a manual one for now) plus colour filters.

If money was no object, I'd probably get the Lu mono (like Damian Peach and others use) or the DragonFly Express (like Bird uses) or the Flea2.

But you have to justify to yourself that the cost of the camera is going to be more than the cost of your scope.. at least in my case :)

[iceman]

My DMK is hopefully getting shipped by Matt Lovell from Adelaide today! Hopefully it will arrive by the weekend!

I've already got an Atik manual filter wheel, but no RGB filters yet. Matt is sourcing some baader ones which won't arrive for a couple of weeks.

I'll just do some monochrome imaging with it in the meantime.

[Robert_T]

almost here then!!:)

sounds like you ordered through a local dealer rather than direct with the US?

be interested to learn how much - if you could PM me?

cheers,

[iceman]

No need for a PM, it's a standard price.

AU$695 from telescopes-astronomy in SA.

The US price is US$490 if you go direct. By the time you include shipping and exchange rates, it's only marginally more expensive to buy locally, by about $10-$15.

I figured it's worth supporting the local business in this case, for $10-$15 at least I don't have to worry about it getting shipped from teh US.

[davidpretorius]

ice is our IIS guinea pig!!!

[RB]

Also Mike if you don't mind, where did you source the Atik manual filter wheel and how much was it?
You're not wrong David, Mike's our guinea pig. :P

[Striker]

On a note regarding filter wheels..I ordered a lumicon 2" filter selector to house my Mapped colour filters...their is also a 1.25" version.

Only problem I see with it is dust collection which I will cover the whole filter selector via something like a bathcap or similar.

http://www.lumicon.com/mfs.htm

Cant wait to see the results Mike.

[iceman]

RB, I got the Atik manual filter wheel from a guy in the US second hand. He's selling it to me for US$175, which is a pretty good deal as he only used it twice before he upgraded to a motorised wheel.

I think the Atik's are about US$200 to buy new.

The challenge is going to be turning the filter wheel without bumping the scope too much, to ensure the planet doesn't whizz out of the FOV, and keep the dampening down time to a minimum so I can start capturing the next colour.

I'd like a motorised wheel, but they cost more than the camera.

[Robert_T]

Mike - one question, how are you planning to power the fire-wire camera, via a powered firewire hub?

cheers,

[iceman]

I'm not sure yet Robert, as I really need to get it in my hot little hands to see what cables come with it, what cables I need, etc.

I've already got the firewire PCMCIA card for my laptop, and that comes with a cable that should get power from the USB port, but the cable isn't long enough and doesn't bloody well reach the USB port. :doh:

It's possible i'll need to get one of those powered hubs... do you have a link to one so I can see what it looks like and where to get it from?

[Robert_T]

Here's one http://www.abcd.com.au/accessories/external_firewire_hub.htm going for around $59. you might be able to find one cheaper (you can certainly get dearer ones!)

[iceman]

Thanks Robert.

Ok I bought a Belkin 6-port 6-pin firewire hub, for $70 + postage, from streetwise.com.au.

Will arrive sometime next week I imagine.

[ausastronomer]

Well Mike each to their own,

Personally I woulda hung onto those 2 nice eyepieces and looked at some hubble pics on the net. I do hope this camera works for you how you think it will. BTW I am editing my signature panel :)

CS-John B

[Robert_T]

sounds good, will be very interested to hear your experience with all this:D

I wonder if it might be possible to do a motorised mod on the ATIK filter wheel... seems a big gap in price between these and the cheapest motorised versions (almost criminally so if you ask me!)

[iceman]

It didn't turn up today :(

Hopefully Monday.

ah well the skies looking a little bit clearer, might be able to get some imaging in tonight with ye old ToUcam again. Haven't had the scope uncovered for a week thanks to the rain and clouds.

[Robert_T]

best of luck Mike, doesn't look like any chance of clearing here tonight:sadeyes: