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View Full Version here: : Alternatives to DMK41 camera?


Poita
23-05-2012, 10:33 AM
I'm interested in a mono camera for solar and planetary use.

I have a DMK21 for planetary, and was considering a DMK41 for solar/lunar use.
However is there another mono camera out there that would have similar resolution and FOV to the DMK41, but would allow a region of interest (ROI) at faster framerates to allow it to double as a planetary camera as well?

I'd prefer to have a single solution rather than maintain two cameras.

Maybe one of the Pt Grey models?

Poita
23-05-2012, 12:42 PM
Look like the grasshopper may be far better for solar imaging:
http://forum.astronomie.de/phpapps/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/726882/TIS_DMK_41AF02_AS_vs_PointGrey

Paul Haese
24-05-2012, 10:08 AM
Both Peter Ward and myself are using cameras with frame rates around 15fps and get quality results. Peter is using the Lumenera camera and I am using the DMK41.

I am using several cameras but essentially two for planetary and solar/lunar work. I don't find this a problem at all and it would need to be a great camera with all the things I am after for me to change from the flea3 and the dmk41.

Fire wire is ok but not always convenient and requires an 34 adapter to run at 800mbit. To boot older laptops don't have the capacity to handle these high rates of data transfer. My laptop is 3 years old and only just handles the rates. Something to consider.

Overall at present I don't see that there is cheap and easy alternative to the the DMK41. When usb 3 comes into full play that will no doubt change.

Poita
24-05-2012, 10:48 AM
Thanks Paul,
I'm lucky in that my laptop has firewire 800 natively built in, as does my desktop, and I'm used to using firewire, and I have an SSD for capture so it all keeps up okay.

The shots from the 41 on that website I linked to look just like the shots from my DMK21, the grasshopper images look like a big improvement.
I found a few owners over on solarchat last night, I'm interested to see what they are doing with it.
I have a 50% off coupon for Pt Grey, so it doesn't work out radically more money than the DMK41, I'm just wondering if there are any drawbacks, and whether it would also be able to replace the 21 for planetary imaging.