Dmk 21af04

[Trevor]

Hi Guys

Anyone know if the DMK 21AFO4.AS firewire will work with Vista, will the supplied driver and software work.
Also what spec laptop would you recommend.

Regards Trevor

[iceman]

Hi Trevor.

I'm not quite sure about Vista - but even if it does work I've heard nothing but problems with other software and drivers with Vista - it may be worth sticking with XP for a while.

Regarding laptop spec, I'd get a minimum of 1gig RAM. Get 2Gig if you can afford it. Get the fastest harddrive you can afford, because 30fps uncompressed needs a fast harddrive and if you get a large format camera in the future you'll really need the extra speed. CPU i'm not sure, anything over 3ghz would be ok I guess.

btw welcome to IIS! I look forward to seeing your results with the DMK!

[[1ponders]]

I'm with Mike. Bigger, faster, better.! I'm using XP with 512 ram and 1.6 chip it does the job, but occassionally has dropped frames @ 30 fps.

[Dennis]

And don't forget the hard disk size. Ideally, you should capture to an external HDD 300G 7200 rpm. Generally a single AVI (for me) is around the 900K (0.9Gig) mark and you can easily capture 50 to 60 AVI files in one session.

Cheers

Dennis

[Trevor]

Thanks for the welcome Gent’s.
Your site was recommended as a few of you use the DMK.
Trying to decide if I should get the DMK or get a Toucam with the same black and white chip as the DMK I know it wont capture as many frames but it might be a cheaper option to learn LRGB imaging.
I must say there is a wealth of information tucked away in the site under the site menu, great job for us newcomers.
I have just upgraded to a C11 from a 8 inch newt and have been using a Neximage for the last 6 months.
Looking forward to posting some pics if the clouds ever clear.
Trev.

[rumples riot]

Yes the camera and software work in Vista. I have vista and was the first Aussie with the DMK21AF04. I changed to vista three months ago and it worked fine. Drivers were no trouble. I did not have to update the drivers.

Best of luck.

[iceman]

Hi Trevor.
There's an ever-increasing number of DMK users because it's a great mid-range camera for people who want to get serious about their solar system imaging.
You really should get the DMK rather than stick another chip in the ToUcam. Reasons are:
1) Lower noise
2) Faster framerate
3) Uncompressed data
The ToUcam may be a bit cheaper, but by the time you add in a filter wheel + filters, going to RGB imaging is an expensive exercise anyway - so you may as well do it properly the first time.

The NexImage is a good entry level camera, but it still a step behind the ToUcam 900nc. However if you're looking to upgrade, the DMK is the definite next step.

Keep asking questions!

[Dennis]

And, what’s more, there is something just so nice and groovy about the all-metal blue cube with black trim, compared to the plastic of the ToUcam (I have the 840K).

Cheers

Dennis.

[Trevor]

Thanks for your help guy’s very much appreciated.