Gstar-exc Ccd Cam

[Jen]

Hi guys :hi::hi:
I have been saving my pennies starting to shop around to get some ideas on taking a pic or 2 :lol: of our lovely heavens above :D any way this sounds like a handy way to go a GSTAR-EXC what do you guys think would i still get nice images even though i dont have a goto or tracking devices on my scope or do i have to have those things to take images with this camera?
Is $825 a good buy is it worth every penny?:help:
What software do i need? :screwy:

Has anyone here taken pics with this cam using the same sort of scope as mine i would like to see what sort of images i will expect to get from this :help::help:
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/gstar/index.htm

[jjjnettie]

Jen,
Being totally unbiased on the subject.;):lol:
I'd highly recommend the Gstar.
I've been using mine through a little 80mm F5 scope and the results have been terrific.
But some form of tracking is highly desirable. For under a $100 you could fit a ra drive to your mount.
Gotta get off to work Jen.
I'll get back to you tonight about it.
cs
nettie

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol jjj Nah you wouldn't be biase at all would you:P
it wouldnt have anything to do with the fact that you have one would it :lol::lol:
Are they easy to use?
Oh no work on a Sunday arhhhh im still in my jarmies :lol::lol: catch ya later :hi:

[JD2439975]

I'd say the biggest problem is with tracking, Jen.

I tried a tripod mount at 45mm FL (Crux/Carina size) & the frames were so far out that registax couldn't align them...not till I aligned them by hand first, very tedious work.
( Note: This could just be my inability to use Registax )

At the FL of your poor, alcohol abused scope...things could get nasty.

As jjj says,any form of tracking would be a good investment...no offence to Dob pushers intended :whistle:

[Jen]

:lol::lol:
dam so there goes my shopping spree then :doh:
To get tracking set up for my scope dont i need to get a new mount to do that :screwy::screwy:

[JD2439975]

CALL OFF THE SHOPPING SPREE!!!! :eyepop:
Are you mad? Just make it bigger shopping spree.:D

[JD2439975]

Go on, do it for the country, the economy...hubby doesn't need to eat.

[erick]

I expect you have an EQ3 mount, Jen. You want this RA drive:-

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-105

Bintel - $119. Andrews might be a little cheaper?

Throw up a Wanted post to se if you can get one second hand from someone here?

[Jen]

:lol::lol:
yeah well i dont wanna go buy all this stuff then get told you cant do anything with it unless you have this or that and this and i run out of play money :sadeyes: now that would really suck :doh:

[Jen]

:eyepop: oh thanks Erick cool that looks like a handy little piece of device :thumbsup: yes i have a EQ3 mount :)
Ok if i get that and the cam what else would i need to start contributing to the imaging threads :lol:

[erick]

Errrr..... patience?




Jeanette will explain all later, I expect. I think you are almost there.

[Jen]

Well i have plenty of patience thats the easy part :thumbsup:

[tonybarry]

Hello Jen,
The remote box you mention isn't necessary if you have a laptop and are OK with using it. The Gstar can use a RS232 (serial) cable instead of the remote box - costs AUD65 instead of AUD100.

As far as tracking, well I went to a lecture by Brother Mike Salway last week at the Sydney City Skywatchers, and he did some amazing pix with a 10" dob (i.e. no tracking at all). Just a Philips 840 TouCam equivalent.

So I think for planetary at least, you will do very well with the 6" Newt and the Gstar. Your big hassle will be finding faint DSOs, this can be overcome to some extent if you have the laptop and Stellarium, you can use Stell to locate the approx position of the DSO of interest with respect to nearby stars, then scan around with the Gstar at high gains and you will see DSOs better than through the eyepiece.

Regards,
Tony Barry

[Jen]

Thanks Tony but dont you need a laptop for one of those things anyway :screwy:
I dont have a laptop yet that is also on my shopping list :lol:

[Shaun]

Hi Jen,

I have done some looking at my options for pics i have a different angle on things as my needs are different.

The Gstar is different to to 90% of the cams that are used for pics because of the lux used for the cam in other words it can see things at night others can't, the way a normal DSLR and web cam works is to expose the CCD or film to the object for a longer time, now i am no expert in astrophotography i have never even done it but i am a good learner and read a lot before i commit to a purchase.

With normal cameras you need to open the shutter for an extended amount of time up to 5 min and they wll take maybe 20 shots or more, one of the astro guys could give you exact examples this is why tracking is needed otherwise you get star trails because the object is moving and you have to move with it.

The Gstar is like a video camera and updates it's pictures every 2.56sec so when taking pictures you might have a few hundred frames you would know what i mean if you have done any type of video editing that the video contains frames, now i am not saying that you don't need tracking but it would be a good options.

The camera needs to connect to a pc or laptop to record the image then you would use a program like registax to add all these frames to make one frame for a picture, there is a bit more involved but that is the basics.

The best thing about Gstar is it can put a live picture of what you would normaly see in the eyepiece on a tv or pc screen.

From what i have seen the pack you are looking at is good,BUT the filters are used to create colour photos and the best option for these is to place them in a filter selector these cost about $200 the hand controller is a good idea but if you are intending to connect it to a pc the the hand controller is not needed as the pc can control the camera the cable to do this is $65 then depending on what pc you have you may need another adapter at around $30

What i plan to do is buy the Gstar-ex for $615 then get the cable, at a later date i will buy the filters and filter selector for colour photos.

Sorry i kinda went on about but hope it all makes sense.

[peter_4059]

Jen,

You'll also need a video capture card for the G-star to connect it to your laptop as it outputs video. Belkin make a reasonable one that works well.

Another option is to get a USB camera and you can avoid all the interface devices. A Meade LPI might be a good place to start, colour, simple and a lot cheaper although limited for deep sky work. A DSI II is a good starter camera for deep sky although you need to get your mount tracking if you are going to take advantage of long exposures or the Gstar's accumulation functionality.

Peter

[mick pinner]

when picking a camera make sure you look at the photos that people on the forums are taking and not the glossy super processed ones in the magazines they are not realistic for a beginner.
if the photography bug has got you then buy a decent mount first otherwise as soon as you want to do any deep sky pics, and you will, you will be deeply dissapointed.
the mount is the most important piece of gear you will ever buy, save, save, save and make it a good one.

[jjjnettie]

I seem to remember an article that was published recently in one of the US mags. Astronomy Technology Today I think it was.:whistle:
It was mainly about the Gstar Ex camera.
Have you read it Jen?:P

You'll need either a laptop computer to capture the .avi's to or a
DVD recorder, transfering the files over to the Desk top puter to work on them.
So a laptop isn't really necessary. But, you add a couple of steps to go through in the processing. (boring)

But you don't just use the Gstar for imaging. You will find that you won't be using your eyepieces much any more once you have one.
The view I get on the puter screen, using my tiny little 80mm was comparable to what I could see through my 10" Dob using an eyepiece. :thumbsup:

[Jen]

Thanks guys and JJJ now im really confused :shrug::shrug:

Do i go out and get the
GSTAR
A laptop
A EQ3 motor drive
and would i be happy as Larry or should i just save some more and get a new mount mmmm maybe i just plot along a little longer grrrrrrrrrrrr
:screwy::screwy::screwy:

[jjjnettie]

It all depends on how far you want to go with this Jen.
If you're intending to get serious and put the time and effort into the learning curve, save up for the good mount, scope and camera.
If you think you'll be happy to just play around and grab a few pics on the way, (like I do) then the Gstar and EQ3 will keep you happy. For a while at least.;)

[erick]

I suggest that you get the motor drive. You'll learn about tracking. It'll force you to roughly polar align that mount (for the first time? ;) ) You'll enjoy being able to automatically track when you push the magnification up on the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Much easier, also, for showing a group of others the sights - you don't have to keep re-centering the object between each person. And, you'll get a good bit of your money back when you sell the scope/mount.

I think you can do things without a laptop at present.

Have a good look at the Gstar. It gets good reviews for what it does.

For photography, it seems that, for the Moon and the Planets, poking your point & shoot at the eyepiece and clicking can give you "respectable" beginners results, with a bit of practice. Well, best to start somewhere and produce some results you can proudly show off. I'm sure that you have read enough to know what a challenge it is, financially, time, equipment, to start seriously down an astrophotography route.

[Jen]

Hey there JJJ oh i would love to go all the way :lol::lol:;) um yeah get serious in doing this but dont we all :lol: but on that note in reality of it all i am a busy working mum so time and effort proberly would be a issue at this stage of my life :doh:Yeah i think i just want to play around and get that once of awsome shot of the planets and the moon and maybe a nebula or two every now and again just to be able to show off to my friends (i like showing off) :lol::lol: I am pretty happy with my scope for now so i dont think im quite ready to upgrade just yet ;) i still dont know how to use this one properly :rolleyes::P Once the kids move out of home and have their own lives then thats when i will say right now its Jen's time, JJJ lets go astro shopping :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Jen]

:eyepop: polar align for the first time :eyepop: i just pick it up and spin it around :rolleyes:
:lol::lol:
Hey Erick i have taken a pic of the moon with and old push button camera and it was absolutely awsome (well i thought so anyway) too embarrassed to post in here after the work that gets around here though :lol::lol: thats what has got me hooked into taken more pics :rofl:
I just wanna take part in the imaging threads :P

[marki]

Jen, polar allignment is easy and a lot less physical then what you have been doing :). Just set the alt (tilt of your scope) to somewhere between 30 and 35 degrees, make sure your scope is on top and the weights are on the bottom (straight up an down) and point the front of the scope roughly south. Thats it. You will only need to turn you slow motion controls to stay roughly on track. Once you have done this a few times you get the hang of it and can start setting up more accurately. That way you will be able to drink more UDL's coz you won't have to waltz your scope around the back yard. I agree with Eric, you will need a drive on your RA to track properly.

Mark

[Jen]

Is that it well, that does sound easy :screwy:
LMAO at watlzing with my scope in the back yard :lol::lol: thats exactly what i do with it :doh:

[Jen]

So if i want a gstar cam whats my shopping list :screwy:

[jjjnettie]

A laptop computer
Gstar ex camera
A usb2 pcmcia card to plug it into
IR filter
That's all you'll have to purchase, the rest is free off the net.
Gstar capture program, free from myastroshop
Virtual Dub
DeepSkyStacker
Some form of image processing software, PhotoShop, PaintShop etc. (if you ask nicely I can email you down a disc)

[netwolf]

Jen, I have used a similar camera that I borrowed from a friend of mine. It is called the Stellacam. He lent me a small Security TV screen that he also bought to use with it in the field. For this setup you dont need a laptop. And it provides nice visual observation without the need to look in the Eyepiece. Also these cameras provide a inbuilt frame integration so what you see on the screen is a stacked image showing more detail than what can be seen by the Eye. From my backyard in burbs of Sydney i could not visually see centauras A but witht he stellacam/TV combo i could easily make it out.

So a laptop is not required. I used this setup with my Lx90 and was able to see things i would not otherwise be able to see. You can also connect it to a regular TV inside the house and watch there.

There is a lot more information on this forum section on CN that caters specifically for this type of observing.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/VAA

[Jen]

Thanks JJ whats a usb2 pcmcia card what does that do :screwy::screwy:



Thanks netwolf that gives me a bit more to think about wow there is so many options :)


:thanks::thanks::thanks:

[jjjnettie]

Jen, the Gstar pulls a bit of power from your USB ports on the lappy. If they aren't up to the job, you'll get all sorts of problems with the camera and software.
So you need to use the pcmcia card.

[Jen]

:) ok thanks JJJ :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[peter_4059]

Jen,

If you want to have a low cost try at imaging why not get a standard webcam, remove the lens and make yourself a tube for the front to fit in the focuser, or leave the lens on and try afocal through an eyepiece. This will give you a feel for what you can do without a motor drive.

Peter

[Jen]

:) thanks Peter yes i could try that too :) there is just so much to choose from i also had a look at one of those Phillips SPC900 webcams would that do the trick too or is the Gstar a better option :screwy:

[peter_4059]

The Phillips SPC900 is a colour webcam so will plug into your computer USB port but is limited to less than 1 sec max exposure so won't be sensitive enough for deep space stuff but great for Jup, Saturn and the moon.

The Gstar is a video camera (has a video out connection) so you need a video grabber to capture the images onto a laptop. It has a much more sensitive monochrome chip than a webcam so is really designed for deep space stuff.

To make full use of a deep space camera you need to be able to take a long exposure (preferably minutes but at least a few seconds). This is where tracking becomes important because if you don't track you end up with star trails if the exposure is more than a couple of seconds.

I started with a webcam and my 10" dob (and I still use it today for moon and planets). You end up capturing an AVI movie file with the planet moving across the field of view. You can convert this file into a series of bitmap still images and then stack these to improve the signal to noise ratio and end up with a single stacked still image.

[Jen]

:thumbsup: Thanks Peter :) so it basically comes down to what i really want to start imaging (or capable of imaging) with a little scope like mine cheers :thumbsup:

[peter_4059]

Jen,

You got it - if you really want to capture deep sky images you need more sophisticated equipment and this ends up costing more money to set up. No point having a really flash camera if the mount can't track the object you are trying to image.

As I said in an earlier post - If you can get hold of a laptop (you'll need this for whatever camera you go with) I'd give a Meade LPI a try - it's basically a webcam designed for lunar and planetary imaging but it can do slightly longer exposures than a basic webcam (I think up to 10 seconds but haven't tried this yet) so you might be able to image some other things (star clusters and maybe bright nebs)

I recently bought a second hand one on this forum for $65.

Peter

[jjjnettie]

You can capture quite good images of the planets using just a regular video camera if you have one.
Just butt it up to the eyepiece, zoom in, focus and press record.
You process the images the same way, putting the .avi through Registax.

[Jen]

Oh man i dont know what to do now, :screwy: ok so you saying the GSTAR might be too good to use with my scope :shrug: i have just ordered the motor drive for my scope so i will finally have tracking soon woohoooo and im getting my laptop on the weekend so im neally there :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[erick]

You have to start somewhere Jen and if budget is limited, you start with what you have and can buy economically. Won't be perfect, might be rather ordinary, but you'll learn a lot for when the Lotto/inheritance windfall comes!

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: oh yeah i have the winning ticket for next Saturday night :prey::prey: