New Deep-Space CCD Color Imaging Camera

[Dennis]

Hi

Check out the Orion site at http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=130820&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=6&iSubCat=29&iProductID=130820&relateInfo=1&add=yes#tabLink for their new:

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"StarShoot™ Deep-Space CCD Color Imaging Camera.

Makes Deep-Space Astrophotography Easy and Affordable
Introducing the new standard in color imaging for amateur astronomers. Our StarShoot Deep-Space Color Imager enables anyone with a telescope and a computer to capture dazzling color photographs of star clusters, nebulas, galaxies, and planets. With image-enhancing features that competing CCD cameras do not offer and software customized from the leading CCD imaging utility, MaxIm DL, the StarShoot DSCI ensures ease of use and professional-quality celestial portraits.

With the StarShoot, every image is full-color. No need to shoot repetitive exposures through multiple filters to get a single color image. The StarShoot's CCD sensor boasts a larger pixel array (752 x 582) than most similarly priced imagers. But the feature that puts the StarShoot a giant leap ahead in performance is thermoelectric cooling (TEC). Cooling a CCD chip greatly reduces the electronic "noise" that adversely affects image quality. The StarShoot DSCI has TEC, the competition's does not."

CCD Sensor Sony® ExView HAD™ ICX259AK Color
CCD Sensor size 1/3"
Pixel array 752 x 582 (437,664 total)
No. exposures for full-color image 1
Exposure range .002 sec to 9.3 hrs
A/D conversion 16 bit
Thermoelectric cooling (TEC) Yes
IR filter Yes
Autoguider capability Yes
USB connectionr 2.0 high speed

The StarShoot Deep-Space CCD Color Imaging Camera comes with MaxIm DL Essentials Edition image capture and processing software.

Price is $399 US.

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This looks interesting. Backordered until 15th Nov 2005.

Cheers

Dennis

[davidpretorius]

very very nice, i think i need to add something to my wish list!!

[ballaratdragons]

Haha! I gotta laugh! Bird has taught a lot of people at Camp the great advantage of seperate colour filter shots to get a better single image and this company is saying the opposite.

Sales pitch, or truth? :confuse3: :lol:

[Dennis]

Hi Ken

I think there is a bit of truth in the sales hype! All things being equal, using a colour filter wheel and a B&W ccd usually produces a higher resolution image with better colour depth. Each pixel is dedicated to receiving its full quota of photons.

With a one-shot colour ccd, I understand that there are tiny lenses on-board the chip which split the incoming light into RGB, so less photons fall on each pixel and the resolution is inferior because of the "gaps" between pixels dedicated to the "same colour".

Therefore, I would vote for Mr Bird. Any techo's out there please feel free to correct me!

Cheers

Dennis

[Striker]

I dont think their is any doubt going monochrome with the use of a filter wheel will give better results......their is a lot of people out their that dont want to go to all that hasle just to take an image...that combined with better chips and technology gives the 1 shot colour camera's a popularity boost.

I am going for a 1 shot colour as I have no experience in CCD but with the sac 10 camera you can change to a larger monochrome chip once released instead of replacing the whole camera....so update as you go.

Ps..... isn't the camera above the same chip the modded Toucam has??????

[bird]

There's no doubt that separate RGB filtered imaging will give the best results - that's just physics and optics, but there is something to be said for the ease-of-use in a colour camera if you're in a hurry.

BUT - after you've finished imaging, the final result has to last you for the rest of your life... personally I don't think the extra time for 3 imaging runs in RGB is such a big penalty when you think about that...

Also, if you want to make really spectacular deepsky images then it's normal to use something like a Ha filter instead of a normal red, and the colour cameras will not be able to do that at all.

Mono cameras are also cheaper and simpler to use, and it's easy to upgrade the filters at a later stage without having to throw the whole camera away...

Bird