I am a total novice on a budget and the above imager is within my budget, i was thinking that this may be a good imager for my Nexstar SE 6.
If you have seen or even used the above imager your comments would be appreciated, also if you can recommend any other low cost imager / webcam , that will also be helpful.
Many thanks,
ian
P.S I am basically only interested in the Moon and Planets, i know that for DSO i would need a much more expensive imager.
OK so i found some reviews on this item and apparently its rubbish.
If anyone could offer a suggestion as to what imager /webcam would be good to use with my Nexstar SE 6 that would be VERY helpful as, like i said, i am a total novice and i really want to do some imaging of the solar system
I have a tight budget but i am willing to save for something better, but if you know of something that is basic but gives reasonable results please let me know.
Try a Philips Toucam 880 or 940K second hand, thats what I started with and my planet shots were pretty good considering. They are around $60-$100 range and I think there is one for sale in Icetrade in a post in the mounts and scopes section with other accessories.
If you can afford up to $400, then a ZWO optical camera ASI120MM (mono) or ASI120MC (colour) are a great camera, there is an ad on the right banner>>> where you can buy one. I sold my Toucam and bought a ZWO for planetary and guiding.
I have contacted, earlier today, a telescope company who said they had a Philips ToUcam but they have not replied as yet, i will also look at that link and research that other more expensive camera that you suggested, just the helpful direction that i was looking for.
Re the toucam for sale on this site he is selling his items in Perth only and will not post, but thanks anyway, i will keep an eye on the selling forum.
Yes, he is posting items, see post number 5 which says:
Hi everyone,
I'm actually selling the items separately and posting.
So if you're interested in any of the items please send me a PM and I'll get back you you ASAP.
Also, if you get the Toucam, don't forget a 2x or 3x APO barlow for about $60 which will boost the size of planets to viewable and recordable size with your 1500mm focal length telescope. Planets are small and with a small webcam chip, you will need a reasonable quality barlow or Televue Powermate to get Mars, Jupiter and Saturn large enough to be able to bring out some details, even with the Nexstar 6SE.
Check out the Guan Sheng 3x APO barlows at Bintel or Andrews Communications
Or from Bintel, a Televue barlow 3x for $149.....might be a bit pricey but good quality.
I personally use a 5 x powermate and my ZWO to get images of Saturn using my 1000mm focal length newtonian reflector such as the one I have attached below, but the 5x Powermate is $249 so this is dependent on your budget, of course, but you get what you pay for.
Start with an APO 2.5x from Andrews and see how you go.
Thanks for that additional info, i have sent a pm re the toucam.
Lovely photo of Saturn, really good detail in the rings, im always amazed that such good quality images can be obtained from relatively inexpensive equipment.
Have you got a DSLR camera, Ian?
If you've got a Canon or a Nikon there are programs you can purchase separately with which you can connect the camera to the computer so it works like a webcam, but the resolution is much higher, which should be better of course. So you could use the camera in prime focus and connect it to the computer. That's what I intend to do in the near future.
But if you can get the Toucam at a good price it's good too.
Thanks Chris, yes i saw that earlier today, but being the novice that i am i have been trying to do some research about it as my understanding on these things is very limited, as you know.
I am waiting to hear back from a shop that " apparenty" have a ToUcam, if they dont call back i will pm the seller of the QHY5 to ask my questions. ( i.e do i need to purchase anything else to use it on my SE6, i.e adapter? And is the software compatiable with my laptop, Windows 7 home premium, 2 GB RAM 64 bit operating system. )
