webcam question

ving (David) · #1 18-05-2005, 10:59 AM

with my new dodgey webcam set up I notice it has a very narrow FOV. is there a way of widening the FOV with a web cam?

iceman (Mike) · #2 18-05-2005, 11:13 AM

Nope, sorry

That's why it's a challenge with a dob, finding the object in the narrow FOV. Make sure your finderscope is aligned and use that to position the scope to let the object drift through the FOV.

Don't use a barlow when starting, to maximise the FOV. The object will be smaller, but you'll live with that.

When doing the moon, you'll have to do a mosaic to capture the whole lot.

ving (David) · #3 18-05-2005, 11:30 AM

would you say the FOV is equivalent to say a 9.5mm EP mike?

iceman (Mike) · #4 18-05-2005, 11:39 AM

No, i'd say it's more equivalent to a 4-6mm eyepiece.. at least, that's the common propogated myth.. i don't know if it's entirely true or not.

But enough people say it, so it must have some basis in fact.

ving (David) · #5 18-05-2005, 11:45 AM

gee. and thats unbarlowed?

sounds like the seeing has to be good just to whack the cam in!

iceman (Mike) · #6 18-05-2005, 12:07 PM

yep, unbarlowed. and yep it sounds like a lot, but you're potentially capturing a lot of frames so hopefully you might get even just 5-10 good frames if seeing is really bad.

I put my 9mm eyepiece in to check seeing, if it's crisp with no wobble then I'll put the barlow + 9mm in, and if it's reasonable, then it's worth imaging.

If with the 9mm it's shaky and blurry, I don't even bother with the webcam.

btw moving to the tips&techniques forum.

ving (David) · #7 18-05-2005, 12:59 PM

this is prolly covered in th imaging with a dob thread hey?

iceman (Mike) · #8 18-05-2005, 01:34 PM

rofl, you haven't read it yet?

ving (David) · #9 18-05-2005, 02:01 PM

my bad...