Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imaging Camera
by Orion
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: OrionProduct features:
- Wow your friends and family with high-resolution images of the Sun, Moon, and planets!
- Works with just about any telescope and comes with MaxIm DL Essentials Edition software
- Gives you complete, start-to-finish control over the camera and the imaging process
- Power supplied by your computer via the camera's USB cable
- One-year limited warranty
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imaging Camera
Customer Review: Pretty good for beginners
Summary: 4 Stars
**Update** Orion was nice enough to notify customers (including me) of a problem in the production of this camera that accounts for the red-tint issue discussed in the third paragraph below. They are sending me a "IR filter" that is supposed to have been in front of the CCD imager and is supposed to correct the problem. I am hopeful that it will and will try to come back for a report after trying it out.
**End-Update**
I bought this camera about a week ago and have tried it in daylight and shooting the moon. After using it a little bit, I think it is an OK deal for the money. Note that it is billed as a "Solar System Camera". That is, it is only 8 bit and not sensitive enough for deep space objects. I have verified this in use. It is only sensitive enough to show bright stars. But I have taken some pretty nice pictures of the moon with it (about on a par as what I got with my 35mm camera a few years ago - both using a 6-inch reflector scope on a good mount).
The manual suggests using it in daylight first to get a feel for it. In a sense, I think that was a mistake. The camera is advertised as a color camera, but mine has a very strong red cast to it, and outdoor daylight images do not have anything approaching realistic color, even after processing to try to correct the tint and hue. But, this is a camera for astronomy, and the color really only comes into play when you use filters. Seems to work that way (though with a green filter, I had to crank up the brightness a lot due to it favoring red).
The Maxim DL Essentials software that comes with it is reasonable for the price too. It is a scaled-down version of the professional that costs several hundred bucks, but even this Essentials version includes things like the ability to stack images to improve quality. Important stuff for astrophotography. I have not exercised it enough yet to draw judgements, but I suspect a dedicated amateur can have a lot of fun with it.
Description of Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imaging Camera
Wow your friends and family with high-resolution images of the Sun, Moon, and planets that until recently only the most skilled astrophotographers could achieve. Our exciting StarShoot Solar System Color Imager works with just about any telescope and comes with Maxim DL Essentials Edition software to give you complete, start-to-finish control over the camera and the imaging process. The camera's 1/3" CMOS color chip has VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) and transmits a live video image to your computer. Focusing the image is a snap, then you're ready to take individual exposures or let the camera automatically collect multiple exposure frames of up to 0.5 seconds each. The software allows you to instantly adjust the gain, contrast, exposure length, and more. Once the images are captured, they can be quickly aligned and stacked to produce a stunning color portrait! Go ahead, shoot the Moon, planets, and more!Photo Adapters
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