· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Video and Electronically Assisted Astronomy Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 TomDT journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video       #5343867 - 07/30/12 05:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Finally got all the software and the old computer to work together last night. Here are some stills and one video of the moon and Saturn. My rig is a C8 SGT Advanced scope, Mallincam VSS Color, MCV-1-E frame grabber, Mallincam Control software 2.7, and NCH Debut Video Capture Software. Not really great viewing. Next time I do Saturn or Jupiter, I'll probably put a Barlow inline with the Mallincam. Picasa Web Albums I live in light polluted Albuquerque. When the weather gets a little clearer I'll try for some DSOs. Regards, Tom Post Extras:       A. Viegas sage Reged: 03/05/12 Loc: New York City/ CT Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: TomDT]       #5345528 - 07/31/12 03:23 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Tom, Welcome to CN! I also just got a Mallincam and I love it. I am definately interested in figuring out how to capture the planets, have had reasonable success with DSOs so far, but not so much on the planets. Good luck and please keep sharing! -Al Post Extras:       Larry F Carpal Tunnel Reged: 05/24/04 Loc: Westchester, NY Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: A. Viegas]       #5346103 - 07/31/12 10:21 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I wouldn't bother with Mallincam on the planets. They are easier and better with an eyepiece. The camera really shines for deep sky objects. Where others see a little fuzzy patch or nothing at all, the camera shows wonderful detail and color. Light pollution makes it much tougher. I observe in Bortle 5 skies 39 miles north of Times Square, SQM 20.25 on a good night; if the transparency is good, as it was at our last club star party on July 21st, a vast number of wonderful objects are visible in my 8" SCT. The Veil was easy that night. When the transparency is very good, I don't use a filter, but for average skies I usually will use an IDAS P2. Take a drive out of town or maybe up Sandia Peak wih your equipment! I have everything stored and ready in various cases, with power supplies, cables, focal reducers and other gizmos ready to pack. It's a lot of planning and of course set-up and take-down time, but it's really worth it, especially with goto making target acquisition a cinch. Post Extras:       TomDT journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: Larry F]       #5346167 - 07/31/12 11:00 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks guys. I will try Jupiter soon with the camera and the 2.5x Powermate since I have seen some good MC images of Jupiter by others. And soon the DSOs. The seeing is not good here now; it's a little work just to get a good 2 star alignment. I do have everything kitted out for mobility. We often go work on a remote ranch, so it shouldn't be too long before we can get the dark skies. If I can ever stay up late enough or get up early enough, I'll try the DSOs here soon. A few months back, before the camera, I got some fair eyepiece views of Orion even with the light pollution. Tom Post Extras:       budman1961 scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 02/25/11 Loc: Springfield, MO Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: TomDT]       #5346349 - 08/01/12 02:41 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think the Mallincam does just fine on planets. Here is a link to a youtube video of Saturn, that I shot a couple of months ago. Mallincam HyperPlus Color, LX200 10" Classic, TV Powermate 2.5. This is just as Amcap recorded it, no stacking, I think I may have adjusted the bright/contrast just before I pushed the rec. button. Thanks for looking! Andy Post Extras:       Larry F Carpal Tunnel Reged: 05/24/04 Loc: Westchester, NY Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: budman1961]       #5346501 - 08/01/12 06:53 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Andy, your images are good but I suspect the view with a 9 mm eyepiece would show a sharper Cassini division, just as much if not more detail on the disk and of course at least four or five moons. The resolution of the eye is a lot better than 811x508 with 8.4x9.8 micron pixels. The camera has only 412K pixels; the eye subtending approximately a 52 degree field with a decent Plossl eyepiece has perhaps 100 megapixels (I based the calculation on this article). The eye also has better dynamic range. That's why you can see both the Cassini division and Saturns moons visually in the same field, but can't with the Mallincam. If the object is too faint, of course, you get 100 megapixels of nothing. But when it's very bright (planets, moon) the eye has it over the Mallincam. Please don't think I'm pooh-poohing the camera. Quite the opposite: I haven't observed visually at a club star party in 3 years. I'm 100% Mallincam now but when folks want to see Saturn or Jupiter, I send them to someone else's scope, although first I suggest to them they might want to see the spiral arms of M51 or the Pillars of Creation in M16 or even the 17th magnitude Twin Quasar QSO 0957+561A/B, nicely visible at 28 seconds in my MCHP on a decent night in an 8" SCT with focal reducers. A Mallincam under even mildly dark skies for DSO's will blow your mind! Make sure you get down to at least f/5 with focal reducers to really put a lot of light onto the chip. Post Extras:       TomDT journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: Larry F]       #5348865 - 08/02/12 02:59 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Andy, great images. With luck, I'll try Jupiter in the morning, then in a few days start working on DSOs. Post Extras:       budman1961 scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 02/25/11 Loc: Springfield, MO Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: TomDT]       #5348917 - 08/02/12 03:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   You are welcome Tom! Andy Post Extras:       TomDT journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: budman1961]       #5360249 - 08/09/12 04:38 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Great shot of Saturn. I didn't try with my TV 2.5 Powermate but will soon. Tom Post Extras:       TomDT journeyman Reged: 01/13/11 Re: Mallincam VSS Color Photos/video [Re: TomDT]       #5477363 - 10/18/12 04:41 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I've done some more recent experimenting with my VSS, and added some photos to my online album. I'm very pleased with the Orion Nebula and with my most recent experiment with Jupiter. For Jupiter, I had to turn the amplifier on the Mallincam MVC-1-E frame grabber all the way ccw. 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