I have just come across the following post in the My Astro Space Astronomy Video Astrophotography, Webcam forum:

Gday, thought I would post some commentary on a new camera that I purchased in the last week, a DBK 21AF04.AS from the Imaging source company . Before finally settling on the model brought I was in two minds whether to go for the monochrome version {DMK} which would require filters/filterwheel {more funds} and whether to go for the Firewire or USB connection. Finally settled on the DBK with Firewire, it was tough choice seeing all the fine work done by people with the DMK but to add the filters exceeded my budget.

Been out nearly every morning since getting the camera hoping to catch Mars but the seeing has been woeful for the last week. Even with a 20mm eyepiece through the C9.25 SCT I use its hard to distinguish any features on Mars except for faint hints of albedo surface features. First light with camera was with a nearly full moon whilst setting up for Mars, watching the live feed of the lunar surface first thoughts coming to mind was Wow. Even though the seeing was poor and I wasn’t using a barlow just the native FL of the C9.25 I could tell the camera is a step above the Toucam/900CNC I used.

The DBK has the ability to capture frames up to 60fps using different video formats and codecs {still getting my head around all the different methods} and with the right combination a AVI can be taken in raw and uncompressed mode. Anyway I’m looking forward to using the cam and the potential it may provide, here’s some pics from first light… not great but a start and also a reminder that seeing conditions is king no matter what gear you use.

PS: the capture software that comes with the camera is very good and easy to use.

PSS: added a pic of M42 with a new flattener/reducer I received for my little apo refractor, hooray no more coma/curvature.

To the original post, Beren has attached some stunning sample images. Below are some of the most spectacular:

Our warmest thanks go out to Beren for spending the time to post these images into the forum! Keep up the good work!

I have very recently become aware of a premier lunar imager that has been working in our back yard for quite a few years using The Imaging Source cameras. Bob Pilz, who is based in Asheville, NC, USA, has a tremendous portfolio in his galleries and great things to say about his DMK 21AF04. He recently wrote me:

I have been using a DMK 21BF04 for over the last two years to take lunar images. Its low noise, high sensitivity, and excellent capture software have made it a real pleasure to use. It has produced excellent results and is definitely a “best buy” in astronomical imaging systems.

You can see some of the images taken with my 8″ f/6 Newtonian here:
http://www.pbase.com/bob_p/moon_8_telescope

Thanks for a great product.

Your welcome and we welcome any and all feedback (especially the good stuff) from our users regarding astronomy cameras from The Imaging Source. Kudos to Bob and the work done!

The self proclaimed 16 Year Old Astrofreak - Chris Todd - has posted an image of Mars into the NJ Night Sky forum.

Chris comments the image with:

So far I favor this camera over the DFK and I’m happy I bought it. It shows much more detail than I ever picked up with the DFK and if it weren’t for the bad seeing, I’d have a pretty nice image on my hands. Hopefully I get some clear skies later this week and can try again but so far I’d recommend this camera to anyone on a budget looking to upgrade from their webcam or somebody just getting into imaging since the software (IC Capture[.AS]) is very easy to use.

You can also read the original thread in the forum.

We have recently received a report from Wolfgang Paech on his trip to Rooisand Desert Ranch in Namibia. The original report, which he submitted in German, can be downloaded as a PDF file. Below is a translation into English for our world-wide audience:

In the Summer of 2007, I have the great opportunity of spending three months observing at the Rooisand Desert Ranch in Namibia.

With me were two cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source, namely one DMK 31AF03.AS and one DBK 21AF04.AS.

Using the telescopes at the Rooisand Desert Ranch I was able to capture approaching one terabyte of raw video data. I captured Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon and several deep sky objects with the camera control software IC Capture.AS.

During my entire stay at the ranch the operating system did not crash once, nor were there any problems or bugs in IC Capture.AS. The camera control software is very simple to use. Furthermore, both cameras fell from a height of around one meter onto the hard, concrete floor of the observatory. Both cameras survived the fall completely unscathed. The right angle orientation of the CCD chip to the camera mount also remained unchanged.

The cameras, from a mechanical and electronic point of view, and the camera control software IC Capture.AS are - in my opinion - perfectly developed mass market products. They are ideal for amateur astronomers who are looking to start out in astro-imaging and who immediately want to achieve professional looking results.

I have included (see below) a composite image of post-acquisition processed images of Jupiter. They were captured over a period of three months. All raw data were captured with the DBK 21AF04.AS, using automatic white balance. Post processing was in Photoshop, in which a moderate color correction was performed in order to normalize the color differences between the singular images.

We have just received a message from Francois Colas at IMCCE-Observatoire de Paris in France, telling us that one of our astronomy cameras - namely a DMK 31AF03.AS - has been used to capture an image, which appears on today’s Astronomy Picture Of The Day (NASA):

The image was captured by Jean-Luc Dauvergne and Francois Colas, using a DMK 31AF03.AS mounted on the one meter telescope at Observatoire du Pic du Midi on the border of France and Spain in the Pyrenees.

The Astronomy Picture Of The Day web site explains the image as follows:

Very good telescopic views of Mars can be expected in the coming weeks as the Red Planet nears opposition on December 24th. Of course, opposition means opposite the Sun in planet Earth’s sky - an arrangement that occurs every 26 months for Mars. Because of Mars’ more elliptical orbit, the actual date of closest approach to Earth will be December 18, when Mars will be within about 88 million kilometers of our fair planet. Situated in the constellation Gemini and rising after twilight, the bright, ruddy disk of Mars will reach nearly 16 arcseconds in diameter. In this already exceptional image taken on November 18, north is down and surface markings around the sprawling, dark, albedo feature Syrtis Major are remarkably clear. The image was recorded with a video camera and filters on a 1 meter telescope at Pic Du Midi, a mountain top observatory in the French Pyrenees. Taking advantage of the shorter travel distance near opposition, NASA launched the Phoenix lander to Mars in August, scheduled to arrive in May 2008.

It is an absolute honor to have an image captured by an astronomy cameras manufactured by The Imaging Source appear on Astronomy Picture Of The Day. Great thanks and appreciation go out to Jean-Luc Dauvergne and Francois Colas.