In the December 2007 issue of the FREE AstroPhoto Insight magazine, Tim Easterday has published a very detailed article, which looks at the DMK 21AF04 and SPC900NC.

You can download the magazine from the AstroPhoto Insight web site.

Tim Easterday is a 1992 graduate of Purdue University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology. He is currently a senior project manager for the Intelligent Switchgear Organization, LLC. He has enjoyed observational astronomy and reading astrorelated books most of his life, but caught the astrophotography bug in 2006.

Tim starts his text, by looking at the physical quality of The Imaging Source astronomy camera:

The DMK 21AF04 camera is one solid piece of equipment. When it arrived I was impressed by the quality construction. It feels heavy and well built. [...] The camera comes with a thick metal base that is tapped for a tripod mount.

He briefly turns his attention to the shipped software IC Capture.AS:

The DMK 21AF04.AS is very easy to setup and get running for the first time. [...] The camera comes with a licensed copy of IC Capture.AS. The more I use this program, the more I love it. All the controls are laid out very sensibly across the top of the screen and you can enable only the controls you need and hide the rest. [...] I was instantly impressed with the results from the DMK 21AF04. The AVI files taken with IC Capture.AS looked awful for the most part due to the turbulence in the atmosphere, but the DMK was able to capture those microsecond-long moments of good seeing.

In conclusion, Tim states:

For anyone who wants to take the next step up, the DMK series from The Imaging Source with their monochrome CCD sensors offer more sensitivity, better throughput performance, and awesome bundled software. My DMK is a keeper that will remain an important part of my imaging setup for a long time.

Here at The Imaging Source, we are very happy with Tims’s review and would like to thank him for taking the time to write and have published such a detailed text.

Click on the image below to download:

I’m delighted to announce that The Imaging Source’s DMK 21AF04.AS has been picked as a Hot New Product for 2008 by Sky & Telescope magazine.

Landing on your doorsteps within days, the new January edition of S & T showcases the new imager on the astronomy scene. Get your copy and check it out on page 39 then contact a certified reseller or buy direct from The Imaging Source!

I have spoken through email to a new user of the DBK 21AF04 that is taking full advantage of The Imaging Source cameras and I thought I’d showcase one of his first images, as well as, a few of his thoughts!

I’ve used the DBK 21AF04 on Saturn and Mars with great results. This is a fine camera and I recommend it highly to one-shot color imagers. [...] This is a fine camera.[...]

Thanks for your attention,

Jim Fisher

In the December 2007 issue of BBC Sky at Night magazine, now being delivered to customers and newsstands worldwide, Pete Lawrence puts The Imaging Source’s best selling astronomy camera through the paces in First Light: DMK 21AF04.AS Mono CCD Camera - an in-depth look at this month’s hottest new product.

On page 86, Pete starts his review with a description of the camera control software, IC Capture.AS, the DMK 21AF04.AS itself and the shipped accessories.

He describes his setup using a Windows-based laptop and PCMCIA FireWire card. He states:

IC Capture.AS was easy to use with friendly controls. In no time we were capturing videos of various Solar System targets.

Turning his attention the cameras itself, he talks about its robustness and connectors:

The camera is well built and feels very robust. The inner workings of the device are protected by a cubic metal body that provides just two interfaces to the outside world: one to attach the camera to a telescope or lens and another to connect the camera to a computer via FireWire.

In conclusion, Pete writes:

We tested the camera out on the Moon, Sun and Mars with impressive results on each. This is a highly sensitive low-noise device capable of producing top-notch results. If you’re upgrading from a basic webcam or simply want to jump in at the deep end of Solar System imaging, then it’s hard not to recommend the DMK 21AF04.AS. Factor in the remarkably low price tag [...] and the DMK 21AF04.AS becomes a very desirable camera indeed.

Here at The Imaging Source, we are very happy with Pete’s review and would like to thank him for taking the time to write and have published such a detailed text. We suggest that you go to your local newsstand and buy the current issue of BBC Sky at Telescope magazine.

In current edition of the German language magazine Astronomie Heute, The Imaging Source astronomy cameras are presented:

Ein schneller Firewire-Anschluss ermöglicht den Kameras von “The Imaging Source” die rasche Übertragung vieler Bilder. Der neuste Spross trägt die Bezeichnung DMK 21AF04.AS und liefert bis zu sechzig unkomprimierte Schwarzweißbilder pro Sekunde. Der rauscharme CCD-Chip von Sony hat eine Auflösung von 640×480 Pixeln und ermöglicht Belichtungszeiten zwischen 1/10.000 Sekunde und sechzig Minuten. In der Kamera sind keine Filter verbaut, was unverfälschte aufnahmen des Sternhimmels ermöglicht. Die Kamera kostet etwa 390 Euro und wir in einer der nächsten Ausgaben von astronomie heute getestet. Farb- und Schwarzweißkameras mit höherer Auflösung sind ebenfalls erhältlich. Neben dem schnellen Firewire-Anschluss gibt es alle Modelle jetzt auch in einer USB-2.0-Variante.

English translation:

The FireWire connector allows data to be quickly transferred between camera and host PC. The latest camera from The Imaging Source is called DMK 21AF04.AS and outputs up to sixty uncompressed monochrome images per second. The cameras’ low noise CCD chip, manufactured by Sony, has a resolution of 640×480 pixels and can be exposed from 1/10,000 second to 60 minutes. There are no filters in front of the chip, thus allowing pristine images of the night sky to be captured. The camera costs around EUR 390 and will be tested in detail in one of the next issues of “Astronomie Heute”. Color and monochrome cameras with higher resolutions are also available. In addition to the fast FireWire cameras, there are also models, which sport a USB 2.0 connector.

As the brief article states, there will be a product review of The Imaging Source astronomy cameras very shortly in Astronomie Heute.