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PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL
PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY PRO
PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SOFTWARE

Camera lens mount for easy attachment of adapters or lenses.

Visual setting of the approximate focus position.

Viewfinder for easy location and centering of bright objects.

My idea was to totally dismantle the camera and mount it on the back of an old SLR camera body. Having used an adapter and realized the power of the Toucam, I had more ambitious plans, and a second camera was purchased. This way it will be close enough to focus to generate an image on the computer screen.

Finding an object is fairly simple using an eyepiece and then switching over to the Toucam without disturbing telescope pointing. This can be achieved by taping the barrel of the eyepiece so it slides in to the precise common focus. Otherwise it was business as normal.įor centering and reaching focus it is best to have a wide-field eyepiece and have it approximately parfocal with the webcam. The annoying red LED is also there, and the price went up slightly. A USB extender cable will therefore generally be required (see Figure 3.4). One of the problems with solar imaging is seeing the computer screen in broad daylight.

PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY PRO

Taken with a Toucam Pro II on a Celestron C8 at prime focus (2032mm focal length) and a Thousand Oaks solar filter. Note that the infrared block filter from the rear of the original lens has been refitted into the adapter. Note on the rear of the original lens is an infrared block filter. Philips Toucam Pro II with 1.25-inch adapter replacing the lens. Note on the rear of the original lens is an infrared block filter.įigure 3.1. On the downside the USB cable has been reduced to 1.5 meters long - half of what it usedįigure 3.1.

PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SOFTWARE

The sensor appears to be identical, i.e., a Sony 640 x 480 CCD and the software is still limited to a 1/25th-second longest exposure. However, the camera is basically the same but housed in a smarter case. Late in 2003, Philips released an upgraded version of the Toucam Pro II (Model PCVC840K), and there was much concern in the webcam fraternity that it would not be as good for astronomy. Such has been the explosion in webcam use for astronomy that several manufacturers are now supplying these adapters off the shelf. The lens on the Toucam actually screws off so it was relatively simple to make a 1.25-inch adapter (see Figures 3.1 and 3.2). It has an "auto" mode too, which is generally about right for the Sun and Moon.Īs with any webcam the first hurdle to overcome is finding a way of connecting it to the focuser.

PHILIPS WEBCAM SPC625NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL

The Toucam has manual adjusters for exposure (longest 1/25th second), gain, brightness and saturation. Surprisingly some early commercial astronomical video cameras did not have this. However, it was a major step forward in both operation and image quality.Īn essential feature of any webcam is manual control of the exposure settings. It is a common advertising ploy with webcam manufacturers to claim all manner of resolutions, but it is the resolution of the CCD chip that counts - not the output image resolution. The Toucam promised (on the box) 1280 x 960 color resolution and fast USB download with no lockups! The resolution turned out to be interpolated - the CCD was actually a Sony HAD device with 640 x 480 pixels and a size of 3.6 x 2.7 mm.