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CCD & Photographic

A CCD camera is essentially an electronic version of a 35mm camera for astrophotography that saves the images in your computer, rather than on a roll of film. A CCD camera can take snapshots of the Moon and planets and long exposure photos of deep sky nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters. Because the CCD camera has to store up the faint light of deep space objects before it can display an image, just as a 35mm film camera does, a CCD can't give you real-time or instant images of deep space objects.

Because a CCD camera is more sensitive than 35mm film or your eye, it can store up more information during an exposure. Software supplied with the camera, or available separately, allows you to manipulate the image later to bring out details that would be washed out or invisible in a 35mm negative or while observing visually. CCD cameras are surprisingly unaffected by city light pollution, allowing deep sky photography from even heavily light polluted sites.

CCD cameras typically vary in price according to their image size, with large cameras running into the multiple thousands of dollars. Even at their largest, however, their image covers less of the sky than a 35mm film camera on the same scope. CCDs are best at recording small and very faint objects rather than large and bright objects, although excellent images of large objects can be recorded by taking multiple overlapping images and combining them in the computer.

It has been said that CCD cameras on amateur-size telescopes can record fainter objects than the 200" scope at Mt. Palomar could record only 10 or 15 years ago with conventional film cameras. By some measures, CCD cameras can be said to have an effective film speed (ASA or ISO rating) of 20,000, making them ideal for recording very faint objects.

Some CCD cameras can act as autoguiders to take the tedium out of guiding long exposure 35mm photos. Some CCD cameras have their own autoguider built in for recording images automatically and untended; others come with separate guiders or have them available as an option.

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ZWO ASI183MC USB 3.0 CMOS Color Astronomy Camera

$499.00

The ZWO ASI183MC is a fantastic camera capable of handling all you solar and planetary imaging needs.
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ZWO ASI294MC PRO COOLED COLOR CMOS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CAMERA

$999.00

The ZWO ASI294MC Pro is a great 4/3 format camera to get you headed down your imaging path.
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ZWO ASI2600MC PRO USB 3.0 COOLED COLOR ASTRONOMY IMAGING CAMERA

$1,499.00

The ZWO ASI2600MC Pro is designed for the astro-photographer that is looking for a high-end camera using an APS-C style sensor.
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ZWO 12V 5A AC to DC adapter for cooled cameras American Standard

$29.00

This is required for cooling your ZWO camera American Standard Sockets AC to DC 12 Volts at 5 Amps
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Astro-Tech .8x Reducer Field Flattener For the 60ED Optical Tubes

$139.95

2 Review(s)

Looking to make your Astro-Tech (or variant) scope faster and flatter for photography? Then the .8x reducer/flattener is exactly what your are looking for.
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Astro-Tech .8x Reducer Field Flattener For the 72EDII Optical Tubes

$139.95

Looking to make your Astro-Tech (or variant) scope faster and flatter for photography? Then the .8x reducer/flattener is exactly what your are looking for.
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Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Counterweight Kit S20540

$33.50

If you picked up the Star Adventurer Dec Bracket (#S20560) and are looking for the counterweight kit to help you reach balance, then you have come to the right place.
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Losmandy 108mm photoguide/camera 3-ring set for Losmandy and Vixen dovetails

$149.00

1 Review(s)

This Losmandy DVR108/66 3-ring photoguide/guider mounting ring set mounts a refractor photoguide scope and an autoguider on an optional Losmandy D-series dovetail plate or Vixen-style dovetail plate.
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iOptron Ball head for iOptron SkyTracker camera tracking mount

$65.00

3 Review(s)

The new iOptron 3305A ball head lets you mount your digital camera on the SkyTracker portable camera tracking mount for wide field deep space photography.
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Low profile 2" prime focus adapter

$21.95

Used. Excellent condition. It looks like it has never been used, but someone put a "U" after the part number on the box, so it has to be sold as used. Regularly $29.95.