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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 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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Sky-Watcher 0.85x Focal Reducer/Corrector for Pro 80 ED APO Telescope

$370.00

1 Review(s)

.85x Reduction For Your Sky-Watcher Pro 80 ED APO Refractor Helps Correct Distortion Out to the Edge of the Field Requires a 48mm T-Ring
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Celestron NEXYZ 3-Axis Universal Smartphone Adapter

$69.95

8 Review(s)

NexYZ connects your smartphone to your telescope, spotting scope, binocular, monocular, and microscope so you can capture images and video through the eyepiece.
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Astro-Tech AT152EDT .72x Reducer Field Flattener

$299.00

The Astro-Tech AT152FF 0.72x focal reducer/field flattener is designed specifically for prime focus astrophotography with the AT152EDT triplet refractor.
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Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini Camera Tracking Mount

$335.00

1 Review(s)

Meet SAM - the Star Adventurer Mini. A user-friendly and multi-function mount to satisfy all your needs for nightscape and eclipse photography, astrophotography and time-lapse photography.
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Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini Latitude (EQ) Base

$80.00

1 Review(s)

If you don't have a ball head mount on your current photo tripod, this "wedge" will fit the bill nicely.
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Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini Dec Bracket S20560

$48.00

If you want to hook a counterweight, or an Optical Tube Assembly, up to your new Star Adventurer Mini, you have to buy this part.
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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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Questar T-Ring for Olympus 4/3 format DSLR cameras, for Questar telescopes only

$78.00

For mounting Olympus 4/3 format DSLR cameras on a Questar camera adapter only . . .