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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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7" Camera coupling set, needs Questar T-ring

$285.00

This Questar 7" camera coupling set consists of a swivel coupling and three adapter tubes that stack together for prime focus, eyepiece projection, and Barlow photography with 7" Questar telescopes only . . .
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Questar achromatic 0.44x focal reducer

$525.00

This Questar 0.44x achromatic focal reducer gives you faster photographic speeds with both 3.5" and 7" Questars.
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Questar T-Ring for Minolta 35mm cameras (except Maxxum), for Questar telescopes only

$40.00

For mounting 35mm Minolta cameras (not auto-focus Maxxum models) on a Questar camera adapter only . . .
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Questar T-Ring to use 1"-32 thread C-mount video and 16mm film cameras on Questar telescopes

$65.00

For mounting 1"-32 thread C-mount video and 16mm film cameras on a Questar camera adapter only . . .
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Questar T-Ring for Contax/Yashica FR bayonet mount cameras, for Questar telescopes only

$45.00

For mounting Contax/Yashica FR bayonet-mount cameras on a Questar camera adapter only . . .
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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 . . .
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Questar T-Ring for Canon (except EOS) camera, for Questar telescopes only

$50.00

For mounting 35mm Canon cameras (except EOS models) on a Questar camera adapter . . .
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Questar T-Ring for Olympus 35mm cameras, for Questar telescopes only

$62.00

For mounting Olympus 35mm cameras (OM-1, OM-1n, OM-2, etc.) on a Questar camera adapter only . . .
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Questar Starguide off-axis guider

$525.00

Shipping is free on this Questar item if it is purchased with a Questar scope that is being drop-shipped to you from the Questar factory. Standard freight charges ($9.95 minimum) and a 14-day or longer delivery time apply if this item is purchased by itself as a special order item. Additional Questar freight and a $15 Questar drop-ship charge will apply if faster delivery is required and it must be drop-shipped to you from Questar.
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Questar achromatic 0.6x focal reducer

$525.00

This Questar 0.6x achromatic focal reducer gives you faster photographic speeds with both 3.5" and 7" Questars.