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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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Astro-Tech Schmidt-Cassegrain f/6.3 Focal Reducer Field Flattener

$89.95

4 Review(s)

This combination f/6.3 focal reducer/corrector lens reduces the focal ratio of all Celestron 5" through 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, as well as all Meade 8" through 16" SCTs . . .
$0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors$ $Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors Old Style with 42mm Adapter only.$

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Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors Old Style with 42mm Adapter only.

$149.95

This economical Astro-Tech 2" 0.8x reducer/field flattener is designed for astrophotography with f/6 focal ratio refractors, but will also work well with refractors in the f/5.5 to f/7 range . . .
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Astro-Tech 2" x 35mm extension tube

$29.95

1 Review(s)

This Astro-Tech 2" x 35mm extension tube is used to make up for the loss of light path when a 2" star diagonal is removed from many refractor focusers and replaced by a camera and camera adapter for imaging. It can also be used with Astro-Tech Ritchey-Chrétien reflectors to bring webcams and DSLRs to the correct focus . . .
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Astro-Tech 2" Extension ring for A-T Ritchey-Chrétien astrographs

$34.95

This Astro-Tech 2" long extension ring, installed between your Astro-Tech Ritchey-Chrétien astrograph and its focuser, helps you match the back focus required for your particular complement of imaging components . . .
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Astro-Tech 5mm T-thread spacer ring for DSLR and CCD imaging with 42mm Threads

$9.95

This Astro-Tech 5mm T-thread spacer ring can help provide the necessary spacing between a DSLR or CCD camera's focal plane and a reducer, field flattener, or other imaging accessory in prime focus astrophotography.
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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.
$Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT115EDT triplet apo refractor Version II$ $Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT115EDT triplet apo refractor Version II$

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Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT115EDT triplet apo refractor Version II

$199.95

1 Review(s)

This economical 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener is designed specifically for astrophotography with the Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm f/7 triplet apo refractor.
$Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT125EDL Doublet apo refractor$ $Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT125EDL Doublet apo refractor$

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Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for Astro-Tech AT125EDL Doublet apo refractor

$199.95

This 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener is designed specifically for astrophotography with the Astro-Tech AT125EDL f/7.8 apo refractor.
$Astro-Tech 2" Field flattener for imaging with Astro-Tech and TMB refractors$

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Astro-Tech 2" Field flattener for imaging with Astro-Tech and TMB refractors

$149.95

22 Review(s)

The Sky & Telescope Hot Product for 2010 Astro-Tech 2" photographic field flattener improves the image sharpness at the corners of the field with Astro-Tech and TMB apo refractors, but will also work well with any other brand of f/6 to f/8 refractor, as well as Astro-Tech Ritchey-Chrétiens . . .
$0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors$ $Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors$

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Astro-Tech 0.8x reducer/field flattener for f/6 refractors

$149.95

8 Review(s)

This economical Astro-Tech 2" 0.8x reducer/field flattener is designed for astrophotography with f/6 focal ratio refractors, but will also work well with refractors in the f/5.5 to f/7 range . . .