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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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Tele Vue Paracorr Type 2 photo/visual

$510.01

5 Review(s)

The TeleVue Paracorr Type 2 photo/visual coma corrector drastically reduces the coma and curvature of field of all Newtonian reflectors and large aperture "no ladder" Dobsonians with focal ratios as fast as f/3 . . .
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0.5X focal reducer for Celestron, Meade, and Orion CCD imaging cameras

$24.95

1 Review(s)

This Antares focal reducer lens more than doubles the field of view of any small chip CCD cameras with a 1.25" nosepiece (such as the Celestron NexImage, Meade DSI, and Orion StarShoot Solar System and Deep Space Imaging Cameras) for wider-field deep sky and lunar images . . .
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Questar T-Ring for Leica R4, for Questar telescopes only

$85.00

For mounting a 35mm Leica R4 camera 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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0.8X reducer/field flattener/corrector for photography for Mewlons

$436.00

This Takahashi 0.8x reducer/field flattener/corrector lens is designed to work specifically with Takahashi Mewlon 8.3" to 11.8" Dall-Kirkham catadioptric reflectors . . .
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Questar swivel coupling to use Starguide on 7" Questars

$175.00

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 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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Camera angle adjuster FSQ-106ED, 4" focuser TOA-130F, TOA-150

$317.00

This adapter allows quick no-tool adjustment of the orientation (landscape, portrait, etc.) of a 35mm, medium format, or CCD camera attached to a Takahashi FSQ-106ED, 4" focuser TOA-139F, or TOA-150 refractor . . .
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Camera angle adjuster for TSA-102S, TSA-120, FS-128N, TOA-130S (2.7" focuser)

$265.00

This adapter allows quick no-tool adjustment of the orientation (landscape, portrait, etc.) of a 35mm, medium format, or CCD camera attached to a Takahashi TSA-102S and TSA-120, 2.7" focuser FS-128N, or 2.7" focuser TOA-130 refractor . . .
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Camera angle adjuster FS-78/60C/60E/Sky 90

$244.00

This adapter allows quick no-tool adjustment of the orientation (landscape, portrait, etc.) of a 35mm, medium format, or CCD camera attached to a Takahashi FS-78, FS-60C, FC-60E, or Sky 90 II refractor . . .