Thursday, July 19, 2012

New Toy - NexImage 5 Planetary Cam

I haven't posted much recently due to fires, monsoon weather, and work.  This is dangerous for an Astrophotographer since it allows more idle time to window shop goodies online.  Well, that's what I did, and I bought a NexImage 5 as a result.  I don't usually do planetary/solar imaging as I prefer deep sky, but, it offers an opportunity for quick imaging sessions day, and night, and between clouds to fill the gap.  I had a lot of fun with my QHY-5 and sort of miss the occasional lunar session.  DSO imaging probably won't resume for me until September when monsoons break up so I figured I'd pass the time by changing gears.  Anyway, here's the pics for those who are curious.  If I get a break in the clouds this evening I will give it a first light run on Saturn.  It has a reasonably fast frame rate and seemingly decent acquisition software with lots of resolution, RIO, and gain settings from tinkering indoors, but we will see how it does in the field.