6
heading, then click
OK (Figure 5
). The
Live Video Window
will now display
at the selected resolution. Any images
captured with the camera will now also
be set at the same resolution. To move
the
Live Video Window
out of the
way, click on the top bar of the window
and drag it to the desired location on
the computer screen
.
5. To connect the camera to the
telescope, simply replace the
telescope’s 1.25" eyepiece with the
camera. Make sure the securing
thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube
is tightened after the camera is
inserted.
6. You will now need to refocus the
camera for the centered object.
Focusing will be the hardest thing
to learn in the initial stages. If you
are starting out in daylight, as is
recommended, you may need to
turn the exposure and/or brightness
control of the camera down before
attempting to focus.
This is done
by selecting Video Capture Filter in
the Options menu and moving the
exposure (
Figure 6
) or brightness
slider (
Figure 7
). If the daytime
image brightness is still too bright
to produce an acceptable image on
your computer screen, you may need
to stop-down the aperture of your
telescope.
7. Look at the
Live Video Window
on
the computer screen and adjust the
focus knob accordingly to determine best image focus.
Note: The camera’s field of view is fairly small. It is approximately equivalent to the
field of view through the telescope when looking through a typical (i.e. not wide-
field) 5mm focal length eyepiece (
Figure 9
).
8. Image orientation can be changed by rotating the camera within the focuser
drawtube. Simply loosen the thumbscrew on the drawtube and rotate the
camera until the desired image orientation is achieved. Retighten the
thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube when done. You may need to slightly
Figure 5.
Changing resolution via
options->Video Capture Pin.
Figure 6.
Changing exposure via
options->Video Capture Filter->
Camera Control Tab.
Figure 7.
Changing Brightness and
Contrast via options->Video Capture
Filter->Video Proc Amp Tab.