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The ZWO ASI120MC camera is ideal if you're new to astrophotography and don't know where to start – especially if you're looking for a piece of kit that's not only easy to set up and use, but also affordable too. Not so great for imaging faint deep-sky targets like nebulae and galaxies Regardless of what you wish to do there is an affordable camera out there that will unquestionably meet or exceed your expectations. We've included a range of different astronomical cameras geared to different tasks, from lunar, solar and planetary imaging to long-exposure deep sky photography.
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Let's get started with our roundup of the best CCD cameras for astrophotography. In general all will come with their own operating software, however there are many third part packages available, and many of these will actually be better than the manufacturer-supplied software. The former is generally employed for imaging nebulae and galaxies while the latter is used for imaging the moon and planets.Īlmost all of the cameras you can buy today operate via a high-speed USB3 interface. Modern cameras can work in two modes: either taking single still frame images or high speed video streams. For lunar or planetary photography, you'll want a smaller sensor giving a smaller field of view. For nebulae, galaxies, nightscapes and so on, you'll need a large sensor giving a big field of view. Your choice will depend on what you wish to photograph.
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Īnother consideration with CCD and CMOS cameras is the size of the sensor and the pixel size of the sensor. To be honest this is an issue only the most demanding astrophotographers need worry about – these days there is a much smaller difference in image quality. However, because of the way they one shot color cameras work, the finest imagery still comes from mono cameras employing color filters. Color imagers are without doubt easier to use if you're after color photos.
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