Webcam and DSLR, best situation for each?

[eastwoodandy]

My current setup is:

Canon EOS 1000D with adapters for prime focus and EP
Playstation Eye webcam adapted for telescope (lens removed, homemade cylindrical adapter)
Helios 6" reflector

I don't have a motorised mount, so manual tracking only. So I can only get a maximum of 2 sec exposure with my DSLR.

Which targets are better suited to each camera?

With my webcam I can see the image on my laptop so can at least attempt to keep objects centred, with my DSLR I can't really do this when capturing a still.

Is it pretty much planets/moon for webcam, DSOs for SLR?

I've only had a brief spell last night with the webcam, could get the moon in focus, but I couldn't seem to see any stars (even with gain/exposure set to maximum), but I only had 5 mins before clouds came in.

[mplanet62]

DSLR is a universal option - can be used for imaging of anything. Where the webcam may have an advantage over it is defined by webcam's smaller sensor and it's native live view capability. For example, when you are imaging say, Jupiter, the part of the matrix occupied by the usable image (Jupiter) would be roughly the size of the full sensor in webcam. And the density of pixels would be roughly the same.But, because the sensor is much smaller the refresh rate may be faster and demands to computer for live view much lighter. Sure, you can use projection technique with DSLR, but it will extend the exposure required - which is a main problem with astrophoto. Moon as a whole is hardly a webcam target - too big. But separate maria, monti and craters may come out spectacularly.
The picture you get from most of webcams will be small - but may be successfuly upscaled with no detail loss. And it's not every night you can see a lot of detail in Jupiter's belts.
Summing up:
Well - tuned webcam is an easy yet effective solution to imaging of planets with even beginners range telescopes - many of which cannot even sustain DSLR on their focusers. DSLR allows for great wide field photos even without a telescope - with lens of it's own - but requires a good steady tracking mount, and requirements to the mount are even greater for DSO imaging. Moon shots do not require tracking in general - and DSLR may produce an excellent result on any mount and with virtually any telescope.
Clear skies,
Michael

[admin]

At least for me so far

Webcams - best for magnified shots of the moon and planets - why? because the amount of shots per minute that a webcam can shoot and the software to do it is vastly better than DSLRs

DSLRs - deep sky imaging, wide-field shots of the moon, and wide-field shots of planets - don't forget regular photography like portraits :P

[eastwoodandy]

Thanks for the replies, in my other recent thread you can see what I've managed before I posed this question.

Looks like I'll stick to moon and planet shots with my webcam. I tried last night to get M42 with my webcam, but I couldn't even see it, I had the gain on maximum. I had it in the EP and with my DSLR, the focus position is about the same for my webcam & DSLR. Maybe I was aiming slightly off, with the FOV much smaller, but I scanned round and saw no flickers of light at all.

Oh well, not too disappointed. I'm not expecting miracles with the setup I've got. Now just praying for a clear night to get Saturn or Jupiter!

[eastwoodandy]

Thanks for the replies, in my other recent thread you can see what I've managed before I posed this question.

Looks like I'll stick to moon and planet shots with my webcam. I tried last night to get M42 with my webcam, but I couldn't even see it, I had the gain on maximum. I had it in the EP and with my DSLR, the focus position is about the same for my webcam & DSLR. Maybe I was aiming slightly off, with the FOV much smaller, but I scanned round and saw no flickers of light at all.

Oh well, not too disappointed. I'm not expecting miracles with the setup I've got. Now just praying for a clear night to get Saturn or Jupiter!

...don't forget regular photography like portraits :P

Lol, yeah I do get some standard photography in too! I'll post in the Off Topic forum at some point soon, I have some nice photos of my time in Australia and India, also some local wildlife shots too!