Cameras

The Analog Era. Until the late 1990s, astrophotography was only possible with an analog film camera. The camera was usually used in a piggy‑back configuration. Tracking the object was done with a drive motor, but corrections had to be made manually. Staring through the guide scope for fifteen minutes while constantly adjusting was no easy task. To keep costs down, I bought a film loader with 30 meters of film, which allowed me to fill reusable cassettes. You needed a darkroom to develop and print the photos. The results were modest and, compared to today, quite poor.

Around 1998, the first CCD/CMOS “board cameras” appeared on the market. They produced a video signal. I used many of them, not only for observing objects but also for reading out the coordinate disks, which made remote control possible.

In 2001, Philips released the ToUcam Pro, the famous “Egg.” It completely changed astrophotography. Within a short time, it became possible to convert it from a video camera into a camera capable of long‑exposure imaging. I even modified several units by desoldering the CCD and mounting it on an aluminum block cooled with a Peltier element. A PC fan removed the excess heat. I worked on these conversions for about two years; the last one was never used because commercial astro‑cameras had become available by then.

In 2004, Meade introduced the DSI, which performed much better than my modified webcams. Soon after, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel (300D) became popular, delivering even better results. With the arrival of the first astro‑stacking software, it finally became possible to produce decent astrophotographs.

Later, I purchased an SBIG-ST2000XM, but that camera has also become outdated. Today I photograph with two modern cameras:
•ZWO ASI 294mc Pro (OSC) (OSC) – One Shot Color
•ASI 1600MM Pro – monochrome with filter wheel
Developments are moving incredibly fast; every year something better comes out. For now, I’ll stick with these two ASI cameras.