Review on 📸 Capturing Crisp Planetary Images: Celestron NexImage 10MP Solar System Imager (93708) by James Jenkins

UPDATE March 31: I removed a few sprockets because after a year of careful use the glass had cracked out of position. This allowed dust and dirt to get in and ruin future shots, even after the glass was glued in place. I never dropped or bumped the camera and it was always fumbling around in the soft case. I took it apart a second time to clean the glass and sensor and saw that the sensor now had a scratch from loose glass. When I cleaned the sensor of dust with special cleaners, it was terribly scratched. This all happened at the worst possible moment as I was working hard to capture Jupiter during opposition in 2017. Since this happened a year later and some of the damage was caused by my actions, I had no choice but to replace the camera. Very disappointed. Original Review: Before I bought this camera, I learned how to do astrophotography step by step. I first took single shots on an Alpha A57 with a 130mm reflector. I could barely see the gap between Saturn and its rings or details on Jupiter's surface. Then I learned to take lots of pictures and put them together. Now I got a little closer, but I was still very discouraged. This was followed by some videos of an 8" SCT with my A57 and then stacking it in Registax which produced some decent beginner images. After seeing some example images from others on the internet I knew I had to make the leap to a dedicated astro camera, if I wanted to make progress. I was very happy with that decision! It does take me a little more time to carry my laptop outside but it's worth it. The camera is surprisingly small and light. 5mm eyepiece so I'm centering the object normally with a low magnification eyepiece, then add a Barlow eyepiece and center, then add a high magnification eyepiece and center, then plug in the camera. On the computer, select a large video size and adjust the exposure and focus the telescope until it comes in view. Then you can adjust the video size and make the final videos. I always make a few Videos for any combination of settings. Here are a few other suggestions based on what I've learned so far about the planet out of the picture: 1. The best quality to file size ratio I've seen was the Y800.2 format. I need to leave plenty of space around the planet so I can keep the disk free of specks visible through the telescope.3. I had the best detail with 3x Barlow, no binning. This is with the 8" Celestron SCT.4. The quality is 60% visibility, 30% post processing and 20% telescopic. When the planet is high in the sky and still, you get fantastic video. .You won't get a good final picture if the planet is too shaky.You just can't.I've tried many times before I felt like trying again another night.5.Visit ClearSkyAlarmClock. com to create personalized pre-alerts for high visibility. If I didn't have it, I would have missed my best shots! Use iCap's histogram feature to make sure you're not overexposing.