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ORION's NEW STARSHOOT Camera any opinions?

Started by bryan762, 12/31/2006 12:12AM
Posted 12/31/2006 12:12AM Opening Post
Hello folks, and hope you had a Merry Christmas and will injoy the upcomming New Year

I wasn't sure of the best place to post my string CCD Imaging "Deep Sky" or Equipment Talk. Maybe I should try both, is that forum legal?
Anyway's I wanted to know if anyone had formulated an opinion of Orion,s new Starshoot USB deep sky camera. Using, I believe, a relitivily new Sony exview HAD 1/3 752x582 inline CCD sensor with thermo-cooling ( somthing they call TEC ) Camera is inexpensive as these things go at $400.00. The camera comes with a special version of Maxim, and supports auto-guiding for a "second" camera. I like the idea of a hyper cooled inline CCD. I've owned a SBIG ST-237/FASTAR system for years but allways found the tedious image processing a real time consumer that had me taking far more monochrome images then color. Living in a med. size city with typical light dome problems I generally shot color only in the very best of conditions and mostly during winter. Looking at the Orion Starshoot I'm embarresed to admit that I find myself wondering if I wouldn't get more use out of this little $400.00 camera then I do know from my considerably more expensive ST-237. Hmmmmmmmm. I have a pier mounted Celestron SMT toped off with a small 70mm Tak. Bought a Robo Focus a while back for remote ops though that got a little more complicated then I'd like but I got it to work. Also just got a Cannon Rebel DSLR for christmas. Given all that there What would YOU do? I do not for see myself upgrading to a far more expensive self-guiding CCD camera less I upgrade my scope as well ( unlikely)
Ease of use then is one of my primary motavations but down grading to a $400 camera from a $1400 camera just don't seem....ahhhh right? I guess then what really matters is what this 400.00 camera with SONYs new Exview can do and if the end result can hold a candle when compared to the best of SBIG ( the 237 anyways )

Anyone ever get to use one of these Starshoots that is allready familiar with a 237?

(I own a SONY security camera using the new Exview and it does give one a very sweet view compared to cams using the earlier chip.)
Anything you have to say on the subject would intrest me greatly so please have at it.

B-man
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Posted 12/31/2006 04:08AM #1
Well, unfortunately the Starshoot has been discontinued, so the only place you'll likely find one is here on Astromart. There's a pretty thorough review in Rod Mollise's latest Skywatch:
http://skywatch.brainiac.com/newsletter/skywatch.htm

Mark