ICap is the capture software that comes with the NexImage 5 webcam. It's best to practice on the Moon, which is bright and hard to miss.The NexImage 5MP is 5 mega pixels strong, and comes with a disc to set up your laptop or computer with iCap imaging software and RegiStax 6 stacking.The software analyzes each frame of video, throws away the fuzzy ones, and perfectly aligns the remaining images. There is a knack to getting an image on screen, as I discovered when I started planetary imaging. The raw video was processed in AS2 to give a raw stacked image before being processed in RegiStax 6 for a minute bit of wavelet sharpening,as there isnt. Heres an image of Uranus created by stacking 923 frames from a video captured a Celestron NexImage 5 camera attached to my Celestron CPC925 telescope through Celestrons own iCap software.Here is where you need a well-behaved tracking mount, and at minimum a 9x50 optical finder, accurately aligned. + Includes Celestron iCap software for image capture and export and RegiStax for auto-filter, align, and stackingI always image with the diagonal - it's less of a bother and you just tick a box in processing to correct the image.Gotcha 2 is that the sensor chip is small and the planet image can wander off it. The trick I used is to focus the eyepiece with the eyepiece pulled up by the appropriate distance, and then replace it with the camera, whereupon I can at least find something blurry.NexImage 5 and Burst cameras have guided scores of. The camera focus position will be significantly different from the eyepiece focus (typically several mm further in) and you have to find out what that difference is with your setup. ICap is filled with landmines that I warn you about in this video.Gotcha 1 is that unless an object like Saturn is almost in focus, it will not show up on screen no matter what you do.
Neximage Icap Software Software That ComesNeximage Icap Software Full Chip SizeThe Moon is a good target, as suggested, because it's hard to miss. And centre it.Focusing on something as far away as you can manage with the camera might help you find the rough position for the focuser. You will probably want to image with 320x240 or 480x480 but it is almost impossible to get a subject on this without going to the full chip size to find the subject. For alignment it doesn't matter that it's out of focus.Thanks James - great tips. Even though the target might appear centered in a normal eyepiece, it doesn't have to be far off to miss a camera sensor altogether.I also found that sometimes you can turn the gain or contrast up high and you might see a slight difference in brightness across the sensor which can help you see where the target is if it doesn't end up on the sensor.When I'm doing lots of planetary imaging I leave the focuser where it needs to be for the camera to be in focus and do the alignment using a (reticle) eyepiece on the unfocused image. I found a reticle eyepiece very helpful for centering the image. It's just a huge magnification and such a small FOV. Then it's a matter of swapping in the Neximage for the eyepiece, cranking up the resolution and the gain/exposure till I locate the target, then hand control while I capture.It's a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. So if I can get the planet centered (as much as is possible using a 40mm eyepiece) and in focus using this eyepiece, the focus on the Neximage will be close. I also realised that counter intuitively, the focus needed for my 40mm plossl eyepiece and the Neximage 5 are quite close. Especially the focus tip.Thanks everyone - I wasn't able to test this on a planet due to clouds but I did experiment with focus during the day and realised that until focus is correct the planet could be on the chip but I might not be able to see it. You just have to get Saturn displayed on screen somewhere first. Go ahead & max out your resolution, at 2592x1944. Ugh the frustration wink.gif !Not using a Barlow as I'm attempting to image at f/10 and a 2800mm f/l - so barlow not needed with Neximage 5 and this size of SCT.Sort it out? I have the Neximage 5 & it's a basic widefield camera, not narrowfield.I found your problem, you are starting, at too low "Resolution." You can leave auto on, for gain. Typically now that I have some spare time for the next 2 days, the clouds have rolled in. Ideapad z580 driversRecord.Start, at 2592x1944, use binning & decrease view to 20%. The planet should be centered, if you are tracking. Now, lower it, to 640x480 and center it. Now, lower resolution to 1920x1080 center it. ![]() It was basically down to focus initally and settings. I managed to fumble my way through thanks to all the advice I received on here. That's 37,000 frames for Saturn, not 750, 1,000 or a few thousand! You must master your Neximage 5 & iCap to its potential.Thank you!! That's great info. Basically, double the N5's FPS, per above chart. My seeing here at 53 degrees north is pants so there's a limit to what results I can get here I fear. I will look at your details more closely when I get going on planetary again.
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