ASTROVID  StellaCam EX TM   " Bridging the Gap between conventional CCD and Video Imaging"

IN STOCK! Call toll free 1-877-348-8433 or 518-812-0025 to order! Or order online at http://store.yahoo.com/astrovid

ACCLAIM FOR THE STELLACAM EX ASTRONOMICAL CCD VIDEO CAMERAS:

MAGAZINE REVIEW - SKY & TELESCOPE FEB. 2003 :

"AFTER SEVERAL NIGHTS  USING  STELLACAM - EX WITH A VARIETY OF LENSES AND TELESCOPES, I REGARD THE CAMERA AS A GROUNDBREAKING TOOL FOR AMATEUR IMAGING." JOHNNY HORNE

"STELLACAM IS ALSO AN OUTSTANDING PUBLIC OUTREACH TOOL THAT CAN PUT DETAILED LIVE VIDEO OF NEBULAE, GALAXIES, AND COMETS ON A MONITOR SETUP INDOORS." JOHNNY HORNE

"ADIRONDACK'S SPECIFICATION SHEET FOR STELLACAM NOTES THAT THE CAMERA BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN VIDEO AND CCD IMAGING. AFTER USING THE STELLACAM EX, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE." JOHNNY HORNE

CUSTOMER ACCLAIM:

Friday night, I had the most exciting observing experience in over twenty years of enjoying the night sky. Mike O'Connor brought over his new, just
released Stellacam EX from Astrovid to try it out on the 12"SCT LX200 @ f3.3. The Stellacam EX uses a new Sony video chip with an incredible lux rating of .00005 and a 1/60th to 2 second scan rate. Their web site gives high praise to this new camera, but it in no way prepared us for its unbelievable capabilities. TRISTAN ( full quote below)

NEW ASTROVID STELLACAM  and STELLACAM EX USERS' PAGE IMAGES AND COMMENTS

ASTROVID STELLACAM  EX AND STELLACAM  NON-EX SPECIFICATION COMPARISON -

1. THE STELLACAM EX HAS MORE DYNAMIC RANGE AND IS MORE SENSITIVE BY AT LEAST ONE MAGNITUDE WHEN COMPARED TO THE NON-EX VERSION OF THE STELLACAM.
2. THIS PERFORMANCE IS NOT BASED ON  BENCH TESTS BUT ACTUAL TELESCOPE PERFORMANCE! 
3. THEREFORE, WE RECOMMEND THE STELLACAM EX OVER THE NON-EX FOR ALMOST ALL CUSTOMERS. WE HAVE NOW SECURED MONTHLY ALLOTMENTS OF THE EX-VIEW CAMERAS  AND HAVE THE STELLACAM EX CAMERAS IN  CONSTANT SUPPLY!

4. THERE WAS A  POINT IN TIME WHEN THE EX VIEW CCD'S WERE IN VERY SHORTLY SUPPLY. WE HAD THE NON-EX-VIEW CAMERAS IN STOCK.  WE  RECOMMENDED THAT MOST CUSTOMERS WAIT FOR THE EX VIEW VERSION AS THIS WAS THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT FOR THE CUSTOMER INTERESTED IN VIDEO ASTRONOMY! WE ALWAYS PLACE THE CUSTOMER FIRST AND WILL GIVE HONEST ACCURATE ADVICE. WE NEVER PLACE THE SALE FIRST.

    

    

SONY EX-VIEW vs. SONY HAD CCD's:

There is misinformation on the Internet about the issue " SONY EX View vs. SONY HAD CCD chips" from a telescope company that sells video cameras , so I asked Terry Platt, (the designer of the STARLIGHT XPRESS CCD cameras, who has been using SONY CCD's since the mid 1980's) for his comments about the two CCD chips. Here is his reply:

We have always had the SONY HAD cameras at our dispose but we also decided to go with the EX View CCD for our StellaCam EX cameras as there is no question that the EX-View CCD is the best CCD choice for astronomical applications.

STELLACAM EX -  SEE HOW LARRY LOW LOCATED PLUTO WITH THE STELLACAM EX. PLUTO WAS EVEN VISIBLE IN A SINGLE FRAME IMAGE FROM THE INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE STELLACAM EX !

INNOVATION AND QUALITY:

1. THE INNOVATIVE STELLACAM EX INCORPORATES MANY OF THE INNOVATIONS FOUND IN EARLIER ASTROVID MODELS AND THEN TAKES THEM ONE STEP FURTHER!

2. ANOTHER VIDEO INNOVATION FIRST DEVELOPED BY AVA IS THE PC CONTROL OPTION FOR THE STELLACAM EX. THIS MAKES BOTH INTERNET AND NETWORK IMAGING POSSIBLE ! IT IS PERFECT FOR THE ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY WHERE THE IMAGER OR CLASSROOM IS HALF A WORLD AWAY!

CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY (CVT) :

1. THE STELLACAM EX AND ALL ASTROVID CAMERAS ARE STRICTLY ENGINEERED TO INCORPORATE "CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY" THROUGH THE USE OF THE PROPER COMPONENTS. "

2. CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY"  WILL GIVE YOU THE HIGHEST QUALITY IMAGES FREE OF NOISE. 

3. THE PROPER USE OF "CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY"  INCLUDES BOTH THE SELECTION AND DESIGN OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. THAT INCLUDES THE POWER SUPPLY, CAMERA HEAD, REMOTE CABLING, CONTROL BOX, CONNECTORS, VIDEO CABLE, WIRING AND GROUNDING.

4. THE QUALITY OF OUR STELLACAM EX IS SO EXCEPTIONAL THAT WE HAVE NOT ONLY HAD MANY FIRST TIME USERS BUT  REPEAT CUSTOMERS FROM NASA, BOEING, CORNELL UNIVERSITY ETC. THESE DEMANDING CUSTOMERS REQUIRE THE CLEANEST, NOISE FREE IMAGES!

REMOTE CONTROL BOX:

1. THE UNIQUE REMOTE CONTROL BOX FOUND IN THE ASTROVID LINE, WAS A GROUND BREAKING INNOVATION FIRST DEVELOPED BY AVA SO THAT CRITICAL ADJUSTMENTS COULD BE MADE TO CAMERAS IN THE FIELD WITH OUT DISTURBING THE TELESCOPE. 

2. NO LONGER IS IT NECESSARY TO FUMBLE WITH TINY DIP SWITCHES AND SCREWS IN THE DARK

3. ADJUSTMENTS CAN BE MADE FROM DISTANCES UP TO 300 FEET.  THIS MAKES THE STELLACAM EX PERFECT FOR OBSERVATORIES, SCHOOLS COLLEGES ETC.

4. OUR CONTROL BOX INCORPORATES THE "CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY" PROTOCOL AND IS SHEILDED AND GROUNDED TO PREVENT ANY INTERFERENCE.

5. THE CONTROL BOX HAS BOTH S-VIDEO AND COMPOSITE VIDEO OUTPUTS

UNIQUE CONTROL CABLING:

1. ANOTHER INNOVATION (PAT PENDING)  DEVELOPED FIRST AT AVA IS OUR REMOTE CABLING

2. THE REMOTE CABLE FROM THE CAMERA TO THE CONTROL BOX ALLOWS THE CAMERA TO BE USED UP TO 300 FEET AWAY.

3. THE REMOTE CABLE INCORPORATES THE VIDEO SIGNAL, THE CAMERA CONTROL SIGNAL, AND THE POWER TO THE CAMERA.  EACH ONE OF THESE SIGNALS FOLLOWS THE "CLEAN VIDEO TECHNOLOGY " PROTOCOL AND IS SHEILDED FROM THE OTHER SIGNALS. EACH COMPONENT IS PROPERLY GROUNDED AND GROUND LOOPS ARE ELIMINATED. THIS GIVE CLEAN NOISE FREE IMAGES.

4. THE USE OF ONE SINGLE CABLE WITH ITS GROUNDED AND SHEILDED DB 15 CONNECTOR PROVIDES AS VERY CLEAN AND SIMPLE SYSTEM IN TERMS OF CONNECTION TO THE REMOTE CONTROL BOX AND CONNECTIONS AT THE TELESCOPE.

5. THERE ARE NO MESSY CAMERA CONNECTIONS, NO LONG EXTENSION CORDS NEEDED, NO EXTRA VIDEO CABLES DANGLING FROM THE TELESCOPE THAT COULD GET TANGLED IN THE TELESCOPE DRIVES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN ROBOTIC OR OBSERVATORY SYSTEMS WHERE THE IMAGER IS NOT CLOSE BY.

MISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION BY ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS. IT WAS ERRONEOUSLY REPORTED THAT  OUR REMOTE CONTROL CABLE IS  POORLY DESIGNED  AND HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF NOISE BEING INTRODUCED. BE ASSURED THIS IS NOT THE CASE. WE HAVE, FOR A  LONG TIME WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH VIDEO ENGINEERS AT THE MAJOR CAMERA MANUFACTURERS TO PRODUCE THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCTS. WE STAND BEHIND OUR REPUTATION AND OUR PRODUCTS.  THIS STELLACAM CAMERAS ARE THE MOST ECONOMICAL, FULLY SHEILDED SYSTEMS AVAILABLE THAT PERFORM FLAWLESSLY RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.

PC CONTROL :

THE LATEST INNOVATION  FROM ADIRONDACK VIDEO ASTRONOMY AND A FIRST IS THE PC CONTROL OPTION FOR THE STELLACAM AND STELLACAM EX CAMERAS. THIS MAKES THE STELLACAM EX THE MOST FLEXIBLE ASTRONOMICAL CAMERA IN THE UNIVERSE.

1. THERE IS BUILT-IN HARDWARE / SOFTWARE CONTROL SO THAT THE CAMERA CAN BE TURNED OFF AND ON ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

2. You can control any of the cameras functions over your local network anywhere in the world

3. MAKE and SAVE YOUR OWN FAVORITE OBJECT SETTINGS FOR YOUR PARTICULAR TELESCOPE ( ie. MARS on your refractor , MARS on your C-11, MOON on your C-8 etc.)

4. CAN  BE NETWORKED, CONTROLLED VIA VNC SOFTWARE, CAN BE USED ON BOTH WIRELESS AND HARDWIRED NETWORKS. INTERNET CONTROLLABLE.
5. PERFECT FOR SCHOOLS ,OBSERVATORIES, PLANETARIUMS, COLLEGES, AND SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS WHERE  CALIBRATED CONTROL IS REQUIRED
6. TWO SOFTWARE PROGRAMS INCLUDED - SIMPLE AND A SCRIPTABLE VERSION

ASTROVID STELLACAM PC CONTROL NEW!!!

QUALITY CONTROL:

1. WE INSPECT EVERY CAMERA HEAD UPON RECEIPT. IF IT DOES NOT MEET OUR SPECIFICATIONS IT IS REJECTED.

2. WE INSPECT EVERY CAMERA SYSTEM AND RETEST THEM JUST PRIOR TO SHIPPING.

3. WE STOCK A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS SO THAT IN THE RARE EVENT OF A COMPONENT FAILURE WE CAN QUICKLY REPAIR OR REPLACE THAT COMPONENT AS NEEDED.  IN THE PAST WE HAVE OFTEN SERVICED CAMERAS WELL BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD AT NO CHARGE. WE ARE AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS OURSELVES AND WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO USE THEIR ASTROVIDS AND GAIN THE FULL BENEFIT FROM THEM.

4. AS YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR FLEXIBILITY AND EXPANDABILITY !  WE HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 1994 AND WILL CONTINUE TO BRING YOU THE BEST POSSIBLE ASTRONOMICAL IMAGING PRODUCTS.

5. WE BACK UP EVERY SALE WITH FINE SERVICE AND STOCK A LARGE AMOUNT OF ACCESSORIES TO ENHANCE YOUR VIDEO ASTRONOMY EXPERIENCE.

6. OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER 1-877-348-8433 IS ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. The ASTROVID StellaCam is a highly sensitive video camera capable of imaging both deep sky and planetary objects.

2. This is the lowest light video system available on the market today It has an equivalent 0.0001 LUX rating when accumulating images and now the StellaCam EX has an equivalent lux rating of 0.00005 when capturing deep sky objects.

3. Prior to the advent of the ASTROVID StellaCam an Image intensifier was required to capture deep sky objects such as, Nebula, Galaxies, Planetary Nebula.

4. This camera will also perform very well with an image intensifying system such as the Collin's I Cubed intensifier

5.  Deep Sky Video Imaging

6. 2. Video Finder for CCD Imaging

7. 3. Planetary, Lunar, Solar Imaging

8. 4. Satellite Imaging

9. 5. Meteor Imaging

10. 6. Camera lens imaging of aurora

11. 7. Very low light security applications. ie. bridges ,tunnels etc.

12. PERFECT FOR BIOMEDICAL & FLOURECSCENT  DETECTION APPLICATIONS.

CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS:

SONY has just released the EXVIEW 1/2 inch monochrome 600 line resolution sensor. We wanted to take advantage of this and now have a model of the ASTROVID StellaCam that incorporates this sensor called the StellaCam EX. This CCD is SONY's top of the line Ceramic Dual Inline Package Monochrome Sensor. It is not to be confused with the 420 line plastic SONY EXVIEW  1/3 inch sensor found in some less expensive cameras. Due to the difficulties in manufacturing the 1/2 inch Cer-Dip sensor , they will only be available in limited quantities. To read more about  EX-View sensors click here.

LUX VALUES

The following lux values can be achieved with the StellaCam and StellaCam EX. These are true lux values and are not overstated.

StellaCam $595.00

Planetary mode 1/60 second : 0.01 lux

Accumulation mode: 0.0001 lux

StellaCam EX $695.00 ( a conservative estimate is that the increase in sensitivity for the StellaCam EX is between 150% and 175% over the standard StellaCam)

Planetary mode1/60 second : 0.005 lux

Accumulation mode: 0.00005 lux

STELLACAM CAMERA HEAD:

FRONT VIEW - with included 1.25" adapter

BACK VIEW - Using this 15 pin  connector allows only one cord to come off of the StellaCam cameras. The cord contains the video, power, and control commands. Available pins within this connector will enable  future development of the ASTROVID StellaCam cameras for computer control and other pending operations.

10 BIT A/D CONVERTOR:

The 10 bit CDS/AGC/AD convertor used in the ASTROVID StellaCam and StellaCam EX will give you a much higher quality video image. It will also produce a much higher frame captured image. The main reason to use the 10 bit A/D converter is to give a better gamma (contrast) correction.

Proper Gamma correction is the essential technology needed to create an  excellent quality image.  Most of the monitor tubes have 1/0.45=2.22 gamma curve and LCD panel have even worse gamma curve as 1/0.3-3.33.  If a perfect linear video signal is sent to a CRT for image display , the end result will be a very bad image with 80% of the information  compressed into only 30% of the gray scale. In other words you have lost much of your image quality and the amount of grayscale information for image processing has also been lost.  

Most CCD cameras available only use 9 bit DSP's for the surveillance / security camera market.  This only gives 1bit more of information or 2 times more gray scale. The result is that the dark portions of the image will lose a great amount of gray scale detail.

The ASTROVID StellaCam  and StellaCam EX use the 10 bit converter. This provides 4 times more gray scale information or 2 bit more data. The result is a very brilliant image with 4 times more grayscale than conventional security CCD cameras such as the PC232.

 ASTROVID StellaCam CONTROL BOX  PATENT PENDING

The use of the separate control box and the on-screen display of the camera controls make this camera very easy to use. The outlay of all of the controls make the AstroVid StellaCam very intuitive to use. We also designed the control box with large buttons so that under less than ideal conditions the controls are easily managed. It is possible to control the camera quite efficiently even while wearing gloves.

The functions of the various buttons on the control box are as follows.

MIDDLE BUTTON - IS THE MENU / ENTER BUTTON -     This button is used to access the Main Menu. Depressing the middle button for 2 seconds will allow you to enter the Main Menu. Once in the Main Menu you can also use the Middle Button as an Enter button to enter any of the On Screen Display Camera Controls that are manually controlled.

TOP and BOTTOM BUTTON  -  SCROLLING BUTTONS - These buttons will allow you to scroll up and down  within the main menu and within any sub menu that will have more than one vertical choice.

LEFT and RIGHT BUTTONS -  SELECTION BUTTON  - These buttons allow you to make a selection either in the main menu ( ie. turning titles on or off) or in one of the sub menus. ( ie. setting your gain or shutter speed selections)

This may sound difficult at first, but  it becomes very intuitive and adjustments can be made very quickly.  You can operate in complete darkness. You will not even need to look down at the control box as you make your adjustments.

The control box comes with 12 feet of camera to control box cabling.  Highly shield extension cables will be available in 12, 24,50, 75, 100 feet. This will permit remote operation of the camera.

ON SCREEN DISPLAY MENUS

The following pictures will highlight the various camera controls accessed via the on screen display.

MAIN MENU - the main menu can be accessed by pressing the center button on the control box and holding it down for one to two seconds. Settings accessed via the Main Menu

THIS IS A SAMPLE SCREEN OF THE SETTINGS( DEEP SKY) FOR THE ESKIMO NEBULA - this is a single frame grab

Title- allows you to access the title menu to label your video image. Use the right button to select the letter or character. Use the center button to enter the character.

Sense Up - this is the frame accumulation mode used when you want an extended integration time beyond the normal 1/60 of a second video frame exposure. Various frame accumulation rates can be selected up to 128 frames. If this setting is set to off then the normal shutter speed rates of 1-50 -1/120,000 second can be accessed via the ALC / ELC setting also found in the main menu.

ALC/ELC - this is the parameter used for the control of the shutter speeds. ALC is the manual shutter control / ELC is the automatic shutter speed control.

BLC - this parameter is more for terrestrial use, as it compensates for a brightly back illuminated scene.

White Balance - not used on the ASTROVID StellaCam

Sync - synchronization of the camera - setting should be left on INT. or internal.

Option - optional functions  of the camera accessed via this menu.

Zoom - this is a 2X digital zoom that allows you to zoom in on your image. The high quality of the image is maintained. This is very useful when you are using a Barlow lens. If your seeing permits, you effectively have the ability to vary the magnification of  your barlow lens digitally. This means a 2X Barlow can be varied up to 4X. A 3X Barlow to a 6X Barlow etc.

  ZOOM OFF                        ZOOM 1X                           ZOOM 2X

Exit - SAVE - This allows you to exit the Main Menu and saves all of the settings upon exit.

PRICING :

The StellaCam system includes, Camera, Control box, 12 foot cable from camera head to control box, 25 foot shielded BNC to RCA video cable,110 volt (220 volt PAL) power supply, c to 1.25 inch adapter, Instructions, One Year Warranty.

AV-STCAM    NTSC VERSION  $595.00  INSTOCK !

AV-STCAM-P  PAL/OVERSEAS VERSION  $620.00 IN STOCK!!! International shipping price to be quoted.

AV-STCAM-EX NTSC VERSION $695.00  IN STOCK!!

AV-STCAM-EX-P PAL Version $720.00  IN STOCK !!

UK CUSTOMERS VISIT OUR UK ASTROVID STELLACAM DEALER

LENSES FOR THE STELLACAM

NEW !!!       C- MOUNT LENSES FOR YOUR ASTROVID VIDEO CAMERAS, USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR STELLACAM TO CREATE A CCD VIDEO FINDER SCOPE AND GUIDESCOPE

LINKS FOR THE STELLACAM

• GO TO STELLACAM and STELLACAM EX USERS' COMMENTS AND IMAGES PAGE

• GO TO THE NEW LUX SPEC PAGE

• LEONID METEOR SHOWER 2001 QUICKTIME MOVIE RIGHT CLICK THE MOUSE AND SELECT SAVE TARGET AS

• NEW !! VISIT SCOTT VOGAN's StellaCam EX WEBSITE - http://starhunter.us

INTERESTING CUSTOMER INFORMATION:

The StellaCam Captured Hundreds of Leonid Meteors

Single Frame StellaCam image from Hi-8mm Videotape. Captured with Intro DV using the SONY DVMC-DA2 Media Converter

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A LARGER IMAGE SIZE

CLICK HERE FOR A MOVIE CLIP FROM THE METEOR SHOWER RIGHT CLICK YOUR MOUSE ON THIS LINK AND SELECT SAVE TARGET AS

No computer required !!

Message: 1
   Date: (unknown)
   From: John Gilkison <jgilkiso@zianet.com>
Subject: Re: Stella Cam Ex Redux

To the Olfers
& Astro Officers

        Only a little off topic, but the Stella Cam Ex I got on Monday
has finally been field tested and boy does it work. Last night from about
midnight until 1:00 AM MST I set up my 12 inch LX-200 knocked down to
F/3.3 and I installed the camera and got a focus. My first target was
Messier-3 (M-3) an I was just blown away. I went and got Mom out of bed
to see it. Next stop M-81 and M-82, of which M-82 had more features. Then
M-51 where you could see both galaxies and the spiral structure.
NGC-4565,
M-104, NGC-1907, M-65, M-66 all showed well. I had to go to bed, but it
was an act of will to power down and pack up.

        We have public programs on the 22nd at Leasburg State Park, and
on the 29th at Elephant Butte Lake. The public is in for a treat. I
worked
with this camera and a couple of my OM-1 camera lenses the night before
but that was no where near as impressive as what can be seen through a
12 inch at F/3.3. For wide field use we need something with a shorter
focal length then 28 mm's and the 135 mm hasn't enough aperture to do
the scene justice. The two second integrations the camera does for the
TV Monitor makes the Earths rotation obvious with a 135 mm lens.

        Then from April 2nd through April 5th the National Public
Observatory
will be hosting its Spring Regional Star Party called the Southern New
Mexico
Star Party at City of Rocks State Park. We will have a public night on
Saturday
the 5th of April but the rest of the 4 day event is for the attendees. We
will
have the Stella Cam Ex there along with the 12 inch LX-200 and a 6 inch
LXD-55
for imaging. Bill Chrisley will be there with his 17.5 inch as well as
many
other telescopes of various apertures. City of Rocks State Park is a
fantastic
venue for a Star Party like this. I hope we get to see some of you there.

*
John Gilkison
President, National
Public Observatory
jgilkiso@zianet.com
http://www.astronomy-national/-
public-observatory.org

 

Hi..

My name is Jim Barclay, the Director of the newly opened Nanango TIE QUT
Observatory
( www.eese.bee.qut.edu.au/tie)  located 250kms NW from Brisbane, in
Queensland,  Australia.

I enclose some  pics of an idea I came up with for your Stella camera
and its fish-eye lens being used for an All Sky camera. The housing is
10" ID 4mm  thick storm water PVC tube about 2 feet long, with a 12VDC
fan underneath the camera. This fan blows cold air up, and around the
camera day and night (hence the holes around the top)  which blows
away heat buildup during the day, and any dew that forms on the lens at
night.

At the moment, the 'lid' is a manual swing-away design that will soon be
motorized  and controlled by a 20 lux outdoor light sensor. This, along
with the other automated equipment, will allow a TIE school class to
check the weather via this, and the Davis weather station; All accessible
via the Net.

We will be ready to roll out the carpet, so to speak, by late January,
2003.
This Stella cam has a lot of potential. I fully recommend this product
to anyone!

If you can use them for your promotions, sales etc.,be my guest!

Jim

READ THE OBSERVING REPORT BELOW FOR A  "REAL TIME " Experience WITH THE ASTROVID STELLACAM EX !