Electronically Assisted Astronomy with a Revolution Imager 2
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- Revolution Imager 2 Tutorial: In this video I give a tutorial on the Revolution Imager 2 video camera. I walk through all the details of setting up and using the camera to view objects in the night sky. This includes a review of the camera accessories, instructions on how to set everything up with the telescope and tips on how to have a successful first night under the stars. It also includes a complete review of the camera menu with explanations of what each function means, which ones can be ignored, which ones are most frequently used and what settings are good starting points. Finally, I include an actual recorded session viewing the Orion Nebula with the camera through a 6" SCT and show how the image differs as some of the camera settings are changed.
For more content for amateur astronomers including equipment reviews and suggestions, discussion of techniques for Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) and astrophotography and examples of deep sky images you can check out my website www.california...
The following links to my favorite astronomy equipment suppliers are affiliate links which allow me to earn a commission on purchases with no cost to you. If you would like to support my channel and its content please consider using my links when ordering your astronomy equipment especially if you were inspired by my video.
High Point Scientific bit.ly/3YvqU4X
Agena Astro bit.ly/434LUSu
Revolution Imager :
High Point Scientific bit.ly/3eWwsna
Agena Astro bit.ly/43qrOls
Amazon amzn.to/3zqp4Xm
Celestron 6SE Telescope:
High Point Scientific bit.ly/3BmUZcH
Agena Astro bit.ly/43qzq7c
Amazon amzn.to/32JZfpn
Talentcell Lithium Batteries: amzn.to/3G1QLIp
Celestron Lithium Power Tank
High Point Scientific bit.ly/3BOtOJf
Agena Astro bit.ly/3MwPrBY
LCD Display: amzn.to/3eTLd6R
0.5X Focal Reducer:
High Point Scientific bit.ly/3eWwCeg
Agena Astro bit.ly/3OBKk5W
Amazon amzn.to/3HES9RC
3ft BNC Female to Female Cable: amzn.to/3JKMIT5
3ft BNC Female to RCA Male Cable: amzn.to/3FYrHlN
BNC Male to RCA Male Adapter: amzn.to/3qPlmm8
5.5 x 2.1mm Power Splitter Cable: amzn.to/34p8KL4
5.5 x 2.1mm Male to Male Adapter: amzn.to/3t59xej
This is the most useful and detailed Astronomy video on any piece of equipment. Well done!
I really do appreciate the positive feedback. Hope you subscribed.
Bought mine about a year ago (I live in the UK). Your tutorial was excellent and covered everything very clearly. Used it again last night, a great kit for astro video.
My Father purchased this for me as a gift. I am looking forward to delving into using the Revolution Imager, especially after viewing this detailed and MOST helpful tutorial. THANK YOU!!!
Hope you enjoy the camera.
Thank you for taking your time to meticulously go through all the features. This camera has been sitting “dead” for months. Now it’s up and running thanks to you!
Glad go hear that. This is exactly why I made the video.
Great video. Very informative. Thank you for taking the time to make this tutorial.
My pleasure. Glad you found it helpful.
Thank You for this video. I have had my my RI II for about 4 years, and I have occasionally been about to deep six it. Thankfully I got to your video first.
Hope you have a lot of fun with it.
They should give u a commission. I was on the fence because my son has a hard time looking through the eyepieces with his glasses but your thorough video convinced me to purchase this.
Wish you lots of luck with it. I lent a different video camera to a friend from work who is into astronomy but has a serious vision impairment. It certainly helped him. If you use one of my links below the video to purchase your camera and any other accessories I will get a small, ~3%, commission and it won't cost you anything. That helps to support my efforts.
I have watched some other tutorials on the imager, yours is the most complete and makes me think I should bring it back on line, currently aimed out of my bedroom window at the street. I set it up as original use, a security camera. I was fairly adept at it but your tips will fill out some issues I found with it. Too many DNR at 6 being one, certainly will stop the streaks. Thanks!!!
Glad to be of help
i think this is more for video viewing and not so much picture taking, great video !
EAA is all about using the camera to view objects in real time. Originally video cameras were used because they were much more sensitive to the night sky than other cameras. But since 2015 EAA has moved onto the same digital cameras that are used for astrophotography but used as I demonstrate in this video.
Thanks for the Tips.
You are welcome!
Great Video, Thank You!
Glad you liked it! Appreciate the positive feedback.
This is very helpful! I also bought a used one and was lost. Thanks!
Yes Sir, very helpful. Thanks!
Very helpful. Thank you.
It would be interesting if they made a camera with more capabilities than a budget security camera like a larger sensor.
I wonder if they make smart astrophotography cameras with built in stacking? 😎 Thank you for the detailed video.
I’m thinking of getting the imager and after looking at your review I think you convinced me to purchase one. I’m planning on using it so my grandchildren can enjoy the heavens. They are much to young to be able to view it through the eyepiece. I do have one question, how were you able to capture the images as pictures. I didn’t hear you mention any options in the menu for that.
There are 2 ways to capture pictures with an analog video camera like this. The easiest is to take a picture of the screen with a separate camera (phone, DSLR, etc.). The picture will not look as good as the 2nd way but is simpler. The best way is to use a video capture device connected between the camera and a computer. This device digitizes the images for the computer. You will also need software capable of displaying the images on your computer screen and capturing them to the computer. This is beyond the scope of this video as it involves a lot more discussion.
Nice video tutorial! I have just purchased a used old 8se and considering this camera. Are there other similar or better options for me to consider that you could please recommend. Thank you 🙏
Pascal, I don't recommend analog cameras these days as they are old technology and the digital CMOS cameras available now a much, much better. I made this video for those who already have an analog camera and still want to use it. If you have your heart set on analog the Revolution Imager ( bit.ly/43qrOls from Agena Astro or bit.ly/3eWwsna from HighPoint Scientific) is the one I suggest. You may want to watch my video on digital cameras ruclips.net/video/oFueKEuELOc/видео.html which will give you all the information you need to make a good choice. For the 8SE I think the ASI533 color camera ( bit.ly/3MRFr7C from Agena Astro) is a good choice. If your budget is tight the ASI585 (bit.ly/3BQxclX from Agena Astro or bit.ly/41yQpDD from HighPoint Scientific) is the next best choice. Links are affiliate links which help support my channel and future videos without cost to you.
@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 thank you for your reply and advice! 😁
Mine came with a wireless remote for camera ,but unable to install CD for instructions so I have no idea what's on the disk ,I have everything connected with the cables now what how do you activate the remote?
This was a very beneficial video regarding the revolution imager, I have had mine for several years, but you showed me features that I didn’t know about especially the flip,
I would like to increase the field of view by stacking a .5 and .63 FR, but the FOV doesn’t seem any larger, what am I doing wrong I would really like to image a full image of the moon or the sun
One simple thing to try is to use a single focal reducer but space the camera further back from it than the manufacturer's spec. This will give additional reduction but at the cost of some distortions at the edge of the field of view. With 2 focal reducers try adjusting the spacing between the two of them and the spacing to the camera and see what you can get.
@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 thank you for getting back to me. I will definitely give that a try today, you are the most knowledgeable person I’ve ever come across regarding the RI2,
Great Video I purchased the revolution camera a year ago, and i could not find anything with and
just gave up.I,am going to try again,what talentcell battery are you using ? there are many different ones on amazon
I would like to purchase the right one for my mount.I have a skywatcher 10'' dob computerized.Thanks Anthony
I use the 12V/8300mAh model which provides 8.3Ah of current or ~100Wh of power amzn.to/3MdSnm9. It all depends on how long you want to run and whether or not you also are powering a dew heater with it. For extra power you may want to go with the 12V/11000mAh model amzn.to/3C8Asc6 which provides 11Ah of current or ~132Wh or power. Both provide a maximum of 6A at 12V. If you need more than this you should go with a small LiFePO4 battery. If you use my links I will get a small, ~3% commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support my channel and video making.
I happen to have a Bosch Dinion IP Starlight 8000 MP. It's a big chunk of camera and retails at about $1500. I was given it as a prize at the Bosch factory in Eindhoven, Netherlands a few years back and it has never been used because I have no idea how to hook it up physically and with the firmware/software. I believe it needs some sort of passcode also. Just on the off-chance, would you have any idea how to get it working as an astro camera, otherwise, all it is is an expensive door stop.
I never heard of that camera but checked it on on Google. First problem is the lens which would need to be removed to removed so the camera could be attached to the telescope. I have no idea if that can be done. Second, it looks to have an automatic shutter with a maximum of 1/25sec exposure. Both of these indicate it may be a great video surveillance camera but not useful for EAA.
I actually bought one a few years ago, first camera wouldn't work and they weren't going to back it up so since I had everything else and really wanted to get it working I bought another camera. Maybe it is just me but the learning curve was just not worth the results i got. It seemed like a bunch of mismatched parts cobbled together and if you were lucky you could see a low quality picture. My 2 cents
The RI can provide countless hours of enjoyment if you have a good scope and know how to use it. However, the digital CMOS cameras available today are far better and in many ways are easier to use than the older analog cameras like the RI. Take a look at some of my videos showing how these work.
@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Yes I have "moved on" as you say. I have enjoyed some of your videos and this one probably would have been very beneficial. I was trying to use it on my CPC 9.25 which I have since deforked and put on a CGX. I did dig it out of my box of junk that I wasted money on after watching your video. Thanks, sorry to vent but i really hated that thing lol.
Venting is allowed. As I say in the video, I made this one because I ran into a guy and his dad who to a RI when they bought a Meade SCT and were frustrated they could not get it to work. So I helped them and figured there were others out there in the same boat. I generally recommend a digital CMOS camera unless one already has the analog camera.
Hello and thank you so much for this video!!! I purchased the Revolution_imager 2 a year ago used. We were in the middle of a move and I didn't have time to try it.
I watched your video and set my system into an 8" newtonian.
I did the setup at sunset - and pointed the scope towards a farmers barn light - which was about a mile away.
I centered the scope on the light - using a 32mm eyepiece
Then I put the imager camera in
I couldn't see anything but a blank screen
I tried changing the picture-adjust and the shutter settings and adjusting the focuser.
The only thing I could see - was the shadow of my hand in front of the scope and the shadow of the front secondary mirror on the scope.
The camera is assembled with the .5 focal reducer.
I eventually gave up out of frustration.
Any suggestions????
Sincere thanks!!!
Sounds like the camera is not coming to focus. Most Newtonians don't have enough in-focus adjustment to focus an image on a camera. That is, you cannot get the camera in close enough to the primary mirror because the focuser won't rack in far enough. Astrograph Newtonians are specifically designed with a shorter distance between the primary mirror and the focuser to achieve focus with a camera. Some non-astrographs can be modified to bring the primary mirror closer to the camera. If I knew which model Newtonian you have I might be able to say for certain if this is your problem.
@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Thank you Curtis! The 8" newt is an orion F/4.9 standard newt for visual observing. So you are probably correct. It is not configured for a camera.
I also have a used Celestron C8. I don't have the model number for it because the tag was missing when I bought it. But it does work for visual use.
I just tried it this morning here after your post to me.
I have a focal reducer on the SCT.
I pointed the SCT at a farmers barn with the 32mm eyepiece. Then I put the Revolution camera into the scope.
I have the settings as:
Mode = Daytime
Display = LCD
Pict-Adjust - everything is a midpoint except sharpness = 5
AGC = 6 db
Shutter = FIXED
Shutter Speed = I tried various settings and I don't see any image on the display in any setting.
@@dw6528 Your camera will definitely come to focus with an SCT at any focal length. You don't say what focal reducer you have but I will assume it is either the Celestron 6.3X or the 0.5X that came with the RI. Either is a good place to start as they give you a wider field of view compared to the native f/10 of the SCT.
Nothing wrong with your camera settings. Make sure you use a fraction of a second exposure so your camera is not totally over exposed.
You are doing the right thing, focusing on a distant object during the day. Rack the focuser all the way counter clockwise which should be the setting for focus at infinity. Then slowly adjust the focuser clockwise till you see the image come to focus.
Your problem is one of two things:
1. You are not focused
2. You think you are centered on the barn but you are pointing at the sky or some other flat background with nothing to show focus.
Good luck
@@astronomytipsreviewswithcu740 Thank you Curtis!
I have the reducer on the camera and - the reducer for the SCT is the f/6.3
When you say set the exposure for a fraction of a second what setting do you recommend?
The sun is extremely bright here. I tried putting a black towel over my head with the display inside the towel.
So far I've tried 1/10000 and what I believe I am seeing is a shadow of the front mirror.
@@dw6528 If you cannot see anything at that exposure or one level shorter and a couple of levels longer I would say you are not pointed where you think you are. If there are some trees with leaves on them in your view try that. Other than these things I cannot suggest anything else.
The mic was too close to whatever buttons he was pressing, drove me almost crazy.
Hello. Thanks for the reviews. I subscribed to your channel. I have an astrovideo channel in Brazil. I use 3 Sansumg SCB2000 cameras and a ZWO 120MC with two telescopes and f1. 4 for major fov. However, Sansumg SCB2000 is without spare parts and with many hotpixels. Currently, can you tell me which low cost camera is better or equal to Samsung scb2000? Thank you and let's help each other.