VCam

In January 2000, I bought a VCam Web camera which gave me a lot of pleasure, but also some frustration. The USB port camera is simple to operate, but the exposure range is very limited, so it's useless for deep space objects. But very nice for the Solar System, particularly the Moon, as witness the Photo Gallery images. The lens screws right out, exposing the CCD chip. And the lens housing is perfect for fitting a (home made) adapter for use with the telescope in the same way as an eyepiece, without having to open the camera case. Technical details are also available (in French!) on the Astrocam Web Site.

----

The camera already had a 1/4" mounting hole in the base plate, so I could mount it on my camcorder bracket for afocal use.

I also made an adapter to use it with 35 mm camera lenses.

---