Webcam Capture and Control Software:
I have been using a non-astronomy software, Open Video Capture, for capturing astro AVI files. It is a very basic video capture program but has the features useful for astro-imaging. The software driver for the Logitech Pro 9000 needs to be installed from the Installation CD provided with the webcam by Logitech. The Installation CD is labeled "Quickcam Version 11.0". When I initially installed the webcam, I selected "Install Driver Only" when running the Installation CD. Installing the driver allowed Open Video Capture and other video capture softwares to operate with the Pro 9000.
The video capture softwares I have tried do not access and control certain adjustment features of the Pro 9000 that can be controlled if the full software package of the Quickcam Version 11.0 CD is installed. Two such useful adjustment features are a variable slider for Zoom In and Zoom Out; and a noise reduction feature. To enable these features the procedure I follow is to run the Logitech Quidkcam software and make the needed adjustments. I then need to turn off the Logitech Quickcam software to use other webcam control and capture softwares, because if it is not disabled the webcam has a tendency to revert to "Auto Exposure" mode. This can be frustrating so I have stopped using the variable Zoom slider, a very handy feature and only use the Logitech Quickcam software for setting the noise reduction. Once the amount of noise reduction is set, the setting holds in the Pro 9000 webcam until it is turned off.
With the Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 software active, when the Pro 9000 is connected to the computer via the USB 2.0 cable, the message at left appears about "RightLight Technology". The Pro 9000 and its software have "RightLight2 Technology" as opposed to the earlier version of "RightLight Technology" of the first Logitech Fusion webcams on the market. Logitech Quickcam Versions 10.0 and 11.0 disable the ability of the Fusion webcam to do long exposures up to 10 seconds. I operate one notebook with Logitech Quickcam Version 9.0 for the Fusion webcam to work in long exposure mode for autoguiding. I operate a separate notebook with Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 for the Pro 9000 webcam. The Pro 9000 webcam will not function on a computer with only Version 9.0 software installed.
Zoom Control:
The standard Video Capture Filter of the driver for the Pro 9000 provides this Zoom control for the webcam (left). Zoom amounts can be changed by clicking on the magnifying glass buttons. I usually use a magnification of 200% or higher when adjusting for precise focus of the telescope.
The Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 software driver for the Pro 9000 provides this Zoom control for the webcam (left). Zoom amounts can be changed by adjusting the slider. This is a handy feature when adjusting focus of the telescope. Because the original webcam lens with its integral focusing mechanism was removed during the modification for telescope use, the "Auto Focus" and "Manual Focus" slider serves no function. I keep the slider set in the manual focus mode. Face tracking is also turned off. The Brightness, Contrast and White Balance adjustment sliders operate in the same manner as the standard driver. "Color Intensity" shown here is the same as the "Saturation" adjustment in the standard driver.
The Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 software driver for the Pro 9000 provides these "RightLight" settings for the webcam (left). My guess is that the "Low Light Saturation" and "Low Light Boost" sliders control the LED light that was disabled in the telescope modification. Adjusting these sliders have no effect on the modified webcam. I don't know how the spot metering feature works, it does not function on my modified camera.
The "Video Noise" adjustment slider is a control that is not available in the standard Video Capture driver or other video capture softwares that I own. In low light situations the video noise adjuster is very useful. I had the slider set to full on (+) for the images taken below. I need to do astro image tests with the slider at both extremes and do a comparison to learn how helpful this feature is.
The Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 software driver for the Pro 9000 provides these "Advanced" settings for the webcam (left). Notice that there is an "LED Control" and that the LED can be turned off. I should have tested this before I painted the LED black. Turning the LED off is not a function in the standard Video Capture driver.
The exposure slider here does not provide numerical values but the range is 1/1000 second to 1/5 second. I have been unable to get the Pro 9000 to do longer exposures than 1/5 second using third party softwares that are able to enable longer exposures for the Logitech Fusion.
There is a problem if the Logitech Quickcam Version 11.0 driver is kept active at the same time as a video capture program is controlling the webcam via the standard video capture driver. When switching from the standard video driver to the Quickcam driver, the Quickcam driver re-starts in the default mode which is set at auto exposure and auto "RightLight2". This causes any manual settings for exposure and gain to be lost. To avoid this, I have been using the Quickcam driver to set the webcam's "video noise" adjustment and the "LED Control" to OFF initially and with these adjustments set in the webcam, I then switch to the standard video driver to adjust the other controls. It would be nice to find third party driver software that would control all the available functions of the Pro 9000.
On 7/31/07 I took images of the Moon and Jupiter with the modified Pro 9000. I've been using the Logitech Fusion for some time now and with practice got used to the best settings to use for astro imaging. The Pro 9000 responds quite differently in the settings for GAIN and WHITE BALANCE. GAIN setting used with the Fusion were usually kept very low and this produces images with less noise. I am finding that GAIN settings with the Pro 9000 are better kept near the mid-range settings. Adjustments for Lunar imaging were very easy to make, however, adjustments for imaging Jupiter were more difficult. When I would get exposure settings that I though were appropriate for a good Jupiter capture, I noticed a "contrast banding" effect across the surface of the planet, This "contrast banding" effect can be seen to some degree in the processed Jupiter image below. The "contrast banding" was not evident in any lunar or solar images I have taken to date.
Lunar images below were taken with 20 inch GOTO Starmaster Dobsonian with Modified Pro 9000 webcam at prime focus. Video resolution of 1600 X 1200 was used to capture a one-minute uncompressed AVI file at 5 frames per second using Open Video Capture. Seeing was very poor. Registax 4 software was used with multipoint alignment to improve the captured image which was reduced in size to 1000 X 743 pixels for display:
Moon - July 31, 2007 - Centered on Messier and Messier A Ejecta:
Moon - July 31, 2007 - Rim of Mare Crisium:
Moon - July 31, 2007 - Vallis Rheita - Longest Valley on Near Side of Moon (lower center):
Moon - July 31, 2007 - Centered on Craters Atlas and Hercules:
Jupiter with Europa and Europa Shadow Transit :
10:34 pm - 7/31/07
Jupiter image below was taken with 20 inch GOTO Starmaster Dobsonian with Modified Pro 9000 webcam and 2.5X Powermate. Video resolution of 960 X 720 was used to capture a two-minute uncompressed AVI file at 15 frames per second using Open Video Capture. Seeing was very poor. From my home in Northeast PA, Jupiter was low at 23 degrees altitude. The highest Jupiter gets at this time here is 26 degrees altitude. Because of poor seeing I used Registax 4 software to stack only the better 34 frames of the 1800 frame AVI file. Image was reduced in size for display:
Uranus - 7/31/07:
Same setup as for Jupiter
The Sun in H-Alpha - 7/31/07:
Image was taken with an Orion ED80 refractor equipped with a Coronado 60mm H-alpha filter and 2X barlow. For surface detail an exposure setting of 1/1000 sec was used and for the faint prominences an exposure setting of 1/100 second was used. Seeing was poor. Open Video Capture software was used to capture 30 second AVI files at 1600 X 1200 pixel resolution and 5 frames per second uncompressed. Registax 4 was used to stack the AVI frames. Image size was reduced for display.
The Sun has been pretty calm lately but I was able to take this photo of two prominences. One is in the shape of Scooby-Doo the other a disconnected spiral flame:
The Sun in H-Alpha - 7/30/07:
This image was taken with an Orion ED80 refractor as above but at prime focus instead of using a 2X barlow. The captured 1600 X 1200 pixel resolution was reduced in size for display:
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