Good afternoon,
I am interested in developing the proficiency necessary in my attempts to image the transit of Venus across the Sun. To explore this area of astronomy, I purchased the Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imaging Camera IV and associated AmCap software package but have not been able to display any image on the laptop. The good news is that after uninstalling and reinstalling the AmCap software on my Toshiba Satellite L755 again yesterday afternoon, I was able to create and save a 5-24test.avi file although the image is black. It appears to me that my controlling issues are establishing the correct parameters to see the images on the laptop display. The configuration that I am using consists of a 8" Thousand Oaks - Type 2+ Solar Full Aperture Filter over the objective lens of a Celestron C 8 + Astro-master SCT (Focal Length 280.16 mm) mounted on a Latitude Deluxe wedge on a heavy duty tripod that is properly aligned to provide equatorial tracking. The SCT has a F 10 and I am using a Celestron Kellner 25 mm Ocular focal length that equates 81.28 magnification and produces a perfectly focused optical images of the sunspot activities. However after activating the imaging camera IV using the AmCap software, I can detect only light and dark depending upon the orientation of the camera. When I replace the 25 mm eyepiece and insert the StarShoot IV I cannot obtain any image regardless within the focus range of the 8" SCT (the same applies to the Coronado PST - Personal Solar Telescope also having a F 10). I do have other oculars ranging from 5 to 35 mm focal length, a Celestron - Reducer/Corrector F/6.3 and Celestron - Barlow Ultima - SV -2X lens for the 8" SCT.
I anticipate that there is a critical combination of parameters that must be met using the AmCap - Video Capture Filter with the correct combination of hardware. The frustrating part is being told by Orion technical support that if you can see a full image centered in the eyepiece optically that replacing the ocular with StarShoot IV you will see the same perfectly focused image in the laptop display as advertised. This is not happening as the laptop display appears only dark and an image is not visible. I would appreciate any technical suggestions that will allow me to image the transit of Venus across the Sun on 5 June.
Again, thank you for your extended kindness and timely directions.
Don