Posted on by CAASAdmin

SOLD!: Orion Starshoot G3 (one shot color), deep space imaging camera.

SOLD!

Orion Starshoot G3 (one shot color), deep space imaging camera.
Retails for $420.  Asking $250 or best offer.
Bought this new in May 2015; now only 6 months old.   I upgraded to a bigger camera (QHY8L).
The G3 would make a great gift for an astronomer interested in cheaply getting started in Astrophotography.
Camera fits both 2″ or 1.25″ focuser or extender tubes.
I’ve been able to get great shots with this camera, up to 10 minute exposures, though I’m confident you could go longer with good alignment.
Here is a link to my astrobin page where you can see the kind of shots I’ve been able to get with this camera.  The latest 2 images I just posted are from my QHY camera.  All others were taken using the Starshoot G3.

http://www.astrobin.com/users/Don/

This package includes:

  • a 12v AC power adapter (10′ long) plugs into standard AC outlet, used to power the cooling fan.  It will cool the camera to about -10 C below ambient.
  • USB 2.0 data cable. Gray 6′ long.
  • Rubber end cap. Keeps the dust out and good for taking your dark and bias library.

Does not include the original box.
Free download of the Orion software from their website to do captures.  Though I highly recommend paying for Nebulosity (about $100) and using it for capture.  I have only been able to debayer my images (convert from RAW to color) using the original Orion camera studio or Nebulosity.

I was never able to get debayering working with either Deep Sky Stacker or PixInsight. Once I switched to using Sequence Gen Pro for capture, I just had problems getting this G3 camera to debayer my images.  I’ve also seen MaximDL debayer just fine, though I’ve never used it.
This camera is in near-perfect condition.  Never been dropped, always handled with great care. Always capped when not in use, and stored in my camera bag at room temperature.
This camera produces very low heat, and weighs only 16 oz.  Includes a guider port if you should ever want to use it as a guider.  Chip size is 1/2 inch which is a bit small for me.  So with my scope (80mm) I had to stay away from bigger objects like andromeda and pleiades.  But your telescope may give you a different crop factor than mine.

I recommend getting your scope info, take my camera specs, and plug them into a planetarium software to get an idea of what your field of view would be like with this camera.  This will dictate a lot of the shots you’ll be able to take without doing something complex like a mosaic.