SharpCap Forums

Hi,

As you will see from my question, I am new here and new to sharpcap.
I have an 8" Orion telescope and an svbony sv105 USB camera.

With a 40mm eyepiece I can see the sun and the moon at a full size. Put it in another way, my field of view is big enough to see whole object.
When I switch the eyepice to the camera my FOV shrinks and I only see an enlarged portion of the object, moon and sun. I'd almost need a 1/2 Barlow instead of a 2x Barlow. (I am not using any now.)
I assume this is because the chip in the camera is small.
Is there any way to increase the FOV in the software or do I need a bigger chipped camera?

Thanks for the help.

Hi and welcome.

With software there is no way to alter that. You indeed need either a 0.5 Barlow or another camera.
If you go to https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/, under the tab Imaging Mode, you can see an estimate of what you need. Just fill in your specs there and choose the sun as object and then you can "experiment" with what will get you the right FOV.
It's not 100% precise but precise enough to get a good estimate.

Menno

Hi,

as Menno says, no way to do this in the software -your three choices are

1) Focal reducer - maybe 0.5x will be enough, you can check on the website linked above
2) Camera with bigger sensor
3) Telescope with a shorter focal length

Unfortunately all of these involve spending more money

cheers,

Robin

Thank you for all the replays.

I checked the field of view calculator website. Even with a 0.5X reducer lens my FOV is not big enough to cover the sun/moon but definitely helps.
0.33x reducer still not enough (almost there) but as far as I see, it is more difficult to purchase. Probably more expensive.

With this camera, I'll stick with planets.

I also have a gopro. I am 3D printing a holder to attach it to my telescope. I am interested in the result. Too bad it won't work with sharpcap.

Thanks again,

Robert