Lacerta MGEN Stand Alone Autoguider camera

This guider provides solution to all of the problems an amateur might face during taking astrophotos. Compact sized, easy to use and can be used in extreme weather conditions as well, has minimum power consumption (12V, 120mA) and provides a simple and easy to use interface. Made in Hungary!

Details: 

Camera: Highly sensitive monochrome sensor (752 x 582 pixels, 3,6 x 2,7 mm, Sony ICX279AL-E, pixel size 4,7 microns) which can be connected to the guidescope or off-axis adaptor with T2 thread or 1.25" focuser. Due to its high sensitivity even faint stars can be used as guidestars and works perfectly with off-axis adaptors (2x2, 4x4 and 6x6 binning is available).

Control device: The small hand unit provides a big, 128 x 64 pixel display and 6 buttons (4 buttons for directions and 2 function buttons). LCD backlight and contrast is adjustable. The menu is simple and logical.

Guiding: The guidestar can be found and selected, and perfectly focused on the live view. Calibration can be performed both manually and automatically. Wide range of guiding parameters is available, RA and DEC movement units can be fine tuned. The guider can be matched to the guidescope, so can be finetuned to both guidescopes with long focal lengths or 9x50 finderscopes. Finder scopes can be used to guide a main telescope up to 1500mm focal length. Weather conditions might also have effect how to set the parameters.

Exposure control: supports Canon EOS and NIkon DSLRs (appropriate cables can be purchased separately). Length and number of exposures and delays between them can be set, meaning that the whole series of raw images can be taken unattended. Handles mirror lockup as well.

Dithering: It is advised to move the sensor between the exposures by a couple of pixels, meaning that possible hot or stuck pixels on the sensors or dusts can be completely removed. The guider can perform this automatically.

The software provided includes many more functions (for example, periodic error statistics, seeing measurement, mount backlash checking, and so on).

The guidercamera provides T2 thread and filter thread to be connected to the guidescope. Recommended accessories are the T2 to 31,7 adaptor or the 1z25 extender tube.

Hint: the guider can be used with extremely short focal length finderscopes as well, thanks to the software-enhanced resolution. Using of Sky-Watcher's 50mm finderscope is recommended, which is capable to guide the main telescope up to 1500mm focal length. To connect the guider to the finderscope only one special adaptor is required.

The Lacerta MGEN was the 2010 Interstellarum's Product of the Year in Germany. Congratulations to the developers.

All of the images below were taken with a Lacerta MGen autoguider, with 710mm and 1200mm focal lengths and different guidescopes (images by Zoltan Tobler and Ivan Eder):