AstroDSLR







Mac Informer Editor's pick award

AstroDSLR is a front end for imaging and auxiliary devices INDIGO agents with GUI controls specific for DSLRs. Its purpose is to control main imaging camera and focuser, to allow proper framing, focusing and capturing from a single batch of images to quite complicated series of images with different parameters and settings.

It can control many other devices supported by built-in INDIGO drivers or it can use any 3rd party remote INDIGO or INDI driver. Out-of-the-box it contains INDIGO drivers for the following cameras and focusers:

  • PTP-over-USB CCD driver for Canon, Nikon, Sony Alpha and Fuji cameras,
  • CCD and focuser simulator drivers,
  • ZWO ASI focuser driver (Intel only),
  • FLI focuser driver,
  • Shoestring FCUSB and DSUSB drivers,
  • Focuser USB v3 driver,
  • PrimaluceLab focuser driver,
  • WeMacro Rail USB driver,
  • MJKZZ macro rail USB driver,
  • RigelSys nSTEP and nFOCUS drives,
  • MoonLite focuser driver,
  • Optec focuser driver (untested),
  • LakesideAstro focuser driver (untested),
  • Deep Sky Dad AF1, AF2 and AF3 focuser driver,
  • Baader Planetarium SteelDrive II focuser driver,
  • AstroGadget FocusDreamPro focuser driver,
  • RoboFocus focuser driver,
  • ASTROMECHANICS ASCOM Canon EF Lens Controller focuser driver,
  • MyPro2 focuser driver,
  • PegasusAstro Prodigy, Falcon, Indigo, DMFC, UPB, PPB and FlatMaster drivers,
  • Lunatico Limpet/Armadillo/Platypus Focuser driver,
  • PlaneWave/Celestron focuser driver,
  • RTS-on-COM shutter driver,
  • Artesky flatbox driver,
  • Lacerta Flat Box Controller driver,
  • Optec Flip-Flat driver,
  • Geoptik flat driver,
  • Interactive Astronomy SkyAlert driver,
  • WandererBox Plus/Pro V3 powerbox drivers,
  • WandererAstro WandererCover V4-EC driver,
  • ASTROMECHANICS PLM aux driver.

AstroDSLR is developed and/or tested with Nikon (D50, D70, D90, D3000, D5100, D5600, D750, D850), Canon (1000D, 600D, 6D), Sony (A5000, A7, A7S, A7RII) and other. Nevertheless, even with the best effort we can’t test all cameras, so please download a trial version and test it with your camera before you buy it! If it will not work, let us know, maybe we can still help you and fix it.

AstroDSLR controls ISO, aperture (if lens mounted), shutter speed and BULB exposure length, exposure compensation, metering and focusing modes, white balance, image quality and format. It can preview (optionally using LiveView) or capture and save images to selected folder with any file name prefix, count and time lapse, browse captured images and show them in Finder, zoom and stretch them automatically or manually. It can measure FWHM, HFD and the drift of a selected star to help easier and faster focus and align your equatorial telescope mount. Captured images can be plate-solved using public or local astrometry.net service.

The built-in INDIGO driver implements PTP-over-USB protocol and, in theory, it can work with almost any Nikon DSLR, Canon EOS DSLR, Sony Alpha DSLR-like or mirrorless camera. Not every feature is supported for every camera (e.g. no LiveView or manual lens drive with older Nikon and some Sony cameras or BULB mode with Nikon cameras works only for D600, D5200, D7100 and later models), but it doesn't mean, that such camera can't be used. As far as this application is based on INDIGO framework, it can use many INDIGO drivers for focusers for astronomical telescopes.

Even if it can be used separately, it is meant to be used together with AstroTelescope and AstroGuider. Application communicates over INDIGO protocol and it can be used to integrate with any INDIGO 3rd party application as well.

To run AstroDSLR you need Apple Mac running macOS Sierra or later.

If you want to use AstroDSLR on older version of the operating system, you can try AstroDSLR 1.3 based on Nikon and Canon SDK. If you want to use last ICA based AstroDSLR on pre-Catalina systems, you can try AstroDSLR 3.11 based on Nikon and Canon SDK.

You can read Getting Started or to watch video tutorial to learn more and if you will have any problem with some of our products do not hesitate to contact us on info@cloudmakers.eu or users group forum.