Patrick wrote, in part:
My guess would be that it would not work as a meteor camera. The lux sensitivity spec is only 0.1 lux. From past experience using a regular terresterial photographic light-meter, I believe this corresponds to about 15-20 minutes after civil twilight. However, like the old Quickcams, the sensitivity gain appears to be hardware crippled. Supercircuits also sells a generic board and 90 deg lens with a lux sensitivity spec of 0.0003 lux. Super low light camera http://www.supercircuits.com/Security-Cameras/Board-Cameras/PC402UXP 90 Deg TFOV lens http://www.supercircuits.com/Security-Cameras/Board-Cameras/PC302XS At 0.0003 lux you are probably talking about down to mag 3 or 4, roughly based on Fred Parker's EV computation website. These generic board cameras are intended to be used with separate infrared illuminating LEDs. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#evfclux http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#Light%20Intensity%20Chart Supercircuits also has a low light camera (0.0003 lux) in a pre-built fixed weatherproof housing with a 90 deg TFOV for $100. http://www.supercircuits.com/Security-Cameras/Bullet-Security-Cameras/PC88WR... I suspect pairing the low-light board camera with a generic M12 mount screw in lens from Edmund - that 160 deg 1.6mm lens I previously mentioned in another thread - you could get a useable meteor camera with a 160-180 deg TFOV that would see meteor streaks down to mag 1 or 2. I was sufficiently intrigued to order a PC402UXP to see what it can do in a unintended meteor camera role. Thanks for pointing Supercircuits out. I had been unsuccessfully looking for a machine vision camera board with the gain not hardware crippled in Edmund's catalogue. - Kurt P.S. If you do buy a PC88WR, I would appreciate the opportunity to look at it to see if it can be disassembled and if a 160 deg TFOV 1.6 mm M12 threaded lens can be substituted.