Why isn’t my video camera listed on the RSpec camera screen?

For video cameras, use one of the two options listed below.

1. RSpec can control your camera

If your video camera doesn’t appear in RSpec’s list of cameras, you will need to install the camera manufacturer’s DirectShow drivers. (These are also sometimes called DirectX drivers.)

Go to the camera manufacturer’s site to download and install their DirectShow driver. Not all vendors provide DirectShow drivers.

To control ZWO video cameras directly from RSpec:

    1. Go to this ZWO page: link. Click on the “DESKTOP APP” tab at the top. Scroll down the page. Download and install their Camera Driver.
    2. Then, click on the “OTHERS” tab at the top of the page. Scroll down the page. Download and install their DirectShow Driver.

2. RSpec can communicate with SharpCap and then SharpCap communicates with your camera

If your camera manufacturer doesn’t provide DirectShow drivers, RSpec can’t talk directly to the camera. But RSpec can read images from any camera. 

But, you can still do real-time spectroscopy even without a DirectShow driver by using SharpCap or any camera control program.

SharpCap speaks directly to most astronomical cameras, including ASCOM cameras.  SharpCap doesn’t require DirectShow and there’s a free version.

SharpCap saves image frames to your disk where RSpec picks them up in real-time. To see how this works, watch videos 48 and 49 here.

We’re always happy to answer questions.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us via our contact form: link or via direct email.

Note: Using the two methods above one after the other can confuse the camera. If you access the camera from RSpec, you will have to unplug your camera and reboot your computer before you can use SharpCap to control your camera. And vice versa.