Chuck Reese

I was first hooked when my blushing bride and “Chief enabler” gave me a 60mm Tasco refractor (a common gateway substance in the 70’s). I’ll never forget the rush I felt when I first saw the rings of Saturn - it was all downhill from there. My second scope was an ETX-90 (another gift from my wife – I think she was trying to keep me out of the bars at night!). I used the ETX to bag 109 of the 110 Messier objects. Then the real trouble started. I got a ToUcam and began imaging planets. I was maintaining fairly well until the Great Mars Apparition of 2003, which was the excuse I was looking for to upgrade to a larger scope…the 10” LX200GPS.

I was thrilled by the images I was able to create with the GPS and my lowly webcam, but of course as my affliction progressed, I had to have more! I was just beginning to look at CCD cameras & trying to figure out how to justify spending more money on a camera than I had spent on my scope when Meade introduced the DSI. I immediately placed my pre-order, and took my first CCD image in October of 2004.

I have owned all 4 versions of the DSI, and currently use the DSI-II and the DSI-II Pro as my primary imagers. I also use a DSI-Pro as a guide camera with an 80mm ED refractor as both a guide and widefield imaging scope. I sometimes image with the DSI and my vintage Nikkor camera lenses, and I have recently undertaken imaging with a modified DSLR. And yes, I still pull out the webcam from time to time.

The DSI cameras were the perfect solution for me…affordable, yet very capable, I am constantly amazed at the quality of images one can produce with these cameras using very modest amateur equipment. I enjoy imaging with the DSI so much I built my GPS it’s own home – a SkyShed roll-off observatory. You can find me there pretty much every clear night, getting my “fix”.

Chuck images from his Minneapolis suburban home in Prior Lake, Minnesota.