Buying a new camera & need advice

[Peter Atkinson]

Hi,

I am looking for some advice on behalf of my father who is looking to purchase a new camera as the CCD camera he now has is unfortunately giving up the ghost.

Ideally he is looking for a CCD camera that suits his interest in photometry, primanily vairable stars, though on occasion he will also photo galaxies, and that also works with his current equipment without having to outlay much on additional mounts etc.

My equipment

Telescope: 152mm F9 Triplet refractor

Mount: Astrophysics 900 GOTO

Filter Wheel: Starlight X Press 9 position

Filters: 1.25 (1 1/4) inch

Software: Maxim DL 6, The Sky X, T Point modeling

Budget: upto £5,000

Many thanks in advance for all your advice

[Peter Atkinson]

Have I posted this in the right forum?

[Liquid360]

I have a refractor AP setup, a TAK FSQ-106 and paramount MX+. I just spent a lot of money and time choosing my setup. In picking a new CCD I sought advice everywhere I could, from end users to manufacturers and in between. The answer I got 9/10 was the QSI 683. I had the same budget. It was $3800 for the camera and the rest for the eight filters. Mine arrives this week so I have no hands on experience, but it comes VERY highly recommended.

[Liquid360]

My QSI arrived a couple days ago. It's beautifully made, an amazing piece of hardware!!

[Peter Atkinson]

Thanks for the advice and pictures liquid360 and we will certainly take a look at it.

In discussing this further with my Dad a big must is that the new camera must work with his current filters, size 1.25 (1 1/4) inch. Not concerned if that means a new filter wheel as well.

We have also seen some CCD cameras with in built filter wheels. Has anyone had experience with these?

[swag72]

The QSI cameras can come with an integrated filter wheel as well as an Off Axis Guider if you wish. If you want to stick with the 1.25" filters then you will ideally want an integrated wheel as this will get the filters as close to the sensor as you can.

Regarding what would be a good chip for the specified requirements I can't help as I just like to try to make pretty pictures. I leave science to others

[julianr]

Qsi683 with integrated filter wheel takes either 1 1/4 or 31mm filters depending on which wheel is ordered.

Thd qsi site has a range of cameras suitable for scientific purposes but never looked if this sensor is suitable

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

[Liquid360]

The QSI 683 uses 1.25 filters and includes a filter wheel either 8 or 5. Also the QSI I just bought has a guiding port and built in filter wheel.

Thanks for the advice and pictures liquid360 and we will certainly take a look at it.

In discussing this further with my Dad a big must is that the new camera must work with his current filters, size 1.25 (1 1/4) inch. Not concerned if that means a new filter wheel as well.

We have also seen some CCD cameras with in built filter wheels. Has anyone had experience with these?

[ollypenrice]

Whoa, this is not an appropriate camera. For photometry you need an entirely different kind of camera of a type rarely used for taking aesthetic pictures. Most aesthetic picture-takers want a chip with an anti-blooming gate to stop bright stars from creating bleeds down the columns beneath them but these adversely affect the linearity of the response. This would not be what he wants at all. I'd have a look at the SBIG site but you need a scientific camera. I think the ST10 was the one but do check that.

Olly

Edit; I don't doubt that plenty of others make scientific cameras but I just don't know anything about them other than that they are what you need. The only ones I've seen here have been the ST10s.

[Peter Atkinson]

Thanks everyone for your advice and information.

Apparently my Dad has software that acts as anti-blooming gate (Maxim DL) for the aesthetic pictures (the galaxy shots he takes) and so he is looking for a CCD camera that does not have an anti-blooming gate like supernova suggests. Has anyone used Maxim DL anti-blooming function and is it any good?

Are there any other manufactures other than SBIG that make the CCD camera without the anti-blooming and are able to use the filters that he has 1.25 (1 1/4 inch)?

Thanks again

[ollypenrice]

There is no real aesthetic solution to the lack of an anti blooming gate. A thick white strip drops down from the bright stars and behind this stripe there is no real data. The software can guess at what might have been there by looking at either side of the stripe. In narrowband imaging this will be a minor problem but you are talking about photometry. Amateurs do do this but I don't know of anybody on here who does it. I do sometimes have guests who are into it but it is a minority field. I can't help on camera choice I'm afraid. However, I suspect that a second hand ST10 or similar might be a bargain.

Olly