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zwo asi 174

sooot

By sooot
in Discussions - Cameras

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
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also a larger barlow to achieve the same arcsecs/pixel ratio.

That's pretty much where I start to stumble when it comes to this camera.

I think it could be great if you want to get, say, full-disc Ha shots of the Sun and aren't that worried about achieving the best possible resolution, but if you are then perhaps it's not the camera for you.  Much the same if you need lots of frames very quickly.  Given my current "stable" of cameras, would I use one?  Really not sure.  I'd probably need to spend some time mucking about with it first and see how I got on with it.  I like the fact that you don't have to work at stupendous focal ratios with the 120MM-S.  It makes life a good deal easier.  If the 174MM looked better then I'd still be wondering if I really wanted to go back to f/35-ish for imaging.

There seems to be a fair bit of interest in this sensor at the moment though.

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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I might be able to hold off for a bit longer [emoji6]

Indeed :D  I guess it is getting into the same sort of area as the lower end long exposure astro cameras though, so perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised.

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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Just had the price confirmed by ZWO as US$599.  They've put out some additional information too suggesting that it's real forte would be lunar and solar imaging.

Nice as it might be to play with, I can't justify that kind of expense on another camera right now.  I reckon it works out at around £400?

James

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rwg

rwg

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SharpCap will support it in the next v2.5 version (will be in beta in a couple of weeks or so). Sam at ZWO has been testing the pre-release versions of SharpCap against this camera. I had to make a few tweaks to the performance to stop it locking up at such high resolutions/frame rates!

cheers,

Robin

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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That's pretty much where I start to stumble when it comes to this camera.

I think it could be great if you want to get, say, full-disc Ha shots of the Sun and aren't that worried about achieving the best possible resolution, but if you are then perhaps it's not the camera for you.  Much the same if you need lots of frames very quickly.  Given my current "stable" of cameras, would I use one?  Really not sure.  I'd probably need to spend some time mucking about with it first and see how I got on with it.  I like the fact that you don't have to work at stupendous focal ratios with the 120MM-S.  It makes life a good deal easier.  If the 174MM looked better then I'd still be wondering if I really wanted to go back to f/35-ish for imaging.

There seems to be a fair bit of interest in this sensor at the moment though.

James

The chip used in this camera is at the heart of some of the best solar H-alpha cameras at the moment (Basler Ace 1920-155, Point Grey Grasshopper U3-23S6M), and these produce the same types of frame rates. Your computer needs to be quick enough to handle those rates, but it is possible to get VERY high rates at full resolution. Rates can go up further if you use ROI.

Regarding hi-res shots: I can get pretty high res from the lowly LS35 with DMK21 (which has roughly the same pixel size as this chip). So if I want high-res I simply use the same Barlow as before, and mosaic. With this camera I would need FAR fewer frames.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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According to Sam @ ZWO, the camera works with oacapture but could do with some tweaking.  I have no details yet as regards exactly what is required though.

James

Interesting. I am a bit reticent about being a beta tester for this, but am seriously tempted. The other two ASIs I have work very nicely at a very good price point

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lensman57

lensman57

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So what do people think of the spec on this new camera to be honest its just a bunch of numbers to me and you guys are the ones that make my mind upattachicon.gifScreenshot_2015-02-03-18-26-16.png

Is this thing got cooling yet? The pixels are quite large too for a planetary camera I would imagine. Just had a look at the Point Grey site. Their equivalent is £970.00 for the camera equipped with the same sensor. The 78% QE is in the green zone, 60% at 400nm and 650nm.

A.G

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riklaunim

riklaunim

Posted
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Is this thing got cooling yet? The pixels are quite large too for a planetary camera I would imagine.

At some point in history Sbig ST-9 was used for some planetary images, and that's 20x20 pixel. You just pick optimal f/ratio for given pixel size and that's it. I would even prefer big pixels and very slow telescope than small pixels and very fast telescope (to get easier focusing, less fragile to miscollimation etc.)

If you want a cheaper (but slower) IMX174 alternative there is IMX249 in Point Grey Blackfly line.

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lensman57

lensman57

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At some point in history Sbig ST-9 was used for some planetary images, and that's 20x20 pixel. You just pick optimal f/ratio for given pixel size and that's it. I would even prefer big pixels and very slow telescope than small pixels and very fast telescope (to get easier focusing, less fragile to miscollimation etc.)

If you want a cheaper (but slower) IMX174 alternative there is IMX249 in Point Grey Blackfly line.

You could be right there.

A.G

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

Posted
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Hi,

Have read this thread with interest, I have the USB 2.0 version and with my quad core PC I get close to the maximum frame rate, at full resolution, i get around 32fps and the maximum is 35fps, so if I was to buy one of these at the highest frame rate surely I would only get around 10fps, if that, so there would be no benefit at all for me, does that sound correct ??

So the only way to get any benefit from the new camera would be having USB 3.0 and the fastest computer going........but who has that for astronomy use?? Most people seem to use slightly older computers. I have a quad core with 4 gig ram and a superb USB 2.0 bus, and I can't quite get maximum fps from the original ASI120.......

Maybe I am missing something....

AB

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

Posted
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One thing I forgot to say also, the amount of different frame rates on the new camera seems very limited compared the the previous ones, it has the maximum of 1936 x 1216 then right down to 640 x 480 and 320 x 240, there seems a big gap between the top two.

Oh and there is a 2x2 binning option which gives 968 x 608.

So if your computer can't cope with the top rate, your only option is to drop right down to 640 x 480...... So surely I may as well stick with my 120mc......

And at 640 x 480 @ a massive 309fps, do we need it that high for planetary imaging...

I am a beginner at all this so hence all the questions.........

Regards

AB

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JamesF

JamesF

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I bought a well-used HP laptop and it still has USB3.  It seems pretty much down to the manufacturer.  And of course there are Macs on the second hand market with USB3 now.  If you don't have USB3 it may well be possible to get a separate USB3 interface card even so.

If USB2 is your only option however, then I think the case for a camera such as this isn't too compelling.

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