Atik 428EX vs. 314L Plus

[jezhughes]

Hi all!

I'm looking through CCDs and doing a bit of pre possible potential purchase research.. I wanted to see if people had experience between the Atik 428ex and 314L - these are the two i'm considering as possibilities, but haven't heard much at all about the 428EX (have seen lots on the 314.

The 428 is more expensive, but has a smaller pixel and larger resolution. Other than that there are a lot of similarities.

I'm swaying towards the the 314L mono, but worried i'll be looking back wishing i had tried the 428...

Thanks in advance!

Jez

[ollypenrice]

Smaller pixels are not necessarily good in AP. At longer FLs you may be trying to image below the limit of the seeing, in which case lager pixels would give the same resolution and be a bit faster, all things being equal.

I've just opened a newly delivered 460 (alas it isn't mine!) and it is so compact. If ever you plan a Hyperstar then that's the shape to go for. In any event I'm firmly convinced that on quality, price and performance combined Atik have it. The dessicant plug is dead easy to change. That might be important in the UK.

Olly

[ollypenrice]

Can't edit the above but lager pixels can be very blurred. Try larger pixels!!

Olly

[Black Knight]

Can't edit the above but lager pixels can be very blurred. Try larger pixels!!

Olly

My pixels get blurry after a few lagers too!

[pete_l]

Since you're considering mono cameras, then the smaller pixels on the 428 can be binned which will mitigate their small size to some extent (the pixels on the 314 can be binned, too - but you'd then have 13u pixels, compared to 9u on the 428. Possibly too large?)

The 428 has a slightly better QE (77%, cf. 65%) so you'd get 15-20% more photons per minute of exposure - , since the chip size is about the same on each camera. So that gives you images which go a bit deeper.

I've not used either camera, so this is all a bit theoretical. But I'd probably go for the 428, for the extra £400.

[Sp@ce_d]

I've been thinking about these two for a while & the 428 is winning so far with what I've read & heard.. anyone out there got one?

[ollypenrice]

There is also resale value to consider and there the modern camera will surely win easily.

Olly