Atik 460 mono CCD.

[ollypenrice]

I've just helped a guest take his first picture with this camera, using an Atik EFW2, Astrodon RGB filters, a Takahashi FSQ85ED and EM200 mount, autoguided. The night was clear but the seeing abominable, weirdly so.

Ths small cylindrical camera is very attractive and nicely finished. It is suitable in shape for the Hyperstar and has a neat, quick change dessicant plug and spare dessicant so you can cycle them. The design is crisp throughout.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/atik-cameras/atik-460EX.html

Long story short, this camera is a real peach. It is amazingly quiet compared to the three Kodak chipped cameras I normally use (Atik 4000 mono and OSC and Yves' Starlight Xpress H36.) There is just no comparison whatever in terms of noise and chip defects, columns, hot pixels, etc. Of course you can calibrate the defects out in stacking and lose them in Photoshop but it is certainly nice not to have them in the first place. In stretching the 460 image (which was just 8x5 mins RGB as a system check, the entire setup being on first light) I was amazed by how hard you could stretch the data without getting into the noise.

This is the biggest of the Sony chips. They are in a class of their own, the only downside being that the Kodaks are available in much bigger sizes. We ran it at -5C and since that made it all but defect-free we could see no reason to try for less. We will shoot some darks tonight but the first image was totally defect free ( I really do mean totally) having been calibrated using a master bias as a dark frame. My impression is that no more calibration than that will be needed but it's worth trying darks and defect maps as alternatives.

For me, Atik get the price-quality equation just right. You don't hear of tilted chips and foggy windows with these cameras and the old Sony chipped 16HR, with which I started imaging myself, still command respectable percentages of their original price.

I'm a widefield junkie and like my big chips but this was such sweet data to process that it's impossible not to be tempted!

Thanks to Julian for making this test possible.

Olly

[Auntystatic]

Thanks Olly, wonder how it would fair on my 600mm camera lens as the old 5D is a bit noisy, better start saving I think.

[ollypenrice]

Thanks Olly, wonder how it would fair on my 600mm camera lens as the old 5D is a bit noisy, better start saving I think.

It should be excellent. The hassle is changing filters. You might prefer a One Shot Colour for your camera lens. I use our OSC for this purpose and sometimes add an Ha layer from the mono. The small pixels would be great at 600mm.

Olly

[Earl]

Olly why do you do this to me?

edit:

Was that reduced? could you link to full size? what size filters? (1.25 im guessing)

[ollypenrice]

Olly why do you do this to me?

edit:

Was that reduced? could you link to full size? what size filters? (1.25 im guessing)

Heh heh, sorry mon brave. No, this was at native - F5.3. All our guest's setup was untried so adding the issue of chip distance would have been a step too far. Here is the fullsize, or slightly reduced, but check out the background sky for 2 hours' total exposure... Note that the seeing was just mind blowingly bad. A Belgian imaging group were working down the road and called in the day after to see Yves' instrument. Nobody had ever seen seeing so bad.

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Takahashi-EM200TEC140/11995612_xB9P2Q#!i=2100810342&k=HHcZQRC&lb=1&s=O

Olly

[Earl]

Thanks for the larger size image, there does appear to be a bit of red/orange halo on the some stars any thoughts?

[ollypenrice]

Thanks for the larger size image, there does appear to be a bit of red/orange halo on the some stars any thoughts?

Perfectly correct. The seeing was just impossible. This has, I'm sure, nothing to do with the camera. Another guest using our Tak FSQ and his own QSI with 8300 chip was despairing at his inability to focus at all. It was a weird night. Down the road a Belgian club all said the same. I think the usefulness of the image I've posted is to be found in the background sky and, really, nowhere else. Note the even, flat, smooth lack of noise. No noise reduction has been applied. I should have said that earlier, sorry.

Olly

[Earl]

Thank for clarifying Olly, the background noise... well yeah what background noise? very tidy to say the least. its good to see, now if they made a sensor twice the size..............

edit:

If you do happen to get the opportunity to have a play with one of these again with the FSQ with no reducer I would really like to see the results.

[ollypenrice]

Thank for clarifying Olly, the background noise... well yeah what background noise? very tidy to say the least. its good to see, now if they made a sensor twice the size..............

edit:

If you do happen to get the opportunity to have a play with one of these again with the FSQ with no reducer I would really like to see the results.

This was without reducer. We felt that adding the complexities of chip distance etc was something for a second or third night. This was at F5.3, focal length of 450mm.

Olly

[red dwalf]

funny enough i was talking to a guy at kelling heath last week about atik cameras and he praised these ccd very highly indeed, especially the new 460, might be alittle expensive for me at the moment just starting out imaging although i`m in the market for a new camera after spending 3 hours one night trying to get my dsi to work after which realising that the camera was nackered. TYPICAL

[ollypenrice]

I should be able to post a direct back to back between the 460 and he 4000 on the same target at the same time from the same place in the same model of telescope (but with different makes of filter...AAARRRGGGHHH failed again!!!) tomorrow...

Olly