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CCD viable under UK skies?

earth titan

By earth titan
in Discussions - Cameras

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Gina

Gina

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As I recall, their prices are similar to the Atik 314L+ ie. around a grand plus. They achieve similar cooling to that which I achieved with my modded 1100D. This reduces the noise considerably but it's still well above that with the Atik camera and the sensitivity is not improved over the filter modded DSLRs. Personally I would go with an Atik CCD and camera lenses for the large FOV - you don't need the high resolution for AP. With the lack of clear nights in this country the much higher sensitivity of a CCD camera makes the latter the system of choice IMO.

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Gina

Gina

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I see they no longer quote prices and you have to fill in the complete order form before you can get a price - I didn't bother. I think it likely that their prices may have increased. I tend to take the view that "if there's no price mentioned you can't afford it".

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dmahon

dmahon

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I think that you should always refocus between filters. I have two different sets of Baader filers, 2" mounted and 36mm unmounted. I have never bothered to find out what one step of the focuser corresponds to in microns moved, but the difference with the Takahashi is in the neighborhood of ten to thirty steps. I have yet to get a clear night for my new QSI that has Astrodon filters - I've had it for a month :(

Which motorized system did you go for - Starizona, Robofocus, Lakeside or something else?

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perfrej

perfrej

Posted
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Which motorized system did you go for - Starizona, Robofocus, Lakeside or something else?

I have one Lakeside controller, two Lakeside motors and one complete Starizona Microtouch. The next one I get will be a Lakeside motor and I will stop using the Lakeside box and switch over to my new astro box (USB controlled power switch, HUB with virtual plug/unplug and stepper motor interface - oh, and roof control).

Generally speaking, the Lakeside motors are very good. What you use to control the is inessential.

/p

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Gina

Gina

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How long is a piece of string? I guess it depends on what you can afford but when I looked into it I decided that the Atik 314L+ was the minimum I would accept. Just about a big enough sensor to look OK on a 1280x1024 screen and the cheapest one that had set-point cooling. It was also highly recommended by many members here. I have had a 314L+ for a couple of months now and I love it! No more taking darks - they just aren't necessary and the sensitivity is superb.

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Gonzo

Gonzo

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Why the Atik 314L+ ?

Not questioning your choice, but why this one in particular (it seems to be a popular model), what's special about it that makes it The CCD to have (to start with... after saving lots of money of course...)

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Komet

Komet

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Why the Atik 314L+ ?

Not questioning your choice, but why this one in particular (it seems to be a popular model), what's special about it that makes it The CCD to have (to start with... after saving lots of money of course...)

The actual chip is the reason .... Its a Sony 285 and its a classic. Any 285 camera is a very good starting point. The 314, the QHY IMG2Pro (I use one) or the SX H9. All very good choices

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swag72

swag72

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The only thing to be very mindful of with the 314L+ is the chip size. It is small, there's no getting around that fact. It very much suits the ED80 size scopes. If you play with a field of view calculator that will give you a real feel for the chip size when combined with the scope you may be using it with. I could play on CCDCalc for hours!!! So many combinations!!

The Atik 16HR is a good second hand buy, The 285 Sony chip and cooling to -27 below ambient.

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lukebl

lukebl

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...The only thing to be very mindful of with the 314L+ is the chip size. It is small, there's no getting around that fact. It very much suits the ED80 size scopes. ...

I use my SXVF-H9 (same sensor as the 314) with my 1200mm FL 250PDS, and I find it great for smaller objects like galaxies and planetaries. I'm not that bothered with the bigger objects, as there's a heck of a lot more of the smaller objects to capture. Dependent on good guiding, collimation, no focuser sag, etc, though.

EDIT: And MikeD's great images show what's possible with a longer focal length and small sensor.

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RikM

RikM

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I use an SXV-H9, they are normally £600-£700 second hand (I got mine for an absolute steal :D) Used with a 150P Newt it frames most targets that are accessible given the light pollution where I live.

Edit: one of the other points in favour of the 314L+ is the Artemis capture software that comes with it. I didn't find the bundled SX capture software very easy at all.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Chips are expensive and big chips are very expensive. I don't think that set point cooling of a 285 is at all important, really, since it rarely if ever needs darks anyway. If you use a Kodak chip (SORRY, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID A KODAK CHIP) the noise is such that you do, and making a set point darks library is really not an issue at all. If you didn't have set point with Kodak then it would be a pain. I'm now Kodak all the way because Sony don't make big chips.

When budgeting I'd put the camera well ahead of the optics, I must say. The optics have to be reasonable but once you're at that stage the money would be best spent on the CCD.

Artemis Capture is an Atik bonus and no mistake. If I like a bit of software it must be idiot proof, believe me...

Mike's images with his older camera need no further comment. They speak for themselves. :icon_salut:

Olly

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Gonzo

Gonzo

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Last night I was out trying (and failed) my auto-guider system (QHY5), and I couldn't help noticing the difference between what I was seeing on the laptop screen (QHY5) and the shot I got from my Lumix GF1.

Pardon the pun, but it's night and day between a b&w dedicated CCD (cmos sensor) and a day to day unmodified camera (the GF1 is a micro-four third).

I honestly don't think I'm going to bother with a DSLR for my pictures, I'll spend more time making my auto-guiding system works for the time being until I've saved enough cash for an Atik 314L+

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Starflyer

Starflyer

Posted
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Artemis Capture is an Atik bonus and no mistake. If I like a bit of software it must be idiot proof, believe me...

Olly

Hi Olly,

I've just made the move from DSLR to a 314L+, I've only managed to try it on one occasion so far and that was with Nebulosity.

I must say that I'm massively impressed with the low noise compared to the DSLR and processing wasn't that difficult, although I admit I still have so much to learn.

Is it possible to name the filters in Artemis Capture or do you just get used to knowing which position they're in? It may sound like a daft question but I found naming them in Neb useful when there was so much else to remember. It's really annoying that Neb lacks a simple sequence generator and maybe this is something that Artemis Capture could help me with at no extra cost.

Can you prefix your subs with the filter used in Artemis Capture?

Cheers,

Ian

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Interested

Interested

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Hi Olly,

I've just made the move from DSLR to a 314L+, I've only managed to try it on one occasion so far and that was with Nebulosity.

I must say that I'm massively impressed with the low noise compared to the DSLR and processing wasn't that difficult, although I admit I still have so much to learn.

Is it possible to name the filters in Artemis Capture or do you just get used to knowing which position they're in? It may sound like a daft question but I found naming them in Neb useful when there was so much else to remember. It's really annoying that Neb lacks a simple sequence generator and maybe this is something that Artemis Capture could help me with at no extra cost.

Can you prefix your subs with the filter used in Artemis Capture?

Cheers,

Ian

If you open Artemis and select 'camera', 'sequencer' you can give the filters a suffix. I just use LRGB, Ha etc. The subs will then have the approriate suffix when they dowload.

Pete

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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A small amount of dither or even just slight polar misalignment and a sigma routine will nail hot pixels. Or just use a hot pixel filter. Or a bad pixel map. Lots of solutions. WIth our Kodak chips I use darks.

I don't yet use the EFW in Artemis capture but you can certainly sequence if you want to. I don't know if you can name the filters. Edit, see post above. You can!

What I detest about Nebulosity is the awful screen stretch on which I can see precious little in framing subs. I feel this wastes bucketloads of time compared to Artemis.

Olly

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Sp@ce_d

Sp@ce_d

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Why don't you need to do darks with a 314l please? Still hot pixels surely ?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

When I first got mine I got a bit carried away worrying about about this.. ( ) But as Olly has explained above it's easy to get rid of & I never use darks. However I do use Bias.. a set of which is easy & quick to take. I also have a saved sequence for these & flats in Artemis Capture so easy to just load it in & come back when it's finished. :smiley:

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earth titan

earth titan

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Oh.... And a bit of a PS...

Which capturing software?

Currently I use APT then DSS. What would replace APT? Do things like the 314 come with capturing software?

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

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