Help me choose a CCD

[seanpius]

Hi all,

        I want to start ccd imaging and was wondering if anyone could advise me on which would be the best camera to pair with my explore scientific 127 and 0.7x reducer/corrector,i want to do DSO,i have around £2000-£2500 to spend.

                         Sean

[jgs001]

Sean, I suspect you'll have lots of options with that budget... although, as I've no experience with CCD's, I can't really help you out.

I've split your post out to it's own thread, that way it'll get more visibility.

[seanpius]

Thanks John.

[Tim]

What are your skies like? Dark?

[seanpius]

Hi Tim, i live on the outskirts of a town so there is light pollution

[Tim]

is it the 127ED refractor that you have?

[ollypenrice]

Tim, sorry, I feel as if I'm butting in but here goes.

Some of the things to consider are;

Mono or colour? Mono is a little faster (which may be counter intuitive) but can be frustrating if you don't finish a set.

Mono allows efficient use of narrowband which cuts through LP and enhances colour images. Ha can be had in some level of moonlight.

You need filters for mono and a wheel, though manual ones are OK.

Chip size. Use a planetarium software to model chip size and focal length on the sky so you can see what will fit on each chip.

Sony or Kodak? Sony are way quieter but Kodak are bigger/cheaper. Kodak noise does calibrate out with darks and bias.

Pixel size should give you a pixel scale appropriate to your seeing. Opinion varies but a sweet spot might be 2 arcsecs per pixel. Here's a calculator. http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm

I have found Atik to be very reliable and one or two other makes to be less so, or even considerably less so. In commercial use the Atiks I've had have been consistently excellent.

Olly

[Tim]

I'd have thought an Atik 460ex would be a good choice, giving you 1.4 arcsec/pixel and a FOV of 51.4 x 64.3 arcmins with your reducer. That would just about give you the whole of the Orion nebula in the frame.

Whether you go for a colour camera with LP filter, or mono camera with filter wheel is your next big consideration. A lot will depend on the type of target you want to go for. If narrowband imaging interests you, then go for the mono camera. I have both versions and they are extremely capable cameras in their own right.

Cheers

Tim

[seanpius]

yes tim it is the 127ed refractor,i was thinking of going for the mono ccd

[swag72]

Olly and Tim know their stuff for sure. If you are thinking of mono then that is much more versatile, as you can capture some great narrowband data. The Atik is a good camera, I use the 460 mono myself. Thankfully you can use 1.25" filters, which keeps the price down a little.

[Gina]

Another vote for the Atik 460EX mono here.  I have one as well and it's excellent

[opticalpath]

You might also take a look at the QSI 683 WS. It's above your budget but includes an integrated (software-controlled) internal filter wheel.  Its Kodak 8300 sensor is not quite as sensitive as the Sony sensor in the excellent Atik but is considerably bigger (18 x 12mm) so covers a wider field, but still only needs 1.25" filters.  Camera electronics are very low noise and the build quality is excellent. It's heavy compared to the Atik and needs a decent focuser to support it. 

 

Adrian

[jackrussell0232]

Does the 2-2.5k need to include filter wheel and filters too? What about guidescope and camera?

In terms of chips, it will probably come down to sony icx 694 or kodak kaf8300.  As Olly said, the sony is quieter and more sensitive, but smaller.  Both these chips have pixel sizes which suit your rig and they are proven, capable performers in the right hands.  The Atik 460 is what I bought and it works well, but I would have loved a little more real estate.  Their 383l+ may not be the best implementation of the KAF8300, but it's hard to argue with the value at 1500 quid. 

The Atik4000 (Kodak again) would also be worth considering, but this is close to blowing the budget with a filter wheel and filters.  However it is probably the only camera with a one shot colour version which is fit for purpose. It's sensor and pixel size make it quite versatile.

If you go for the full Atik setup though, 460 +EFW +OAG are getting close to the cost of a QSI683!  I went with the Sx filter wheel and TS OAG, which need a bit of spacing adjustment but this wasn't too tricky. For your refractor, a piggy backed ST80 guidecope and QHY5 would be standard fare.

Finally, you mention the optics, but not the mount - hopefully its an EQ5/6 or better?

Good luck,

Jack

[lensman57]

I would not

Hi all,

        I want to start ccd imaging and was wondering if anyone could advise me on which would be the best camera to pair with my explore scientific 127 and 0.7x reducer/corrector,i want to do DSO,i have around £2000-£2500 to spend.

                         Sean

Hi,

Your telescope has a focal ratio of 7.5 native and 5.25 reduced which gives an FL of 666.75, thank god for the extra 0.75 or it would have been the work of the devil, LOL.

This is a good FL as it gives you a wide choice of  chips with different chip sizes to choose from but what you have to decide is firstly if you go for a small chip CCD, I have an ATIK 428 EX for example then the choice of the DSOs that would fit on to the chip of the camera is limited. You therefore either need to get a shorter fL scope, around 400mm or  you have to get a medium sized chip CCD. Mrdium sized CCDs are not cheap and although you have a high budget and if you wish to for mono to take advantage of the RGB or NB imaging then by the time you add a decent filter wheel and some decent filters then 1/4 of your  budget is swallowed up. The Atik 460 mentioned will fit the bill but I would not dismiss the Atik 383 L+ either it has a very large high resolution Kodak chip and although it is not as sensitive as the ICX 694 of the 460 and is noisier and older but it is a bargain for a large chip camera. You have some decisions to make.

A.G

[shedifice]

I could buy the moon for that much

[narrowbandpaul]

Bit of background info...http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/52031-choosing-a-ccd-camera/

If I were buying a camera now, the choice would be an ICX694 or the KAF8300

Filters and filter wheel will add to your budget so worth bearing in mind

Hope that's useful