Proper imaging camera

[twelly27]

Hi all

ive just had my birthday and ive been give close to £200, so im looking to get a proper webcam if thats not the correct term im sorry, i will be using it with my 127 for the moon and once ive sorted a barlow out for my new ED80 ill want to use it on the sun, somone on twitter recomended a QHY5L-II Planetary/guide camera which is about £170, now what do poeple think? are there cameras cheaper but just as good quality, or for the quality will i need to pay the money for it? if anyone has any suggestions please leave them so i can google them, also if anyone has any images they did from those cameras please feel free to post them id be interested to see the difference that appears from each camera.

Thanks 

Chris 

[riklaunim]

People pick ASI120MM over QHY5L-II in general (for mono versions). Color versions are less often used - do you want color or mono camera? (mono is better for Moon/Sun and can be handy on planets too). If you want to go very cheap there is PGR Firefly for $35 + shipping. It's mono, not very big frame, but it works.

[twelly27]

People pick ASI120MM over QHY5L-II in general (for mono versions). Color versions are less often used - do you want color or mono camera? (mono is better for Moon/Sun and can be handy on planets too). If you want to go very cheap there is PGR Firefly for $35 + shipping. It's mono, not very big frame, but it works.

The person on Twitter said if I think about it there's only the planets for colour I do love the colour images but is it a waste of money to buy in colour, or are they prices the same?

[riklaunim]

You can shoot color with a mono camera - just RGB filter and filter wheel needed. Most of planetary images is done that way.

[twelly27]

You can shoot color with a mono camera - just RGB filter and filter wheel needed. Most of planetary images is done that way.

So how much do that normally bump the price up? I do want to shoot in colour really I just think the colour images of planets look better

[riklaunim]

You can start with mono only and add other accessories later on. Moon or Sun is best for mono cameras, while planets can take advantage of color. New wheel is around 100 GBP, new good LRGB filters are around 200 GBP. If you look on astrobuysell you could get them cheaper. Picking a color camera (like ASI120MC) will save on filters and wheel, but may limit efficiency you get on the Moon and Sun.

[Space Cowboy]

The colour QHY5L-II cam is very good and a lot easier to use (and a lot cheaper) than a mono cam with filters. Here is an image of Jupiter I took last month with the colour QHY cam :

[twelly27]

The Jupiter is spectacular! That's what I want to achieve, plus I don't think I'll have the money buy filters and filter wheel by April, as I am attending a star party in Wales and Mars Jupiter and Saturn are up at that time, plus if I save the money on the camera I can always put that towards a Barlow for my ED80

[LouisJB]

wow that picture is amazing, nice work!

[riklaunim]

The Jupiter is spectacular! That's what I want to achieve, plus I don't think I'll have the money buy filters and filter wheel by April, as I am attending a star party in Wales and Mars Jupiter and Saturn are up at that time, plus if I save the money on the camera I can always put that towards a Barlow for my ED80

Note that it was made with a 250 mm telescope. 80 mm ED will never be close to giving such size (and detail). As for imaging note that Saturn will be very low on the sky, Mars not very. Color cameras will be struggling with atmospheric dispersion (each color will focus at different point). Mono camera with an IR passing filter (red visual filter, Baader IR-Pass and alike) will not have such problem. Will give clear image (although mono). Also 80 mm ED will be more suited for Moon imaging (as planets will be very small).

Just to make the choice not so easy

[twelly27]

Note that it was made with a 250 mm telescope. 80 mm ED will never be close to giving such size (and detail). As for imaging note that Saturn will be very low on the sky, Mars not very. Color cameras will be struggling with atmospheric dispersion (each color will focus at different point). Mono camera with an IR passing filter (red visual filter, Baader IR-Pass and alike) will not have such problem. Will give clear image (although mono). Also 80 mm ED will be more suited for Moon imaging (as planets will be very small).

Just to make the choice not so easy

Haha! Yep I've got the ED80

For DSLR I've got my skymax 127 for planets I think I'm going to go to the astro shop in Rotherham and talk to the people there

[Superdavo]

I have a DMK 21 mono (a bit over budget), but have yet to be able to afford filters (maybe this Christmas...). Nonetheless, I have taken some lovely shots of the Moon, and would say that you can get a lot of photos in black and white. 

David