CCD Imaging

[Eddie]

I think most of the astro community wishes sony made a large format mono CCD, Paul!!

Eddie

[FLO]

... i type before I think. Which is not going down well here. Its always been a problem of mine

Its gotten to the stage where I almost cant reply for fear of a complaint...dont mean your post neccessarily. I just offer my opinion, but not in the best way

Its good to see you sharing your knowledge Paul.

I learnt a while back that the combined knowledge on SGL is always greater than mine. Keep that in mind and I doubt you will rattle too many cages

[narrowbandpaul]

cheers steve

[poltabs]

Many thanks to all who have replied, this is giving me a headache now!!! :-)

OK I would love a CCD with the 285 chip or the QHY8 but sadly my budget isnt that big so I am looking at something smaller to start with then upgrade next.

So options - MX916, QHY6 Pro, Atik 16ic, MX7C

I think I am erring on the Atik16ic side but would love some direction please - HELP!

Cheers

Kevin

[poltabs]

The Atik 314e has 4.65 um pixels which am told is only good for shorter FL, so this wont be any good for my 8" SCT with .63FR then?

Also the MX916 has only 376 x 290 pixels - so thats defo out!

Also heard the Mx7C can be difficult to process as being a CMY rather than RGB?

At this rate I might just keep the DSLR!

Anyone help????

[narrowbandpaul]

I have had a look at the MX7c, and I like it for a number of reasons.

it has 8.2um pixels, which provide a good match to your celestron..better than some other small chips. The pixels will gather a higher flux than other smaller pixels.

it has a CYMG array which means that all wavelengths get covered twice. So your camera doesnt miss any valuable emission. Some G and B filters fail to adequately pick up the O[iII] emission line which is important in nebulae

it has a large full well capacity...means you have plenty of dynamic range...stars dont saturate as easy.

it has a low noise, sensitive sensor. So short exposures are possible with a very low dark current. Darks not neccessary

this could be a good camera

I will look at other models u mentioned...

Paul

[iancandler]

I think if I remember rightly that either Bern or Ian king are clearing some of the older model Atiks with higher resolution than the 16 ic , certainly worth a look, and I happen to know Bern can do you a deal on a set of LRGB filters and a filter wheel for a good price.

[Helen]

The little ATIK 16ic is a great first CCD I've found The software is very easy to use, and its quite sensitive. I've been using it with my NS8, with a 3.3FR, a 6.3FR and even the little cheap ATIK 0.5 FR with nice results - and it also works with Fastar. I'd also recommend mono to start with, as you can learn the processing more easily that way.

Helen

PS I might be selling mine in a few weeks time. I'm in the process of purchasing a bigger camera with a dedicated guidecam from MartinB, and as long as I can get the guiding to work I won't need the ATIK (although I'll be sorry to see it go!)

[narrowbandpaul]

the ATIK has a smaller chip, with smaller pixels. I worry if the 7.4um pixels are too small..it provides a resolution of 0.75"/pix versus 0.83"/pix for the MX7C. I dont think britain can support this resolution, but given the choice of the two, i would chose the MX7C over the Atik. I couldnt find dark stats, or QE curves, but it is liely to be very ensitive as it is a Sony chip.

I hope this doesnt upset you, the Atik would still be a great camera.

This is my opinion

Paul

[narrowbandpaul]

'likely'...typo's

[narrowbandpaul]

i have based this on an 8" F10 scope. It is an 8" Celestron right you have, right?

[narrowbandpaul]

i will look at the QHY6 now

[narrowbandpaul]

i really like the look of the QHY6 pro...

it has 8.6um x 8.3 um pixels, providing a better image scale than the MX7C, though only slightly.

it is a very sensitive low noise camera. 62% peak in Ha is excellent. This is due to microlensing, which gathers a lot of light and focusses it on the light sensitive part of the pixel. This sensitivity is better than the MX7C.

It also comes with a temperature sensor. This means that dark frames can be taken anytime, as long as the sensor is at the same temperature as the light frames. Without this sensor, you would have no idea what temp the sensor was at, and so darks must be acquired on the same night, detracting from imaging time.

This camera should produce some excellent images, I like this a lot.

Paul

[narrowbandpaul]

i like the look of the QHY6 pro camera very much. I think it could work very well for your setup, it has everything you need for great images.

I hope you found these posts of value, and good luck with your choice.

Any of these cameras can take wonderful pics...

Best Wishes

Paul

[poltabs]

Many thanks for all your help Paul, its much appreciated.

Looks like the QHY6 Pro is now the leader, and yes am using an 8" SCT F10 (Celestron Nexstar 8 GPS).

Any other CCD's you can recommend would be very interesting.

Thanks again for your help

Kevin

[narrowbandpaul]

its no problem Kevin

I love learning about CCD's.

Your field of view will be small at 80" focal length, so the larger the chip the better.

I dont know that you can find a better all rounder. To go for a bigger means a loss in sensitivity. Perhaps a second hand SXV h9 (fab if u can get it, but small 6.45 um pixels). Maybe a second habd Artemis 4000. 4MP sensor but reduced efficiency (Kodak chip).

With a focal reducer f6.3 and the QHY6 should be a good match. I'll do the numbers...

17.3'x13' with a resolution of around 1.4"/pix

that is quite small, but not unusuable at f6.3.

Try astrobuysell.com/uk for second hand cameras.

Hope this helps..its a daunting world out there

paul

[poltabs]

Thanks again Paul, am not going to rush into things, am going to try to save up and hope in the mean time a nice used one comes up! Would love a larger chip as would like to print them out so I guess I will have to be patient!

It is quite a daunting task when you start looking into the world of imaging, just glad you could help make it alittle easier!

Cheers

Kevin

[narrowbandpaul]

perhaps saving a bit more is a good choice...but its your choice.

second hand should give yet more options.

Thanks for your kind words, its been a pleasure to help

Best Wishes

Paul

PS let me know how u get on if u buy one, or if you require more help

[NickH]

There is some really great advice here. The simple fact is that try to look at the images people are taking with a wide range of cameras, and scopes. Try to look at what you want to achieve, what equipment (scopes) you plan to use, and try to match up what you see as the best images with your setup..

OSC, S-XPRESS, ATIK, SBIG...all of these are outstanding cameras, with people taking outstanding images. We all believe in our own products, which we own, but all of the aforementioned (plus a lot more) can take stunning deep sky shots, with patience and the right software.techniques/good skies and processing. There is no right or wrong. I have seen images with budget cams and 66mm scopes which blow my mind...likewise I have seen dire images with 14 inch SCT's and £5000 cameras..

Take your time, go to star parties, have a look at what others use, join an astro society and try to loan equipment...

Enjoy whatever you do get

[bern]

The QHY6 Pro has only just arrived, so there might be quite a wait for them to come up second hand.

I did have a chance to test one briefly before it sold and was very impressed by the sensitivity.

With the right setup you can even get away with very short subs (approx 10secs) so you can do without guiding

bern