Which CCD?

[Helen ACourt]

Hi, I have a TS Quadruplet 65mm Astrograph, HEQ5 mount and so far have been using my DSLR. I have had this set up for a couple of years and remain an amateur.

My tracking skills require work so when money is no object I dream of an observatory so i can reduce the hassle.

I would love a CCD camera to get images of planets and nebula.

Please can you help me to choose what to buy. My budget is between £200 - £300. All thoughts gratefully received.

Thanking you all in advance, Helen

 

 

[gnomus]

I'd get hold of a copy of this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html  

Photographing planets and nebulae are different disciplines.  Planets are bright and small, nebulae are faint and (often very) large.  

Your TS Astrograph is a good choice for nebulae and you should be able to take reasonably good pictures with your DSLR on the TS scope.  The focal length is probably a little short for planets.  I am not sure if your budget is a typo.  For a CCD camera, filter wheel, filters and so on you need to add a zero (and then maybe double it).  For now I would suggest learning the craft with your DSLR.  Get that book.  If you are not already doing so, I would be tempted to spend the £200-300 on guiding.  (The book tells you how.)   

Edited May 15, 2017 by gnomus

[ronin]

I am assuming that when you say ccd you are also including cmos devices - as in the ZWO cameras which are all cmos. ??

THe one that seems a good option is the ASI 178, although about £100 above your top budget, or at least was when I scribbled down the spreadsheet of data I have and which I admit is out of date a bit.

After that the questin is what is it you intend to "change"?

The easy option is an OSC  (colour) camera for images, and you basically have that in the form of the DSLR, pixel size on the ASI 178 may be smaller however, but so is the sensor. No idea on sensativity. A cooloed ASI 178 (nice) is likely to be significantly more cost, again I have not a clue.

If you opted for the mono version for narrow band imaging then you have the cost of filters and filter wheel, and I suspect guiding would become a necessity So the mono route would perhaps start with an ASI 178M then the bank account would take a steady hammering over time.

Planetaryimaging is generally different, people use a slow scope - SCT or Mak, and often with a 2x barlow or powermate - and then take a 60 or 90 second video of the offending planet. Feed the video into something like registax, then you determine the "best" frame and ask the software to locate the best 500 (example number only) frames that match the "best" and then stack these into one image. People then process this stacked image. 500 is simply an example, 200 may happily do. But something like the best 20%-25%. In effect a different scope and a different camera - better say here that something like the ASI 178 should do both, but the scope you have is not really for planetary imaging.

Hence the question What do you want to change? If it is a simple case of from DSLR to a dedicated imaging camera then I can understand that (I woiuld do it, likely will one day) , the ZWO is smaller and may have other advantages - you might (just might) be able to make a small cooling attachment to add your own cooling and so reduce noise. The disadvantage of a ZWO is you need power and a laptop to run it.

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, gnomus said:

I'd get hold of a copy of this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html  

Photographing planets and nebulae are different disciplines.  Planets are bright and small, nebulae ar faint and (often very) large.  

Your TS Astrograph is a good choice for nebulae and you should be able to take reasonably good pictures with your DSLR on the TS scope.  The focal length is probably a little short for planets.  I am not sure if your budget is a typo.  For a CCD camera, filter wheel, filters and so on you need to add a zero (and then maybe double it).  For now I would suggest learning the craft with your DSLR.  Get that book.  If you are not already doing so, I would be tempted to spend the £200-300 on guiding.  (The book tells you how.)   

This is the right answer.

Olly

[gnomus]

5 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

This is the right answer.

Olly

You've just made my night!!  

[Dinglem]

Why not get the book as it's excelent, a cheaper ZWO120MC, that others on here appear to use quite succesfully, an adapter so it can be used as a guide camera on your finder scope for using your DSLR for DSO's, all for around £200. But whatever you do buy the book and read it a few times, as I have, but still manage forget to do simple things

[Gina]

I actually took mine down from the bookcase yesterday to check something   Great book - the "bible" of astro-photography