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Solar and planetary/lunar cameras


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Hi,

Currently using a ZWO120MM which I bought for guiding but have used it more for solar with my WO61 and tried some planetary with my Mak150 tonight. It’s ok for solar but I was disappointed in it while shooting Jupiter tonight so I’m after maybe two cameras. 

I am thinking of getting the 224MC for my planetary but not sure what to get for solar and maybe lunar ? Should I stick with mono for this ?

The 178MM seems to get recommend for solar or is there something else ? I’d like something better than the 120MM. 

Thanks. 

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For solar I actually have two cameras..

The ASI 174MM with a pixel size of 5.86 micron works well, especially with fl above 1000mm - I do need the T2 tilter to suppress Newton Rings.

The ASI 183MM I bought for use on the shorter fl instruments (<1000mm). The small pixels (2.4 micron) and the larger sensor (8.8 x 13.2mm) allow full disk coverage - and Oh, no Newton Rings.

With the fast frame rates and large sensors they put pressure on your computer. I use a MSI gaming machine (!!), USB3, i7, 16 Gb memory and a fast 1Tb SSD drive.

 

Hope this helps.

 

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Yep go for the mono.

 

a Blackfly for solar (but also use it for planets when seeing is iffy) plenty of room for full disc with the Lunt 60mm but larger pixels (5. something) comparecd with newer cams

aIso use a Chameleon 3 which I got for solar and planetary which has smaller pixels 3. something and I can get 58fps full res and 107 x2 binning and with ROI on jupiter also 100 fps

 

i get Newtons Rings with the chameleon and am still tring to get the tilter to get rid but if i let sol drift through the FOV I can get a 1000+ frames before it it drifts out.

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Your issues with Jupiter could well be just as much to do with its lowly position as your camera. For Solar I use the ASI174MM as the pixel size matches my Lunt perfectly with a 2.5 x Barlow.  I don’t suffer Newton rings like Merlin above. Check results obtained on my Flickr link in the signature below.

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What in particular were you disappointed with on the camera? Knowing that would help with suggestions for a replacement. You may find that after replacing the cam, you are still disappointed as it was conditions or setup that were the cause of your disappointment, not the cam.

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2 hours ago, Freddie said:

What in particular were you disappointed with on the camera? Knowing that would help with suggestions for a replacement. You may find that after replacing the cam, you are still disappointed as it was conditions or setup that were the cause of your disappointment, not the cam.

Hi,

I think I would prefer a colour for planetary anyway plus the 120MM I have is only the very basic 2.0usb model. The image looked very grainy ?

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USB 2 will have a slower download rate but you may well find that this is not a restriction as your frame rate will most likely be limited by your exposure duration and if you don't have SSD on your computer that will also be a potential restriction. If you use firecapture it allows buffering which will help. The fact that it is USB2 will not cause the grainy look.

The image being grainy could be as a result of a high gain setting during capture or too low a number of frames being stacked in post processing. What was your gain and how many frames did you stack?

If you do go for a colour cam, you are going to need a ADC to go with it.

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