ZWO ASI 1600 mono pro vs Atik Horizon

[Ouroboros]

I've been umming and arrrghing about this for ages. I'd really like to buy the ATIK despite the £300  difference just to have a home grown product with company support in the UK.  It's the cost of accessories I balk at.  I prefer to buy a complete kit from one manufacturer. I'd need the full monty of camera + filter wheel + filters (LRGB + Ha, SII and OIII).  The ASI1600 bundled kit is just over £2000, whereas the Atik Horizon equivalent is about 700 quid more expensive, as far as I can tell, admittedly using Baader filters, which are more expensive.  That's no small difference in overall price. 

I don't know whether I could mix and match the ATIK camera and ZWO filter wheel etc.  Are the ATIK software and ZWO filter wheel compatable?  But as I say, I'd rather buy everything made by one manufacturer or the other. 

 

[Adam J]

1 hour ago, Ouroboros said:

I've been umming and arrrghing about this for ages. I'd really like to buy the ATIK despite the £300  difference just to have a home grown product with company support in the UK.  It's the cost of accessories I balk at.  I prefer to buy a complete kit from one manufacturer. I'd need the full monty of camera + filter wheel + filters (LRGB + Ha, SII and OIII).  The ASI1600 bundled kit is just over £2000, whereas the Atik Horizon equivalent is about 700 quid more expensive, as far as I can tell, admittedly using Baader filters, which are more expensive.  That's no small difference in overall price. 

I don't know whether I could mix and match the ATIK camera and ZWO filter wheel etc.  Are the ATIK software and ZWO filter wheel compatable?  But as I say, I'd rather buy everything made by one manufacturer or the other. 

 

I think your missing the point slightly. Its not just the difference in cost its what else can you do with the money you saved.

1) ASI1600mm pro = £1200 ish

2) ZWO filter wheel 1.25/31mm = £300 ish.

3) Baader LRGB 1.25" filter set = £210 ish

4) Astrodon 1.25" (5nm HA, 5nm SII and 5nm OIII) = 1000 pounds ish.

Total = 2710pounds.

So based on your £2000 + £700 figure for the ATIK system that is as close as makes no difference the same cost.

By all means go with the Horizon and image with Baader (7nm HA 8.5nm OIII and 8nm SII) filters nothing wrong with them they are great budget filters. But at that point all other things being equal....who is going to generate the better quality image ZWO + Astrodons or Horizon + Baader??

Also if you ever want to upgrade your filters later, the Horizon needs 36mm filters....have you seen the price of 36mm filters from the likes of Astrodon or Chroma or even Astronomik? Oh and BTW no Artemis only works with ATIK filter wheels to answer that question.

I too would buy Atik and think that many of their products are very competitively priced but the Horizon is not one of them.

As for ZWO warranty, of the few people I have heard about having had issues, all have gotten a working camera back within warranty it just takes a little more time. Buying from FLO as I did, I feel well covered.

Adam

 

[Ouroboros]

@Adam J Yes, point taken. I was comparing the bundled 1600 + ZWO filter wheel + ZWO 36mm LRGB + Ha/SII/OIII filters from FLO at £2040 with the ~£2700-ish for Horizon +ATIK filter wheel + Baader 36mm filters. Then there are adapters to add presumably. Given the amount of imaging time I get I might justify spending a bit over two grand. I'm not sure I can justify spending nearer to three grand.  

[Adam J]

4 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

@Adam J Yes, point taken. I was comparing the bundled 1600 + ZWO filter wheel + ZWO 36mm LRGB + Ha/SII/OIII filters from FLO at £2040 with the ~£2700-ish for Horizon +ATIK filter wheel + Baader 36mm filters. Then there are adapters to add presumably. Given the amount of imaging time I get I might justify spending a bit over two grand. I'm not sure I can justify spending nearer to three grand.  

You dont even need to spend that, the 36mm filters are just not required for the ASI1600mm pro, better to save your money and the 31mm or 1.25 inch filters.....although personally I would go with Baader filters over ZWO for narrowband..(reflections).

[Aidan]

Thanks for all the replies...  I’ve finally gone for the 1600 pro.  I just couldn’t justify the extra cost of the Atik I’m afraid.

now to better or even just understand how to best set the gain and exposure time!

[RayD]

10 minutes ago, Aidan said:

Thanks for all the replies...  I’ve finally gone for the 1600 pro.  I just couldn’t justify the extra cost of the Atik I’m afraid.

now to better or even just understand how to best set the gain and exposure time!

Great stuff.  Look forward to seeing how you progress with it.

[Aidan]

Well,  that was a short experince with the 1600 Pro!    From what i can make out, the camera has a very pronounced tilt on it.    I tried for hours the other evening to get it sorted, but every image i took the top 1/4 across the whole image was almost out of foucs in comparison with the rest of the image, which followed when the camera was rotated.

Using the exact same image train, i put my other camera on the scope tonight and every image was good the eye and also within CCD inspector.   

These things happen - i'm just glad i could get to the bottom of it quickly without wasting too much time.   I guess ill see what the vendor says tomorrow when i call them... not their fault and things like this happen from time to time.

Its dented my confidence with the camera to be honest... so not too sure where to go from here.   Just a case of wait and see.

[RayD]

8 hours ago, Aidan said:

Well,  that was a short experince with the 1600 Pro!    From what i can make out, the camera has a very pronounced tilt on it.    I tried for hours the other evening to get it sorted, but every image i took the top 1/4 across the whole image was almost out of foucs in comparison with the rest of the image, which followed when the camera was rotated.

Using the exact same image train, i put my other camera on the scope tonight and every image was good the eye and also within CCD inspector.   

These things happen - i'm just glad i could get to the bottom of it quickly without wasting too much time.   I guess ill see what the vendor says tomorrow when i call them... not their fault and things like this happen from time to time.

Its dented my confidence with the camera to be honest... so not too sure where to go from here.   Just a case of wait and see.

Oh no that's a shame.  As you say, and it's good that you do accept it, these things happen.  You could argue that they shouldn't if the QA processes involve testing every unit, but it does.

Hopefully the camera can be replaced and it is unlikely that you'll get the same issue on two separate ones, so fingers crossed for the replacement.

It can and does dent your confidence, I had the same with a couple of OTA's, but it does just come to a bit of bad luck.

[Marky1973]

If it helps make you feel any better, I went for the Horizon and had it a week before I broke it and had to send it in for repair!

Hope you get the 1600 sorted soon!

[Aidan]

Sometimes you have to eat a bit of humble pie.....   Tonight has proved the camera is not at fault.

I read a great deal about the 1600 and very rarely in recent times have i heard anyone have a problem, which i had no reason to doubt.    So, back to basics, stripped the focuser unit and checked that was all ok detached from the scope and nipped up all the screws.   Removed the OAG and Filter wheel and got the camera connected just using spacers.   Bingo!

To the naked eye you could see it was all ok and proved with CCD inspector.    Did the same with my other camera (460ex) and again lovely flat field both to the eye and CCDI.

Introduced the filter wheel,  same again all ok, added the OAG and it all went to pot.   Out wth the trusty guide scope and all setup and looks like its good to go.  Just about to start some images though the filters to see what the camera can really do.     Have to be honest, the OAG has been niggling me all day, and from day one its been a right fiddle to get working correctly.

I'm not going to waste any time on it this year, i lost a good part of last year getting it all working.

I went back to the vendor intially and to give them credit, they were fast to responed asking for images they could send off to ZWO...   Ill be on the phone in the morning to them (if all goes to plan tonight)

 

[Jonesdee]

Glad to hear that the camera is fine.  I have had one for a couple of months now having graduated from a DSLR, and am delighted with it.  Having just started playing with NB filters, I uploaded an image of the Veil a week or so ago and have now added more data and re-processed it.  I continue to be amazed at the detail the ASI 1600 mm resolves from my light-polluted garden near Swindon

 

 

[noah4x4]

I own the Atik Horizon and what swayed me over the almost identical  ZWO equivalent was something not mentioned above;  

Atik Infinity Software for EAA.

Yes, there are alternatives, and some are 'free', but the simplicity of Atik Infinity is legendary. I have tried a number of alternatives and my brain hurt from their complexities. With Infinity, I simply plug my camera into my Intel NUC via USB3.0 and then into a 4K UHD monitor to enjoy a full 4k UHD 'near live' experience in seconds, assisted by Hyperstar and its ability to dramatically  shorten exposure times.. The simple focus tool in Atik Infinity is more than adequate.  Setting exposure times is simple; whilst the histogram is self-explanatory and it is as close to 'point and shoot' as it gets. By contrast, SG Pro is mind boggling.

I am also comforted that Atik's HQ is within 60 miles of my home  should anything fail. Yes, it is perhaps hard to justify the Atik's higher price, but I had early spent £100 on SG Pro and £99 on Backyard Nikon for my DSLR  before I discovered Infinity. But it does only work with Atik cameras.