Views sought on possible OSC camera option?

[michaelmorris]

About 18 months ago I made my first foray into CCD imaging when I bought an Atik 460EX mono CCD camera and a set of RGB and narrow band filters to use with it in an electronic filter wheel.  This was supposed to largely replace the Astro-modified Canon 1100D I had used up until then.

I live in the relatively light polluted suburbs of Worcester with an observatory in the back garden.  The observatory consists of an EQ8 mount carrying a Celestron C9.25 SCT, Skywatcher 80ED and a Revelation 66ED.  The scopes fulfil the following functions

Revelation 66ED

·         Guidescope

·         Ha telescope (with Coronado Etalon and BF10 blocking filter)

·         Wide field CCD imaging with Atik 460 (with WO Type II FF/FR)

Skywatcher 80ED

·         CCD imaging with Atik 460 (with SW FF/FR)

Celestron C9.25

·         Main visual scope for double star observing

·         Visual and imaging of planets and Moon

·         Main visual scope for DSOs

I have ambitions to start doing DSO imaging with the C9.25 (with 0.63 x FR) with an off axis guider

Because of the light pollution at home, in the days of having just the DSLR, almost all my DSO imaging used to be done at star parties.  Buying the Atik 460 has changed my life significantly allowing me to do narrowband imaging of DSOs from my light polluted back garden. ?

My plan has always been to reserve star parties for taking full advantage of the darker skies to concentrate on RGB imaging using my HEQ5Pro mount, either on purely RGB subjects or for collecting RGB data for star colour in narrow band images.

After a year of trying to achieve this I realise that my present limited time at star parties just doesn’t give me the time I need to achieve the RGB imaging time I’m after.  At Kelling Heath this year the one decent night we had gave me time to get about 10 x 5 minute decent  subs for each R, G and B channels on IC1396.  I took many more, but intermittent cloud made many subs relatively poor in quality.

I tandem with this, I’d like to try my hand at taking RGB images of galaxies through the C9.25 (with x 0.63 FF/FR fitted).  Even using the EQ8 and using an OAG I’m anticipating loosing quite a few subs due to poor guiding.

So here is one possible solution to both the issues of too little time to collect RGB data at star parties and the desirability of having a very sensitive camera to allow me to use short sub lengths for DSO imaging of predominately RGB targets through the C9.25 - a CMOS-chipped One Shot Colour (OSC) camera.

I have done a fair bit of reading up on this subject and it strikes me that with one of the new generation of cooled CMOS OSC cameras, with their very sensitive chips and very low read noise I could potentially solve both problems at once at a (relatively) low financial outlay of around £1000.

There is also the tantalising possibility of running the Atik 460 taking narrow band images through the 66ED and the OSC colour camera colour subs through the 80ED simultaneously!

I am considering one of two ZWO cameras, the ASI 1600MC Pro or the new ASI 294 MC.

I would greatly appreciate hearing the views of forum members who

·         have used either of these cameras,

·         use OSC CMOS cameras on SCT scopes

·         use or have tried using OSC colour cameras for producing RGB data for narrowband images

Thanks

[pete_l]

It sounds like you are on the right track, investigating more sensitive cameras. Have you considered some of the new, nearly real-time devices that Mallincam have come up with in the past few months? I don't know of anyone outside the USA/Canada who has managed to buy one, but they do produce some impressive example images.

I noted your line "Even using the EQ8 and using an OAG I’m anticipating loosing quite a few subs due to poor guiding." That sounds surprising for an EQ8. Since the goal is to maximise total data-collection time, it sounds like there is an opportunity here!

[Allinthehead]

I understand your issue and that's why i image primarily with a Zwo Asi 071 pro OSC. I set it and leave it, and have very few issues. I also own a Zwo Asi 1600 which i use for narrowband. I love the 071 and always have data to play with even if cloud messes things up which is a big problem where i live. If you can stretch to the 071 which i believe is another 500 on your budget i would as it's a great little camera.

I managed this in 4 hours from a bortle 4/5 area in a housing estate with sodium streetlights. Granted that was with a Takahashi Epsilon at f/3.3.

Of the two cameras you're looking at, the 294 on paper at least is far superior.

This was taken with Ha data from my Asi 1600 and rgb with the 071

[tooth_dr]

@Allinthehead that’s a lovely Iris ??

[ollypenrice]

I used to do 'OSC plus narrowband' quite a lot at one time when I had both mono and OSC Atik 4000 cameras. It works fine. I do prefer 2 x mono, my present system, over OSC and mono but that's a personal thing. So, yes, OSC and mono NB does work.

Olly