camera recommendations

[scitmon]

For a while now I've been looking over the ZWO 1600 mono camera and filter bundles and I notice there is a nice discount on them at the moment.  I'd like to check with the more knowledgeable on these forums whether there are any better options out there?  I want to get the purchase right the first time.  My primary imaging telescope is the SW 80ED DS-pro, and as a secondary I'd like to do some planetary imaging with my Skymax 180.  I realise you can't get one that's ideal for both DSO and planetary, so I want to prioritise DSO.  So my questions are:

Are there any better options out there than the ZWO 1600 that are not silly money?

What size filters are best to get?

 

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by scitmon

[Adam J]

56 minutes ago, scitmon said:

For a while now I've been looking over the ZWO 1600 mono camera and filter bundles and I notice there is a nice discount on them at the moment.  I'd like to check with the more knowledgeable on these forums whether there are any better options out there?  I want to get the purchase right the first time.  My primary imaging telescope is the SW 80ED DS-pro, and as a secondary I'd like to do some planetary imaging with my Skymax 180.  I realise you can't get one that's ideal for both DSO and planetary, so I want to prioritise DSO.  So my questions are:

Are there any better options out there than the ZWO 1600 that are not silly money?

What size filters are best to get?

 

 

Depends on what your priorities are...

For example I always tell people that if you are considering the ASI1600mm pro then you need to consider the Micro lens Diffraction problem and decide on if you are willing to put up with that in exchange for the benefits of a larger chip and lower read noise. Some people are some people are not. 

If the answer is that you are not willing to put up with it then the ASI183mm pro is an option or another brand with IMX183 or a second hand Atik460EX mono is always a reliable camera. 

In any case you will not need more than 1.25 inch filters with the SW80ED if you think you will image at F4 or lower at some point in the future then you might consider 31mm filters. In any case I would go Baader over ZWO for filters and that means avoiding the ZWO deals. The Baader filters are just optically better. 

Adam

[scitmon]

22 hours ago, Adam J said:

if you are considering the ASI1600mm pro then you need to consider the Micro lens Diffraction problem and decide on if you are willing to put up with that in exchange for the benefits of a larger chip and lower read noise.

Is this something unique to the 1600 or the sensor it uses?   I ask because I'm looking at the Atik Horizon as an alternative that uses the same sensor.

[Adam J]

1 hour ago, scitmon said:

Is this something unique to the 1600 or the sensor it uses?   I ask because I'm looking at the Atik Horizon as an alternative that uses the same sensor.

It is present on all cameras that use the mono version of the Panasonic MN34230 CMOS sensor and that includes the ATIK Horizon and the ASI1600mm pro. It is the result of the glass that is glued to the front of the sensor itself by Panasonic not having an anti reflection coating and as such camera design has no bearing on the effect despite what some try to claim. The only thing that can make it more or less pronounced is the F-ratio of the optics with faster systems seeming to reduce the effect. It mainly shows up in narrow band due to the single frequency causing a coherent diffraction effect but will also show in LRGB to a lesser extent. Narrower Narrow band filters can help but only because they inherently attenuate bright stars more than wider filters making the pattern dimmer. The main culprits are Altinak and Gamma Cas and a few other stars of similar brightness close to well known targets. 

In the end of you point a ATIK 460EX at sirius and do a long expsoure you will get the same effect, its just much stronger and apparent on the panasonic sensor in comparison to others. 

Edited August 28, 2019 by Adam J

[scitmon]

Thanks for the info!  I do want to try narrowband imaging so I think I will steer clear of this sensor then.  Which means I need to downsize my chip size or up my budget.  I think for now I will continue with my DSLR and see if there are any future developments in the market or any bargains in the classifieds.