Let's see your best OSC (dedicated astro camera) images

[smr]

Hi,

I'm very interested in buying an OSC camera with a main interest in imaging nebulae. I'd be interested to see what your best images look like with a dedicated OSC Camera and what they are capable of, it'd be nice to see a variety of different nebulae - not just the most commonly imaged DSOs, along with integration time, filters if used and bortle scale / sky conditions.

According to CO my sky is Bortle 5 / Yellow / 19.57 mag. 

I know if I mention faint and dim targets the answer will be to forget OSC and go for Mono and narrowband, but our skies really are fickle here in the UK and I've probably imaged 4 targets since August, so I'm leaning towards and OSC rather than Mono.

[Allinthehead]

9 panel mosaic about 35 hours. 150 second subs with a zwo asi071. Esprit 100. Bortle 4/5

Some below a mixture of Tak Epsilon and Esprit, all with the asi071. All 150 second subs. Varying integration times from 5-10 hours.

Richard 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Richard, 

Those are just exceptional images, you must be so happy with those, thanks for sharing 🙂 

Steve

[Allinthehead]

5 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Richard, 

Those are just exceptional images, you must be so happy with those, thanks for sharing 🙂 

Steve

Thanks Steve. 

Just realised the mosaic includes Oiii for the squid provided by Olly so ignore the squid.

[geeklee]

15 hours ago, Allinthehead said:

9 panel mosaic about 35 hours. 150 second subs with a zwo asi071. Esprit 100. Bortle 4/5

Some below a mixture of Tak Epsilon and Esprit, all with the asi071. All 150 second subs. Varying integration times from 5-10 hours.

Absolutely stunning collection of images Richard.  If I can obtain a tenth of that in a few years I'll be very pleased.

[smr]

They are absolutely superb images Richard. Amazing. 

[smr]

Tak Epilson 180-ED?

[tooth_dr]

39 minutes ago, smr said:

Tak Epilson 180-ED?

Richard had an Epsilon 130

[smr]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Richard had an Epsilon 130

Nice, f/3.3 with that fov... and those optics. 

 

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, smr said:

Nice, f/3.3 with that fov... and those optics. 

 

There is £500 off one here

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_takahashi-epsilon-130-ed-f3-3-newtonian-astrograph-reflector_130782.html

[smr]

47 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

There is £500 off one here

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_takahashi-epsilon-130-ed-f3-3-newtonian-astrograph-reflector_130782.html

Saw that earlier after reading your post  TBH that kind of money is something I wouldn't mind progressing to for gear eventually, as this and landscape photography are my only two hobbies.

Anyway, walk before running etc. I doubt I could take photos like the above with my Z73 in terms of stars and general IQ compared to such an instrument as the Tak.. Having said that it's obvious Richard is exceptionally good at the art of acquiring and processing astronomical images!

 

edit... I wonder how the RASA 8" compares. I'm guessing not quite as good what with Tak's build and optical quality, but it's a nice widefield fov, and f/2...

Edited January 29, 2020 by smr

[tooth_dr]

14 minutes ago, smr said:

Saw that earlier after reading your post  TBH that kind of money is something I wouldn't mind progressing to for gear eventually, as this and landscape photography are my only two hobbies.

Anyway, walk before running etc. I doubt I could take photos like the above with my Z73 in terms of stars and general IQ compared to such an instrument as the Tak.. Having said that it's obvious Richard is exceptionally good at the art of acquiring and processing astronomical images!

 

edit... I wonder how the RASA 8" compares. I'm guessing not quite as good what with Tak's build and optical quality, but it's a nice widefield fov, and f/2...

I have an epsilon as well, and it does require some skill to collimate and focus. Richard can not only do this, but is a skilled image processor too. 
His images are making me very seriously consider a OSC.

Edited January 29, 2020 by tooth_dr

[Allinthehead]

2 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

His images are making me very seriously consider a OSC.

😊

If you can afford to keep your 8300 i think you should buy a good osc. The issue i reckon is which one? I wouldn't advise the imx071 simply because i had issues with reflections/Halos as can be seen in the Epsilon images. The imx571 is too new to have any sort of verdict on. The imx094 is great value at the moment with the release of the new full frame bsi sensors. If i were in your position I'd see how the 571 plays out over the next few months, images will start coming soon. Jarret Trezzo on Astrobin has some taken with the Qhy version. 

[tooth_dr]

2 hours ago, Allinthehead said:

😊

If you can afford to keep your 8300 i think you should buy a good osc. The issue i reckon is which one? I wouldn't advise the imx071 simply because i had issues with reflections/Halos as can be seen in the Epsilon images. The imx571 is too new to have any sort of verdict on. The imx094 is great value at the moment with the release of the new full frame bsi sensors. If i were in your position I'd see how the 571 plays out over the next few months, images will start coming soon. Jarret Trezzo on Astrobin has some taken with the Qhy version. 

Cheers Richard. I’ll keep my eyes open. I have a D800E which I probably should try out on it to see how I fair out, as a couple of guys with a 180ed are using a similar Nikon. 

[Allinthehead]

10 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

Cheers Richard. I’ll keep my eyes open. I have a D800E which I probably should try out on it to see how I fair out, as a couple of guys with a 180ed are using a similar Nikon. 

Definitely worth a shot.

If you would like to try out a osc cooled cmos i can give you a loan of my 071. 

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, Allinthehead said:

Definitely worth a shot.

If you would like to try out a osc cooled cmos i can give you a loan of my 071. 

Thanks Richard, that's very kind.  Once I get my mount up and running I'll get in touch, will be 1-2 months time.

[smr]

Would this be a good Camera for my Z73, sampling wise ? I also have no clue how spacing works, how to use them, which / what to buy etc. Would I also need a filter ?

I'd be coming from simply connecting a DSLR to my field flattener.

[Allinthehead]

On 30/01/2020 at 18:36, smr said:

Would this be a good Camera for my Z73, sampling wise ? I also have no clue how spacing works, how to use them, which / what to buy etc. Would I also need a filter ?

I'd be coming from simply connecting a DSLR to my field flattener.

The asi2600 or 071?

[smr]

22 hours ago, Allinthehead said:

The asi2600 or 071?

2600.

[Allinthehead]

37 minutes ago, smr said:

2600.

Should work very well at your focal length.

[david_taurus83]

@AllintheheadThose images are fantastic! What are your skies like?

[Allinthehead]

38 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

@AllintheheadThose images are fantastic! What are your skies like?

Thanks David. According to clear outside it's bortle 4. I do have to battle against public lighting in the housing estate. Some targets are off limits for me as I'd be imaging directly above the lights. I keep the exposures short to limit the  influence of light pollution. Typically 150/180 seconds at a low gain.

[david_taurus83]

1 hour ago, Allinthehead said:

Thanks David. According to clear outside it's bortle 4. I do have to battle against public lighting in the housing estate. Some targets are off limits for me as I'd be imaging directly above the lights. I keep the exposures short to limit the  influence of light pollution. Typically 150/180 seconds at a low gain.

I'm originally from Roscommon, just outside a small village. Light pollution map puts it at bortle 4 and theres bortle 3 close by. If only I appreciated it before I moved to the UK! 6/7 now and I do have to shoot directly over streetlights!