ZWOASi 174 or 178

[richard ashbee]

Any suggestions for mono cameras for the Solar scout 60mm. Appreciate any photos anyone has got

many thanks 

[Nigella Bryant]

9 minutes ago, richard ashbee said:

Any suggestions for mono cameras for the Solar scout 60mm. Appreciate any photos anyone has got

many thanks 

Well, as you know I'm biased for the 178mm, lol. Never used the 174mm so can't comment. I'd got the camera after recommended by other Solar imagers. Recent images from November 29th. False colour added on PS CS2

[richard ashbee]

superb, what extra item did you add to get the close up, i take it that a 0.5 reducer would give me a full disc

[Nigella Bryant]

14 minutes ago, richard ashbee said:

superb, what extra item did you add to get the close up, i take it that a 0.5 reducer would give me a full disc

Hi, with my Lunt I get full disk just with the camera. Not sure if you'd need a reducer. I also didn't use any Barlow powermate for close up. Just used the region of interest for the close up data. The 178mm enables both full disk and close up with sharpcap software.

[richard ashbee]

that's great, many thanks

[vlaiv]

Get 178 and bin pixels x2 when capturing.

ASI174 will have too large pixels at 5.86µm and you'll need to use barlow to try to dial in optimum sampling rate.

ASI178 will have too small pixels at 2.4µm natively, but if you bin them, then you'll be very close to optimal sampling rate for this telescope at 4.8µm

Scope is F/15.5 (60mm at 930mm of focal length) and 4.8µm pixel size is ideal for F/14.64 in Ha wavelength.

For full disk solar imaging you'll need to use x0.5 reducer of course, but then you don't need to bin pixels and you'll be again at optimum sampling rate to capture all the details.

[inFINNity Deck]

Hi Richard,

I use a ZWO ASI174MM with my Lunt LS80THA and am considering getting myself a ZWO ASI178MM. First a few images:

The detail-images are all taken with a TeleVue 4x PowerMate, even though this means I am significantly oversampling (optimum is f/17.5, using a 4x Barlow means I am imaging at f/28). The ZWO ASI174MM gives me the advantage that I can do full-disc with my LS80THA without a reducer, something that is not possible with the ZWO ASI178MM.

Downside of the 174MM is the resolution, which is quite low (1936x1216) compared to the 178MM (3096x2080), that is the main reason why those full-disc images of @Nigella Bryantare so fabulous (or is it the processing skills?)! 🙂Downside of the 178MM is that there are reports of issues in H-Alpha where the camera causes a kind of grid pattern. For me that is the main reason why I am hesitating getting one. Also I would need a 0.8x reducer to go full-disc (and I have no idea whether to get one from Lunt or from TeleVue).

HTH

Nicolàs

 

[Nigella Bryant]

39 minutes ago, inFINNity Deck said:

Downside of the 174MM is the resolution, which is quite low (1936x1216) compared to the 178MM (3096x2080), that is the main reason why those full-disc images of @Nigella Bryantare so fabulous (or is it the processing skills?)! 🙂Downside of the 178MM is that there are reports of issues in H-Alpha where the camera causes a kind of grid pattern. For me that is the main reason why I am hesitating getting one. Also I would need a 0.8x reducer to go full-disc (and I have no idea whether to get one from Lunt or from TeleVue).

HTH

Nicolàs

 

I've not had an issue with the 178mm and grid pattern. The resolution is really good, I only stack the data in autostakker3 and give a sharpening in ImPPG and apply false colour in an old copy of PS CS2. I don't need to use a reducer with my Lunt 60DS with the camera as it gives full disk with a bf1200 blocking filter. Maybe it's hit and miss with the 178mm, I did read about it before I purchased the camera but other Solar imagers recommended it so I took the chance. I can only say as I find, I've no experience with the 174mm.