Altair 294C Pro + things to look for in a dedicated Astro Cam

[Chris]

After buying a new to me Altair Hypercam 294C Pro from a fellow forum member, and subsequently selling my old ZWO ASI385mc to another fellow forum member...as we tend to do  This inspired a video, not only regarding first light with the new camera but also a primer on dedicated astro cameras which I really hope might be useful for anyone in the market. It includes things like considerations when buying a camera, and some of the cool tech inside the latest batch of astro cameras. 

I hope it's of use, and I think I'm going to enjoy this new camera, especially for EAA if I can get my hands on a fast scope. 

 

[Stuart1971]

Very good video....but just an FYI it’s not SVBONEY.... 😀 it’s SVBONY.....sounded funny when you said “SV BONEY”...but nice one...👍🏼

[Chris]

haha cheers Stuart, thanks for the heads up about that one 😀 

[nfotis]

Nice effort. I am still waiting for the dust to settle between the colour and monochrome sensor options between 4/3rds and APS size (basically, imx294/492 and imx571 sensors).

The purple colour isn't offensive at all to me. I am intrigued by the 571 version by Risingcam, but I am a little leery of spending such an amount without knowing their software quality and reliability.

Cheers,

N.F.

[Stuart1971]

7 hours ago, nfotis said:

Nice effort. I am still waiting for the dust to settle between the colour and monochrome sensor options between 4/3rds and APS size (basically, imx294/492 and imx571 sensors).

The purple colour isn't offensive at all to me. I am intrigued by the 571 version by Risingcam, but I am a little leery of spending such an amount without knowing their software quality and reliability.

Cheers,

N.F.

If it helps at all the Altair cameras and others, are made by Chinese company Touptek and just etched with Altair’s logo....whereas ASI and QHY manufacture there own...The risingcam versions are probably no different to Altair’s....so if they are a lot cheaper, I would go for it.... 👍🏼

[nfotis]

11 hours ago, Stuart1971 said:

If it helps at all the Altair cameras and others, are made by Chinese company Touptek and just etched with Altair’s logo....whereas ASI and QHY manufacture there own...The risingcam versions are probably no different to Altair’s....so if they are a lot cheaper, I would go for it.... 👍🏼

If I understand correctly, Rising Tech is the OEM for Touptek, Altair, etc.

They seem to sell their cooled cameras via AliExpress only,  while the rest of their cameras are also available via eBay.

They seem to be microscopy oriented, and just recently branching into astrophotography.

N.F.