Moving from DSLR to dedicated astro camera and the ZWO sale - convince me to get an ASI 1600MM Pro!

[SiD the Turtle]

I've been saving for some time to switch from my DSLR to a dedicated astro camera. Then the ASI 2600MM Pro came out and I decided to keep saving for a lot longer! However, I see that ASI 1600MM Pro is on sale. I could pick up the bundle with the camera, RGB and SHO filters and a ZWO EAF for just north of £1,500. Comparably the 2600MM Pro with the newer EFW, larger filters etc. I believe would come close to £3,500 in comparison, so would be waiting a long while to be able to afford (and justify) the cost.

For a relative beginner who's only dabbled in DSLR, would I be right in saying there's plenty of mileage in the 1600MM Pro? I was also tempted to get the newer EFW v2 bundle for forward compatibility but that of course that adds cost.

Equipment is a William Options ZS73 with field flattener on an HEQ5-Pro, driven through Astroberry. I think checking the CCD suitability guide this would be a decent match.

Obviously only I can decide if I can afford it/if it's worth it, but wanted to make sure I don't get buyers remorse!

Edited July 16, 2021 by SiD the Turtle

[barbulo]

Have a look at the ASI294MM Pro, which is the evolution of the ASI1600. They have the bundle (EAF, filters and OAG) for $2,199.

Just food for thought.

[wimvb]

The 2600 has a larger sensor (aps-c), higher full well capacity, lower read noise (and therefore higher dynamic range), higher quantum efficiency, and 16 bit adc. The 1600 is known to have trouble with very bright stars, where diffraction from the chip's microlenses can show up. If you can afford it, go with the 2600. The asi294 is a step up from the 1600, with the same size sensor. Like the 2600 it has a 90% qe, and works with 1,25" or 31 mm filters. 

[tooth_dr]

If you go second hand, there will be filter wheels and filters for sale a lot cheaper. Have you considered the 2600MC rather than the MM?

[The Lazy Astronomer]

3 hours ago, SiD the Turtle said:

For a relative beginner who's only dabbled in DSLR, would I be right in saying there's plenty of mileage in the 1600MM Pro?

Absolutely no reason the 1600 couldn't be a 'lifetime' camera. It's a solid performer, and its only real issue is the microlensing artifacts on brighter stars.

The suggestion of 294MM is also a good one. I was in a similar position last year and opted for the 294MM as my paper assessment concluded it was better in pretty much every aspect when compared to the 1600, but it is more expensive, partly because they don't seem to be interested in selling it bundled with filters and wheel like the 1600.

If you're struggling to justify cost, then the 1600 is probably the better option for you. 

[inFINNity Deck]

Hi SiD,

Would this help?

ZWO ASI1600MM Pro Cool behind a SkyWatcher Esprit 150ED, ZWO ASI EFW with ZWO LRGB and NB filters, unguided imaging for 23 hours from Bortle 5-6 sky.

Nicolàs

 

[david_taurus83]

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/380015-red-alert-zwo-camera-sale/

 

The ASI1600 is still a great camera. Thr only real negative is the microlensing on really bright stars. Even then it depends on the optics your using. This was a stack of 15 minutes subs and its barely visible on Alnitak. 

 

[barbulo]

1 hour ago, The Lazy Astronomer said:

they don't seem to be interested in selling it bundled with filters and wheel like the 1600

You can find the complete bundle (camera + EFW + filters + OAG) in the ZWO web for $2,199

[The Lazy Astronomer]

2 hours ago, barbulo said:

You can find the complete bundle (camera + EFW + filters + OAG) in the ZWO web for $2,199

I stand corrected!

[SiD the Turtle]

Cheers everyone, really good food for thought.

On the 294 I think from the CCD calculator it'd be slightly under-sampling, but not by a great deal. Import duties and VAT would make that bundle a fair bit more expensive unfortunately. But lots more thinking to do!

[Adam1234]

DSLR

 

ASI1600mm pro

 

[wimvb]

3 hours ago, SiD the Turtle said:

On the 294 I think from the CCD calculator it'd be slightly under-sampling, but not by a great deal

ZWO have released the unbinned mode of this sensor: 2.315 um pixels in stead of 4.63, so 1"/pixel if you have a 470 mm FL telescope. 😉

[gorann]

On 16/07/2021 at 19:35, tooth_dr said:

If you go second hand, there will be filter wheels and filters for sale a lot cheaper. Have you considered the 2600MC rather than the MM?

I echo Adam's comment: Why not an ASI2600MC. It is an enormous step up from a DSLR and it would not cost you much more than the ASI1600MM with filters. For RGB I suspect it will beat an ASI1600 with filters (no microlensing, very low noise, no amp glow). And of course you get almost twice as much field of view. You can also use it successfully for NB imaging or dual band imaging (e.g. with a IDAS NBZ filter, like I did in the attached image). I like the 2600MC so much that I now have three of them and I have not used my ASI1600MM for a long time.

Edited July 18, 2021 by gorann

[SiD the Turtle]

Hmm I had not considered the OSC route. Obviously don't want to open up the whole OSC vs mono debate as that way lies madness but I'm in a bortle 5 and at f5.9. With the DSLR and glow from the town I've struggled with DSOs, I would wonder if a OSC, no matter how good the sensor, isn't going to get me the data a mono will.

Happy to be convinced otherwise!

[gorann]

The Bortle 5 may be a problem but a mono will probably only help you if you are going for NB imaging. I have a Bortle 2-3 sky so I hope someone else may advice.

[wimvb]

Mono rgb filters are generally designed to block the light from sodium and mercury lamps. That is, the pass bands from the red and green filters don't overlap. This gives mono rgb imaging a slight advantage over osc. Otoh, if you want to do lrgb imaging, you lose this advantage, because the L filter passes all colours.

However, as LED lights with their wide spectrum become more common, the advantage of designed rgb filters disappears.

What you can do of course, is to use a good light pollution filter with your camera, be it osc or mono.

[inFINNity Deck]

If you use a post-processing package like Astro Pixel Processor (APP), light pollution can be 'repaired' in that stage. I do not use a light pollution filter, but am pretty pleased with my LRGB images despite the Bortle 5-6 conditions:

L    :    120 x 60s
R    :    34 x 120s
G    :    34 x 120s
B    :    34 x 120s

Nicolàs

Edited July 19, 2021 by inFINNity Deck