Please help me choosing a CCD camera!

[paulobao]

Hello again,

so I bought my QHY6 camera (essentially a guiding camera) and now I want more .

I thought about the QSI cameras. They look so nice and for what I know they are robust. Now the problem is : what the one to get?

There are so many parameters to consider that I think the best was to try all and then choose the best...but that is impossible and, since you don't buy a CCD camera like this all weeks I don't want to make a mistake.

My OTA is a Tak FS102NSV @ f/6.2 (or f/8 without reducer) and my skies are OK at the country side but not so here where I live.

Of course I will use the camera to make DSO photos (RGB and narrowband) but since I like the asteroids and comets so much I want to make some astrometry/photometry too !

QSI cameras only use Kodak sensors, and they came in the Interline and Full frame version. This translates in what in the "real world"?

I thought in this models:

1- QSI 583 (KAF 8300 ME)

2- QSI 540 (KAI 4022 ME)

3- QSI 532 (KAF 3200 ME)

Number 3 is a dream CCD but of course it blooms and I don't know how problematic this is in the real world (I know is great for photometry).

Number 1 have small pixels, even smaller that those in my Canon 40D and since I want to go deep and need to make very long exposures.... but the sensivity is greater than that of number 2 (which have the bigger pixels, and that is weird for me!).

So please, any CCD expert could give me some help?

Regards,

paulo

[paulobao]

Hello again,

so I bought my QHY6 camera (essentially a guiding camera) and now I want more .

I thought about the QSI cameras. They look so nice and for what I know they are robust. Now the problem is : what the one to get?

There are so many parameters to consider that I think the best was to try all and then choose the best...but that is impossible and, since you don't buy a CCD camera like this all weeks I don't want to make a mistake.

My OTA is a Tak FS102NSV @ f/6.2 (or f/8 without reducer) and my skies are OK at the country side but not so here where I live.

Of course I will use the camera to make DSO photos (RGB and narrowband) but since I like the asteroids and comets so much I want to make some astrometry/photometry too !

QSI cameras only use Kodak sensors, and they came in the Interline and Full frame version. This translates in what in the "real world"?

I thought in this models:

1- QSI 583 (KAF 8300 ME)

2- QSI 540 (KAI 4022 ME)

3- QSI 532 (KAF 3200 ME)

Number 3 is a dream CCD but of course it blooms and I don't know how problematic this is in the real world (I know is great for photometry).

Number 1 have small pixels, even smaller that those in my Canon 40D and since I want to go deep and need to make very long exposures.... but the sensivity is greater than that of number 2 (which have the bigger pixels, and that is weird for me!).

So please, any CCD expert could give me some help?

Regards,

paulo

[SteveL]

Please dont post the same question in two locations.

( http://stargazerslounge.com/showthread.php?p=1180339#post1180339 )

[Tim]

Not many QSI on here I dont think Paulo, but MartinB has one.

[MartinB]

Yes I have a QSI 532 ws (ie with the built in filter wheel). The camera is beautifully made. Kevin and the guys at QSI really know what they are about. The camera isn't just about the chip , or the build quality, the electronics under the hood make a big difference to the quality of output and the QSIs are really well sorted in this respect.

I got the QSI because of my situation here in the UK so things may well be different for you. My opportunities for imaging are extremely limited because of the weather. I have to accept every opportunity that comes along including bright moonlit nights. So I wanted a sensitive camera and one that carried the sensitivity through into the Ha. I also have moderate LP - mag 5 skies at the very best. So I can't do long sub exposures because of sky glow.

Blooming isn't such an issue with narrow band imaging but for ordinary LRGB you have factor it into your exposure lengths. Also some targets are going to be a problem - M45 is always going to be tricky. If you have dark skies then you may start to feel frustrated by being restricted to relatively short exposures. A NABG chip comes into it's own when you have LP and your exposures are restricted anyway. The 532 has low read noise so short exposures are less of problem than with other cameras. There are some excellent tools for processing out blooms.

The full frame/ interline is an issue. The 532 is full frame which probably enhances sensitivity but it does mean that you can't select a tight "region of interest" to give you quick downloads when focusing. You can select a ROI but you still have to wait for the whole frame to download. This makes focusing a bit more of a chore.

The cooling on the 532 is pretty amazing. It will go to around -38 below ambient. It takes about 5 mins to drop down 30 degrees. As soon as it gets there it settles very quickly and then remains fixed to within +/- 0.1 degrees.

You have a much better climate and access to darker skies than me so this chip might not hold the appeal for you that it does for me but it is, in my opinion, a fantastic camera.

[SteveL]

Did this thread get locked/closed for a reason. or was it an accident?

[paulobao]

many thanks Martin. Sorry to answer so late!

Yes I need to put the adv/disavant in a paper and think about it since I don't want to make a bad choice. These things costs a bit!

Regards,

paulo