Choosing a new guide camera

[Zynch]

Hi,

I'm considering upgrading my guiding setup currently using the original finderscope (8x 50mm) that came with my scope and a QHY5 camera. I'm having issues with connecting the camera so I'm considering upgrading.

Right now I'm looking at the ASI178MM and am thinking I could maybe even try using it as the main camera for a image or two.
I'll most likely get a new guidescope in the near future aswell.

What do you think, would it be a good pick or should I get something else?

[bottletopburly]

Choose wisely or buy twice , for guiding the zwo120mm is a good shout but if for imaging do you want osc , what is your imaging setup then you have other things to consider.

[Stuart1971]

1 hour ago, Zynch said:

Hi,

I'm considering upgrading my guiding setup currently using the original finderscope (8x 50mm) that came with my scope and a QHY5 camera. I'm having issues with connecting the camera so I'm considering upgrading.

Right now I'm looking at the ASI178MM and am thinking I could maybe even try using it as the main camera for a image or two.
I'll most likely get a new guidescope in the near future aswell.

What do you think, would it be a good pick or should I get something else?

Hello,

You should consider your imaging set up to choose a good guide set up, what is you FL and imaging pixel size, to give an imaging scale, also will you want to use an OAG, or stick with a 50mm finder scope….

I recently bought the ASI174mm mini, and it’s superb, and blows the Lodestar X2 out of the water which is what I had before, I also tried the ASI120m mini, and that also was very good, but I am using an f5.9 Tak FS60 as a guide scope, so the smaller pixels of the ASI is much better with my set up…

[CCD-Freak]

I use an ASI-178MM for guiding and some EAA imaging and it works well in either roll. 

The ASI-290MM is also good for guiding and EAA imaging.

My 2 cents

 

 

[Zynch]

 

56 minutes ago, bottletopburly said:

Choose wisely or buy twice

That's why I'm here

39 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

Hello,

You should consider your imaging set up to choose a good guide set up, what is you FL and imaging pixel size, to give an imaging scale, also will you want to use an OAG, or stick with a 50mm finder scope….

I recently bought the ASI174mm mini, and it’s superb, and blows the Lodestar X2 out of the water which is what I had before, I also tried the ASI120m mini, and that also was very good, but I am using an f5.9 Tak FS60 as a guide scope, so the smaller pixels of the ASI is much better with my set up…

So a bit more info on my setup:

I have an Orion 8" 800 mm f/4 scope, and am imaging with a Nikon D7500 DSLR with a 0.9x coma corrector.

The finder scope will stay for now but might get an upgrade down the line.

 

An acquaintance recommended me the ASI178MM, while I myself was originally looking at the 120mm due to it being cheaper. But looking at it I realized I might be able to get away with taking some images with the 178 (the dslr is not modded, so this would be a nice change) so I started leaning in that direction.

[tomato]

I have never used the ASI178MM for guiding but can’t see why it wouldn’t be a perfectly good camera for this purpose.

I regularly use them for imaging small targets, in conjunction with Esprit 150 refractors. Here is an LRGB example, bin 2x2, NGC 891, ~6 hrs integration. Your scope would give a reasonable FOV. 

[Adam J]

On 20/07/2022 at 17:50, bottletopburly said:

Choose wisely or buy twice , for guiding the zwo120mm is a good shout but if for imaging do you want osc , what is your imaging setup then you have other things to consider.

OSC results in less accurate guiding, really the 120mm is all you should be buying for guiding, unless you are using an off axis unit.

 

Adam

[Xilman]

Heresy, perhaps, but I have been very happy with the SX Lodestar2 as a guide camera.

[Stuart1971]

2 hours ago, Xilman said:

Heresy, perhaps, but I have been very happy with the SX Lodestar2 as a guide camera.

Yes, horses for courses….if it ain’t broke….👍🏼

[newbie alert]

On 20/07/2022 at 17:02, Zynch said:

Hi,

I'm considering upgrading my guiding setup currently using the original finderscope (8x 50mm) that came with my scope and a QHY5 camera. I'm having issues with connecting the camera so I'm considering upgrading.

Right now I'm looking at the ASI178MM and am thinking I could maybe even try using it as the main camera for a image or two.
I'll most likely get a new guidescope in the near future aswell.

What do you think, would it be a good pick or should I get something else?

You say you have problems with connection? Have you connected it? As you need the older driver for that camera.. I found it good enough, not very sensitive but enough to have one or 2 guidestars to guide onto.. which essentially is it's purpose...

Newer cameras are much more sensitive... Blows the original qhy out if the water

[Varavall]

On 20/07/2022 at 19:55, Zynch said:

I have an Orion 8" 800 mm f/4 scope

For my two penny worth I use a QHY5III462C (price around £250 with full filter kit or £219 without)  on a TS 80mm guider/finder attached to my SW 8" newtonian on HEQ5 pro rowan belted. With its near IR capability it works virtually as a mono camera and gives me PHD2 RMS of 0.3-0.8" depending on viewing. When not guiding it makes an excellent planetary camera.