Is the ASIAIR V1 still worth buying?

[beamer3.6m]

I have the opportunity to grab an ASIAIRv1 for £100 but I'm unclear about the differences between this and the PRO / PLUS versions.

 

Is there anything the v1 doesn't do which is essential or any bugs etc that are frustrating etc.

 

I intend to use it with an az-gti mount, Canon 1100d and zwo120 mini guide cam

 

[StevieDvd]

The biggest differences are the controllable power ports, and being powered by a 12v feed on the Pro/Plus.  The metal cases on the Plus & Pro inhibits the wifi signal somewhat (so they added external aerial on the Plus). The original being a plastic case is less durable but better for wifi.

If the one you are looking at comes with all the original parts (see manual) it should have a 12v/5v adapter

Your Canon DSLRs will work but not the QHY5 or SPC900 cameras. ZWO only support their own branded equipment and some DSLRs

 

[Elp]

In one word, yes.

I was looking for a second unit to my gen2, if I had bought the same or a plus I would have had to also look for more power solutions as it needs 12v input. The pros benefits are as above but also it's slightly faster in processing (you'll notice it when it plate solves, though the gen1 isn't much slower). You also miss out on the live stacking, video and running plan modes (so no running planned mosaics either with coordinate input data from the likes of telescopius' website planning tools).

The gen1 however is more useful in that you can power it with a usb power bank via its mini usb input (or use the 12v converter adaptor as described above), it's WiFi range and speed is vastly vastly better than the gen2, maybe the gen3 but I have no experience with that one. Never really had a problem with the gen1 at all, and the added benefit is it's cheaper.

[Dan_Paris]

What's nice from ZWO is that most features of the firmware updates, even the most recent ones, are implemented on the v1 (one exception, for instance, being plan mode). And of course bug corrections.

I still use it and, although plan mode would be nice to have, I don't really feel a need to change it. It does everything it needs to do, including polar align, AF, and multi-star guiding.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by Dan_Paris

[beamer3.6m]

So what other functions ate not implemented on the v1, other than 'plan mode'.

Also, anda stupid question, what is 'plan mode' and is it worth the potential £200+additional cost

[Elp]

I've specified the lost features in my previous comment. Plan mode allows you to define what target is going to be shot, what type of images to shoot (light, dark, flat, bias). This way you can potentially image multiple targets in one session without intervention, or take mosaics easily. The gen1 only has the autorun option which starts imaging once you set it to go. I find the plan mode only benefits when doing mosaics, for anything else like taking calibration frames I need to be with the scope anyway.

[beamer3.6m]

24 minutes ago, Elp said:

I've specified the lost features in my previous comment. Plan mode allows you to define what target is going to be shot, what type of images to shoot (light, dark, flat, bias). This way you can potentially image multiple targets in one session without intervention, or take mosaics easily. The gen1 only has the autorun option which starts imaging once you set it to go. I find the plan mode only benefits when doing mosaics, for anything else like taking calibration frames I need to be with the scope anyway.

Thank you for this...

I am not a mosaic imagery (or at least not to date) so I do not think the plan mode would be a big loss.

I also note the lack of live stacking. This is a feature I am less sure about loosing... but again the difference in price between the v1 and Plus is considerable.

[Elp]

If you're willing to ignore the time delay in seeing a result you're not really missing out on the live mode. It does the same as normal AP but you see the result as it's happening rather than waiting to post process your results. You will still have to do long exposure (in total time wise) in live mode if you want to resolve something really well, if you're happy to see anything on screen even if it's a faint image it'll work okay for you.