ASI585MC and 8" sct.

[Merak]

Decided to get in to this EEVA lark and deciding what camera to get to go with my LX90 8" sct.     I know that a 0.63 focal reducer will be handy to have so will get one of those too.

Anyone use the ASI585MC with an sct? 

Cheers

[Elp]

Not the 585 but the 485, basically the same camera, other than the amp glow feature, much cheaper. Used with a C6 (hyperstar) and a Z61 for AP.

Works well, it's a 16:9 aspect ratio though so very wide-screen unlike my more 3:2 ratio 183. Can just about fit Pleiades in if it's on its side.

May not be suitable for F6.3 and below though as the pixels are quite small, the way I understand it you'll need larger pixels like the 294 for example.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Elp

[catburglar]

It depends on your aspirations…I’d agree with @Elp- the pixels are a bit small unless you want to try lucky DSO imaging with exposures <1 second- at F6.3 you’re  sampling at about  0.5” per pixel…if lucky imaging is not what you’re after then I think you’d be best to bin x2. But since the chip is a fair bit smaller than APS-C  you may be able to increase the spacing between the reducer and the chip to get a bigger reduction factor and still keep good stars in the corners.

The ZWO432mm might be a useful alternative- it’s larger pixels give a sampling rate of approx 1.4” per pixel- and the read noise at 140 gain (where HCG kicks in) is approx 4e, similar to the 585 at bin x2…It’s also mono- so more sensitive if smaller galaxies are your target.

The 183 or 294 based cameras can also get you in the right ballpark if you choose to bin x4or x3 but you don’t get the zero amp glow technology- this may not be a problem if you’re using the short exposures typical of EEVA.

[Merak]

Thanks for the replies.   I may have to do some further reading because some of the technical terms are as clear as mud.

Mono isn't a show stopper for me and extra detail would be nice.   Would a filter wheel and filters be an option at a later date?

I do have a dslr and have used it for the planets and some basic deepsky ap but I think going down the dedicated astrocam result may produce better results?

Mark

[Elp]

You can use a mono camera as it is, but because they're usually AR (anti reflective) glass covered only any IR received will cause bloat. Advisable if you go mono to at least get a hydrogen alpha filter as you'll be able to image lots of nebulae (and in ha they look amazing). Don't need a filter wheel, you can just use a filter drawer and change them manually. With a colour camera you can use them as is, depending on their IR sensitivity they might need to be paired with an IR cut filter or not.

Modern astro cams typically produce less noise compared to a DSLR, more so if they're cooled. The stacks will be cleaner to process as a result. They usually have higher quantum efficiency compared to a DSLR so they're more sensitive also, mono more so. For planetary you need a fast frame rate of capture to capture hundreds or thousands of frames within a short period of time so this is one area where they beat DSLRs. For deep sky you can continue using the DSLR as is or if it has its IR filter removed, but eventually you'll want a camera built for the task.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Elp

[Merak]

Thanks for the reply.  I want to move away from the dslr and leave that for terrestrial use.       An dedicated astrocam should also be a bit less bulky too as a bonus.

Will have a look at some of cams mentioned above and decide where to go from there.

Mark

Edited November 1, 2022 by Merak

[PatG]

Hi Merak, 

The Lodestar x2 mono seems to be quite popular for EEVA. Lots of examples of images using this camera in the EVAA reports forum that will give you an idea of what can be achieved.

I do a bit of EEVA from time to time and use one of these cameras with a Meade 200mm LX90, with a focal reducer and it has been very rewarding indeed. 
 

Pat 

 

 

 

 

[Merak]

Thanks for all the comments, I may go for the 432 as it seems to tick most boxes.   Mono doesn't bother me as most objects seem to have little or no colour through an eyepiece.  Stepping in to the eeva world for me is to expand the amount of objects I can see.

The 183 was near the top end of my budget so I could use the difference in price vs the 432 to a filter or something.  I did look at the fovs of the cheaper cameras but they're quite tight with an sct.

I also looked at cooled cameras but more than I wanted to spend.   I understand  it's unnecessary for the short exposures of eeva and I don't intend to do 'proper' astrophotography...   I'm quite content with the almost live view.

 

Mark