ALTAIR ASTRO-CAMS-AM I MISSING SOMETHING??

[wesdon1]

Hi all. I was just looking online at Altair website, and I was very surprised to see Altair selling circa 15-20mp+ cooled Astrophotography cameras, with SONY Exmoor sensors, like the equivalent much more expensive ZWO cameras, with seemingly identical sensors?? What, if anything, am I missing here please?? Could I and indeed many other amateur astronomers be missing out on saving £hundreds on astro gear in a hobby that is already very expensive??  Please could anyone with knowledge and experience of this subject tell me what I'm missing? 

( Please bear in mind I'm a newbie to Astro-imaging so if I sound stupid I apologise! )

[ONIKKINEN]

You are missing nothing, certain brands carry a price premium for many reasons. ZWO has a price premium i suspect because their moneymaker product, the Asiair, locks people to ZWO cameras only so they get away with it. They are also the most popular brand so the name carries weight (think apple and samsung selling kit for 30% more than an equal product for no reason).

[wesdon1]

17 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

You are missing nothing, certain brands carry a price premium for many reasons. ZWO has a price premium i suspect because their moneymaker product, the Asiair, locks people to ZWO cameras only so they get away with it. They are also the most popular brand so the name carries weight (think apple and samsung selling kit for 30% more than an equal product for no reason).

Thank You so much for your comments/advice. I am fishing around online for a big purchase Astro-camera and if I can get the same performance for even 10% less money then it's a no-brainer IMHO! As you well know, our beloved hobby is super expensive so I think we have a duty to share information about any savings that can be made, whether little or large. Thanks again! I will update the forum on my purchase and my subsequent experiences using whatever Camera I ultimately purchase. I could call it what it will be, a "newbies experiences imaging with a cooled Astro-camera". I think such a review would be helpful for present and future amateur astronomers and imagers. 

Clear Skies!

[ONIKKINEN]

Just stirring the pot a bit and adding some options, if you were looking at a 2600MC or similar camera. (prices are what i could find shipped to UK addresses)

Altair, 1400 pounds: https://www.altairastro.com/altair-hypercam-26c-aps-c-colour-tec-astronomy-camera-16bit-6451-p.asp

QHY, 1600 pounds: https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/cooled-ccd/qhy-cooled-ccd-cameras/qhy268c-photo/

ZWO, 2000 pounds: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras/zwo-asi-2600mc-pro-usb-30-cooled-colour-camera.html

And a wildcard, a RisingCam from AliExpress. This is often the cheapest one and currently at 1121 pounds without VAT so just a tiny little bit cheaper than the currently excellently priced Altair one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001359313736.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.6f047164JGhOx6&algo_pvid=88c7fc7f-59b2-4b58-9bdc-a75b08237944&algo_exp_id=88c7fc7f-59b2-4b58-9bdc-a75b08237944-0

Pick your poison, all of these have the same sensor and more or less the same technical specs. Some small changes in drivers and read noise and such but generally you can treat each of these as the same camera when it comes to data that comes out of them.

[Budgie1]

It's also worth mentioning that some of the Altair cameras have TEC (set point) cooling and others just have a fan which pulls air past the sensor. The fan cooled models are cheaper and do cool the sensor, but have no way of cooling to a specific temperature below ambient. 

Here's an example:

Hypercam 294C PRO (Fan Cooled)

Hypercam 294C PRO TEC

So make sure you get the one you need and don't just look at the price.

[Ratlet]

I got the 533mc Hypercam and am very happy with it.  There was a slight issue with some amp glow on the first one I got (you could only see it on dark, not on any light images).  But they very quickly replaced it.

I was happy with the faulty one, I'm happy with their after care and I'm happy with the new one.

You do get less adapters with them, but in turn you get a sharpcap pro 1 year licence, a hard case for the camera and a bag of Haribo.

I'd recommend them.

[wesdon1]

13 hours ago, Budgie1 said:

It's also worth mentioning that some of the Altair cameras have TEC (set point) cooling and others just have a fan which pulls air past the sensor. The fan cooled models are cheaper and do cool the sensor, but have no way of cooling to a specific temperature below ambient. 

Here's an example:

Hypercam 294C PRO (Fan Cooled)

Hypercam 294C PRO TEC

So make sure you get the one you need and don't just look at the price.

Thats a great, very well informed comment! Thanks! I will indeed consider all variables, aside the price. As I mentioned, I am new to imaging, so am still learning about all the different specs of cameras, sensors, software etc etc etc. Your advice and information is very much appreciated! Thanks again Budgie1 !

[wesdon1]

6 hours ago, Ratlet said:

I got the 533mc Hypercam and am very happy with it.  There was a slight issue with some amp glow on the first one I got (you could only see it on dark, not on any light images).  But they very quickly replaced it.

I was happy with the faulty one, I'm happy with their after care and I'm happy with the new one.

You do get less adapters with them, but in turn you get a sharpcap pro 1 year licence, a hard case for the camera and a bag of Haribo.

I'd recommend them.

Thanks for the comments/information @Ratlet I am really tempted by the 183c, but I also might go a bit higher and buy a 533c like you have, as I love Haribo's! LOL. No seriously though, the after sales care there was awesome, sending you a direct replacement without fuss!? That is so important to a customer who's spending not insignificant amounts of their hard earned cash!  I will update the post when purchased my decision, and will do a newbie review.

Edited December 23, 2022 by wesdon1

[Priesters]

11 hours ago, Ratlet said:

I'm happy with their after care and I'm happy with the new one.

I’d echo this wholeheartedly.  I bought a used 183C and noticed some dust spots on my subs which I think originate inside the sensor chamber.  They offered to clean it for me (no mention of a charge) which really surprised me as I wasn’t the original purchaser.  Think I’ll wait till the summer to take them  up on the offer as they calibrate out pretty well with Flats.  Anyhow, very impressed with Altair 👍

[Adam J]

On 22/12/2022 at 20:37, wesdon1 said:

Hi all. I was just looking online at Altair website, and I was very surprised to see Altair selling circa 15-20mp+ cooled Astrophotography cameras, with SONY Exmoor sensors, like the equivalent much more expensive ZWO cameras, with seemingly identical sensors?? What, if anything, am I missing here please?? Could I and indeed many other amateur astronomers be missing out on saving £hundreds on astro gear in a hobby that is already very expensive??  Please could anyone with knowledge and experience of this subject tell me what I'm missing? 

( Please bear in mind I'm a newbie to Astro-imaging so if I sound stupid I apologise! )

You are missing nothing, these days I don't hear about many issues with the to be honest. They did have some issues early on (3 years back) but then so did ZWO. I would be happy to purchase one. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Adam J