Binning

[Ronclarke]

I used to Bin 2x2 with my OSC because my old laptop could not cope with the size of1x1 binning and was happy with the results (mostly!).

I now have a new, more powerful laptop which can cope with 1x1 binning what difference will this make to the images?

and do my Flats and Dark Flats have to be binned 1x1 as well?

 

Thanks

Ron

[michael8554]

The 150PDS and 183c Pro give 0.66arcsecs/pixel, perhaps a tad over sampled ?

So Binning to 1.32arcsec/pixel might be better for UK Seeing conditions.

Michael

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, michael8554 said:

The 150PDS and 183c Pro give 0.66arcsecs/pixel, perhaps a tad over sampled ?

So Binning to 1.32arcsec/pixel might be better for UK Seeing conditions.

Michael

More than a tad, I think. Massively oversampled anywhere with those optics. I found 0.66"PP oversampled using a 14" ODK at a guide RMS of 0.3 arcsecs.

What is your guide RMS in arcsecs, Ron?  A good EQ6 runs about 0.5" and that will support an image scale of about 1"PP, so nowhere near 0.66"PP.

Darks do need to be the same as lights but flats could be resampled upwards to their unbinned equivalent. I'd shoot new ones, though. Except that I'd stick with the binning...

Olly

[Ronclarke]

Thanks for that Olly, seems a long time since I visited you!!

[ollypenrice]

2 hours ago, Ronclarke said:

Thanks for that Olly, seems a long time since I visited you!!

Indeed so!

Olly

[ONIKKINEN]

There is another option to binning that also reduces sampling rate by a factor of 2 with OSC cameras, the CFA split method of handling data.

With CFA splitting you split each raw calibrated but not debayered sub into their 4 source channels: 1 red channel, 2 green channels and 1 blue channel (for normal RGGB/GRBG bayer matrix cameras - almost all of them). This way you reduce the load when stacking to only 1/4th of RGB stacking for the red and blue channels, and half for green. The total time required to stack stays the same since you will be doing 3 stacks to get a composited RGB image, but if your PC is struggling and you are going to be binning x2 anyway then this might be a worthwhile option.