New Titan CCD Camera (the blue one!)

[FLO]

The new Atik Titan is essentially a dual-purpose CCD camera that features a cooled Sony ICX 424 Sensor that can also operate at 15 frames per second in high-speed mode making it of interest to both deep-sky and lunar/planetary imagers.

The Titan would also make an excellent ultra-fast autoguider!

First deliveries are expected mid-late April.

For further details, specification and an up-to-date price please see our Atik cameras section.

[NickH]

Sadly they are still sending out a press release which compares this to a DSLR..

640x480 vs 16MP...

and 15FPS is a Toucam...not a high speed planetary camera not at that resolution anyway...were it a 285 running at that frame rate, fair enough..(well not in fact as they run happily at 30FPS in many scientific model cams)

ho hum...marketing vs understanding...

[riklaunim]

They could at least give it 1/2" CCD as a evolution of Atik-16 with 1/2" CCD, and maybe look at some newer small CCD sensors (like ICX 6**AL, for example there is ICX618ALA webcam hack and that sensor is less noisy + more red sensitive than standard mono ICX 098).

But advantages over DSLR:

- cooled

- easily controled by computer

- mono CCD

- you can use 1,25" filters including narrowband filters

- you can use strong focal reducers as the sensor is small and it's FOV won't catch the "bad" view at the edges.

disadvantages:

- you need RGB filters, and a filter wheel. electric for planetary at high focal lengths etc.

- small sensor. On big scopes it won't catch a lot of sky

[NickH]

Cooled - yes

DSLR - very easy to computer control a DSLR

mono - yes, but it's so tiny... ridiculous to compare with a DSLR...that's what's annoying me most about these press releases..

1.25" filters - as above...it's tiny

Planetary at 15fps is not ideal for Mars/Jupiter..it's like going back in time 4 years..

Tiny sensor..should be handling way more than 15fps

Had they got 60fps (ala Lumenera) and that spec, with better software (ala AS Capture/Lucam) for planetary, at that price it would be very very nice... as it is...it's missed the mark for a lot of people I know..

As an intro camera though...it will probably do well

[narrowbandpaul]

the fast readout mode isnt ideal for deepsky...as reading fast tends to raise the read noise.....

i dont know what the stats are, but i imagine higher read noise than a slow read 424

[NickH]

I think for deep sky as an entry level it's interesting, and the read noise is quite good..from memory...my gripe is the PR...it's nonsense..pitch it where it should be , and no problem..

[NickH]

Well...i'll let you all know how well it works soon :-)

[FLO]

The new Atik Titan cameras have arrived and are available for overnight delivery

Steve