26c First Light

[Feock]

Bottom line is that I like the camera. Compared to my ZWO 294, a quantum leap.

Here is my first light image of the Horsehead Nebula B33. I had to crop it as my ED72 / flattener seemed to have some issues with the big chip. Strange little diffraction rings on the edges. I have moved up from T2 to M48 extensions but clearly, my back space will need a little more work as well.

The first thing I noticed is that the image comes out of APP with great dynamic range and requiring minimal additional stretching or saturation boost.

The very low noise also means those two green pixels per red and blue are not causing a green colour cast.

That sensor size is just wonderful and the pixels are very sensitive.

The 'should do better' involves the lack of basic documentation for the camera. Yes, it is targeted at a more sophisticated user but Altair really should have included a basic 2-page getting started guide.

The camera is supplied with its own 230 volts to 12-volt power supply which tests at exactly 12 volts. My EQ6 R mount like 13.6 volts to operate well so in portable use some extra planning on power supplies will be needed. I will not be exceeding the 12 - 13 volt range specified by the camera maker and will always use an independent supply. Unlike many cameras which run the electronics on USB power the 12 volt supply seems to be driving the electronics and the heaters. If this is the case you will want clean power to ensure clean images.

The camera is USB 3 but I was finding some issues with a 5-metre cable that has previously worked well with my ZWO 294. The camera has a very big memory buffer and I switched to a USB 2 cable and it worked very well with little perceptible drop in download speed.

I noticed one of the other users has identified the original manufacturer of the camera and a lower price. This is a very sophisticated bit of gear and I am happy to pay the premium in case it goes pear shape.

Fits files from this camera are 50mb compared to the 22mb files from the ZWO 294.  APP and Affinity are taking over 4 times longer on each step. I may need to upgrade my computer or drink more coffee.

 

Ross

ps this image is dramatically down resolution and less than 1/50th of the original, you will see some noise and artefacts that are not there in the original.

[TerryMcK]

Great image.

[Dmack1]

Thanks for that report. I am planning on upgrading to a cooled cmos from dslr in the near future so am trying to build up an understanding of the different options.

Would you have a link to a full res image with details of the image (number, duration of subs etc) as that would be really helpful to me.

Thanks

David

[AstronomyUkraine]

Posted by: @Dmack1

I am planning on upgrading to a cooled cmos from dslr in the near future so am trying to build up an understanding of the different options.

One thing you will need to take into consideration, is the pixel size of a cooled camera. Making sure the pixel size is compatible with your rig, will determine if your image resolution is good, oversampled, or undersampled. The link here will allow you to test cameras with various pixel sizes with your telescope.

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/ccd_suitability

[Dmack1]

Posted by: @AstronomyUkraine

Posted by: @Dmack1

I am planning on upgrading to a cooled cmos from dslr in the near future so am trying to build up an understanding of the different options.

One thing you will need to take into consideration, is the pixel size of a cooled camera. Making sure the pixel size is compatible with your rig, will determine if your image resolution is good, oversampled, or undersampled. The link here will allow you to test cameras with various pixel sizes with your telescope.

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/ccd_suitability

Thanks for that. I m all read up about image scale and use the ccd suitability tool a lot. The 26c is right the sweet spot for my st up. But so are several others which is making the assessment all the more difficult?

[AstronomyUkraine]

Posted by: @Dmack1

Thanks for that. I m all read up about image scale and use the ccd suitability tool a lot. The 26c is right the sweet spot for my st up. But so are several others which is making the assessment all the more difficult

Yeah, always too many toys in the shop to choose from. You are looking at colour and not mono, so that cuts the options down by half. ?

[Feock]

This sensor is APS-C size which is a common format in DSLR cameras and if you have been using a DSLR on your telescope it may be a logical progression. 

This chip is so much better than the zwo 294 and other cameras I have used in that it has a fantastic dynamic range, deep wells and is a true 16 bit. When you image with it the difference is instantly visible. The raw subs actually look very good.

Add the absence of amp glow and noise and the results are just so easy to process.

I am not a very experienced imager, that was my first image on that camera and that image has had minimal stretch or processing; in spite of all that I was delighted with the result and as Stacey commented in her review this really seems to rival CCD results.

I think this may be a case of you get what you pay for, expensive but nice.