I've been lucky enough to get a bonus from work this year and so I'm thinking of getting a better CCD camera for my setup with a primary aim for creating better pretty astro images (DSO - nebula/galaxies). So, help me spend the money appropriately.
My current CCD is the Sbig ST-8XE. I intend keeping it and re-purposing it solely for photometry. I find the blooming to be a major inconvenience when doing imaging especially when doing the processing, since I also get star spikes as well. My other issue with it is the cooling. The max cooling it can manage is about 34 below ambient, which is not really good enough given the heat here in Brisbane in summer, so it doesn't reduce enough of the dark current noise.
For my system, I image at either 2000 mm (f7.9) or with a reducer at 1340 mm (f5.3). When I use the ST-8XE, that's 0.93"/pixel or 1.39"/pixel.
I've been looking at the new 16200 cameras around. The price (with all the extras I suspect I'll need like FW, filters, etc) is around my budget. It's the specs on the really low noise (<0.1e- for dark current) and probably 10 degree better cooling (so easier to achieve some lower temperatures without hard pushing on the system) that makes me interested.
However, I'm not sure if it's really a good match for my system. With the 16200, at 2000 mm, I'll be at 0.62"/pixel and for 1340 mm it's 0.92"/pixel. I'm not sure if this is good or bad (or better than my current setup), and my searches for info haven't enabled any enlightenment yet.
So, on to my questions:
1. Would a 16200 CCD camera be a good fit for my system (I'm leaning towards the Moravian at this time)? If not, what should I look at that would be a significant improvement over the ST-8XE?
2. I am thinking that given the size of the sensor in the 16200 (27.2 × 21.8 mm) that my current 1.25" filters will cause vignetting. Is this correct? If so, I'll need to get filters (LRGB, HA, OIII, SII) in 50mm - what brand(s) should I consider?
3. In my current setup, from the back of the focuser to the filter wheel, I'm at 2" (or is it 48 mm?) for the spacer/reducer diameter. I assume this is still ok? (I also have a 2.5" flattener that I can attach to the back of the focuser before dropping to 2" if needed).
I'm not in a rush to get a camera (besides the bonus doesn't get deposited until the end of the month
), so I'd like to hear any suggestions, questions, etc. that will help me make a better decision. Thanks for any help!