[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by lazjen

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.

Would love to help My bonus is going into Super

Originally Posted by lazjen

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)

0.62"/pix sounds like a reasonable image scale for high resolution imaging. You'd need 2 arcsec seeing to take full advantage of the resolution (approx 3.3 times the image scale.) It won't be the fastest system but it won't be terrible. I was running a RC10 with a KAF-8300 for a while (5.4 um pixels) and I thought it worked pretty well. 0.92" would trade off some resolution for speed and give you some extra FOV.

How are you guiding? You'll probably struggle to get good results without an OAG at 0.62"/pix and a reflecting scope.

Originally Posted by lazjen

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?

From an image scale POV it looks OK. I'd be concerned about the size of your image circle with a sensor that size. You'll probably need to use the flattener (and check the specs to see how well it will cover the sensor.)

Your reducer may struggle to present a large enough flat field for the sensor as well.

If you're willing to crop corners it may not be such a big deal.

Originally Posted by lazjen

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?

Yep, you'll need bigger filters and may find you get a fair amount of vignetting even then. I like Astrodon filters but they are expensive.

Originally Posted by lazjen

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).

You'll probably have to fiddle with spacing for the flattener to get the right distance to the sensor. You might also find you need to deal with tilt.

Another thought: the 16200 doesn't have the most fantastic read noise. You'll need to be prepared to do long subs in narrowband.

Here's another option to think about: a camera with a Sony ICX-694 sensor. With the reducer that would give you an image scale of 0.69 arcsec/pix. The ICX-694 is very low noise and has great QE. It's smaller so the image circle of the reducer is probably fine and you can use your existing filters. The only downside will be the smaller FOV...

Cheers,
Rick.