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Old 19-10-2017, 01:53 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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ZWO AS109MC pro or Nikon D810 cooled?

HI folks, I am aiming for a birthday pressie for myself - a full frame camera and was almost settled on the CentralDs cooled Nikon D810, though at around 5.5K plus the import duty it is rather steep.
This new CMOS ZWO camera just caught my eye- the ZWO ASI094 MC cooled ? OSC camera, with a sony IMX 094 FFS.
I am aiming to match it up with my Tak 106.
So now I am confused about which way to go and I know very little about how ZWO cameras operate- whereas I am reasonably comfy in the DSLR zone.
Any thoughts/advice?
Graham
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Old 19-10-2017, 02:57 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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ZWOASI094MC pro etc

I believe they are the same sensors in which case it would come down to cooling, in camera electronics and cost. -plus ease of use
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Old 19-10-2017, 03:39 PM
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Atmos (Colin)
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They would be the same sensor, same as the QHY367 as well. If you only want to do Astro work then getting an Astro version would be the better decision. It doesn’t have all of the unneeded electronics AND you get cooling without having to mod.
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Old 19-10-2017, 04:16 PM
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The astro cameras will likely be smaller and lighter too.
-Cam
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Old 19-10-2017, 04:49 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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ZWO etc

that is what I am leaning to. The other reason is getting stung import duty on top of 7 week wait for the modded DSLR. The fact that it supports a local is good as well. I have no idea about all these settings people talk about in ZWO speak though. Unity gain?
Will give this post a few days maybe to get more opinions before diving in with a hot plastic card. My fiftieth so want to treat myself!! (apart from buying the Tak of course).
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Old 19-10-2017, 06:26 PM
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Forget $5.5K, buy a used Nikon body for $1.5Kish, (especially with the release of the D850, there will be more D810 cameras on the market) and add a peltier or other cooler with temperature regulation. If you study the internals of the D810 or the 800 you will see that their diecast mag. bodies provide a reasonable heat conduction path from the outside of the body (specifically the base for ease of installation) to the sensor. And then don't try to cool the camera below the dewpoint of the ambient air so as to avoid the potential for internal condensation (of course that's not very good for usage in very humid climates as that limits the cooling somewhat)

Best
JA

Last edited by JA; 19-10-2017 at 06:37 PM.
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Old 19-10-2017, 09:19 PM
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Graham, by all accounts given its heritage it’s a formidable sensor.

Regarding the gain reference...the ZWO drivers implement gain in 0.1dB steps, so a gain increase of 10 is 1dB, increase of 60 is (importantly) doubling the gain....which, not completely by coincidence, is the same as increasing the ISO on a DSLR by one stop, i.e. going from ISO 800 to 1600. That’s it!

Unity gain is only special in that it represents the gain value where 1 photon results in 1 electron. It may not necessarily be the best gain to use...depending on the sensor, the best gain value is a balance between dynamic range, read noise and exposure time. The same is true for a DSLR.

Really, the only difference between traditional CCDs and the new crop of CMOS sensors - from a using point of view - is the concept of this changeable gain, that many CCDs don’t have. What gain to use is as much a question of taste/priorities, within certain limits.
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Old 19-10-2017, 11:06 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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ZWO etc

thanks all, although a delta of > x'c is always on paper great. I look back on my career (sort of) as a man who takes astro photos, and the most productive I have ever been is with a cooled DSLR -my 60da. The best photo I think I ever took however from a personal point of view, was taken with a Mono FLI8300 with Baader filters. Aesthetically If I had the time I would go mono but I don't have the time anymore. So bang for buck and considering I just spent 11 hrs on my last DSLR pic (so not that impatient) though that was spread out over a month, I will for the future stick with OSC.
My only destination for the photos is for a family end of year Calendar so as long as it looks pretty and I have satisfaction intellectually in getting it,
ohne rast ohne hast
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