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Old 06-06-2008, 06:43 PM
Babalyon 5
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Orion Starshoot Pro

Howdy!
I was wondering on a few points regarding an Orion Starshoot Pro(Bintel, looks great) vs a DSLR. I am curious as Im in the market for a wide field unit with a decent pixel size(3000x2000ish) and Ezystyles' modded cameras are tempting, but do they have this magic "live view" thingy and what would be the pros and cons from some of the more experienced members regarding a DSLR or the Orion?
Im interested in things like field of view using an 80mm f/5, 100mm f/4(I think) and a 254mm f/4, 16 bit versus 14 bit a/d data, ease of use, as Im used to the Meade DSI Pro 2(great camera for close up work) etc.
Cheer & clears!!
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Old 06-06-2008, 06:53 PM
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[1ponders] (Paul)
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There are a number of bonus with the Orion over a DSLR. Here's a few to start with.

1. Thermoelectric cooling = lower dark current
2. Complete capture/focus/primary processing software comes with the camera. DSLR you need secondary software (admittedly you can get most of it free)
3. May well be lighter.
4. Can be saved directly as Fits files
5. 16 bit

DSLR over Orion.
1. Higher Mp
2. Can be used for terrestrial as well as DSO
3. Can be used without external power and laptop connection.
4. Depending on the model - Live view
5. Images can be saved to card and then downloaded to computer. ie you have a backup until you decide to delete them.
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Old 06-06-2008, 11:22 PM
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seeker372011 (Narayan)
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I own the original Orion imager as well as what could be called the original DSLR the Canon 300D.. everythin Paul has said plus...

The Orion is heaps easier to use for a rank beginner..the manual is first class too

the DSLR -being a bigger chip -produces better images "first night out"

you choose what meets your need
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Old 06-06-2008, 11:43 PM
Babalyon 5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seeker372011 View Post
I own the original Orion imager as well as what could be called the original DSLR the Canon 300D.. everythin Paul has said plus...

The Orion is heaps easier to use for a rank beginner..the manual is first class too

the DSLR -being a bigger chip -produces better images "first night out"

you choose what meets your need

Oh, I thought that the Orion Pro had a bigger chip than a DSLR, otherwise I wouldn't look at it, just get a DSLR??!!? That is 22.2mm x 14.8mm for a Canon 40D & 23.4mm x 15.6 for the Orion Pro.
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Old 07-06-2008, 12:10 AM
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If you want spend this much consider the Qhy8 (similar to the SXV-H25C) a better buy IMHO. Or else consider the Qhy2pro (similar to the SXV-H9).
The Orion uses a similar 6MP chip to the Qhy8 and H25 but the Orion chip is interlaced. The Qhy and H25 are porgresive mode chips. From what I have read the Progressive chips are the ones people recommend for Astrophotography. However for the price it is a good buy and adds variety and competition to the market.
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Old 07-06-2008, 08:54 AM
Babalyon 5
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Scanning

So, how then goes a DSLR work and what is the difference between the way "scanning" is done in a CMOS DSLR & a CCD DSLR?
As to spending, I dont wanna spend that much, however, the product looks like excellent value for money, usability, functionality and is a dedicated piece of equipment genuinely aimed at the amateur.
Also, the original questions I asked are not being answered in the same vain as the thread was posted.
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Old 07-06-2008, 10:46 AM
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[1ponders] (Paul)
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FOV
80mm F/5 and 100mm f/4 = 135x203 arcmin
254 f/4 = 53x80 arcmin
14 bit = 16384 tonal shades
16 bit = 65535 tonal shades
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Old 07-06-2008, 03:17 PM
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Bang for buck imaging would have to be DSLR at present. You can get started and start capturing photons on a relatively low budget. Once you have mastered this then you can migrate those processing skills to dedicated CCD sensors. There is a lot of new imagers coming out at present and competition is healthy for this market. So hopefully in the near future we are going to have more choices in CCD range.

I would suggest a 80mm ED plus a 80mm achromatic guide scope. Or the 80mm combined with a 8" F4 Reflector. This on a Eq6 or HEQ5 mount would be a good start. Add a used modded 350D dslr and a Webcam or Qhy5 guidecamera and you are ready to go.

The mount is the key, get the best mount you can afford. The EQ6 is a good start a G-11 would be better and you can go up from there. The EQ6 has been used to produce some great results at shorter FL's. But at longer FL's it would need a lot more fine tuning to get equal results. This is due to the errors in the mount being larger. The effect of these errors at longer FL's is more noticeable than at shorter FL's. At shorter FL's the error can generally be guided out. Recently i have found a new respect for the Takahahi mounts, the offer a Low error with very small Gear's. The Losmnady, Mathis, AP and Paramounts seem to get there with Larger Gears. The Gear size increases usually proportionally to Load carrying capacity. But The Tak's seems to achive this with smaller Gear's, and hats of to them.

Hmm would a Tak gear and worm fit in a EQ6?


Regards
Fahim

Last edited by netwolf; 07-06-2008 at 03:41 PM.
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Old 08-06-2008, 02:01 AM
Babalyon 5
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Thanks guys!

Thanks guys, a great help as always!! I bought a Canon 40d. Will probably get it modded in the near future. Im partial to my 254mm, and use my 80mm for guiding, and a 30 sec exposure on Eta Carinae shows detail already. Looking forward to better weather so I can take some longer exposures. Who would be the best to mod the camera and does anyone know an approximate cost?
Any other tips as far as exposure times go, the longer the better I s'pose and a 240v power supply is going to be a requirement also. I was going to use Nebulosity for capture, PHD for guiding with a GPUSB, or I have Maxim DL CCD and Maxim DSLR, both of which do both.
I think that someone mentioned free software for processing. What would the names of these be and where do I find them? Do I really need them, though?
I have Registac, Photoshop CS2, both the Maxims, Deep Sky Stacker & a couple of others I have forgotten the names of, sorry.
Any other tips would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Babalyon.
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