New guide camera recommendations.

[TheDecepticon]

Thinking of a new guide camera as my old Meade DSI Pro II is giving me some dramas on my Win 7 64 bit system. I don't think it is coping well with the change. Now that I have added a SX USB FW, I have some real glitches going on.

What is everyone's recommendation?

[whzzz28 (Nathan)]

I run a QHY5 and can't really fault it.
Mine did have some hot/dead pixels when i received it, but as a guide camera it is great.

Has ASCOM drivers and just works with PHD.

http://www.gamaelectronics.com.au/qh...%20prices.html

[allan gould]

Graham
I went through the same process as you and asked for suggestions as my DSI II Pro was giving some problems. In the end it came down to either the Lodestar or the Sbig STi. Weighing it all up I went with the Lodestar and it should arrive Tuesday so then I can give a comment on how good etc was my decision. From others they love them.
Do a search for issues with other guiders and the DSI and it gives a good idea of which way to go.
Hope this helps
Allan

[Nortilus (Josh)]

im using an SPC900 webcam and a 80mm short tube refractor, GPUSB, PHP...just learnt how to use it but seems to do the job...

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

<$500 then look at a QHY5 or Orion SSAG, for $500-1000 then the Lodestar

[TheDecepticon]

Thanks guys for the tips.
Trev, I want a good one, so if $500-$1000 buys a good one, so be it.

[Marke (Mark)]

Loadstar is pretty much the guider others are compared to , I went from the orion to the loadstar and it was a major step up in sensitivity .

[marki]

SBIG St-i is small, compact, class 1 chip and has a shutter for darks. Very sensitive and works a treat. Have not tried the lodester but they are more available right now with a long wait for the ST-i.

Mark

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

I started with the QHY5 for guiding...great little camera...
then the ATiK16ic to get a cooled fainter star....
then finally the Starlight Lodestar..majic!!!

[TheDecepticon]

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Looks like it is the lodestar!

[Geoff45 (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by TheDecepticon

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Looks like it is the lodestar!

Hard to go past the lodestar. Good choice.
Geoff

[Visionoz (Bill)]

Yep, the Lodestar's very sensitive (though it does have some "dead" pixels or hotspots I think! But once you know where they are you can ignore them though I didn't bother with doing darks anyway!)

I got one because of acquiring an OAG for my imaging setup and moved away from the QHY5 & Orion SSAG - sorta like day & nite difference! Hard to beat its size too, very compact and slim enough to fit 1.25" diameter

Ron from Sirius also sells them

HTH
Cheers
Bill

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by TheDecepticon

Thanks guys for the tips.
Trev, I want a good one, so if $500-$1000 buys a good one, so be it.

The SSAG and QHY5 are still good cameras, dony let the sub $500 put you off. I use the SSAG and with an 80mm F5 guidescope have adsolutely no problem finding a guidestar (usually have at least 5-10 to choose from.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

unfortunately thats where qhy5 and ossag stop being useful when you have >40mm aperature to play with. When your talking OAG with a 10mm pick prisim/pick mirror on the edge of your fov aka only getting about 80% illumination they start proforming poorly.

I have no experience with the new SBIG STi but the 402me is a huge beast of a guide camera but extremely sensitive! I normally run at anywhere between 0.5 -2 second exposures depending on the seeing.

The Load star i have seen in action and well when your doing AO (which is what it is made for) it picks stars at i think upto 10Hz off an oag.... if that doesn't speak volumes then nothing will.

[Nico13 (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Nortilus

im using an SPC900 webcam and a 80mm short tube refractor, GPUSB, PHP...just learnt how to use it but seems to do the job...

Hey Josh,
Is your SPC900 a Long Exp moded one or just std?

I'm in the middle of deciding what to do about my guiding and I'm using a std SPc900 adapted to a camera lens f2.8 but cant see feint stars so how is yours with the ST80 if its not moded.

I may do the mod and get an ST80 as well not sure yet.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Ken, I used the spc900, unmodded, for a while as my guide cam through the guide scope that Josh has now. Adding a focal reducer to the camera helped a lot. Just a cheapy reducer will do the job.

[Nico13 (Ken)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Ken, I used the spc900, unmodded, for a while as my guide cam through the guide scope that Josh has now. Adding a focal reducer to the camera helped a lot. Just a cheapy reducer will do the job.

Thanks JJJ,
Yes I just missed an ST80 for sale the other day but will keep my eyes open for another.
Will still most likely do the mod on the SPC900 for Long exp though as I have two of them so will mod the one I have with a hot pixel as a trial job and see how it goes.

[swannies1983 (Dan)]

I have been using an unmodded toucam in combination with a 60mm f/11 tasco refractor. It can sometimes take a bit of time to find a bright enough guide star, but I have always found one.

I recently had an adpater made so that I can use the toucam with my Skywatcher finderscope. I tried it out last week and it worked brilliantly. Lots of stars to choose from.

I am now waiting on the arrival of a second hand Atik 1HS II webcam. It's basically a modified toucam (long exposure and cooled). The bonus is that it's mono so it's more sensitive than my current toucam.

[Terry B]

STi are in stock at OPT and comes with CCDSoft software. I've found mine to be very good. Much more sensitive than my QHY is.

[gregbradley]

I 2nd Terry there. STi is a great little autoguider and has a shutter so it will do darks which is a big plus.

Mine however, failed after only 1 month or less of use for no apparent reason. Its being repaired/replaced now.

Hopefully mine is an isolated case.

Greg.