Slawomir
03-09-2020, 05:14 PM
Hi all,
A great camera, purchased directly from QSI in November 2014. In 2015 I sent the camera to QSI to get wsg-8 cover installed (I originally bought the camera as a slim version).
The camera has never failed and to my knowledge it works as it should. Read noise is 4e at -15C, dark current is virtually non-existent. It could go as low as -20 to -25C (40-45C below ambient), but I always operated the camera at -15C since camera noise is very low. No bad columns, no glow, some hot pixels.
This camera is so clean there is no need to calibrate with darks nor with bias. I tested that with my image of the Helix showing areas with signal from the nebula as weak as 1 photon per pixel per hour of exposure. Dark noise in a 15-minute exposure with the sensor at -15C (about 65% cooling power) is only about 0.2ADU.
Build-in OAG has an adapter that fits Lodestar, it also has additional OAG guide camera adapter for a larger diameter - I think it is a T-mount. Build-in filter wheel has 8 spaces for 1.25" filters.
The main camera has a spare T-mount adapter, as well as a 2" adapter and a canon adapter.
The filter wheel is currently loaded with 3nm Astrodons (Ha, OIII, SII and NII) and with Astrodon LRGB filters. . New Astrodon filters alone would cost 3k landed.
Camera without filters: $3500
Camera with filters: $4500
This includes insured domestic shipping with Australia Post.
Brand new camera costs about $7000 landed, with filters it would be about $10,000.
Some images taken with this camera:
https://astronomy.com/sitefiles/resources/image.aspx?item=%7B10724CBB-8122-4BC6-B621-B688C6A51437%7D
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-23/stargazing-live-photographer-dazzles-with-nebula-image-from-city/9783842
https://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/fitsimages/slawomir_lipinski_07/
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/2019/stars-and-nebulae
A great camera, purchased directly from QSI in November 2014. In 2015 I sent the camera to QSI to get wsg-8 cover installed (I originally bought the camera as a slim version).
The camera has never failed and to my knowledge it works as it should. Read noise is 4e at -15C, dark current is virtually non-existent. It could go as low as -20 to -25C (40-45C below ambient), but I always operated the camera at -15C since camera noise is very low. No bad columns, no glow, some hot pixels.
This camera is so clean there is no need to calibrate with darks nor with bias. I tested that with my image of the Helix showing areas with signal from the nebula as weak as 1 photon per pixel per hour of exposure. Dark noise in a 15-minute exposure with the sensor at -15C (about 65% cooling power) is only about 0.2ADU.
Build-in OAG has an adapter that fits Lodestar, it also has additional OAG guide camera adapter for a larger diameter - I think it is a T-mount. Build-in filter wheel has 8 spaces for 1.25" filters.
The main camera has a spare T-mount adapter, as well as a 2" adapter and a canon adapter.
The filter wheel is currently loaded with 3nm Astrodons (Ha, OIII, SII and NII) and with Astrodon LRGB filters. . New Astrodon filters alone would cost 3k landed.
Camera without filters: $3500
Camera with filters: $4500
This includes insured domestic shipping with Australia Post.
Brand new camera costs about $7000 landed, with filters it would be about $10,000.
Some images taken with this camera:
https://astronomy.com/sitefiles/resources/image.aspx?item=%7B10724CBB-8122-4BC6-B621-B688C6A51437%7D
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-23/stargazing-live-photographer-dazzles-with-nebula-image-from-city/9783842
https://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/fitsimages/slawomir_lipinski_07/
https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/2019/stars-and-nebulae