Orion Starshoot Autoguider

[Krusty]

Hi Guys,

I am wondering if anyone can tell me if the Orion Starshoot Autoguider is also suitable for planetary or deep space imaging, or if it is only suitable for use as a guide camera.

I am thinking of purchasing one for use with a HEQ5 Pro mount, but would also like something which can take planet images as well.

Thanks,
Wade.

[Gama]

The Orion version of the QHY-5, only comes in Mono.
You can use the QHY-5 and ALL generic brands as planetary cameras, except the Orion, has only drivers for Maxim, and Maxim Doesnt do streaming frames.
The rest have more drivers as they are licensed to use them. The drivers and software allow it to stream the video and do multiple frames per second, as well as many other functions. Also you can get the color version, as Orion dont have the color version.
Finally, you cant use the drivers from the QHY-5 or generic cameras to run your Orion, as the firmware is different.

Theo.

[netwolf]

Krusty, while i have seen some really sharp and detailed lunar shots with thy Qhy5. Have a look at
http://qhyccd.com/QHY5.html
There are more pictures in the forums. Such as this one which is the best i have seen.
http://qhyccd.com/ccdbbs/index.php?topic=701.0

I have they qhy5 and it is very sensitive, I have the mono version for mostly guiding use. I will possibly use it for lunar imaging. But for planetary i dont think it will be as good as a Toucam or DMK camera. Due to the moons relative brightness smaller pixels and higher resolution is better for lunar shots. For Planets larger pixels are required to pick up the more faint details.

Also what Gama said is true the Orion does not have drivers for video capture mode. Its main purpose is for guiding. You could possible load a diffrent firmware and use it like a Qhy5, but why bother. The Qhy5 i think is less expensive than the Orion in Australia.

Regards
Fahim

[Krusty]

Thanks for the replies Gama and Netwolf,

The pictures taken with the QHY 5 look very good. (I would certainly be happy to be able to produce images like that if I could)

Is the QHY 5 the same as the Q Guider?
If I was to buy the colour version, would I lose much guiding sensitivity when compared to the Mono version?

Wade.

[Gama]

Hi Wade,
The Qguider is a rebadged version of the QHY-5. There are a few more rebadged versions out there, like the Orions starshoot guider, MZ-5, PL1.4, etc.
The Qguider version also runs Astrosoft drivers and software as we have paid for it during ordering from the factory.
Astrosoft drivers and software gives a wider use for the camera, and allows streaming video and multiple imaging without buying any other software.
The sensitivity is about 1/2 that of the Mono, due to the Debayer color filter.

Theo.

[Krusty]

Hi Gama,

If the sensitivity of the colour version is half that of the mono version, would you consider that enough to sway towards the mono camera?

I would still love to be able to use the colour version though, so I can use it for planetary imagaing as well, but not if it will cause too much of a loss of guiding accuracy.

I use a Canon eos 400d camera to photograph in prime focus through a 5" Schmidt cassegrain scope with a focal length of 1250mm.

The guidescope I will be using is a 70mm refractor with a focal length of 500mm.

My mount is a HEQ5 Pro.

At the moment i am using a cheap 640 x 480 webcam which i have removed the lens from, for guiding, but this only picks up bright stars, and even then they are very blocky, so I really have nothing to compare against.

Regards,
Wade.

[Gama]

I cant really answer this easily.
Sensitivity also depends on what scope your using to guide with.
But what i do for my customers is to ry out the color version, and if there happy, so be it. But if there not, i give them the option to return the color unit for the Mono unit and pay the difference.
This way i know you will be happy in the end. Plus it gives you an insight of what the color version was like and what it could do.
Nevertheless, there are some color versions out there, and users are happy with them.
Your main issue will be just how well your mount and gearing are.
If you can track without an issue for, say, 5 to 10 seconds, then you should have no problems with the color camera.
The color would normally have around 1/2 as many stars to guide on, so this is something to chew on.

Theo.

[monoxide]

Hi Wade,
you would be better off going with the mono version and if you decide to do a bit of planetary imaging you can create a colour image with RGB filters + a filter wheel.
Iceman (Mike) wrote an article on how to do it in the projects/articles section if your not too sure, he also talks a bit about mono vs colour