Hi all,
I am thinking I would like to step up from imaging with modded DSLRs and would love advice as to good options to match my gear, seeing and imaging targets.
I currently use two IR modded Canon 40D Dlsr's - a cool boxed one on a F10 C9.25 for DSOs and a uncooled one on a Williams Optics 110 FLT for wider field shots of similar targets. I use Hutech IDAS light pollution suppression filters on both - which probably mean for my night skies I can capture 10 minutes light frames on the WO and 15 - 20 minute subs max on the C9.25 on really dark nights before things just totally blow out the pixel wells.
What I love to try and image are nebulaes like M74, 77, the Helix Nebulae, the Eagle, Trifid or NGC 2070 - things with lots of coloured gas rather than just oodles of stars in them
I am aware that at its native resolution the Canon 40Ds with the slow F10 C9.25 - each pixel is seeing 0.44 arc seconds - and the sky here is only fair to average at best - so I am way over sampling the sky.
I don't mind going one shot colour or Mono + filters - I would just like something that can capture more detail, a bit faster and make capturing objects like say M77 which in my locale isn't much above the luminance of the no moon night sky.
At my current location I don't know if this is possible - city glow may be a hurdle if I don't wish to go narrow band - and I don't know if I want to go direcly there.
Budget wise - don't mind anything from $2K - $8K so long as its fit for purpose and will go well with my existing gear. Eventually once I have all the skills I may retire and move to somewhere with darker skies - so the gear can come with me. I want to gain all the skill sets to capture the rather dim objects I am hunting well. Again if folks think to really capture my targets I need darker skies and both larger, and faster OTAs - please do share your insights!
My currently mount (Atlux with the SkySensor2000-PC) guided has no trouble pointing and tracking objects really well for long periods of time, especially guiding thru an OAG - 30 minute shots blow out the pixel wells - but the stars are all lovely and round. ALso since moving to The SkyX witj Tpoint, Dome and Camera add on - using its closed loop slew - targets are dead centred on the Cameras every single time so far.
So I am very keen to hear everyone's advice.
Matthew