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I have a FLI Microline 8300. Cooling is amazing and will do -40C no problem in winter and -35C in summer.
This chip is quite clean and so heavy cooling is not entirely needed for noise control.
FLI electronics are super clean so noise is the lowest of any camera manufacturer.
Download speeds are super fast, faster than any other camera.
It is small, robust and well made. It is the top of the line CCD camera for the 8300 chip. It does not have an integrated filter wheel or an off axis guider.
That would be the FLI filter wheel and FLI and others like Astrodon do sell an offaxis guider. It would require though another guide camera. I suppose the QSI OAG also requires another guide cam?
The main difference I think between the FLI and the QSI would be the better cooling and better electronics of the FLI (faster downloads, lower read noise etc) and the integrated filter wheel and OAG of the QSI (why don't all manufacturers offer that - what a great idea).
Not sure of the prices.
Apogee makes a U8300 which is also very nice. Its more of a competitor to the FLI. The main problem of the Apogee is the slow cooling time. It takes half an hour to cool down. If the power gets interrupted it won't simply resume cooling but will warm up first then cool off. All very annoying at 3 am or if you do dusk flats and forget to turn the camera on an hour before you need it.
The FLI is at -40C in about 5 minutes. Both FLI and Apogee have sealed CCD chambers that don't need dessicants. Both offer the chip without the cover slip (I'd go that as the Kodak cover slip is crap glass with crap coatings). The FLI is smaller and lighter than the Apogee. The Apogee looks good with its nice blue anodising and slimline look.
SBIG also have an 8300 but no self guiding. Cooling I think is probably fine although not as good as either the FLI or Apogee (Apogee also does 55C blow ambient although as above slow to get there). Electronics are probably not as good as either the Apogee or FLI which both have super clean electronics with FLI slightly better than Apogee but not much in it.
FLI has RBI control if you use Maxim DL. That is residual images that can last in the next image taken without this control. Apogee may also have that - they do on some models not sure about the 8300.
FLI + filter wheel + offaxis guider would be about US$4800 am guessing perhaps a tad more. Plus filters of course.
SBIG do make a special filter wheel with 38mm filters for the 8300 which reduces cost of needing 50mm round filters. Also their base camera is the cheapest of FLI and Apogee which are usually the same or close in price.
SBIG ST8300 is something like US$2000 but it needs a filter wheel and off axis guider.
Depends on whats important to you in the above. If an integrated system is what you need the QSI sounds the way to go. If you want the best of each system then the FLI is the way to go. Apogee is a close 2nd choice. If price is paramount then SBIG is possibly the lowest.
Greg.
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