Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
Probably contentious, but I reckon for an experienced imager that can hold a guidestar steady for extended periods by whatever means it takes (with <$10,000 worth of gear!) a good cooled CCD camera is a great investment. I paid $3000 for my QHY9, but wouldn't have had a hope of seeing so much and getting so much satisfaction if I'd spent that on mount or scope. Lilkewise money spent on observatory won't help shooting faint fuzzy DSOs from the city or if you have a noisey camera 
If you're setting up in the backyard when life, moon and weather allow, with the odd trip to country dark skies (and your rig can track well), money in the camera is way to go.....
Heck we've been lucky with what technology has thrown our way in recent years though. Hope you find some funds for a foray soon Chris.  |
Thanks Rob,
Yeah, this is my line of reasoning as well, now that I can guide reasonably well (and perhaps better when I pull my finger out and do the PEC training) for up to 5 mins plus, and I have sorted the MPCC, the DSLR is really pushing the proverbial uphill in a wheelbarrow as it is noisy as hell most of the time and doesnt have great spectral response with the built in filter....
As you say, life, weather and the moon mean it is once a month (MAYBE) that I get a clear night on a Friday, Sat or Sun and even then I am buggered from mowing lawns or cleaning or something, so dragging the scope out the back and up the stairs, making sure the alignment is OK, power cords, laptop, table, chair, guidecam, DSLR battery, scope battery etc etc grinds on you a bit, especially when it takes about an hour to set up and then the clouds roll in.
An obs may shorten this, but then I am stuck with garbage photons that need Startools, PS, noise ninja, LPS filters, coolboxes and some black magic to be able to grind out the data from all the chaff captured.
So I concur, a nice cooled CCD is definitely the next best step, seems I have almost identical gear to you (go figure
) so if a QHY joins my family in the near future, I am sure I should be able to ward off the insanity that almost gripped me and dragged me under since Saturday night, from staring at the same crap day after day and trying to polish the proverbial turd that is my data.
Add to this, the 1000D is really my son's old camera, so I can then give it back to him for him to sell on and maybe buy himself some other gadget like a speed light to go with his new 550D he bought at Xmas.....
Win - Win
Cheers
Chris