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I would pick SBIG over Atik. It wasn't that long ago that Atik made cheapie little planetary cameras that were pretty crappy.
I don't know anything about their current products but they would have had to climb a steep curve to match the current crop of 8300 cameras and their often high standards. They may be fine but I doubt they are in SBIGs class.
SBIG has been around forever and maintains a high standard.
It also has a large range of accessories. It comes with CCDsoft for free which runs the camera, autoguider and you program in your 4 filter exposure.
Other choices are:
QSI - has an integrated filter wheel and off axis guider and 2 models the 583WSG and 683WSG. They can use the smaller filters saving more money. The incorporated off axis guider is the ideal solution to guiding.
The 683 series costs more because it has faster electronics, stronger cooling.
Apogee: Alta U8300 and filter wheel. A good camera. No autoguiding solution so you need a guide camera and a guide scope or an off axis guider plus 2 adapters. It all adds up.
SBIG also has the 8300 STF which has a built in off axis guider and fast electronics. You use the STi autoguider. Chris Venter here is using one.
I am not sure about the ability to connect an adaptive optics unit with this camera. It'd be worth asking about as you may be able to.
FLI: Microline 8300, arguably the highest quality of all of these cameras with the strongest cooling (runs -35 to -40C all year), fast and clean electronics, no cover slip option (the glass cover on the chip itself which reduces sensitivity slightly and can add to minor halos). Probably a bit more than the others. No autoguiding solution. Runs off Maxim DL (expensive) or CCDsoft but needs the CCDsoft camera plug in to run (US$99 I think just for the plug in). Needs an off axis guider or guide scope. No adaptive optics support.
Starlight Express have an 8300 camera. Starlight Express are probably middle of the road in terms of quality and price. They have a large range of accessories including adaptive optics and off axis guiders and guide cameras.
Morovian - not many people using this but on paper seems similar to QSI but QSI has many happy customers and Morovian is somewhat unknown.
QHY9 - a lot here use this camera and you could get feedback on this camera. The advantage is lots use it so there would be plenty of help.
QHY9 I think is most likely the cheapest option of all of these?
So of the above SBIG comes with sophisticated free software. I am not sure what QHY and Atik comes with but I doubt it could match CCDsoft which is a mature software that is very popular.
Greg.
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