ZWO OSC advice

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Yo! folks
the advice I have read when using an OSC ZWO camera is to use an IR cut filter. (I never used one with my 60da or QHY 8 pro OSC?)
I am intending to use an OAG (ZWO) so where should this go in the imaging chain? and does it fit i.e M42 male 2" filter if between the camera and the OAG -without adaptors ?
Also what software are people preferring for these cameras?
Is Sharpcap ok? , I have never used it.
cheers
Graham

[lazjen (Chris)]

I can't answer your filter question, but for software you should have a lot of choices. It's possible some of the software you have might already work with the camera.

Sharpcap should be fine. I use APT as it's cheap and can be used for both DSLR and CCDs like ZWO etc. It can control other devices and hooks into tools like PHD2 and plate solvers like Astrotortilla.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Cheers -I already have APT so that should be good- does it come under the CCD menu or DSLR as it is a modified DSLR sensor?

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

APT works well with the ZWO ASCOM driver. Just shift click on the Connect button in the Camera tab and select ASCOM camera, then pick ZWO ASI camera from the dialog box.

I don’t believe the ZWO use an IR cut of any kind, so you might get some star bloat if you don’t use one. It goes without saying that any decent astro IR cut should only drop in transmission after the Ha and SII bands.

An unmoderated Canon would have an IR cut from the factory.

[lazjen (Chris)]

You may need a fairly recent version of APT btw, as there were some specific fixes for ZWO driver issues I think. Still worth the upgrade cost if you need to do that.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

A good excuse to update then, Cheers!
Will look forward to a play when the camera comes.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Which ZWO have you ordered Graham ?
SharpCap ( free) works natively with all the ZWO hardware. I'm now running the 1600mm-c with an EFW and they just appear on the menu to manage cooling temp, filter selection and all the imaging options.
The OSC's normally come with a clear glass window to protect the sensor although they may include an IR cut as well now. I had to buy mine for the 120mc but that was a while ago.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Hi Brent. I wanted a full frame sensor but not the cost nor time for a mono. So went ASI094MCpro. Which is the nikon d800 sensor jazzed up or cooled down , which ever you choose. It's a leap of faith but have heard good things about ZWO. No idea about this unity gain stuff though. Will eyeball it first. On an FSQ 106 should be sweet. My turn of the century sweetener!!

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Wow, way to go Graham look forward to seeing how it works out for you, that sensor should be awesome on the back of the Tak.

Looking at the specs, unity gain looks like a good spot to start with that camera, giving almost 13 stops of dynamic range lower gain will give you up to the full 14 stops, at the cost of longer exposure times.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Hi Dunk. I am still a bit cloudy about how you set this stuff up. In nebulosity wirh a QHY you can set gain.
What about in APT with this camera. Is there a button saying unitary gain or a scale? You can see I have done my home work so far !!

[Shiraz (Ray)]

the camera should definitely have an IR cut filter - ZWO make one that chops off at 700nm. The Bayer filters stop working properly above 700nm (see the QE graphs on the ZWO page) and that will mess up the colour saturation, so the ZWO filter would be a good choice. It will have no other effect on the image, so put it in the train at the most convenient point - best after the OAG though, since it will stop some IR light that your OAG can use.

My QHY8 has an IR cut filter in the nosepiece and your 60Da will have one built in.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

Hi Dunk. I am still a bit cloudy about how you set this stuff up. In nebulosity wirh a QHY you can set gain.
What about in APT with this camera. Is there a button saying unitary gain or a scale? You can see I have done my home work so far !!

camera seems like a good choice to me (but what would I know!!)

In APT, shift-click Connect and select ASCOM camera, and select ASI camera from the dialog box. Once connected, there is a settings button in the bottom right, next to the Cooling Aid button. If you click the settings button, you’ll get the ZWO driver dialog...you can change the gain, offset and USB speed from there, and in the bottom left corner is a drop down menu with some driver defaults...usually the options are Highest Dynamic Range, Unity Gain and Lowest Read Noise. There is a final option ... that allows you to enter your own presets. Simples!

Note that the ability to enter your own presets is handy as during calibration I found my 1600 required higher offset. I also defined other gain settings I commonly use...I’ve been using my 1600with APT for over a year without a problem.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Thank you all as usual. Good advice. Cant wait till it comes now. Just in time for full moon !. Tho have other things on my mind currently- after 15 yrs here I finally take my " citizen ship" test on Wednesday. Gotta read the book !

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

What are people using to calibrate and stack ?

[kens (Ken)]

A lot, if not most, use Deep Sky Stacker
http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

PixInsight here...

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

So what file format does sharp cap capture in that my winows 7 can read ?
Also are people having busy signals when downloading a sub in APT ?

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Check the capture format in the far right upper tab. It will have options for resolution and save format. For best results, capture in RAW16, FITS.

If you get stuck with BUSY and are using USB 2, go into camera settings and set USB speed to 40. If you’re using USB 3, try 80 or 90. Each computer is different, you just need to experiment to find the best balance of speed and reliability.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Is that settings in APT.? Just been reading about that - thanks mate. Needed firstly tho a longer usb 3 cable. It is woefully short!. Up dating APT to 3.40 should help too. Did that this morning.
Now clouds and work prob till the weekend.

[ChrisV (Chris)]

I've got the busy signal (that just stays) occasionally with the asi071 in APT. And then it got stuck in sharpcap also.

I updated the zwo driver and then all good (fingers crossed).