New Planetary color camera advice

[TareqPhoto (Tareq)]

Hi,

I am thinking about buying a new camera for planetary with so many models hitting the markets since few years ago now, i have 6 cameras so far for that [1 is damaged and one is a mini design for guiding only] and they are all great for sure, but to keep myself updated a bit i am thinking about one more to add, and for this one i am thinking about those things for choice:

1. Color, i have two mono so no plan for more as i will buy third mono but for solar [and maybe lunar too]

2. It has 2.9um pixel size, i want to image in focal ratio range of f/12 up to f/20 maybe, and i feel that 2.9um is a good middle solution, i have one color camera with 3.75um already, but 2.9um mono [ASI290MM] so i want a color.

3. It has small sensor, so this will help for planets to be more cropped and centered for better ROI or FPS, i don't want to have larger sensor and do heavy ROI and crop after

4. High QE if that can help for anything, just to have a bit cleaner results if i use high gain


The scopes i am going to use mostly for planets will be either existing ones i have such as SW 180 Mak or 8" f/5 Newt or something new in future either 14" newt or 20" Newt which they have something like f/4-f/4.6 focal ratio, and i have 2x/5x Powermate and i can add 4x later if it is necessary really, so i want to keep it like f/10-f/24 maximum, but if i buy that 20" f/something maybe 4 then with 4x/5x i will be at f/16-f/20 and i believe that 2.9um should be a great match.


Cameras for planetary i have so far including the damaged and guiding:

- QHY5L-II-M [Guiding]

- ZWO ASI120MC [Damaged because i forced it into powered USB3.0 hub and it fried inside something, it is only USB2.0 camera]

- ASI385MC my beloved camera for planetary and moon in colors, was a replacement for that above 120MC damaged in very short time, could be a nice bad luck

- ASI290MM perfect for mono planetary things with certain scopes

- ASI178MC giving me wider FOV of the moon in color

-ASI174MM a superior camera in mono for solar and lunar, my favorite mono so far*

[Dave882 (David)]

The Asi462mc with 2.9um pixels is very highly regarded. I really don’t think you’d need to be getting to f20 with this camera. F12-f15 would probably do you ok unless in truely exceptional seeing.

[TareqPhoto (Tareq)]

Originally Posted by Dave882

The Asi462mc with 2.9um pixels is very highly regarded. I really don’t think you’d need to be getting to f20 with this camera. F12-f15 would probably do you ok unless in truely exceptional seeing.

I have all kind of seeing here, from very exceptional excellent to very poor, so i am flexible with what to use, and for that i want to be ready when it is exceptional anyway.

This is one of 4 options i was thinking about, then i narrowed it to two which is this one you mentioned and also ASI662MC, both sounds great and i don't know which one to choose really, that 662 is newer i think, but i don't know what else there rather than just newer.