Go Back   IceInSpace > Equipment > Astrophotography and Imaging Equipment and Discussions

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 24-05-2016, 08:16 AM
mbaddah (Mo)
Registered User

mbaddah is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 807
Upgrade asi120mc to asi224mc? How to find great seeing?

Hi,

With Mars reaching opposition I really want to take the opportunity to image it as much as possible. I currently own a Zwo ASI120MC and was wondering if it's worth upgrading to the ASI224MC?

I am imaging from my backyard in Sydney and I just seem to be under horrible seeing most of the time. Are there any recommended places around outskirts of Sydney or general locations anyone can recommend? Looking at 7timer it seems Blue Mountains regions has reasonable well seeing, which I assume is attributed to higher elevation?

Imaging using my 14.5" f4.8 SDM dob. Appreciate any help, thanks .
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 24-05-2016, 10:41 AM
Camelopardalis's Avatar
Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

Camelopardalis is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 5,425
The 224 is a great camera, with very low read noise, but with your aperture I'd be surprised if you couldn't find the sweet spot with the 120 aim for about f/20, or a tad lower if the image brightness suffers too much.

With the 224 on my C11 I have to dial the gain down so as not to clip the highlights
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 24-05-2016, 11:23 AM
mbaddah (Mo)
Registered User

mbaddah is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 807
Quote:
Originally Posted by Camelopardalis View Post
The 224 is a great camera, with very low read noise, but with your aperture I'd be surprised if you couldn't find the sweet spot with the 120 aim for about f/20, or a tad lower if the image brightness suffers too much.

With the 224 on my C11 I have to dial the gain down so as not to clip the highlights
I gotta get my hands on a 224 somehow Wouldn't you just lower the exposure time than to get correct exposure while increasing fps?

I think it's my seeing which is just dreadful. Need to take it out to a better place!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 24-05-2016, 11:50 AM
Camelopardalis's Avatar
Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

Camelopardalis is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 5,425
Hey, don't let me stop you I think it's an excellent cam and a worthy upgrade.

All my recent Mars captures have been at maximum frame rate - 250fps. If you drop the exposure time further you're throwing away light as it can't capture faster at the ROI size I've been using.

Faster frame rates might help you get more good frames - what rate are you capturing at now? It is possible to get good nights from Sydney, you just have to be picky,mth at and seeing is a fickle beast and can vary from one minute to the next. Sticking the camera on with a Barlow is higher mag than you'd sensibly use with an eyepiece on a given night so it only exacerbates the problem...
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 09:46 PM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement