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Old 23-06-2011, 11:44 AM
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Gem (Grant)
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Atik 314E or Canon 1000d - thoughts appreciated!

Hi all

Canon 1000d going at a good price on EOFY sale with twin lens. Use for general photography and a step into astrophotography...

OR

Wait a little and get an ATIK 314E.

I have a CGEM 925 and an 80mm refractor. Wanting to do DS imaging on a budget.

Thoughts??

Last edited by Gem; 23-06-2011 at 11:45 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 24-06-2011, 01:00 PM
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Logieberra (Logan)
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Grant

I used my Nikon D40 SLR for a year...

I have now upgraded to a QHY8 Pro. There is a bit of a learning curve... but with the few pics I've produced thus far, hold out for the OSC if you can! Not sure what sort of cooling the Atik has... but it sure is nice to set the camera @ -15deg. Hovers right there. I will be cheering during those hot summer nights!!!

Mind you... one of our great Canberra imagers, Humayan, used an SLR for some time before making the jump to CCD. But as a photographer he probably already had the SLRs on hand...

My suggestion? Borrow a digital SLR from any old family members out there, and put it to work while saving for the CCD!

Or buy a $50.00 planetary webcam (Phillips SPC900NC) for your new C9.25, learn a few of the basics, grab Jupiter as it gets higher in the evening sky, mess with the data / Registax... and continue to save for CCD.

Logie.

Last edited by Logieberra; 24-06-2011 at 02:13 PM.
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Old 24-06-2011, 01:52 PM
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tlgerdes (Trevor)
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1000d works fine for AP. Used mine for 2 yrs. The only issue you find is that they get a bit noisy once ambient temps rise above about 15degC.
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Old 24-06-2011, 07:31 PM
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dugnsuz (Doug)
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Where does your passion lie Grant?

Terrestrial v's Astrophotography... or do you need something that'll have a foot in both camps?
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Old 25-06-2011, 06:56 AM
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Gem (Grant)
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Leaning on the astro side... which I why I think I'll wait... tough decisions...
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Old 25-06-2011, 08:17 AM
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RobF (Rob)
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Most people lust for DSOs early on, but there really is a need for a year or so of "learning the ropes" - polar alignment (really good PA), software, guiding and processing. In the 12 - 18 month most people need to start to get this under control its really not going to matter too much what your main camera is, and after that time who knows what juicy CCD cams might be available (or out there on the 2nd hand market).

There was a recent thread here where Paul said he thought Canon had consistently gone backwards for astro with the DSLRs since the 40D, so picking up a modded 20/30/40D might be an option too.

I had a ton of fun with my 450D for ages, but wouldn't go back from my QHY9. Then again I now spend over 10 times longer on most objects too than I did originally (and meanwhile the 450D is great for the family and now starting to take the odd widefield astro image).


I reckon Logie is right about the ToUcam though - its a no-brainer to have on hand to help with alignment and planetary work, especially with your focal length. What are you planning to use for guiding if you bought the Atik?
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Old 27-06-2011, 09:45 AM
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CoolhandJo (Paul)
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Gem,

In my experience with both DSLR (I have modded Canon 350d) and CCD (I started with DSI and now use Atik 314L), the biggest difference is really in the megapixel amounts, well depths, and resolution per pixel.

Basically a DSLR will give you an "overall" pleasing image becuase they are high in pixel count, have a medium well depth (models before 500), and are one shot colour. This makes things easier when you are starting out. BUT, the learning curve for a DSLR image is slightly different to that of a CCD - so if you start out with DSLR you will have to re learn some stuff differently when you move to a CCD.

High End CCD's emulate the above benfits of a DSLR. So if you wanted to start out with an Atik 1100 or similar you will get similar results (if you choos a one shot colour version). The Kodak 8300 are medium priced, high megapixel and are also good starting point (but not exactly cheap for a beginner).

So my suggestion would be go straight to any CCD you can get your hands on if you think you will be pursuing image excellence (on going) as CCD's are designed for Astro imaging and allow you to constantly refine your skills both in hardware usage and image processing a lot more than a DSLR.

This is my opinion only and I am sure others would disagree with any or all points I raise

BTW I still like taking iamges with my DSLR!
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Old 27-06-2011, 11:03 AM
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Gem (Grant)
The serenity...

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Thanks for the advice!
On the balance of it, I will sit and wait and save... and save... then spend later!
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