My Gear
When I started learning about AP, I found it super frustrating when I couldn’t find anything on cameras, mounts, scopes, etc., that I owned or wanted to own in the combinations that I had. Even more frustrating when I found something and it was not in English, heh. I figured, if nothing else, posting my setup, how I got it working, problems I ran into, and results might help a few people with similar setups. In this section, Ill go over my gear, both that I own now and as I get new gear. So here we go!
ASI1600GT
This is my new monochrome camera for deep space imaging. I see this camera being my workhorse going forward. It has a built in filter wheel and integrates seamlessly into ASIAIR. If you are expecting awesome color images to come through to your ipad though, you will be disappointed. The beautiful image will have to wait until you process it at the end. Besides this camera being able to produce some of the best images you will see, it also has a great cooling system and I am able to cool it down to -10 degrees celsius in our hot summer nights in TX. Another thing I like is a DC out so you can power something like an autofocuser without running another cable down to your power source.
Nikon d5300 dslr
Here is my DSLR camera. I am actually the least familiar with this camera because I have had the least amount of practice on it. It is, however, appealing to me because of a few things. One, it has a crop sensor which is a good thing when it comes to AP. You get an increased focal length. Two, the LCD screen turns and rotates which is a major plus when trying to frame a target. I will most likely not use this on my Meade APO or my SCT for imaging but the reason I got this camera was to do milky way imaging and to have a backup setup on my Star Adventurer star tracker. I also will use it for birding and wildlife. I will keep you updated with my progress with this camera as it comes but so far it has been a solid performer.
ASI294MC pro
So to start this off, I am posting a picture of my camera. I opted to start with a dedicated astronomy camera. It is a one shot color camera (OSC) and it is cooled as well. I’m not going to get technical because that’s not really what I am trying to convey but based on forums and reviews I read, it seemed to be not only a solid performer, it was also easy to use. Part of being easy to use is the fact that it has a color sony sensor. While this is not the best for astrophotography over a monochrome sensor, I figured it would give me good results, in less time, both shooting and editing. It has not disappointed. I use this camera with the ASIAIR, which I will discuss as well. I don’t think I would even try to do it any other way. The only negative I would say comes with this camera is there is some amp glow that sometimes comes out in individual subs. It has not affected any of my post processing images though.
>>Clicking on the photo will take you to OPT where you can purchase this camera or read more on it.