An Experience-Based Review of the Player One Uranus-C

[@SKYST0RY]

Since creating this video, I have broken with standard methods of image development and found ways to carry the power of this camera even further. You would not believe the quality of the images that can be achieved from this camera. This is the Whirlpool Galaxy that I shot last month under a nearly full moon with only an 80 mm APO refractor (bear in mind my Bortle is somewhere between 1 and 2, so that helps). facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159404420701246&set=a.105366486245

[@Top-Code]

I haven’t watched the video yet, but I love my Uranus C

[@SKYST0RY]

I thought that like appeared really fast lol

[@Top-Code]

@@SKYST0RY Of course, I am a simple man, I see SKYSTORY, MICROSTORY, or UNDERSTORY, and I click

[@Tony-Elliott]

You have taken some excellent images with that little camera , thanks for your review

[@SKYST0RY]

It's been a great camera. Certainly made me rethink cooling.

[@HighBoss]

I wish this camera was around when I started out with a dslr

[@SKYST0RY]

Me too!

[@AntonioPena1]

I also use same camera for a year or so, I’m so happy and agreed with all your comments, I’m so happy that is difficult to thinking on upgrading, no matter what summer or not always performing well, my scope is a RedCat 51, and very impress for Galaxy capture and I believed is because the extra extension on infrared, one thing I notice is the specs changed, unity value used to be 185, I’m surprise seeing now reported on 210, anyways I love this camera, thinking on upgrading to the cooled. Thanks

[@SKYST0RY]

In the newest iteration of the camera, they changed a few of the specs. Fundamentally the same camera, different numbers.

[@michaelbibby8636]

@@SKYST0RY If you have one of the older camera's that was 180, can you change the firmware to get the new specs?

[@SKYST0RY]

@@michaelbibby8636Right now, it's working beautifully for me. I am going to follow the old adage: If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

[@michaelbibby8636]

@@SKYST0RY It might be useful information for others who also have the old spec cameras to know if they can get the new spec by simply updating the camera driver. It seems this is likely the case because all of this is handled by the software, as I understand it. I'll f$%k around and find out.

[@holgerschmenger]

I use a Player One Saturn C with ACS. I am also not missing a cooling system and am very happy with the quality of the DSO shots. It is so impressive what they are able to get out of the hardware!

[@SKYST0RY]

OSCs have come a long, long way.

[@cidzavala5522]

Seen your videos makes me think about buy this camera and not the others expensive ones 😍 thanks

[@SKYST0RY]

It's a great camera. Bear in mind I am in Canada where nights are never that hot. If you're in an especially hot region, you might want the cooled version which is a couple hundred more.

[@cidzavala5522]

@@SKYST0RY yes actually I seen there's a cooling system can attach to that uranus c and you can save some more$ but don't know if that makes big difference to the uranus c pro( cooled).

[@SKYST0RY]

@@cidzavala5522 The active cooling system will bleed heat away that the sensor generates but it will not be able to cool the camera cooler than the ambient temperature. With that said, I have used it on nights of 25C (about as hot as nights ever get here) and Lukomatico has used it on nights of 30C with good results.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Great review I'm very tempted with the Uranus C at some point in the future but probably won't be for a while yet. I've met Luke a couple of times & he did indeed use this very camera & got some great results with it to. I'm curious to know why did you use a dual band filter on the Pleiades as I always thought it were a broadband target with a reflection showing from the dust? As I've only ever shot that target filter-less in the past.

[@SKYST0RY]

The ZWO dual band filter performs really well. I rarely find reason to switch it out. But it might be worth an experiment to shoot the Pleiades for a couple hours with the UV/IR filter and compare the outcomes.

[@therealremo]

Thank you for a great review that has more of the feel of a personal journey than a spec by spec commentary. I just found your channel and I'm looking forward to watching further. I appreciated the quick summary of the specs generally and briefly how they play out in it's usage. I feel especially good about your information because I spent a couple months deciding if i should get an Astro camera and if so, what else to include that might work well with one. The specs on the 585 chip stood out to me for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I ended up with the ASI585mc because i have the ZWO guide camera, Autofocuser and ASIair Plus controller, so it made sense to stay in that realm. I also added the ZWO Duo-band filter to my filter collection. So, the point in telling you all that is your commentary on the Uranus-C being almost identical makes me feel better about making that leap. Your photos look great, the pixel size of the sensor concern is now put to rest and the for me the APC-s size ratio of the sensor allows the len's/scope corner artifacts to be obscure. I haven't gotten to try it yet but now I'm even more anxious! Thanks again!

[@SKYST0RY]

@@therealremoThank you! I think you will enjoy the camera. I've never used ZWO cameras mainly on the basis of actively taking steps to avoid getting locked into their ecosystem, but they are good cameras. That particular sensor is very impressive and does so well with astronomical imagery. I am even thinking of adapting one of their cameras to a microscope and seeing how it does.

[@bobbymccourt6794]

It would be helpful if you have specifics of number of exposures / exposure lengths and what noise reduction was used during PP.

[@SKYST0RY]

StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator and BlurXTerminator were used on these images in development. Hope that helps.

[@DavidsStars]

Thanks for the great review! Did you have any issues with banding or noise? Got a guy on CN had a terrible time!

[@SKYST0RY]

No issues with banding. Only on the hottest summer nights did I get a little noise. I live in Canada, so a hot summer night is only around 25C.

[@matheusmartignago3824]

Very Nice !!! Is It 5 stars for planetary images ?

[@SKYST0RY]

I don't usually image planets, but others have and it is excellent. This camera is really a good little work horse.

[@JorgeGomezz]

This is great! Ido really enjoy your videos. I have the Svbony version. I wonder, when using without a the dual band filter, do you use an IR cut filter?

[@SKYST0RY]

I use an IR/UV cut filter because the telescope's lenses are not calibrated for UV and IR light. The 585MC sensor, in particular, is somewhat sensitive to IR light and the focus can be off a bit if there is no cut filter.

[@JorgeGomezz]

Thank you! @@SKYST0RY

[@timmaculate70]

I have pretty much the same rig but with a Sky Rover 80mm. I fully concurr with your comments about it and am wondering if I really need to invest in the monochrome and filter/wheel expenses, not to mention the extra nights/conditions we have at our disposal to actually gather data. What Bortle are you shooting from?

[@SKYST0RY]

Sorry for the late reply. Work has kept me tied up till recently. I am in a Bortle 1 area, which helps a great deal. Though often we have bad humidity and days and weeks of clouds. To answer your question as to whether it's worth it to get a mono camera and filter wheel, I find the biggest difference these days in image quality is in the quality of the image editing. All things being equal, you can still eek out a little better with a mono camera, but is it worth 2 to 3 times the expense for a marginal gain? That's a personal choice.

[@Reverend-JT]

I've narrowed my choice down to Altair 26C or a player one poseidon-C.

[@SKYST0RY]

I've heard great things about the Poseidon. I'd love to have one.

[@ProppedNutFPV]

Are Player One cameras sold in the US? Definitely not on Amazon

[@SKYST0RY]

There are dealers in the USA that carry them, or you can get them directly from the maker. That's how I got mine.

[@givemespace2742]

I bought all three of mine from the manufacturer. Take about a week to arrive in Australia from China.

[@oleggerashchenko2201]

Hi! Recently, I became the owner of the Uranus-C camera. She does not want to work with the autoguider ST4 port in the Firecapture program. Is this solvable?

[@SKYST0RY]

I am afraid I don't know. I have never used Firecapture.

[@givemespace2742]

I haven't used my Uranus C as a guider but my Ceres M works fine with PHD2 via the ST4 port. Firecapture I can't say, sorry.

[@ecIipsed]

Hey, do you think this would work okay with a 5SE? I know it’s not a great telescope, but it’s what I have. I’m either thinking this or some ZWO camera. I’m super new to this whole astrophotography thing, sorry!

[@UNDERST0RY]

I think it's a great option, and a better option that ZWO. ZWO makes okay equipment but is getting a poor reputation for customer service if something goes wrong. Player One is very proactive. Player One uses the same sensors that ZWO does but the hardware underpinning the sensor is always a step up.=

[@SKYST0RY]

Just be aware the sensor will be slightly over sampled on a 5SE. As long as your mount is good and you shoot short subs, it'll should be fine, though.

[@ecIipsed]

@@SKYST0RY Damn alright!! Thanks for the advice. I'll keep looking around :)

[@vitalieBu]

Very impressive images! I'm new to the whole astronomy/astrophotography. I got my first telescope about 5 months ago ( a 14" F/4.6 dobsonian with a GoTo not working ( plannig to fix it one day used primarily for visual) and a 12" Meade LX200 CLASSIC about 1 month ago) and was wondering what would be the best camera for my telescopes? I'm not trying to get deep into astrophotography ( I don't have a refractor telescope) ... I'm just trying to get something to be able to capture the moon, plants and probably some DSO... any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you!

[@SKYST0RY]

Contrary to the tales you may hear from some astrophotographers, you don't need a refractor. It's not even the best telescope. The various scope designs have their pros and cons. One of the pros of your SCT is it is a genuine "light bucket" able to capture a great deal of light and run it through good optics for photographic capture. It's wide aperture will also enable you to capture much detail. I've seen some great videos comparing the merits of refractors vs reflectors and the truth is you could not really tell which was using the refractor vs a reflector. I've heard all the "Refractors give you better contrast, etc., etc., etc." but the reality is those traits are easily compensated for in processing. I'm not against refractors. I have both and am using the refractor to shoot a target right now. Never forget, professional observatories (including NASA and ESA) mostly use various kinds of reflectors. Your Meade will work well but you might want something with less focal length. Svbony makes some decent 70 and 80 mm scopes at a great price. I am partial to Williams Optics, myself, for refractors but I understand it's an expensive scope. Due to strange factors related to international trade (I guess) they are affordable in Canada where I live.

[@dereksmith4517]

I have bean looking at the 533 and this one from player one, if they did this in narrowband, it wood be a no briner for me.

[@SKYST0RY]

Right! The 585 sensor is just incredible.

[@PafMedic]

Im Looking At This Camera For My Evostar72ed,Your Thoughts?And As Far As Cooling..I Have A Magnetic Semiconductor Fan That Goes On A Phone,Is That One Any Different,And The Semiconductor Chip Does Get Colder Than Ambient Temp,It Has Fogged Up My Phone Before When Left In The Car,And In A Bortle 3/4

[@SKYST0RY]

I think it'll work fine for your telescope. The cooling fan can help the sensor shed heat but it won't go below ambient temperature. I have used this camera up to 18C with little problematic noise. But I live in Canada where nights almost never go higher than that. Lukomatico has a video of using this camera on a night around 30C and it still performed well. I love the camera. I just wish there was also a mono version which would be better for lucky imaging.

[@PafMedic]

@@SKYST0RY Thank You For Responding,Im In NWPA 3 Hrs From Cherry Springs,Over The Last Cpl Of Months,Ive Seen A Number Of Video’s On These Camera’s,And The Better Options I Have.I Do Have The Zwo120Mini,And A 385mc,Im Just Going To Use My 120Mini For The Eclipse,I Thought I Saw Where They Had One That Was Kinda Geared More Towards Solar,But Im Probably Wrong,lol,Im Just Learning About Them,And Rarely See The Sky Anymore,Any Suggestions On A Solar Filter..Im Leaning On A Thousand Oaks Not Sure Whether The White Light Or Colored,Thinking I May Get More Detail With The White Light One,And I Think When I Get Paid Again,lol,Imma Pull The Trigger On This Camera,Thank You For A Great Detailed Video,And Clear Skies❤️🙏🏻🔭❤️

[@patindaytona]

Can someone tell me in simple terms how this works? Do I need to hook up a laptop outside to download the image?

[@SKYST0RY]

You will need some kind of computer to operate the kind of setup shown in this video. A mini PC would do (and is very cheap). Through the night, the mini PC will save the images through your control software. You can then transfer them to your computer for processing after.

[@michaelbibby8636]

Say the sensor is 25 degrees Celsius, and the ambient temperature is 15 degrees, what kind of reduction in sensor temperature can you reasonably expect when you turn on the cooler?

[@SKYST0RY]

Those types of coolers don't refrigerate. It won't make the sensor cooler than the ambient temperature, it just helps it avoid getting much hotter.

[@michaelbibby8636]

@@SKYST0RY What I mean is: it would be interesting to know what the sensor temp was on a given night, and what the ambient temperature was, BEFORE turning on the 'cooler', and then turning it on to find out what kind of a difference in made. This might help others decide if they want to buy one (but I understand its primarily for day time imaging of the sun).

[@fundamentallymartin9656]

Great stuff. Thank you for taking the time to show what a great camera it is.

[@GiveMeSpaceTravel-bg8td]

From my experience it would reduce the temp to about 20 Celsius.

[@dr.jeetendershekhawat6202]

Player one has launched a cooled version of the camera , Should I buy the cooled one or should I install a tec cooler on the standard one ?

[@SKYST0RY]

The 585MC sensor handles heat noise very well. I run an active cooler on mine during the warmest months of summer, but I live in Canada where summer's don't get that hot. What little heat-related noise shows up is easy to remove. But you might get the cooled version if you're in a hot location. I am not sure how useful it will be with this sensor, though. Probably somewhat useful.

[@givemespace2742]

I added a TEC cooler to my Uranus C before the cooler Pro version was available. It works sort of OK but you get problems with condensation that you won't get with the Pro version. Get the Pro version is my advice as the price is reasonable.

[@egratudo1974]

what kind of exposure times are your frames?

[@SKYST0RY]

For typical DSOs, typically 250 gain, 10-20 offset, 300 second exposures.

[@kenh733]

Would this camera work on my Celestron 6 se?

[@SKYST0RY]

Unless you're in a region of good seeing or better, it would be oversampled. However, if you have a really good mount that's not a huge issue these days. Check out the pixel size calculator on astronomy.tools, but take the results with a grain of salt because tech has evolved a lot. For my 8" SCT I use a camera with a 3.76 pixel size.