Best ZWO cameras for planetary imaging and deep-sky (color)!? | Astrophotography

[@woody5109]

My head is spinning faster then Jupiter, thanks Wido

[@ttp_007]

in sum....find a second job, and put your kids for adoption if you want to get serious into AP. Great video thou!

[@SCUUUUD]

Videos like this really help people like me who are avid telescope users who are getting their feet wet into AP outside of DSLRs. Thank you very much and please keep up the great content

[@astrotherapist]

Due to my current situation I am forced to use my planetary camera (ZWO ASI 120 MC-S) to shoot DSO's. I finally (after 3 years of doing this hobby) broke down last November and got a better telescope which is motorized and computerized so it can track objects in the night sky and go to objects with just a click of a button. In case you're wondering I bought a Celestron Nexstar 4SE. I decided to put my Celestron 400 mm telescope on the mount so I could get a larger FOV vs purchasing a focal length reducer. This is working pretty well, but I do have an issue. The mount can be used in Alt/AZ mode or it comes with an EQ Wedge to get that "necessary" EQ that you need to take longer exposures. Problem: I can't get the thing to work! I've read the manual repeatedly, watched videos on how to do a Polar alignment, etc.... But every time I attempt to do it, it's been a disaster! So....I've been forced to use the mount in Alt/AZ mode and since I can't afford a better camera and am stuck with my planetary camera, I'm struggling to get cool images of Nebulas and Galaxies. I have been able to get some cool pics of star clusters (M-4, M-24, and many others) but galaxies and nebulas have been quite the challenge. Your viewers could tune in to my youtube channel to see what I've done thus far. However; my question to you Wildo is this: Have you ever tried to use your planetary camera to do DSO's? If so, could you do a video which could demonstrate what one could achieve with that kind of camera, if their budget doesn't allow them the luxury of getting a cooled camera like the one you use? Love your videos and your pics by the way; they are amazing!

[@AstroForumSpace]

Hi there, thanks. I never used a wedge but one essential thing would be to put it in the correct latitude, and towards polaris (north). Also, you'd probably be able to guide well up to 30 seconds without guiding with a wedge. After that you'll get blurry pictures at that focal length. In alt-az mode, you could try lucky imaging. Could be a fun video to do indeed. You can find more info in this blog: pixlimit.com/techniques.html

[@SKYST0RY]

All I use for DSOs is an uncooled planetary camera. With a good modern planetary camera, and the right processing, the results are extraordinary

[@Masoch1st]

hate to break it to you but you bought the wrong telescope for astrophotography. you can do it but its always going to be a headache

[@AliAzadegan]

Very good, thank you

[@rudi3536]

Hallo, ein super tolles Video Gratulation. eine Frage: ich habe ein Maksutov Teleskop 1400/100 und möchte mir gerne eine Planetenkamera für den Mond zulegen. Welche Kamera würdest du mir empfehlen?. Als Nachführung habe ich die Star Adventurer GTi. Da ich noch ein Anfänger bin benötige ich deine Hilfe und bedanke mich jetzt schon. der 2. Punkt wäre dann: welche Kamera würdest du für den Jupiter oder den Saturn empfehlen? sollte ich dann mit dem 2-fach Barlow noch zusätzlich arbeiten oder bringt das nichts mehr? in der Hoffnung auf eine positive Lösung verbleibe ich bis bald Uri

[@petervanderham4725]

What do you think about the 585MC for Deep Space? That sensor seems to do really well with Deep Space (also with planets). THanks!

[@vitalieBu]

Could you please recommend a camera for my 14" F/4.6 Dobsonian ( no tracking...the goto and tracking is no longer working)... I understand that Dobsonians are not really meant for astrophotography...but all I want is to take some nice shots of the moon, planets and maybe some DSO like Orion Nebula, Ring Nebula, Dumbbell and some galaxies! Thank you!

[@LeeeB0]

Hi Wido, great video. Can you help me decide what camera would you suggest for my specific equipment and goals.. 1. Skywatcher 10" Flextube 250 Dobsonian GOTO 2. Want to do EAA with sharpcap, not long exposure 3. Want to do both planetary and deep sky Given above criteria can you tell me which camera is.. 1. Best for Planetary? 2. Best for Deep sky? 3. Best combination or compromise of both planetary and deep sky? thank you sir!!

[@AstroForumSpace]

You're at 1200mm focal length. The 678mc would get you around .4 arcseconds on the planets and you could combine it with a 2x Barlow if seeing conditions are really good. The 533mc pro would give you a somewhat larger fov that would fit the moon. Perhaps start out with the 678mc and see how it goes 😉? Cheers.

[@LeeeB0]

@@AstroForumSpace thank you

[@michaeledmonds3027]

Thanks for your excellent astro camera tutorial. A few years ago, I bought a ZWO 183MC (Uncooled) camera for my Evolution 6" SCT due to its high pixel count, stubby form factor, and moderate price. Since then, I've heard that it's an OK camera, but not great at anything. My guess is that it would be good for solar, lunar, and maybe bright objects like M42 and M13. What are your thoughts, please? Michael

[@AstroForumSpace]

Hi Michael, thanks! The 183MC "uncooled" version is indeed a bit of "odd duck". It has decent specs for deep-sky imaging as it is a 20MP camera, but lacks a peltier cooler to take low noise, long exposure pictures which you'd need to get high quality deep-sky photos of objects in space, beyond our solar system. Brighter emission nebulae like (winter) M42 and the Rosette Nebula, or like you say (spring) M13, or (summer) M16 may still work - you may need to try "lucky imaging" techniques, keeping your photos 10 to 30 seconds instead of taking multi-minute exposures. For solar system imaging, you don't need the 20MP - except perhaps for the moon. Planets are tiny objects in the night sky - but you may be able to use software like sharpcap to digitally "zoom in" and use a tiny part of the sensor which will increase your video speed (FPS) to take videos and process them in autostakkert/wavesharp etc. Does that answer your question? Clear skies!

[@lookspacethings]

I wish I saw this video when I started years ago. Very helpful for beginners. Thanks for sharing!

[@perry3928]

Thanks so much Wido. I recently received the asi224mc for my 8se along with the asiair plus for capturing. Haven't used yet. If its not clouds, its smoke from the Canadian wild fires. I know im limited on exposure time with the alt/az mount. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks again. Clear skies!

[@AstroForumSpace]

Cool! Hope you're fine! I'd put that asi224mc to good use by looking at Saturn and Jupiter. Both planets are visible after midnight. And catch the craters on the moon! You can find more info about planetary imaging and processing here: astroforumspace.com/category/astrophotography-tutorials/planetary-imaging-tutorials/ have fun!

[@perry3928]

@AstroForumSpace Thanks Wido. Watched first video. Wealth of information. I appreciate it.

[@finnmodderkolk8633]

I live in uyrecht aswell and i was wondering if you know some good spots for astrophotography?

[@AstroForumSpace]

Spain 😀. Utrechtse heuvelrug or Veluwe are nice, but still bortle 4

[@pppjourneyonabike5992]

Thank you from USA West Virginia. Im new to using telescope for viewing the night sky. My goal is to get an Equatorial mount for my Celestron Nexstar 6SE since the AltAz mount I read is limited to maybe 15-20 seconds exposure. I don't have any camera yet but will get a 6.3 or 7.0 focal reducer . Then get a planetary camera to start out . Thank you for your video.

[@lookspacethings]

I would say that if you want to start taking photos of the planets and the moon, an Equatorial mount would not be required. So you could directly buy a planetary camera and enjoy the pictures. After, when you want to start taking photos of Deep Sky Objects (DSO), the Equatorial mount is a must for decent quality. In this point you will also want to buy the reducer and a guide scope. This setup would be fine DSO, but for me, to start on DSO, a refractor like a redcat 51 is the best option

[@CAPHOTO1961]

I just picked up this ZWO new release planetary cam: ZWO ASI676MC 12.6 MP CMOS Color Astronomy Camera # ASI676MC its 349. Specifications Sensor: IMX676, 1 / 1.6″ 7.1*7.1mm Resolution: 3552*3552 ADC: 12bit QE: 83% Read Noise: 0.56e FPS: 31.2 Full Well: 10.55Ke USB: 3.0 Pixel Size: 2µm Ive been using a Nikon D800e, so this is my first dedicated astrocam. Im going to try it on DSO and see what happens, also cant wait to see what the moon looks like, via my sv503 80ed.

[@rememberkani3208]

Just purchased my first camera, the 678. Do you have any videos about how set it up and basics? I have a lot of questions and was hoping a video would answer those questions.

[@ayubirana]

I absolutely love your videos. I have questions but not sure where to send you those questions. I don't like to use comment platform for the questions, Thank you.

[@babs075]

Received my ZWO 678MC last week. Waiting for ASI AIR which is on backorder. Can't wait to get started. Pairing to my Celestron 8 inch Edge HD. If you have any specific "words of wisdom" for this combination, please let me know.

[@AstroForumSpace]

Uv-ir cut filter is nice when imaging planets. I'd use it at its native focal length to look at the moon/planets. Sharpcap is great for live recordings in high quality

[@jeromeThailande]

Can i somehow plug these camera to a Nikon or canon lens ? How do you focus with these cameras?

[@AstroForumSpace]

bit.ly/3NF6DXl

[@ttp_007]

in sum....find a second job, and put your kids for adoption if you want to get serious into AP. Great video thou!

[@joseribeiro9564]

Thinking in upgrading my cooled 60D by central DS, in your opinion what camera would make a difference without having to sell my house? congratulations for the great work you develop in your channel

[@AstroForumSpace]

Hi Jose, what's your budget?