Color CCD ASI585MC

[Tracy]

Once I get a few more toys in, I plan on trying out my ASi585MC doing DSO targets. Some quick images I've seen show it appears to do a decent camera at up to 300s exposures, since it is one of the newer chipsets.... so once I can get my NexStar 8SE fully set up, I'll be toying with it. I KNOW I will be having focusing issues, and I'm still debating on a Celestron auto-focuser or getting a fine focus knob for the 8SE and then putting a ZWO onto it.

If this camera does decent, it will save me having to get a new color pro level camera, and I can then look at possibly grabbing a new reflector or even a smaller refractor for my own user in addition to a few "cheap" scopes for others to use.

 

[OhNo]

You should look into a linear focuser. It helps get your camera back far enough so you can focus. Been-there-done-that.

 

[Tracy]

Not sure I'd enjoy having to worry about 2 focusing trains (the built in SCT one will almost always get "tweaked" from what it was set at), and then if using an EAF you have would possibly have that headache to deal with if you are used to going to 2600 steps and then suddenly it's at 3000 due to the main knob getting twisted. The EAF should work fine on the standard SCT focusing equipment.

The best "improvement" that I've found is the Feather Touch Micro Focuser. This can be set to work with that ASI EAF fairly easily.

As for the backspace... just need 105mm. I can see where the solidity of a linear focuser would assist in shortening the needed extenders, but I have a wide assortment of them that get me back to that 105mm, most of them from ZWO and they are THICK walled and not the thin flexible stuff that comes from StellarVue (and that I returned to the dealer when I saw how thin they were) and similar, so they have very little "bend" with that weight of the ASI585MC. AndI doubt even a 533MC Pro would flex it much if at all.

 

[OhNo]

My linear focuser on the C8 has a course and fine tune knob. Use the SCT to get you close and the linear to fine tune. Not to mention you can put the same focuser you have on the Crayford Linear focuser....Mine is the Cheap one from Agena.

You seem to forget I've been at this game for seven years., made every mistake you can think of and probably a few more. So I guess you'll be content on 3-4" of extension tubes in the train.......

 

[Tracy]

Yeah, my point was having to mess with 2 focusers.... generally when I'll be playing with this thing it will be for others to be viewing through.
I may look at the GSO 2" EAF compatible one.... but it won't be back in stock at Agena until January.
For just a little more than it, I can get a Pegasus Astro FocusCube Zero designed to work with the default equipment.

 

[OhNo]

Lots of issues with Pegasus, Weak in the torque department.

 

[Tracy]

Lots of issues with Pegasus, Weak in the torque department.

The Zero is a new design from what I understand... and it uses the standard little "knob" on the back of the SCT. I'll probably try that first, and if it doesn't work (which I will be able to figure out in a day or so of use) I can always return it and go another route with adding a focuser on it and using the "standard" ZWO EAF format.

 

[Tracy]

Well, with the new Apertura 72mm on order... the Celestron will primarily be used for live viewing.... or possibly planetary capture only with the ASI585MC.
I will be trying the ASI585MC with the new 72mm refractor to see how it does for DSO objects.

With the ASI585MC being one of the newer chipset cameras, I am REALLY interested in seeing how it does for 120s-300s exposures.

 

[OhNo]

You can plunk in the hardware here and see how the major DSOs look.

astronomy.tools

astronomy.tools

 

[Tracy]

Yeh, still going to have to target mosaic... in fact, the 533 series is a better view.... Still want to see how one of the newer planetary cameras does for DSO in an uncooled state.
I'd love a ASI2600MC or ASI6200... but that will be a bit down the road, if ever for the ASI6200.

 

[Tracy]

One thing I figured out.. processing a mono camera in PI is MUCH faster than processing a OSC.
Of course, that's offset by the capture time...but since each lens gets 100% of the pixels compared to OSC, I don't know if that's a "big" benefit.
It's taken almost 21 minutes to normalize the OSC from the 585MC.... yes, there are 117 90 second captures... but it's taken WELL over 1.5 hours to process the data, and it's not done yet.

 

[Tracy]

Oh, OSC is going to be a learning experience compared to the mono camera.
This is a quick down & dirty set of 117 90s captures of NGC_1528 with the ASI5858MC... which is a planetary camera and is not targeted towards DSO captures. And yes, I realize there is a focusing issue... as I said, brand new camera, brand new telescope.... and to top it off, trying to force a planetary capture camera into DSO duties makes for fun trying to figure out what gain/offset to use, much less exposure time(s). A ZWO EAF is in planning stages for this telescope.
Processing OSC is an entirely different process than mono.