My Recommended Cameras for EAA
While analog video cameras used to be the mainstay of EAA that all changed in 2014 when the first low read noise and high sensitivity digital CMOS cameras like the ZWO ASI224MC camera became available. Today, there are too many of these high quality CMOS cameras on the market to list them all. Below are several cameras from ZWO that I highly recommend for EAA, depending upon one's budget and goals. Almost identical versions of these cameras can be found from other camera suppliers. I have put links to these other camera suppliers at the bottom of this page.
There are many things to look for in a camera, most of which are determined by the imaging chip inside the camera. For that reason, while there are some differences between cameras with the same chip made by different suppliers, these differences are typically very minor compared to the differences between cameras with different chips. Here are some major things to consider when choosing a camera. A more detailed discussion of this can be found in my blog "Choosing a Camera For EAA"
1. Color or monochrome - color, well, shows the color of objects while mono is more sensitive but black & white
2. Cooled or uncooled - cooled have less background noise and cleaner images but generally cost $200 more
3. Chip size - the larger the chip the bigger the field of view and the higher the cost.
4. Pixel size - smaller pixels provide higher resolution but lower sensitivity
5. Cameras should be matched to telescope in terms of field of view and image scale
Affiliate links to cameras below from my two favorite astronomy retailers are highlighted in gold. I have and use the ASI533MC Pro and ASI2600MC Pro myself.
Best Budget Camera ASI585MC $399 for uncooled & ASI585MC Pro $599 for cooled color camera
8MP with a 12.8mm diagonal and 2.9micron pixels wih 12bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI585MC & ASI585MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI585MC & ASI585MC Pro
Best Mid-Size Camera ASI533MC Pro $799 for cooled color camera
9MP with a 16mm diagonal and 3.76micron pixels with 14bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI533MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI533MC Pro
Best Large Chip Camera ASI2600MC Pro $1499 for cooled color camera
26MP with a 28.3mm diagonal and 3.76micron pixels with 16bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI2600MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI2600MC Pro
There are many things to look for in a camera, most of which are determined by the imaging chip inside the camera. For that reason, while there are some differences between cameras with the same chip made by different suppliers, these differences are typically very minor compared to the differences between cameras with different chips. Here are some major things to consider when choosing a camera. A more detailed discussion of this can be found in my blog "Choosing a Camera For EAA"
1. Color or monochrome - color, well, shows the color of objects while mono is more sensitive but black & white
2. Cooled or uncooled - cooled have less background noise and cleaner images but generally cost $200 more
3. Chip size - the larger the chip the bigger the field of view and the higher the cost.
4. Pixel size - smaller pixels provide higher resolution but lower sensitivity
5. Cameras should be matched to telescope in terms of field of view and image scale
Affiliate links to cameras below from my two favorite astronomy retailers are highlighted in gold. I have and use the ASI533MC Pro and ASI2600MC Pro myself.
Best Budget Camera ASI585MC $399 for uncooled & ASI585MC Pro $599 for cooled color camera
8MP with a 12.8mm diagonal and 2.9micron pixels wih 12bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI585MC & ASI585MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI585MC & ASI585MC Pro
Best Mid-Size Camera ASI533MC Pro $799 for cooled color camera
9MP with a 16mm diagonal and 3.76micron pixels with 14bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI533MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI533MC Pro
Best Large Chip Camera ASI2600MC Pro $1499 for cooled color camera
26MP with a 28.3mm diagonal and 3.76micron pixels with 16bit
Get it from HighPoint Scientific ASI2600MC Pro
Get it from Agena Astro ASI2600MC Pro
Links to Camera Supplier Web Sites
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