Great video! Love all your videos, thanks for all the detailed information on these cameras. Already have both of the ASI533's both color and mono but I'm now concidering a ASI2600mc with the sale on right now, this video has been a great help
Thank you for all the hard work that you did putting this video together! It will help me a lot when I purchase a dedicated astro camera in the near future. I want to replace my Canon camera with a ZWO camera for my astrophotography work.😊
Wido, these camera compare videos are EXCELLENT. You certainly did your homework in gathering the information and your editing in displaying the graphics and text data. Well done, Wido. So, love your wife as she lets you buy more astronomy equipment. (Patrick)
Many thanks, Wido. I am glad that I am the first to comment on this report. Thank you so much. It is a superb overview. I hope to replace my elderly QSI 580 at some stage and I am looking at these cameras in the hope of buying one in 2023. This information is extremely helpful. I will show it to my bank manager when the time is right...
Nice video again Wido. I happen to own 4 ZWO deep sky cameras, and my experience is totally in line with what you describe: - I would avoid the 183MC pro at any cost: the amp glow is terrible, and the 12bit ADC shows its limits. The 183MM has probably the same limitations - the 533 MC Pro is fantastic: it is very light and perfect for a travel rig - the 2600 MC Prp delivers stunning performance but you have to be certain that your optical path is wide enough to fit its larger sensor; for instance on my Edge 800 I have some significant vignetting, difficult to calibrate with flat frames. It is also much heavier than the 533 - the 1600 MM Pro was once the king of the crowd but now shows its age (12 bit ADC, low full well capacity). I am looking forward to replace it either with the 533 MM or the 2600 MM In addition, don’t forget that with the larger sensors, you will need larger, more expansive filters and filter wheel.
This video is one year old, but just happened to see it for the first time. It is still valid and useful, thanks. It seems that there is not "best" pairing camera for very short telescopes in the 260-360 mm range. I use a zwo asi294 for a 61mm and F4.4, and it does a fairly good job. But technically speaking one gets 3+ image scale size. One thing that I have tried to do is to estimate the equivalence of a given camera to an eyepiece. For example, I have estimated that the 533mc is equivalent to a 12-13 mm eye piece, and the 294 is equivalent to a 16-17 mm eyepiece. The way I do this estimate is based on the field of view that each camera has, and then I compare with the visual FoV with a likely equivalent eye piece. Once they match, then I "conclude" that is the closest equivalent eye piece. I try to maintain a 66 degrees eyepiece as the "standard". Any thoughts on this matter? Thanks for your good work.
Hi Wido, great video, very helpful and instructive. Just wanted to point out you have a typo in the primero of the ASI2600MM Pro, at min 20:14. It says $3480 while I think the price is more around $2480. Keep up the good work! Cheers, César
Wido, you should be aware that ZWO prices are getting uncompetitive against Altair Astro Cameras. I have the excellent ZWO 533. However I am saving up for a larger sensor. The ZWO 2600 is almost £1949 whereas the Altair 26C which uses the same sensor is only £1450 UK as I write this. I know which one I will be getting. It would be interesting if someone would do a comparison between this Altair one made by Touptek and the ZWO 2600 as both use the same sensor but there is a massive £500 difference in price between them. Greta video.Best wishes from Scotland.
Hi Des, right, always smart to compare prices between brands. Altair is a good option for UK based astronomers. But I think people outside the UK have to pay extra import tax and VAT on top of that price to import these cameras to another country. Cheers!
That's the amount of sky I can capture per pixel with this camera and a 600mm telescope. Here's the formula: ( Pixel Size / Telescope Focal Length ) X 206.265
Great video Wido! Which camera do you advise for shooting dso's in the city (class 6 bortle) with the 8" Celestron edge HD, .7 focal reducer and AVX mount?
Hey Wido, great video as usual. I have a suggestion or perhaps just a question. In one of your videos I recall you saying you use a mini-pc to control your gear and that you connect to the mini-pc via your wireless. My question is this, why did you choose to go with a mini-pc over the ASIAIR?
Hi Patrick, thanks! The Asiair wasn't invented yet when I started astrophotography 😉. Also, a mini pc gives you more freedom to run the kind of capturing software you like best (firecapture, sharpcap, apt, SGP, Nina, phd2,, etc.)
@@AstroForumSpace Certainly makes sense. I'm currently using APT, PHD2, Sharpcap, GS Server all running through a couple of USB hubs that eventually connect to my laptop. I'm considering moving to something more compact and haven't decided which direction to go; mini-pc or ASIAIR. I like the flexibility of using a mini-pc for the reasons you mentioned. That's for the info.
Really helpful, Wido. I am thinking of changing my current 1600mm Pro to the 2600mm pro. Do you think the additional cost is worth the quality gain? I am pairing it with a 714mm refractor (Explore Scientific ED APO 102) so the FL is maybe a little short?
Thanks! I'm in the middle of testing the 2600mm pro. The main advantage is the larger field is view. Hope to get a new video out in the next few weeks about the 2600mm pro. I also have an earlier video where I've compared the specs of the two cameras: ruclips.net/video/ts94fleWkRI/видео.html hope this helps!
The 714 focal length is fine btw. You could check meteoblue astronomical seeing for your area. Most of the time, the arcseconds per pixel is > 1 anyway, so you should be fine with that focal length.
Hey Wido, been a while since I engaged, but my wife is now looking for an Astro camera to put on the back of her C8 edge HD. After watching your camera discussions she seems to be settling on the zwo533, for deep sky. She’s a beginner, so planning to go colour. We’ll continue to scan what’s available, but does that sound right for a first choice? But my other question, is whether it means a different T shirt is appropriate 😃
The only potential drawback with the 533 is the squared field of view instead of landscape. If you're fine with that, then go for it! I also have an "I love my husband" version of the t-shirt 😆
Having already a ASI2600 MC Pro, I just added the small ASI183 MC Pro. Was a Bargain, and might be nice for Galaxies with my TS80SD APO
Enjoy!
Great video! Love all your videos, thanks for all the detailed information on these cameras. Already have both of the ASI533's both color and mono but I'm now concidering a ASI2600mc with the sale on right now, this video has been a great help
Thanks John, enjoy the new camera! I have the mono version, it's very good.
Just added a comment above, mentioning the 533. Were you happy with it as a first choice? We’ll be using it on a c8 edge HD.
Also, where to get it?
Thank you for all the hard work that you did putting this video together! It will help me a lot when I purchase a dedicated astro camera in the near future. I want to replace my Canon camera with a ZWO camera for my astrophotography work.😊
You are so welcome!
Wido, these camera compare videos are EXCELLENT. You certainly did your homework in gathering the information and your editing in displaying the graphics and text data. Well done, Wido. So, love your wife as she lets you buy more astronomy equipment.
(Patrick)
Hehe, thanks Patrick 😉. And congrats on that needle galaxy, looks awesome!
Many thanks, Wido. I am glad that I am the first to comment on this report. Thank you so much. It is a superb overview. I hope to replace my elderly QSI 580 at some stage and I am looking at these cameras in the hope of buying one in 2023. This information is extremely helpful. I will show it to my bank manager when the time is right...
Your work is exceptional. Thank you!
Nice video again Wido.
I happen to own 4 ZWO deep sky cameras, and my experience is totally in line with what you describe:
- I would avoid the 183MC pro at any cost: the amp glow is terrible, and the 12bit ADC shows its limits. The 183MM has probably the same limitations
- the 533 MC Pro is fantastic: it is very light and perfect for a travel rig
- the 2600 MC Prp delivers stunning performance but you have to be certain that your optical path is wide enough to fit its larger sensor; for instance on my Edge 800 I have some significant vignetting, difficult to calibrate with flat frames. It is also much heavier than the 533
- the 1600 MM Pro was once the king of the crowd but now shows its age (12 bit ADC, low full well capacity). I am looking forward to replace it either with the 533 MM or the 2600 MM
In addition, don’t forget that with the larger sensors, you will need larger, more expansive filters and filter wheel.
This video is one year old, but just happened to see it for the first time. It is still valid and useful, thanks. It seems that there is not "best" pairing camera for very short telescopes in the 260-360 mm range. I use a zwo asi294 for a 61mm and F4.4, and it does a fairly good job. But technically speaking one gets 3+ image scale size. One thing that I have tried to do is to estimate the equivalence of a given camera to an eyepiece. For example, I have estimated that the 533mc is equivalent to a 12-13 mm eye piece, and the 294 is equivalent to a 16-17 mm eyepiece. The way I do this estimate is based on the field of view that each camera has, and then I compare with the visual FoV with a likely equivalent eye piece. Once they match, then I "conclude" that is the closest equivalent eye piece. I try to maintain a 66 degrees eyepiece as the "standard". Any thoughts on this matter? Thanks for your good work.
Very comprehensive review Wido!
Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Great job ! Thanks Wido !!
Hi Wido, great video, very helpful and instructive. Just wanted to point out you have a typo in the primero of the ASI2600MM Pro, at min 20:14. It says $3480 while I think the price is more around $2480.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
César
Yes, you're absolutely correct, sorry. Thanks and clear skies.
Fantastic video. Very helpful. Thanks for doing this.
Excellent! Very informative.
Wido, you should be aware that ZWO prices are getting uncompetitive against Altair Astro Cameras. I have the excellent ZWO 533. However I am saving up for a larger sensor. The ZWO 2600 is almost £1949 whereas the Altair 26C which uses the same sensor is only £1450 UK as I write this. I know which one I will be getting. It would be interesting if someone would do a comparison between this Altair one made by Touptek and the ZWO 2600 as both use the same sensor but there is a massive £500 difference in price between them. Greta video.Best wishes from Scotland.
Hi Des, right, always smart to compare prices between brands. Altair is a good option for UK based astronomers. But I think people outside the UK have to pay extra import tax and VAT on top of that price to import these cameras to another country. Cheers!
Great video ! Jsut curious, why 1 arc sec per pixel ??
That's the amount of sky I can capture per pixel with this camera and a 600mm telescope. Here's the formula: ( Pixel Size / Telescope Focal Length ) X 206.265
T-shirt the best
Great video Wido! Which camera do you advise for shooting dso's in the city (class 6 bortle) with the 8" Celestron edge HD, .7 focal reducer and AVX mount?
Depends on your budget, for the city you'll probably want to look into narrowband imaging eventually.
Super review, thanks
I appreciate that, thank you!
Hey Wido, great video as usual. I have a suggestion or perhaps just a question. In one of your videos I recall you saying you use a mini-pc to control your gear and that you connect to the mini-pc via your wireless. My question is this, why did you choose to go with a mini-pc over the ASIAIR?
Hi Patrick, thanks! The Asiair wasn't invented yet when I started astrophotography 😉. Also, a mini pc gives you more freedom to run the kind of capturing software you like best (firecapture, sharpcap, apt, SGP, Nina, phd2,, etc.)
@@AstroForumSpace Certainly makes sense. I'm currently using APT, PHD2, Sharpcap, GS Server all running through a couple of USB hubs that eventually connect to my laptop. I'm considering moving to something more compact and haven't decided which direction to go; mini-pc or ASIAIR. I like the flexibility of using a mini-pc for the reasons you mentioned. That's for the info.
where to get the T-shirt😆
😆. You can get these excellent t-shirts (ahum) here: astroforumspace.com/shop/
Really helpful, Wido. I am thinking of changing my current 1600mm Pro to the 2600mm pro. Do you think the additional cost is worth the quality gain? I am pairing it with a 714mm refractor (Explore Scientific ED APO 102) so the FL is maybe a little short?
Thanks! I'm in the middle of testing the 2600mm pro. The main advantage is the larger field is view. Hope to get a new video out in the next few weeks about the 2600mm pro. I also have an earlier video where I've compared the specs of the two cameras: ruclips.net/video/ts94fleWkRI/видео.html hope this helps!
The 714 focal length is fine btw. You could check meteoblue astronomical seeing for your area. Most of the time, the arcseconds per pixel is > 1 anyway, so you should be fine with that focal length.
@@AstroForumSpace lovely thanks for coming back to me, Wido. Look forward to more videos. Chris
What is the best one for a refractor with a 660mm focal length?
Depends on your budget...
Also depends on your average “seeing” limits as far as resolution goes.
Omg. Can you say that again. Lol. Thanks for putting so much work into that. Next time wear a heart monitor!!!
Hey Wido, been a while since I engaged, but my wife is now looking for an Astro camera to put on the back of her C8 edge HD. After watching your camera discussions she seems to be settling on the zwo533, for deep sky.
She’s a beginner, so planning to go colour. We’ll continue to scan what’s available, but does that sound right for a first choice?
But my other question, is whether it means a different T shirt is appropriate 😃
The only potential drawback with the 533 is the squared field of view instead of landscape. If you're fine with that, then go for it! I also have an "I love my husband" version of the t-shirt 😆
@@AstroForumSpace superb 😃👍, yes I think she’s fine with the square field, so this sounds like the right choice 👍👍
What breed of dog do you have
We have rabbits, lol