eShel + IMX455 Sony

Design, construction, tuning of spectroscopes
Information and discussion about softwares (telescope remote, autoguiding, acquisition, spectral processing ...)
Joan Guarro Flo
Posts: 611
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by Joan Guarro Flo »

Yes Robin,

you can believe that, I have compared some results, one explanation is the cameras with IMX 455 back illuminated there are much more better than our ATIK460EX , and they have a really low noise and detectivity than our ones.

Sure you know the back illuminated technology has been used for years, ( and now ), in very soffisticated and expensive CCD chips.

In my opinion, the little brother of IMX 455, the IMX 571 has sufficient size for us, but it is in colour only, ( at the moment ? ). I don't know if this colour CMOS is superior than the Panasonic MN34230 ( ASI 1600 PRO) fro example.

I wait and see.

Regards, Joan.
James Foster
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:14 am

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by James Foster »

I wonder if I should wait and order this "Atik" camera with the IMX455 Sony Cmos for my eShel:
https://www.atik-cameras.com/product/apx60/

Availability from OPT says Feb2021:
https://optcorp.com/collections/cmos-ca ... 455-camera

James
James Foster
eShel2-Zwo ASI6200MM Pro
Lhires III (2400/1800/600 ln/mm Grat) Spectroscope
LISA IR/Visual Spectroscope (IR Configured)
Alpy 200/600 with Guide/Calibration modules and Photometric slit
Star Analyzer 200
Joan Guarro Flo
Posts: 611
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by Joan Guarro Flo »

Hello James,

In my opinion, we should be able to wait for the new versions QHY280 MM and ASI2600 MM, their respective manufacturers have said that these cameras will out to market at first months in this year. ATIK hasn't said anything about it yet.

These cameras have de same CMOS but with more reduced size than the ATIK60, the ASI6200 and QHY600, but it is sufficient if you would use a 135 mm. objective in your echelle too.

It is possible, you could save around $2000, for the same results !

Cheers, Joan.
James Foster
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:14 am

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by James Foster »

To: Joan,

Thanks for the response! I already went ahead and purchased the ASI6200MM as OPT had a $200 discount and were throwing in a copy of Prism with a similar sized discount!
I need to master the eShel before work starts up again (Mar21-May21) so I want to take advantage of this Covid "downtime."

Your home built echelle seems to be getting great results! I plan to shoot objects brighter than 9th magnitude and take simultaneous photometry with a ST-8xe, 400mm F/8 mirror lens, and astrodon photometric filters I have riding ontop of my CDK17. Now if only AASVO goes back on line with their photometry tools I'll be able to reduce some IVB magnitudes!

James
James Foster
eShel2-Zwo ASI6200MM Pro
Lhires III (2400/1800/600 ln/mm Grat) Spectroscope
LISA IR/Visual Spectroscope (IR Configured)
Alpy 200/600 with Guide/Calibration modules and Photometric slit
Star Analyzer 200
James Foster
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:14 am

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by James Foster »

Got the ASI6200MM. One limitation I've found, using PRISM, is that the software does not permit the user to make exposures longer than 2000 seconds. I found this odd since
Christian claims to make 3600 sec darks, but looking at page 3 of the user manual, seems real; see:
Image
I havent tried longer exposures using the ASCOM driver and another software package, say MaximDL, because gain is limited to 100 using the ASCOM driver, and I wish to make darks/biass' with the same gain/offset (200/60) I take my "light" images in PRSIM. Any thoughts?

James
James Foster
eShel2-Zwo ASI6200MM Pro
Lhires III (2400/1800/600 ln/mm Grat) Spectroscope
LISA IR/Visual Spectroscope (IR Configured)
Alpy 200/600 with Guide/Calibration modules and Photometric slit
Star Analyzer 200
James Foster
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:14 am

Re: eShel + IMX455 Sony

Post by James Foster »

Although limited to 2000sec (32min,20sec) exposures, I've been working on my PRNU master file. Here is my result (1/8th normal size of 9576x6388px):

Image

Per Christian's tutorial, I illuminated a wall with a halogen lamp, 3 meters in back of the ASI6200MM camera, and used that to indirectly illuminate the opposite wall (almost 5 meters away), covered in white parchment paper (wax paper substitute). I used MaximDL5.23 to take 9 .fit images of this wall, 1.7 meters in front of the ASI6200MM camera (at 0deg cooling, Gain=100, Offset=20), with an ADU value of 22K; 1x1 bin exposure times were 0.05sec to reach this 22K adu. I shifted the camera 15cm laterally (with respect to the wall) and took another 9 images with the same ADU value of 22K. I then shifted the camera back it its original position on the table and rotated the diffuser 90deg CCW and repeated the procedure above; see: set-up image below with eShel2 (not visible) inside "wine cellar":

Image

After 2 more 90deg CCW diffuser movements, I gathered 72 images for the PRNU light files. I took the diffuser off and closed-up the camera by screwing-on the ZMO camera cover; nice AZI6200M feature! And took 38, 0.05sec 1x1 darks and 88 1x1 bias's.

These were used to calibrated the light images. After calibration, the 72 light images were stacked in MaximDL and Average-Combined. The 119Mb 16-bit file was taking into photoshop, equalized stretched, contrast/brightness adjusted, and reduced 1/8 its original dimension to the PRNU .png file shown above.....now onto processing my
eShel2 stellar data in IsisV6!

James
James Foster
eShel2-Zwo ASI6200MM Pro
Lhires III (2400/1800/600 ln/mm Grat) Spectroscope
LISA IR/Visual Spectroscope (IR Configured)
Alpy 200/600 with Guide/Calibration modules and Photometric slit
Star Analyzer 200
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