Hey everyone, Mack Murdoc here with OPT.
And in today's video we're going to be diving into camera specs and why they matter we started
with the basics of it and the ASI 2600 vs 1600 video.
But we felt that the information is just so important that it deserved its own video and
needed to be expanded upon.
So here we are, feel free to go to any of the timestamps right over here to jump to
a specific Target, but we do recommend that you stay for the whole thing because you never
know if there's any fun facts that you might have not known something to keep in mind most
of this applies for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, not just ask.
But before we dive in, let's go over the most important thing about cameras, smashing that
like button without smashing.
The like button, your image quality will suffer and we don't want you to suffer.
So, go ahead, smash that like button.
Okay.
So, let's first talk about sensor sizes.
The reflective thingamajigger inside of the camera is the sensor and it comes in so many
different shapes inside.
What it comes to sensors Size Matters, depending on what you're shooting a few, Min sensor
sizes are the micro four-thirds like the ASI 1600, the aps-c sized sensor like the ASI
2600 and the full frame.
Like the SI 6200 with a bigger sensor, you have the advantage of a bigger resolution,
do two more pixels on the sensor.
You also have the advantage of having a bigger field of view.
For example, here's that image and what it would look like on the three different sensors.
So the bigger the sensor, the more space you get.
This can come in handy when capturing really big objects in the sky and need more of a
field of view that being said, sometimes having a bigger sensor is not optimal for what you're
trying to shoot.
First of all large sensors, like, the full frame or bigger can really test the limits
of some entry-level telescopes, full frame sensors are usually best.
When paired with larger telescopes that can support the second.
You may not want such a large field of view.
For example, when you're shooting planetary planets are so small that you don't need all
that Dead Space around them.
So you don't need to capture them with a large or even a medium-sized sensor.
So, having a small sensor, like the ASI 174 or the ASI 290 is best for planetary, especially
because we're the smaller sensor.
You're capturing smaller files with less information.
Allowing you to take faster frames per second, which really comes in handy for things, like
planetary lunar or solar photography.
Which we'll get to in just a minute.
Let's talk about pixel size.
This is the size of the pixels.
On your sensor going with a bigger or smaller pixel size, depends on a few things.
Whichever one you choose is really just based off preference and what kind of objects you're
trying to shoot cameras with smaller pixels mean that you have a lot more pixels on the
sensors giving you a much finer resolution a crisper detail in your images.
But the trade-off is that you're not picking up as much light and the opposite can be said
about bigger.
Pixels your pixels are more sensitive to light but you sacrifice some resolution.
Now this is just my opinion and its relative but I'd say 3 microns and under is a small
pixel anything.
From three to five, microns is a mid-sized pixel and anything above 5.
Microns is a large pixel things to know if you're doing something like planetary lunar
or solar.
These objects are so bright as it is.
Craving the sensitivity of a bigger pixel for a smaller pixel.
With better, resolution is my personal preference.
That's why the ASI 174, 290 and 120 are great.
Now, there is a term called pixel bending, which to simplify it is basically combining
pixels together to give you a bigger pixel kinda, but we'll cover that in a different
video of the number of pixels that make up the length.
And width of the sensor is called the pixel array.
For example, the ASI 2600 has 6248 pixels on its long side and 4176 pixels on it, short
side.
Now if you multiply 6248 by 4176, you get 26 million pixels on your sensor.
In other words, 26 megapixels also, it's important and worth noting that the size of your sensor
from one corner to the opposite corner is your sensor diagonal.
The reason why this is so important to know is because it tells you what image Circle,
you need your telescope to support and the smallest size filter that you can have.
For example, with a micro 4/3 size sensor, which has around a 23, mm diagonal.
We recommend going no smaller than an inch and a quarter filters with aps-c sized sensors,
which has a 29mm diagonal.
We recommend going no smaller than 36mm filters.
And with a full-frame sensor, which has around a 43mm diagonal, we recommend going no smaller
than a 2 inch filter.
A big choice that you have to make next is whether you want to go color or mono.
I won't drive too far into this video on that, because we've dedicated a whole.
That you can check out right here, going over all of its pros and cons but a quick glance
over is that color cameras have mono sensors but with little RGB filters, placed on the
sensor itself in a series called the bear Matrix, on the other hand, we have mono cameras
which means that you have to have color filters to produce a full-color image.
This also means that more time will be dedicated to your Imaging sessions since you will need
to take more exposures to produce a full-color image.
That being said, you're not dividing the pixels into three different colors like you are with
a color camera.
Instead, the whole sensor is dedicated to one filter giving you more data and resolution.
Next up, we have cooled and fan-cooled cameras.
This one's pretty simple when a camera keeps up.
So, does the sensor and electronics, this create small imperfections, and how the camera
run producing.
What we all know, has noise, a cool camera has a built-in fan.
That cools Sensor and electronics, reducing the amount of noise in your image.
Now let's talk about bit depth.
Bit depth in simplified terms is a number of Shades of Grey from Pure Black to Pure
White.
Now, I know what you're thinking, what if I'm shooting with a color camera?
Well Shades of Grey, translate into color, technically all sensors on monochrome, sensors
recording, gray, just different shades of it.
Depending on what filter you're using, let's break it down, 8 bit depth, gives you only
256 Shades of Grey on each possible RGB Channel.
When stacked, this gives you 16.7 million colors, to choose from which you have out
today, 10-bit can do 1024 shades on each RGB Channel, which comes out over 1 billion colors,
the 12 bit depth can do 4009, Six on each Channel, which comes out to 68 billion possible
colors.
14, bit depth, which can do 16384 shades on each Channel which comes out to 4.39 trillion
possible colors.
And finally a 16 bit depth at 65500 Shades of Grey per Channel, which when combined,
give you a full color image of 281 trillion colors, the more shades of grey that you have
from black and white.
Not only needs more color in your image, but it also means smoother transition between
colors, which is important.
When capturing beautiful gradients in space, you could see here how 8-bit Mario, Smash
is the like button, but when we have a much better 64 Mario, Smash in the like button,
the difference is incredible.
Alright, so let's talk about food.
Well, dip for welder up is not too much different from bit depth, but it's awesome.
Not the same the full well that is basically the amount of electrons of light that can
fill each pixel before the pixel fills up and becomes full white.
So it deeper full well depth will stop you from blowing out your image faster when your
pixel well is full there's extra Photon spill into the pixels beside it which is called
Blue make.
It looks like bloated and Overexposed Stars if you fill up that pixel well you have blown
out that pixel leaving you know color data having a deeper.
You preserve your star colors as well as not blow out the really bright part of your image,
like the core of galaxies with a bigger bit depth and a deeper full well that you get
much bigger, dynamic range, the bigger the dynamic range, the better your final images
will be next, we have back, illuminated sensors.
These are relatively new addition to the astral world within the last few years.
This helps reduce noise and proves Quantum efficiency, which will get you in a second
and a limb 8, Amp glow, most cameras, come with the back of limited sense of these days
which is so nice.
Another really important aspect of picking out a camera is what's known as Quantum efficiency.
Also known as QB, this is the percentage of light that hits the sensor and gets recorded
as signal sensors aren't perfect and they can't pick up 100% of the life.
Even though that is so dope.
So sensors, like the ASI 2600, for example, has a 91% Quantum efficiency, which means
91% of the light that's coming down, the barrel of your telescope.
He's getting recorded is actual data and the other 9% gets sucked into the cameras.
Black hole never to be seen again.
Camera sensors have been improving over time.
Amazing top-notch cameras like the ASI 1600.
Maybe three years years ago only had a 60% QE.
So I know this goes without saying but the higher the quantum efficiency, the brighter,
the image, and the more data that you have in the last time, depending on the type of
Imaging, you're going to be doing frame rate, is something you might want to consider.
If you're doing something like long exposure, photography of deep space objects, then you
don't really need to worry about frame rate.
But if you're going to be getting into solar or shooting the moon or capturing planets
than frame rate become so important, when you're shooting images, like the moon planets
or the sun, many photographers, use a technique called lucky Imaging, which will make a whole
step by step video in the future about it.
So subscribed.
But for this video is basically taking a video of your target at a high frame rate.
And then with the help of other programs, extracting, the best and clearest frames from
your V, And then stacking all those frames into one single image.
Instead of taking 10 individual photos over to Second, you can take 500 frames in 2 seconds
with almost every camera.
You can increase the frame rate by cropping it.
On your sensor.
Before you start capturing your image, the smallest answer equals smaller day that equals
the ability to shoot even faster cameras.
Like the ASI 174, the ASI 120 and the ASI 183 have really high frame rates which make
them perfect cameras for lunar solar and planetary, which brings us to our next back usb3.
Now this doesn't mean as much with deep space, as it does with planetary lunar and solar
but the transfer speed of a USB is always welcome.
This more comes in handy when we're talking about frame rate, if your camera is taking
300 frames per second, you're going to need a fast cable and input to transfer that data,
without buffer.
Now, that's the main difference between the ZWO standard and the mini sidekick.
To answer the question that we get all the time, the mini cameras, make amazing guide
cameras but due to the lack of USB 3, does it make it the best high frame-rate Imaging
camera?
The standard on the other hand has USB 3.
Making it.
Perfect for both guiding and high-speed Imaging.
Well, there you have it.
The in-depth look into the specs of a camera.
Hopefully, this should help you find what you're looking for in future purchases.
Now, keep in mind, the majority of these facts work with both cameras DSLR and astrakhan.
The, like, if you've enjoyed this video and you found it informative or at least entertaining,
please consider smashing the like button, like it does really help with the channel
and it recommended to other people.
Now, if you like the content, please consider hitting the Subscribe button and leave is
coming at the bottom.
Let us know what you want to see.
My name is Mack Murdoc here with OPT and thanks for watching.
Clear skies!