shopping for a camara and guider

[Bill Connelly]

I recently purchased a 6" mak-neut and ioptron eq mount ultimately using it for wide field AP. I am very happy with the scope and mount. My other scope is a 12" lightbridge.

As I am learning more about cameras and guiding systems, I am looking for some advice. In the general category of KISS, I am looking at a sbig 8300 one shot color. Also a ST-1 guiding camera with sbig's F2.8 lens to make a small and compact guider. This puts all cameras under the control of a single software package (supplied) by sbig.

The other alternative is the sbig camera along with the Orion guider package for which the only concern voiced is the somewhat floppy ring mounts for the guider scope.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Charles Dunlop]

That SBIG new bundled one is pretty cool. Off axis less flexure

[Conor]

I have the ST-i guiding kit. Best guider I've owned. (I've gone through the Orion SSAG and the LVI Smartguider 2) It's solid and you _will not_ suffer with flexure. I would have bought the bundle with the OAG though, if I'd waited. Don't bother with colour cameras though. Go monochrome and get filters. Colour cameras have lower QE and have a green channel bias due to the construction of Bayer matrices. I'm not sure if the channel bias differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it's definitely there.

I'd get the ST kit (8300 mono + ST-i + OAG + filterwheel). For this price range, I think it's a pretty decent set up. Alternatively, you are welcome to buy my QSI 583ws + 3nm filters!

[Jeff McFarlin]

Bill, that's what I ordered about a week ago:

http://www.sbig.com/STF-8300-Pro-Plus-Package.html

Has everything I need.

Jeff

[Charles Dunlop]

This thing is essentially a custom fit off guide axis thus forget about flexure mostly... Conor you really like yours that's great. The fact it has a shutter is obviously awesome and makes me want to get it as taking darks for the guider always sucks, putting the cap back on the scope. I'm going off axis with a lodestar, the lack of a shutter on the lodestar makes it not ideal.

[Conor]

I am so damn jealous... I wish I'd waited for this package instead. I'll probably just go all out on a FLI Microline/Proline at this point though, gear whore and all that I am...