ASI290MC queries

tommohawk

Ive just got an ASI290MC hooked up with Firecapture. All seems to work OK, but my initial results werent great. I just want to make sure I have the basics correct for planetary ie Jupiter and grateful for any input.

I'm using Skywatcher 200PDS with powermate x5, so F25 approx.

As I understand it, gamma should be 50, and gain should be 350max. Exposure should be adjusted to get histo about 80%. Does that sound correct?

Some specific questions -

How do I switch form 10 bit to 12 bit, and which should I use?

Should I tick the 16 bit option?

Should I enable High speed and what does this actually do - maybe it switches from 10 to 12 bit?

I tried Ram buffer - this seems to work well, but will it compromise image quality?

Any other tips?

Many thanks!

Sam@ZWO

Tommohawk wrote:
Ive just got an ASI290MC hooked up with Firecapture. All seems to work OK, but my initial results werent great. I just want to make sure I have the basics correct for planetary ie Jupiter and grateful for any input.

I'm using Skywatcher 200PDS with powermate x5, so F25 approx.

As I understand it, gamma should be 50, and gain should be 350max. Exposure should be adjusted to get histo about 80%. Does that sound correct?

yes, this is normal, maybe you can fix the exposure at first and then adjust gain

Some specific questions -

How do I switch form 10 bit to 12 bit, and which should I use?

enable or disable "High Speed"

Should I tick the 16 bit option?

Should I enable High speed and what does this actually do - maybe it switches from 10 to 12 bit?

you don't need to enable it or 16bit for planetary imaging

I tried Ram buffer - this seems to work well, but will it compromise image quality?

this is only used for high speed transfer, it won't affect image quality

tommohawk

Hi Sam

OK thats great, thanks

Support@ZWO

Jupiter is very bright, I think it need not to use gain=350, you can try gain=250-300, to get lower noise and better preformance.