Shorter Subs? 183MC vs 294MC

jimme100

Hello All :)

I have a 174MC camera and looking to upgrade to the 183MC or the 294MC. I'm only interested in COLOR cameras for now. I have 2 questions:

1.) Will either of these two cameras be a significant upgrade to the 174MC.

2.) If so, which of these 2 cameras will provide the shortest subexposures. I am looking to find the camera that will allow me to take the shortest subs possible. I am using a small 70mm apo and a C9.25 cassegrain. For example, camera A might need 3 min to get a decent sub, while another might need only 2.

I would like to know which of these will be the better choice in terms of reducing sub times. If there is a camera in this price range $800-1500 that would be better than these from ZWO that I'm not considering that will give me the shorter sub times please feel free to include that as well. Camera settings, i.e. gain, offset, etc. to use that would achieve this objective would be appreciated.

Thanks everyone for all your help.

Skyhunter1

jimme100

I would like to do Lucky Imaging (1-30 second subs max) would this be possible with the 183MC and 294MC?

if not, what cameras would? I appreciate your help

Support@ZWO

183 is faster, it is designed for 4k video.

Max FPS at full resolution:

10Bit ADC

5496×3672 19fps

3840×2160 41.04fps

1920×1080 80.10fps

1280×720 117.30fps

640×480 169.92fps

320×240 308.17fps

12bit ADC

5496×3672 19fps

3840×2160 36.12fps

1920×1080 70.48fps

1280×720 103.23fps

640×480 149.53fps

320×240 271.19fps

jimme100

Maybe I didn't explain correctly... I would like to try lucky imaging (1-30 second subexposures maximum). Between the 183MC and the 294MC which of these will be better for lucky imaging? can I do lucky imaging at all?

For example, camera A might need 3 min to get a decent subexposure, while another might need only 2 minutes.

I have a 174MC. Will the 183 or 294mc be much better for lucky imaging than the 174MC? thanks again for your help

Support@ZWO

Oh, Yes. Thanks for explaining. There is no doubt that 294mc is better, because of it's unique HCG mode, Highest dynamic range under gain120.

donboy

Hi Sam,

How much more in percent of exposure time would a 183MCPro require to equal the signal level of a 294MCPro at unity gain?

Don

jimme100

Yes, That's a good question. that's exactly the reason I'm looking at the 294... lucky imaging. I tested a 183mc pro and didn't find the subs to be any shorter than with my 174mc. I'm hoping the 294 will do better. from all that I've read, it's a much more sensitive camera. if you go to cloudy nights you can find some blogs on the 183 vs 294 and lucky imaging. I'm still hoping sam can provide a definitive answer to the question you asked.

Support@ZWO

donboy wrote:
Hi Sam,

How much more in percent of exposure time would a 183MCPro require to equal the signal level of a 294MCPro at unity gain?

Don

It's hard to answer, they are different camera, different performance.