TEST REPORT: First Light with SBIG's NEW 8300 One Shot 8.3meg CCD

[drclay]

SBIG has started shipping their new high resolution (5.4micron) CCD cameras, the ST 8300M (monochrome) and ST 8300 C (one shot color) to dealers.  The cameras feature a whopping 8.3 megapixel format and very large CCD Kodak 8300 chip, one of the finest in the industry.  The camera is a lightweight and very user-friendly CCD with guiding output, USB 2.0 download and internal shutter for dark frames.

Full details on the SBIG website:  http://www.sbig.com/sbwhtmls/ST8300.htm

ASO is pleased to have received BOTH the monochrome and color versions of this camera and we have had incredibly good results with both cameras.  The monochrome camera is mounted on the large astrographic telescope for detailed astrometric and photometric measurements, providing a 32 x 34 arc minute field; early tests show incredibly flat field and well corrected star fields even to the corners of the large field.  We are using an OPTEC Wide Field f/0.5 reducer in this system to achieve f/5.5 overall.

The color camera [IMAGE FEATURED BELOW] is an incredibly true-color-rendition camera that we have mounted on a special piggybacked TMB APO 5.1" refractor, with OPTEC Widefield f/0.7 reducer to provide an f/5.0 system overall.  You can see for yourself in the image of Messier 42 that the starfield is tack-sharp across this nearlyl 2 degree field of view!

This exposure was only 90 seconds, one shot color processing with NO post processing whatsoever....this is a raw image.

Your comments and questions are welcome on this wonderful new offering from SBIG, the leaders by far in CCD astronomy.

Dr. Clay
________________
Image below, copyright Arkansas Sky Observatories, P. Clay Sherrod
Messier 42, nebula in Orion
90 second exposure at f/5.0
TMB (Thomas M. Back) APO refractor on Mathis M-500 mount, no guiding
SBIG ST8300C CCD camera

** Please CLICK IMAGE for enlarged view!! **

[lindendave]

Wonderful image! Looks like ASO has a definite winner in this new camera!

[Ron]

FANTASTIC

I second Dave's comment "a definite winner"

And the processing can't get any better or simpler than that.

Ron

[drclay]

Thanks to both....
I agree totally, Ron:  processing is one button.
Using SBIG's CCDops capture software, focusing with this camera is very easy via the "Planetary" focusing route with refresh rates fast enough to focus down to the pixel in steady seeing.

Now if the skies will clear for some serious work with these CCDs.

Your and Dave's comments are appreciated.

[Jean-Yves]

Good morning,

That camera looks very good!
Simple, efficient, and great capacity!

Have you had the opportunity to take long exposures with the color camera?
I am not fanmilar with its technology but I suppose we cannot use H-alpha filters with the color camera, correct? Or are there Luminance pixels which could capture light through an H-alpha filter?

Thanks

JY

[mbrus]

Do you have any feedback or advice on the QHY9C camera that uses the same chip? It is selling at an intro offer of $1500, a 25% discount to the SBIG of $2000.
Mario Brus
SRAF (Stellar Radiation Acquisition Facility)
Phillipsburg, MO
Meade LX200GPS 14"

[drclay]

The operating system would be the only difference....software.  The chip is of course the same and I would assume mechanically the shutter and throughput of the optical path would allow for the same unvignetted light conet.

There are several makers of cameras out there right now using the same chip and thus should all be quite equal.

AND Jean-Yves.....very sorry about not seeing your question sooner.  The longest exposure that I have taken to date with this camera is 5 minutes with incredibly good results.  They would be affected by the addition of bandpass and bandblock filters of course in that they are full color cameras, but I have not used any special spectral pass filters with it.  I would guess that using the B & W version (ST8300) would be better suited and SBIG does now make a very, very low profile color filter wheel specifically for the 8300 series.

Fun and effective camera.

Dr. Clay

[twila_zoned]

Simply stunning, and now proudly being displayed on my desktop!

[cardiofuse]

I'm not sure what you mean by "no processing".  You take a 90 second exposure of M42 and then in what format do you save the file to convert it into a "color image""  Is it RAW or other?  I use MaximDL to operate the camera but not sure how you get the one step color.  Thanks!

[drclay]

Sorry for the late reply; SBIG CCDops has a one button "convert to color" that changes the FITS format to .tiff file color.
No other processing is applied, but certainly can be if one wishes.

Dr. Clay

[diogopedro]

Hi Dr Clay.

Do you still work with this cam?

I was thinking on buying a cam with this chip. But I have one doubt.

Do you know if it can be used for photometry and astrometry with good accuracy with is 55% QE and small pixel?
I know there are 85% QE chips out there, but they are so small! or so expensive : (
This looks to me a good compromise in Scientific measurements and the wonderful astrophotography.


Best regards

Diogo Pedro

[drclay]

Excellent question; if you are into photometry and astrometry primarily, you might want to consider two things:

1) monochrome is always best for this purpose, so you would in this case want to consider the ST8300 M model, not the C model;
2) depending on your imaging train (telescope, reducer and camera) I always prefer a moderate size chip rrather than a large one; this will give you less field of view, but more accurate saturation of your target for precise pointing (astrometry) and density (photometry).

Without a doubt, two of the best cameras for both astrometry and photometry are the SBIG ST2000 XM (medium chip high resolution); and the ST402 ME Class I with a moderately high resolution chip and a smaller field of view.   Capture and download time with these cameras is faster than most others as well AND the QE is very high on these as well without the very large file size and download time.

One night's research with the ST8300 M or C cameras result in files so large that you can easily store as much as ONE GIGABYTE on just a few images of each of five targets.

Dr. Clay

[diogopedro]

Hi Again!

Since I live in a city with some light pollution, and until I move the equipment to my mountain house, I think I'll go for something like this!

Hardware:
CCD: ST-402 + Filters
Mount: EQ6-PRO (Skywacher)
Telescope: a 60mm or 66mm Apochromatic
Focal Reducer: If needed in the future.

Software:
Skytools 3
Maxim DL
APC + Scheduler + Planner

For pretty pictures I’ll start to save the money for the ST-8300! 

Tks!

[drclay]

I agree on all items except the telescope itself, based on the city conditions.
You would be far better off with an 80mm APO or even ED refractor, f/6 or f/7; with such a focal reducer is not necessarily needed and also will not work well in lighted conditions.

There is not  enough additional cost in an 80mm over the 60mm range to not consider the larger aperture and far larger selection from manufacturers.

Dr. Clay