Telescopes: 2X Stellarvue Access 102mm F7 Refractor 1X Steallrvue 102mm Raptor F7 Refractor Guide Scope/Cam: Starlight Lodestar X2 ZWO Off Axis Guider Camera: 3x ZWO 1600mm Pro Mono Cooled Mount: Celestron CGX Focusers: 3x Elec Auto Focus Lynx Direct Drive Focuser (Stellarvue) Mount Accessories: ADM Accessories MaxHD alt/AZ dual saddle Dew Heaters/controllers Thousand Oaks 4-channel dew.
Starlight Xpress
Unit 3, Brooklands Farm,
Bottle Lane, Binfield, Berkshire
UK. RG42 5QX
+44(0)1184026898
www.sxccd.com
Bottle Lane, Binfield, Berkshire
UK. RG42 5QX
+44(0)1184026898
www.sxccd.com
Starlight Xpress announces the Lodestar X2 Autoguider ($649). This tiny imaging and autoguiding camera features a low-noise Sony ICX829ALA EXview HAD CCD II detector with a 752 × 580 array of 8.2 × 8.4-micron pixels. Weighing 3 ounces, this ultra-light camera is housed in a convenient 1¼-inch-diameter aluminum body that fits into any standard 1¼-inch focuser. The detector end also includes C-mount threads for additional interface requirements. The camera connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 Mini interface (which also provides power) and downloads a full-resolution image in 0.2 seconds. The autoguider also has an RJ12 connector port to directly connect to your telescope mount.
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Posted byMost Inspirational Post 2015
4 years agoI want to preface this topic by pointing out that both of these cameras are excellent. Most people would use an SBIG-STi with an OAG (off-axis guider) solution, and in that setup it's more than excellent enough for that purpose. Another consideration is the SBIG-Sti doubles up as a planetary camera, so keep that in mind if you want that as well.
What is the intent of this topic? : My SBIG ST-i died several times in the last month, which is unusual (not to discredit the cam). So I got a backup guide cam and went with the lodestar x2. I tried to find comparisons between these cameras, or really any meaningful images using the Lodestar v2, and I wasn't able to. My hope is this will be picked up on google for people trying to learn about either of these guide cameras.
The Guide Scope : Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Why a guide scope? : Most people don't use an OAG, and not every OAG solution is the same. So it seems more fair to use a typical guide scope for this comparison.
I aligned the SBIG ST-i onto the Lodestar v2 for the comparison : I did this in order to make it more obvious what you're looking at when you flip between them. I did a poor job of rotating the cams relative to eachother, but I don't think it really matters for the sake of this post.
How did I stretch the images? : I did an auto-histogram for all but two subs. The SBIG ST-i 1 and 2 second subs didn't want to auto-histogram properly, so I used a standard screen transfer function into histograph stretch using PixInsight. You'll notice the noise in these subs are higher, because it stretches it harder.
What was I imaging? : I was imaging an area outside of Messier 5. See this astrometry page. I wouldn't say this was a super unusual amount of stars, maybe a bit more than normal. Both cams are more than capable of picking up a bunch of guide-able stars.
The exposures
Starlight Xpress Lodestar x2 1s Exposure | SBIG STi-i 1s Exposure
Starlight Xpress Lodestar x2 2s Exposure | SBIG STi-i 2s Exposure
Starlight Xpress Lodestar x2 5s Exposure | SBIG STi-i 5s Exposure
Starlight Xpress Lodestar x2 15s Exposure | SBIG STi-i 15s Exposure
So which do I personally think is the better guide cam, when using a guide scope? : I think the lodestar is a clear winner here. Both cameras are obviously very sensitive, but the larger sensor size and FOV is a huge advantage.
So which do I personally think is the better guide cam, when using an OAG-8300? : I can't speak to every OAG, but with the OAG-8300 the SBIG-ST-i is a fierce contender. Why? Well most OAG solutions only pick off a certain portion of the light and the way it hits the sensor distorts stars in a certain fashion. So the larger sensor/FOV of the LodeStar v2 is mostly adding stars to the area of the field you wouldn't necessarily even want to image. For the most part when guiding with an OAG it's nice to pick a good clear round star, and those typically fall towards the center of the frame. To follow up on this point, let's look at some PHD2 SNR values for 2 second subs through the OAG-8300...
PHD2 SNR values for 2 second subs through the OAG-8300:
Starlight Xpress LodeStar x2 - 2 sec subs
SNR - 36, 25, 15, 12, 14, 9, 8 ... probably 10 more guideable through OAG
SBIG ST-i - 2 sec subs
SNR - 50, 40, 12, a few 5-10 guideable stars
So while the Lodestar x2 picked up more guideable stars, the ST-i had a higher SNR through the OAG for the brightest two stars.
So when it's all said and done it's pretty much a toss-up. They're both excellent cameras. The Starlight Xpress Lodestar x2 will get you a wider FOV, so if I was going exclusively with a dedicated guide cam... that would by my choice. For off-axis guiding... it's really hard to say; I'll let the readers decide on that one.
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