Astrophotography Camera Comparison (HEAD-TO-HEAD)

In this video, I'll compare the differences between using a color, vs a monochrome camera for astrophotography.

I'll compare photos of the same object - with the same telescope on the same night - to see the ACTUAL difference firsthand.

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[oryanastro]

Man, these videos just keep getting better. The production quality has improved MILES since I started watching in 2019, and it was already great then! Just wanted to say I appreciate how you haven’t gone full “content creator” on us, and it really feels like you’re speaking directly TO us out of a care for how we go about and enjoy this hobby rather than just because you have to. It’s something that’s made your channel my favorite from the beginning, and I really appreciate it. Some great info in this video too, of course. :) Keep inspiring man!!

[tubedude]

Going to be brutally honest here... my first adventure into astrophotography was back before digital cameras existed... at least for the hobbyist. I was a teen who was getting into the hobby of astronomy and cameras with B/W film were the only way to image. Lacking the funds to get a really good mount and necessary guide scopes and drives etc means my endeavors were not too spectacular... but I did manage to do some imaging. Time passed and I ground and polished 2 telescope mirrors, went to college and acquired a few dependents to my salary. Astronomy took a back seat during this dependency of others on my income but I did have a stage where I tried to get into the 'new' digital astronomy that was coming about. I had some brief success but the learning curve was a bit much for me to invest too much time into it. Jump to today and I'm retired and starting to dabble into astrophotography again. I'm finding my biggest 'hurdles' to be in the post processing arena. I've watched video after video of you and others doing your 'magic' and I'm just lost for the most part. Things you take for granted and are second nature to you are foreign to me especially when using programs like photoshop. That said... anything that SIMPLIFIES the process is to me the only way to go in this hobby and OSC is that way! No need for me to be making the process 4-5 times more complicated by doing mono and having to shoot using so many filters.

[BobJohnsonSince]

Always enjoy your videos, Trevor. Could the "fairness" in this example be improved if instead of comparing the finished LRGB image (150s x4 = 600s total integration) with a single 150=sec OSC sub, you compared the LRGB with an image made with with 4 stacked 150-sec OSC subs, so each result has the same total integration?

[fontania]

Is it worth comparing the same integration time of your one shot color image to the total integration from all the filters? Example: 4 hrs of one shot color vs 4x1 hour exposures (LRGB) from the monochrome camera?

[damiengalanaud]

Hi Trevor
I think your last remarks epitomizes the major drawback of monochrome: you multiply the potential failure points. It can be clouds creeping in before you had time to shoot blue, it can be a failure of the EFW or as in your case a problem with the flats. For me last Friday it was a bug in SharpCap switching of the tracking in the AM5 mount as soon as I started the sequence planner. However, I was still able to capture a nice image of M1 in HOO in the remaining 2 hours of acquisition time thanks to the excellent SNR of the monochrome sensor, something I would never have been able to achieve with a OSC camera

[AstroBackyard]

Well - what do you think? Give the beginners some insight on your personal experience:

[dangitler]

OSC OSC OSC. I think you could use a pier in your backyard. Cut down on set up time. No dome or anything but a very good fitting cover with a small heat source so you can uncover when the sky is good and be running in under 5 minutes. Perfect polar alignment and everything at the ready makes winter imaging a game changer for us. Lemme know as I have a pier that bolts to your pad.

[ZachPetch]

I'll be honest... the last 30 seconds of this video made me feel a lot better. A LOT better. Thank you for including that.

[OmarAlSamadi]

I was literally searching through your videos just two days ago to see if you had covered this topic, and almost as if you heard my call, you posted this video. Thanks as always Trevor!! This is EXACTLY what I needed to see to help with my decision!

[petesastrophotography]

Great video as always Trevor. I have the ASI2600MC & ASI2600MM and find the results from the mono version to be better (not that the colour version is bad in any way). I have found the mono data easier to process as well, although I guess that is somewhat subjective. I am currently building a dual apo rig and have 2600MM cameras on both scopes as I'm more into widefield narrowband imaging these days. I still love the colour version but will be reserving that for broadband targets. Edit: something I meant to mention was that I started with osc and gained experience processing the data. I think some people feel the need to jump to mono to improve their images when in truth they have good data but need to improve their processing skills. I have reprocessed old data using what I have learnt over the past couple of years and these versions I create now are massively better compared to when I first started.

[Zero_Point_Energy]

I shot mono for years, but the recent advances in sensor performance and filters for OSC decreased the advantage of mono (IMO). Once I got the RASA, OSC was my go-to.

[jasondain]

Great video as usual. I started with a color camera on my first scope but have since graduated to mono on both my Esprit 100 and Esprit 120. I like the flexibility to match my filter to the sky conditions (shoot narrowband when the moon is out then broadband) and also like the additional detail and efficiency of shooting through a Luminance filter. I did a similar test last year and found that for less than 4hrs integration time, the color camera had a better SNR and a bit over an hour on each filter. Beyond that point, using a 3:1:1:1 ratio for LRGB data, the mono camera built SNR faster than the color camera shooting for the same time. Since I have decided that quality is more important than quantity for me and that I often shoot double digit hour integration times, the Mono setup is best for me. That being said, I use a color cam on my 135mm setup with both a UV/IR cut filters and IDAS NBZ filter for specific one to two night images. Keep up the great work!

[wonderkris]

Started on this hobby a couple of years ago. I land up shooting only few times a year with clouds, moon and life getting in the way other than the small amount of visible sky from the backyard with light pollution being the big cherry on top. Given the amount of time I do really land up spending on it, OSC gives me a better shot at actually getting an image without all the extra time with post processing. Missing data from 1 channel while I cannot get back to the target for a year is not a hassle i want to deal with. Also lesser things to carry to a dark site if possible, lesser the stress :)
I feel there is so much more i need to learn on post processing the image than moving to mono.

[Wheeljack]

I'm on the OSC-camp myself, but that is a personal choice more than anything else. I feel that the "stress" of having to capture data for each filter, along with calibration frames - especially with the limited amount of clear skies - would quickly kill my passion for the hobby.
I am however open to change my opinion later, but for now I am really comfortable where I am and I am happy with the results I am getting.

[dannmetal]

G'day Trevor, how you doing mate? Glad that I became 'paid' member of the channel. I'm literally brand spanking new to Astrophotography. Recently got a Redcat 51mm with a Nikon D750 DSLR on a Sky Watcher Adventurer 2i Pro (plus mount). It's a basic setup, but suits for what i want to do for at least 12-18 months, so it was a fairly easy question for me to answer: colour v mono. Having said that, what you do for everyone interested in this hobby from beginner to advanced is appreciated. I see you put a crap load of effort into doing this, and for people like me - I am eternally grateful. Cheers mate, Dann.

[JimBazsika]

I went from OSC digital camera (Canon 3Ti) to dedicated mono (1600MM) and don't regret it at all. Now when the skies clear up and the moon is high and bright I can shoot narrowband and still get images. No need to waste any precious clear skies. That is a great feature imho. Thanks for a superb video. Cheers!

[federica]

You just got a new subscriber. I just bought a 2600MC pro and struggled a bit about this topic: color vs. mono. I already knew you but your video made me definitely feel good with my choice. Thank you!

[Katieyhughes]

I have the ASI533 mono and OSC and I honestly haven’t had the mono off the scope since I got it. I was dubious at first but the detail is far more superior imo.

[ianwatson]

Great video, funny at the end too 😂. The difference in quality between Osc and mono subs is clear to see in this video. I’ve been using the 533mc for a couple years now being my first dedicated camera. This year I’m going mono though but having 2 rigs, one for Osc and one mono. I’m also used to having a ridiculous amount of data to use as I’ve now imaged pretty much everything at native focal length so my last 6 projects have been mosaics (4 I’m yet to complete 🙄) so I think I’m ready to fill the hard drive even more!

[cainey]

Nice videa again Trevor. OSC for me and that's mostly because seeing a clear sky is a rare. I just wouldn't get enough data in the same time with a mono. I may go mono at some point but the money need to go on a better mount and another scope first.