ASI462MC color camera shows only black and white images

[justdave123]

Hi All,

I purchased the ASI462MC color camera.

Problem: Regardless of whether I use SharpCap, FireCapture, or ZWO ASIStudio, the view on screen and the images that are saved are in black and white when they should be in color. I have tried various color spaces and nothing seems to fix this.

Anyone know how to fix this?

Thanks in advance

[admin]

Hi,

have a read of the document in the first post of this thread – it will explain exactly what is going on and what you need to do to get the colour out of your saved RAW images

viewtopic.php?t=254

Hope this helps, Robin

[justdave123]

Hi

Last night I tried using my first planetary camera ZWO ASI462MC for the first time to capture Mars on my C8 with SharpCapVersion=3.2.6441.0.

The image on my laptop screen showed barely any color. Same thing when I viewed the ser file, using PIPP on auto input frame color, and tried instructions from viewtopic.php?t=254 in order to "Test Options" with all four debayer options.

The Colour Space=RGB24. I don't really know what that means or if it's the right color space. Someone told me "If you shoot in RGB24 then the camera will save the file in color space and run the debayer for you. I believe that the 462C bayer matrix is GRGB."

My focus was done with a bahtinov mask so I'm also suprised that the image looks mushy.

Any help will be very much appreciated! I hope to capture at least one decent image of Mars this month.

Thanks
Dave

[admin]

Hi,

so if the capture settings file that you've posted came from your Mars capture video then what you've done is you've captured from the camera in normal RGB colour - this means that your video file contains three bytes of data per pixel for the three primary colours (red, green and blue). Three bytes is equal to 24 bits, which is why the mode is commonly called RGB24. If you've captured in this format then you don't need to tell PIPP to debayer the image, because the camera software has done that for you before the image even got to SharpCap. If you play your video, it should have colour anyway.

Another option that you will find in the colour space drop-down control is RAW8 - in this mode, the camera sent back the RAW data from every pixel on the sensor - each pixel will only be sensitive to light of one colour (red, green, or blue). The different colour sensitive pixels are arranged in a grid called a Bayer pattern – typically something like

Code: Select all

RGRGRG
GBGBGB
RGRGRG
GBGBGB

If you capture images or a video in this mode then view them or play them back without software that is capable of debayering, you will see a monochrome image with a grid pattern noticeable if you look at the pixel level. This may seem like a bad thing because it adds an extra step, but there are good reasons to do it. The first reason is that your capture file will be about three times smaller. The second is that you can use more complicated and accurate algorithms for reconstructing the colour, since they don't have to work at the high speed cameras running when you are capturing.

Cheers, Robin

[justdave123]

Thank you Robin. I was also told that I need to use an UV/IR filter with this camera, which no one had told me before. I have an Optolong L-Pro Filter which improves the image in my LR so I'll try using that when I image again.

Thanks again
Dave

[admin]

Hi Dave,

I guess the need for a UV/IR filter depends on the type of glass used for the sensor window. The normal rule of thumb is that colour cameras tend to have a UV/IR filter fitted as default and mono cameras tend to have a clear glass window, but maybe not in this case.

Anyway, if you're using the Optolong filter then there's no need to add a UV/IR filter, since the L-Pro looks like it blocks UV and IR anyway.

Cheers, Robin

[KEJ]

Hi

I was also curious about the correct Bayer Pattern for the 462MC, it's very odd as most of the camera specs on the ZWO website include the Bayer Pattern codes.

I see that you believe it's GRGB.

However, on the ZWO website under the FAQ for the camera there is this (14 Nov 2020 John Mac's question).

RGGB

https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/pr ... 2#comments

Screenshot 2021-02-02 at 12.59.43.png (97.16 KiB) Viewed 3042 times

[turfpit]

It depends on how the processing software will debayer the pattern stored in the image. Consider 4 pixels:

GB
RG

For Row order 'top down' the pattern is GBRG
For Row order 'bottom up' the pattern is RGGB

Have a read of viewtopic.php?f=35&t=254. Using PIPP, you can select the Bayer pattern and experiment.

When I was trying to understand this, I took images of a land based object containing a house (red) with trees (green) and sky (blue). I then experimented with the processing software knowing what the correct answer should look like.

Dave

[KEJ]

Dave hi

Thank you for the prompt reply.

Thats what I have been doing and with say Mars for example its pretty straight forward.

However, I assumed(never assume.....) that there would probably be a manufacturers preferred matrix that utilised the sensor the best?

For example, when using SharpCap and say Raw08, I think(going off memory) I have been forcing mine to be RGGB, so what should be the best approach ?

(Use SER).......I don't actually have any issues getting the right colours, but again just assumed the camera was designed for X,Y or Z and especially when for some of the cameras on the ZWO website they give this information.....well not for the 462, it is there for the 120MC-S and 533 MC Pro.

I will have a read of the link later/next.

Thanks
Keith

[admin]

Hi Keith,

my preferred approach when I'm unsure is to shine a red torch into the telescope – then run through all the possible options until you find one that gives you a red image – that's the one that is correct for your camera.

Cheers, Robin