ZWO294 MC Pro best gain

[psy1280]

I'm new to EAA and recently purchased a ZWO294 MC Pro. Can anyone tell me the best gain setting for this camera. I only image EAA and was told that every camera has a sort of "sweet spot" regarding gain.

Thank you,
Joe

[admin]

Hi,

gain 120 is a good starting point – that's where the camera switches from low conversion gain to high conversion gain which means the read noise drops dramatically from gain 120 upwards.

The SharpCap pro smart histogram feature will help you with more detailed suggestions

Cheers, Robin

[umasscrew39]

Most definitely run the Smart Histogram as Robin suggests. I did find that a 200 gain and 10 brightness was my sweet spot for EAA with the 294 in my Bortle 6 sky. You will enjoy this camera as it produces excellent color live views.

[BlackWikkett]

Hi

For live stacking using ASI294 I've found that 300 gain works very well for my Bortle 5/6 skies. I usually image at 30 sec 10 brightness 300 gain with darks / flats and cooler at -10. This is on an RC6 reduced to 1030 mm FL. Lose a step or 2 of dynamic range and gain a slight bit of noise over lower gain and longer exposure. All can be cleaned up with a few minutes in PS. You can find many examples I've shared in the Gallery.

Edit: forgot to mention using IDAS D1 filter

-Chris

[donstim]

Hi Joe,

I also practice EAA rather than long exposure astrophotography. With a Celestron 8-inch and 0.63x reducer/corrector, SharpCap's Brain usually recommends 121 gain , brightness 4, and 10-20 second exposures in my Bortle 6+ skies. That seems to work well for me. If I use a filter like the L-eNhance to deal with light pollution, it will recommend higher gain and longer exposures (like 210 gain at 20-30 seconds).

With my altazimuth mount, I am generally limited to 20-second exposures, but can sometimes push it to 30.

Don

[RonAM]

Thanks for this topic and informative replies. I’m eager to use my new ZWO ASI294MC Pro when the skies clear. It will be riding on a Starmaster dob with skycommander and 14.5” Zambuto mirror. Meanwhile I’ve gotten familiar with its operation and all the options available in SharpCap for this camera, previously using a small CCD with SharpCap. I’ve set it up indoors with a camera lens attached, on a tripod with the 78mm holder. Night tests through my window to a dark outdoor scene plus a couple distant building lights has really impressed me for its dynamic range and low noise even at high gain, using live stack and timed captures. I plan to compare livestacks at varying gain settings and exposures to explore the sweet spots. I really appreciate what SharpCap allows for this camera. Thanks to a brief exchange with Robin in a different thread I was able to set up the software and this camera without any problems. Thanks everyone.

Ron

[timh]

Hi Ron,

I notice that you are using a dob. I also use a (relatively small) 10 inch F 4.2 dob for imaging with my AS1294 PRO. I bet the 14" will be great. Have been experimenting a bit and find that although a gain of about 120 should be best wrt image dynamic range in practice a gain of about 300 (285) seems to be the best compromise along with a practical exposure limit of about 15s. At the lower gain I seem to get relatively more fixed background noise which is difficult to eliminate (I haven't mastered dithering on a dob). Probably especially because I look at objects quite close to the NCP there is also a practical limit to how long you can acquire for without having to do a lot of cropping afterwards. For all of these reasons the higher gain seems nearer the 'sweet spot' whereas with my EQ refractor I wil be sticking with the lower gains.

best wishes
Tim

[AndreVilhena]

Hi,

gain 120 is a good starting point – that's where the camera switches from low conversion gain to high conversion gain which means the read noise drops dramatically from gain 120 upwards.

The SharpCap pro smart histogram feature will help you with more detailed suggestions

Cheers, Robin

Hello,

When I use the Brain settings for Max Dynamic Range, the suggested gain for this camera is 0. Should we use it instead of 120 or will it depend on the situation?

Thanks,

André

[admin]

Hi,

it will depend on the situation - if you have good tracking and can take (perhaps) 600s exposures then zero gain might work well. If your tracking is only good for 60s exposures then you may get a different suggestion (you set the max sub exposure time in the brain to reflect your limits on tracking).

Robin.

[AndreVilhena]

Mr. Robin,

Thanks for your feedback. Actually I was wondering if the dynamic range of the sky area could also play here, as if I don't have bright stars, maybe I could sacrifice some dynamic range in exchange of some read noise. If not, them probably I would need all the DR I could get and set gain at 0, or close to it. Would this make sense?
I am not sure if it would make much sense but if SC could measure the brightness limits within the image, probably that could hint on the maximum gain to avoid saturation.

Regards,

André