SharpCap Forums

Hi,
I got a Hypercam 294C today and wantto make sure to start with the proper settings. I used this forum and other sources but still confused regarding the GAIN setting.

The sensor analysis gave me this: I assume 450 is the so called unity gain and 900 switches on HCG mode.

From the default settings I get a value of 64 for Black Level (what I assume is similar to Offset/Brightness?).

What is the best way to start with ? Or should I better follow the Smart Histogram measurement recommendations ?

Thanks in advance for your attention and recommendations.

Regards
Gottfried

Hi,

yes, the HCG mode switches at 900 gain on these cameras. If you are taking relatively short exposures then I would tend to aim for gain 900 as a starting point and pick your exposure to suit. If you prefer longer exposures and have good tracking/guiding then you can start off in the LCG range, but those settings need considerably longer exposures (10 to 20 times) than the HCG settings with everything else being equal. Smart histogram will give you more details on how the recommended exposure changes with gain.

You are right that the black level is the offset/brightness control equivalent.

Unity gain is somewhere around 450, but I am not convinced it is a useful concept. The read noise at that point is somewhere in the 6 to 6.5e range, so why would it matter that 1e = 1 ADU when you are measuring with a *minimum* RMS error (ignoring shot noise from any actual signal) of 6 or so ADU...

cheers,

Robin

Robin, thanks a lot for the clarification.

I'll ask Smart Histogram first. I'm curious to see the outcome.