Astrophotography Camera Comparison (HEAD-TO-HEAD) 

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!!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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?

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

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!

This is a fantastic and very fare comparison. Exactly the kind of comparison I've been wanting to see. Thanks for your efforts!

Excellent description & reasoning. Both are valid, but your overall explanation is, in my point of view, "spot on". Great video, keep it up!

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!

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!

Haha, when I saw the transition image at the end I was thinking in real time that the second one just looked like a OSC processed “better”. Good stuff.

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

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.

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.

I started with film in the early 1960s and moved to digital soon as it came available. I than moved to mono cameras with RGBL filters as well as Ham, SII, and OIII. This was with a 6' Officina Stellare APO refractor, I get wonderful images but also have a travel setup with OSC and narrow 2 and 3 band filters on a AM5 and a smaller refractor or 8" SCT and Hyperstar. While the mono setup is very versatile, it can be time intensive and often the OSC setup will yield excellent image also. The real trick is to learn all the processing tricks and technics. Frankly I rate the most important step in my work process is the image processing...especially the final tweaking with Photo Shop. While I am retired now and have more time.... having a clear night or nights is still the biggest issue. That is where OSC shines. When your imaging time is limited for any reason..... OSC can deliver.

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.

Man I just love your channel.

Great comparison video. Thanks for sharing.

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.

Excellent video. Just the comparison I wanted to see to help me with a camera purchase!

Extremely informative video Trevor , one of the most weighed decisions facing the growing astrophotographer community today is color or mono. Thank you for the in depth discussion. Still hoping for an ASHtrobackyard you tube channel !

The biggest reason to use Mono over color is with Narrowband filters, HA, SII,OIII... if you just want to use color filters you will have a much better time with one shot color. If you do not already have a strong foundation and understanding of how sensors take in light, the differences in binning, and processing already... you will have a better time learning with color until you get to a point where you are able to use MONO to its full potential. You could always try starting off with mono, just be prepared to do a lot of research and spending a lot more money vs color. If this is something you want, take the time to learn processing before buying the system... you can do it for free and most people will post their raw image files on astrobin / telescopious. The hardest part of astrophotography is the processing, start learning now.

I started astrophotography almost 2 years ago and Trevor has been a big help. I’m realizing now how important light filters are. I want a dedicated Astro camera but that’s something after some filters. I’m sure I’ll watch this again when I want to purchase lol

Trevor you hit the nail clean on the head.. it’s all about time, having time to process or time to shoot in a clear sky or shooting between clouds. Luckily we can shoot objects in the sky and there is no change from year to year or seasons, unless of course it’s Saturn and its ring system or a comet as these are either fleeting or tilting..

Lol the ending was priceless

Great overview of a rather greatly complex subject!

Another thought provoking video Trevor. I’ve been using an OSC camera for a couple of years now. While I love the creative palettes that result in the beautiful narrowband images, I’d rather spend more time imaging than playing jiggery-pokery with a mass of monochrome data. The advent of the variety of filters available for OSC cameras is expanding the range of creative control possible. I’ll be staying with OSC cameras for a while to come yet. Cheers!

2:55 bro the pop while removing light pollution filter was just so satisfying

“OSC For Life” would make a great tattoo. Great video and info Trevor!

Thank you Trevor. Very useful video! It would be great if you could show us a comparison between, say, a 4 hour exposure time with the OSC setup with a 1 hour time per channel LRGB setup. That would match the entire exposure time of both projects (i.e, 4 hours in total). My guess is that the LRGB would still outperform the OSC but may not be such a dramatic result as comparing 1 hour per channel. Keep these videos coming!

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.

Fantastic tutorial, but I believe I'm several years away from this level of photography. I'm in line to purchase my first star tracker, and working on getting correct focus. Honestly, this hobby is not easy, but it is so much fun. Thank you for showing us how you do what you do

I started with an OSC and was eventually convinced by others to switch to monochrome. I was amazed at the difference in quality and the easier processing (albeit with more steps/frame sets). I still believe that OSC is the way anyone should start. It is simpler, closer to instant gratification. Also a person new to the hobby is going to make some missteps in equipment selection or find that something needs to be changed to 'fit' their use better. An OSC setup is simpler so it is easier to get over this learning step than with monochrome and less expensive. It lets you determine your enthusiasm/dedication to the art. It took me almost two years and several significant modifications of my setup before I felt that I both knew enough and my setup settled enough to allow me to work through the requirements for a monochrome setup. For the person who is a dedicated 'casual' imager, then they may never feel the need to make the transition to monochrome. I also think that most people that focus on lunar and planetary imaging will not have any real reason to go monochrome. However, if over time you determine your enthusiasm and drive for better images is there, then the transition to monochrome is the payoff you've been looking for.

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.

Thank you so much for doing this comparison Trevor. It was nice to see the comparative view using the same capture times. The improvement with mono is more than I had thought. I also originally thought that with an OSC, if I shot for 2 hrs, that I would have to shoot for 5-6 hrs to get the same results, but that is not the case. A nice add on to this video would be to see a 2 - 3hrs capture of OSC vs 2 - 3 hrs RGB or even LRGB. I think this is what you were shooting for at the end, too bad about the missing flats. Would be great to see on your FB page of short video clip.

Hello treavr I am your big fan from Indian Gujarat, Porbandar . You are my inspiration and my favorite astrophotographer loved your videos I watched your all videos thank you for Learning new new things about astrophotography ❤️🔭🥰much love keep going man I loved your deep sky 🌌 objects photos 😍😍😍😍😍❤️

What I would love to see is comparing a monochrome camera with LRGB vs a OSC after taking the same combined total integration time. I don't want to see a monochrome image that is getting 4 times the integration time compared to an OSC. I mean we know an OSC will still do better with more integration.

Love the fact you came clean about forgetting to shoot flats. I might’ve reshot everything. Love the OSC for life 😅

You almost had me. When I saw the comparison photos I paused the video and started looking through the comments defending OSC. If the results of OSC vs Mono were that great I was jumping over from OSC today. 😂 Then I came back to the video and finished it only to find it was a OSC image processed. 😮Almost had the wallet open. Lol. Great video.

Another great video, thank you my friend :)

Really helpful, thanks.

Hi Trevor! Great video with lots of information. I think the aspect of time is the main reason for me to stay with color cameras for the moment. In central Germany I have in a good year not more than 20 nights of clear skies. Last year there has been a time of 6 months of no clear sky. Under those circumstances using a monochrome camera will result in a lot of unfinished business. It could easily happen with targets in the south that you need to wait for the next year to complete just a single target. Sure in my bortle 6 area, shooting over BC 7 - 9, a monochrome camera would work by far better but I don't want to wait in worst case for a year or so to complete a single target. This then sums up to many years just to have the standard objects captured. Maybe as a third rig I will afford a mono cam with a filter wheel. My ASI2600MC Pro and my rebranded Touptek 26000C are doing a good job when I do mine good too.

Great video Trevor. The “debate” between OSC or mono on the surface seems like a big deal when you’re starting out, but ultimately comes down to $$$. Most people that I personally know (as opposed to randos on cloudy nights) start shooting color with the idea that if they stick it out long enough and save, they’ll probably go mono.

Awesome video. I love my OSC camera, and L-Ultimate. Yes Mono has some cracked signal, but it also takes lots of time, and clear skies! oh and money. I like shooting all night, then waking up to stack my OSC data and process! I'll move to mono some day!

The ending was awesome 😂 osc for life haha

Great video. I like mono as I am able to take Ha data during a moonlit sky. I also find mono gives me a lot more options during post processing and I can also use SHO filters. I use focus offsets between filter changes so no time added there. I do refocus on temperature change etc but that’s no different to OSC. Flats takes about 5 minutes of my time using NINA flat wizard. The most time consuming part of flats is getting the panel setup but that’s no different to OSC. All of that said, OSC is convenient and I would always recommend that to start with.

Ha Ha, I love the ending Trevor. Good advice on the cameras. I started on the DSLR then mono ASI1600 and still use it on a dedicated permanent setup in the shed. However, I purchased the ASI294MC to use with my Edge800 for galaxies and did not want to bother with extra stuff with mono since I have a crappy FOV and terrible weather. I also purchased a ASI2600MC to use on a portable setup for the same reason and it is easier if I go offsite - Similar to Jeffery Horne' setup although he is going mono soon. Cheers Kurt

Well, when you do provide a direct comperison full color vs mono, remember to give the colorpicture 4 times the amount of time... :-) As allways, great video 👍😎 Clear skyes.

Good video as usual Trevor. For me, I find the much reduced faff of OSC more gratifiying, as you allude to near the end. Perhaps also because I live under bortle 4 skies and have access to 2-3 with a few hours drive it doesn't push me to Mono. Clouds, moon, family life - juggling the actual time I can get out I do not want to be playing with filter wheels. I want an image. Give me a few hours on a target and often I can do something. That and all the wonderful software - and frankly newest sensors which are amazing. No doubt that under poorer skies - mono is definitely a good idea. I think you give lots of great advice here - so kudos to you on that.

Here’s an idea I tossed around. What if you have 2 astro cams of the same model, but one is osc and the other is mono. You get a few hours with the osc for color and then go shoot in Luminance with the mono for several hours? This would obviously be something you could consider when you’ve already had an osc for quite some time.

Thanks, Trevor. I'd add (for others considering what to choose) that mono with Narrow Band filters means that one can still be in the backyard and have a very satisfying night in Bortle 6 skies when OSC, even with pollution filters, can't really cut it. Cheers.

Nice overview. I’d like to know the difference in final image quality between eg. 1 hour per LRGB compared to 4 hours OSC.

EAA and OSC for me but much respect and admiration to those who do the Mono thing. Great content as always, may it long continue. PS, it is "colour" though!!!

Fantastic as usual! And here I am a mono imager looking to add a OSC to the mix. Specifically, because I have few occasions to actually image due to sky conditions and life, I'm looking to add a second scope shooting OSC. Do you have any experience with adding high quality luminance or NB to OSC data?

2400MC Pro owner here. It's an excellent OSC camera. Full Frame, high full well, and great for longer focal lengths with those 5.94m pixels. It's a beast of a camera for galaxies on my Edge 9.25, and soon to be paired with my new SVX130T refractor. I image broadband exclusively at a dark site, which is why I chose OSC.

Diehard mono people: do you think there is value in beginning with OSC? As a true beginner, learning hardware ,software, processing, fine tuning things and working out bugs, isn’t the plate pretty full already? Then when you’re dialed, add a mono camera to the quiver to up your game. There will be projects where an OSC will still be useful, no??

What an amazing comparison! I'm sticking with my color camera regardless; however, I am curious if there is still a huge difference when stacking 4 color images and comparing to the LRGB from the mono?

Another great video. I am leery on making the switch to mono. Just don't have the time, whether it be on the processing side or the low number of clear nights. BTW, your cable management looks similar to mine.

I've learned alot from you, since I started watching your videos about astrophotography and I really need to know that which type of camera should I buy and now my doubt is clear. Thanks alot 😊

Thanks for the Video/Comparison! Twice the work, four times the exposure time, more hardware, and more expense, for an 11% better image... I just want good shots of interesting subjects that I can keep, and the additional sensitivity of EAA making my 6" scope act more like a 16" scope as compared to optical views. So I'll stick to a One Shot Color setup. Different Strokes!

Something else to consider is weather where you live. If you live in a place where there are very few clear nights a OSC will benefit by completing a target before it rotates out of view and allow you to look for other targets on next clear night..... With Mono you take 4x more frames which can mean multiple nights and weather may not support that for weeks...

Amazing video

Good video,bro

That solidified my opinion that I'll start with color imaging. I love the idea and concept for mono, I'm just not in a position to jump into it yet.

Good to know, because I'm still with a DSLR. Thanks Trevor!

Every time i watch these videos i have to tell myself "Yes, you do love astrophotography but you can't afford that hobby right now" :D

Thanks for the video Trevor! Nice comparison and wow the mono image was amazing clean! But at the end when you realized you didn't get flats for your mono images is one of the reasons I having gone mono. The other reason is I now use a RASA and I like to sleep at night instead of changing filters 🙂 Then again having a RASA, why not just take more pictures since it is so fast! Still got me wondering of if should get a mono camera now, thanks a lot 😕 Clear Skies!

The choice is what has kept me from taking the plunge into a dedicated astro camera. I have been using a Canon 60d for awhile, but I really need a cooled camera where I live. I like the ease of use for OSC, but know the "wow" shot are going to come from mono. I think I might have already bought one if not for the oil leaking issue on some of the models I was in the market for.

This debate will go on forever… I shoot both OSC and mono with 2600MC and 2600MM, the mono I don’t find to be huge amount better for image quality, at least not with these cameras, but it’s infinitely more flexible in choosing how to capture data. I use the OSC mostly on wider angle shots (135mm to 300mm) with camera lenses and the mono on the bigger scopes. To me its simplicity vs flexibility, both are nice tools to have and of equal value…

Great video you are right to advice beginners to start with colour camera dslr or dedicated otherwise the steep learning curve might well put off imaging. Always like your videos .

Because of the lower time commitment (and cost) I went for a 2600MC Pro for my first camera. Still a big financial investment though. Very pleased with the quality of images from my Bortle 2 skies. Throw in an L-Extreme in the filter drawer and holy smokes!! I don’t regret going OSC. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦

I'm in this boat right now. I've been shooting with a Canon M50 Mark II and am ready to jump to a dedicated astronomy camera. Kept going back and forth about going mono or sticking with color. Think I'm staying with OSC right now, but I know I'll move to mono eventually.

Excelent presentation

Great video insightful learnings to pick up. I have but one comment or question,. Since everything within astrophotography is developing very fast, I should think, from what I read in general, that the comparison between the 2, could have been more equal, ie. using a filter for the colour cam too. I am thinking specifically on a filter like the Optolong L-Ultimate filter. I am a new starter too within astrophotography, so I'd like to hear your views ( or anybody else's) on this, and the effect a 3 micron filter like this has when using a colour cam. ?

But you’re not comparing apples with apples here Trevor. Your colour camera (ASI2400MC) is a 24MP camera whereas your mono camera (ASI6200MM) is a 64MP camera with smaller pixels. A direct comparison would be the ASI6200MC with the ASI6200MM

If you have an observatory or backyard or more time to capture it's better mono, but if you only have weekends with no moon and clear skies for astrophotography, it's better color. Today with color cameras we can find great images with very signal, New BSI sensors are perfect!. I use ATIK APX60m and QHY268M in my observatory and SV405COLOR for travel. Simple!

Hi, very nice video. It helps a lot for taking a general desition for the type of camera. With which software are you doing the demo? Is it Affinity?

Great video, good explaining as always Trevor. As a point of small critique... please tone down the overuse of jump cuts. It has gotten to a level now which is just irritating to say the least.

Very informative Trevor, thanks. Looking to get a color cam for my 8se. Want to do planetary and some deep sky. I know I'm limited on the deep sky side with this setup but any recommendations on what model zwo would be appreciated. Thanks. Clear skies

Hi and love your vids . Im an absolute beginner, have i done wrong in buying a Skywatcher 250pds? I ask this as i see so many people with your kind of telescope. I got the Skywatcher 250pds because i too want to do Astrophotography. I got the 250pds as i want if possible to take photos of planets and Nebula and anything i possibly can. I also have a EQ6 too . But as yet i haven't had chance to use it. I do have lenses that come with the Telescope. I also have a Canon 550 camera. Your advice would be of great help. Thanks Roy

Great video! Thanks! I'm a beginner (very beginner) looking to get more into astrophotography. Starting with a color camera to get the basics and then moving on to monochrome makes sense, BUT... you end up spending more money in the long run..investing in a color camera then replacing it with a monochrome (+ the added filters, etc.). Whereas moving direct to monochrome means a steeper learning curve BUT you save buying a color camera that will ultimately become redundant. QUESTION - Do dedicated CMOS astronomy cameras and/or DSLRS retain a good solid resell value meaning one can recover most of the investment when moving to mono? For that matter - does astrophotography equipment in general retain its value? So if/when for example one wants to replace their mount, telescope, and/or etc. with upgraded versions, they can still get most of their investment back selling used?

hi, as i am starting astrophotography i would like to find a good telescope which will be mainly for observing planets, i would also like to buy a camera for good quality photos, a canon camera would be useful but i don't know what model, i would like a telsscope and the camera was not used and the telescope cost around $400 and the camera around $400 max, I would be very grateful for your help

I don't understand this comparison. The ASI2400MC is 14-bit and has 5.94um pixels whereas the ASI6200MM is a 16-bit and 3.76um pixel camera. Each pixel in the ASI2400 collects more photos just because of the size but it has higher read noise than the 6200. The lower read noise and the resulting 16 bits means that the 6200 is able to record more subtle details in nebulae and at the same time that gives more resolution. So, really: I don't know understand the comparison, given the same conditions is not possible to have a noisier background with the ASI6200MM than with the ASI2400MC. My question is: Are the two images (LRGB/mono ~5:55) uncalibrated? And, did you use an anti-pollution filter in any camera? Anyway, a fair comparison would be to compare the color and mono version of the same camera model in well controlled conditions.

The main thing that I’m seeing with the color camera that I don’t like is the rainbow noise. Definitely want to get a monochrome camera, but like you said, not having a color camera to use alongside it doesn’t sound like a good idea

i think regardless of whether or not you want to to osc or mono, having a cooled astro camera would be a nice step up in quality compared to a dslr or mirrorless camera. not only will running the camera at a lower temp be great noise wise, having a consistent temperature would allow you to create a master library of darks for various exposure lengths that you can use for a year, maybe 2? it'll save a bunch of time having to take those darks, plus you could probably do that during the day instead of after/during each session as well. maybe you can do a follow up and show a 4 image osc stack compared to the single lrgb stack to compare the noise and detail. another comparison could be showing the detail between and osc and lrgb image having similar integration times. i'm assuming you would be shooting more lum than rgb, so it would be cool to see the differences in detail and colors if any before any real processing. for the beginner, there's no reason you can't have both (well, besides money). it's unfortunate how much more expensive it is to go mono though. not only are the cameras more expensive, but you have to get the filter wheel and filters too. i think if you have the budget for either, it comes down to how much you want to spend (money and time) to have the flexibility to shoot what you want, how you want. the mono cam gives you options. it's more complicated, but it gives you more options. if you want to keep things simple, go osc. you can do narrowband with dual and triband filters now, and although you might not be able to separate certain signals, i believe you can get decent narrowband data and images from osc now. if you're looking to spread out those purchases over time, consider osc. you can buy things like a filter wheel and narrowband/light pollution filters for your osc, making it a little easier for you to pick up a mono cam later. you can always use that data you got from the osc even if you "upgrade" to mono later.

Thanks again for your insights. I am slowly getting up and running with astrophotography. I now have a refractor with a DSLR camera that I use for both astronomy and regular daytime photography, so the camera is not modified. Would I benefit from getting a color dedicated camera instead of the un-modified DSLR for astrophotography? I think monochrome photography is a long way away for me, since I am fairly new to the photography end of astronomy.

Which zwo pro camera is the best in combination with 8HD telescope? I don't have too much free time so it must be colour. I am looking for full frame big pixel size or apsc size.... I heard 2600 still has leaks problem. Any other choices?

My only criticism is the fact that a narrowband target was chosen. I would love to see the difference in shots on the target using narrowband filter. I agree that it would be terrible to start with mono though.

Would have been interesting to see the stack of 4 Color images compared to the Stack of single Mono shots. The red channel of a single color camera image contains about 1/4 of the photons that the Mono camera takes with the red filter in a single exposure. Green looks better, because RGGB means the Green channel actually contains 1/2 of the amount of light. Blue is 1/4 again. So 1 hour of observation time with a Mono cam actually means 15 minutes per channel + 15 minutes Luminance, while with a color camera you get 1 full hour of exposures, with lower efficiency per channel per shot. Equaling about 15 minutes in Red and Blue and 30 minutes of green.

Can you make a video of the equipment needed to start in astrophotography?

I started out with a 294MC pro, then decided I ‘needed’ to go mono. Now I’m back to a 2600 MC pro. Why? Because it’s just easier to produce great images. Image processing is 80% of this game. I don’t care what the difference is between a single frame on each since I always shoot long integration times. I rarely start seriously processing any image until I have 15 hrs of good data. My backyard observatory is Bortie 19.5 - 19.7 and OSC produces stunning images. OSC is simpler & way cheaper. Set of Chroma LRGB: $525, Astrodon 3nm Ha, O3: $685 EACH, EFW: $399, 1600MM Pro: $1,500. Total: $3,800. OSC: 2600MC Pro total $1,800. Just no comparison. That $2,000 is my backyard observatory which enables me to do AP 10x more than having to setup every time I wanted to shoot - well worth the trade off for me.

I shoot 1 shot color (QHY 294c) and have had great success with it. The question is do you get about the same quality image using a one shot color compared to a LRGB when imaging time is limited. Typically, I have about 2-3 hours to image in a night so does getting 120, 1 minute color images vs 30, 1 minute LRGB images produce about the same quality image in the end?

Excellent video, ty! I guess the ultimate question, all things being equal (say an ASI 2600 MC Pro vs ASI 2600 MM Pro) is the difference in image quality worth the the expense, time and work? Give the advances in post-processing and the advances of OSC camera quality... how big is that gap in quality? I mean I'm a giant nerd and would love the extra complexity... but is the gain worth it? Am I gonna jump through all those extra hoops and say "WOW!!!" or "Yeah, I don't really see it unless I zoom in on specific details"?

Now I shoot mono, but this does seem to be an unfair comparison, as the full colour LRGB 'mono' image had 4 times the integration vs the RGB OSC image - in reality, if you had 4 hours of clear skies would 1h in each of L,R,G&B be better than 4 hrs in the OSC image?

Still remember my first 2min sub through my rasa 11 with the ha baader f2 filter. But first 60 sec sub with rasa 8 and 2600 was dreamy

Very informative, thank you. I noticed you're using asiair and nina. Maybe you have already address the why. I'm sorry if I missed it , but can you explain the pros an cons of using both ant the same time. Thank you from Tucson. Hope you make it this way someday.