Hello fellow Moravian users -is this group still functional? I hope so as this is the only group I have found which is dedicated to Moravian camera users.
I have on order a C3 26000 Pro with the IFW so I am keen to learn from others when I start using this camera.
Regards, Doug
Hi Doug
I own that camera and I’m delighted with it.
It’s a bit heavy and bulky, so you need to plan ahead when balancing your OTA. Also noisy in operation . Cooling is perfect, temperature regulation is miles ahead of its ZWO sibling.
The original OAG is difficult to tune up, but once you’ve managed to reach focus, tighten it and you’re good to go for months.
Wish you good luck with it.
CS, Rodolphe
Hello fellow Moravian users -is this group still functional? [..]
Hello! Perhaps the topic is so quiet because the cameras.. just work, so not much to discuss 😁
I’ve had the FF version of C3 with the external 7×2” FW for ~2.5 years and not a single hiccup since then. Yes, it is noisy and quite heavy, so making sure the focuser can handle it, especially for AF near zenith, is essential.
I also use the original OAG, and like Rodolphe mentioned, it is tricky to setup, but doing it once the right way is enough. I used a Bahtinov mask to achieve perfect focus sync between guider and main camera.
I did have an issue with NINA on a mini-pc with 4gb of RAM, where during AF it would appear to download the next capture, but in reality used the same file, rendering AF non-functional. Solved by upgrading RAM to 8gb, so I suspect it was a NINA issue due to large 120mb file size of the 61mp sensor. SIPS (Moravian’s OEM software) never had this issue.
Finally, I found the Moravian documentation to be extremely detailed and user-oriented, for example they have tables on choosing the right filter size for each camera with regards to vignetting here https://www.gxccd.com/art?id=759&lang=409, etc. I only wish I’d read this before going for 2” filters 🫠 But that is on me, not Moravian.
I have used two Moravian cameras and I have a third which I am planning on deploying remotely soon. I used the C3-26000 for a while on my refractor at a remote installation. I am now using the C3-61000 remotely and I plan on swapping it out for the C5. The cameras are built like a tank and they just work. I haven’t had any issues and I love that they have a built in shutter.
Brilliant cameras - v happy C1X 61000C user here
Good morning to all Moravian owners.
I wanted to point out something I noticed between one light frames and the next.
In short, the shutter closes automatically after the light frame with too short a delay. It's about 3 seconds.
During a normal sequence, there's image downloading and dithering, which takes about 10 seconds.
I wrote to Moravian and they say the shutter is designed to last forever, but that makes little sense.
I've already asked them to extend the delay to 30 seconds. If you also write to the company, perhaps they'll take the matter more seriously.
Riccardo
Riccardo Civati · Apr 5, 2026, 06:20 AM
I wanted to point out something I noticed between one light frames and the next.
In short, the shutter closes automatically after the light frame with too short a delay. It's about 3 seconds.
During a normal sequence, there's image downloading and dithering, which takes about 10 seconds.
I wrote to Moravian and they say the shutter is designed to last forever, but that makes little sense.
I've already asked them to extend the delay to 30 seconds. If you also write to the company, perhaps they'll take the matter more seriously.
Not sure why this would be an issue, the shutter can close for every frame and have no effect on anything. I’ve been using cameras with shutters for 20 years and have never had one fail. It can happen, the blade type iris shutter over time can sometimes start to stick, but it’s rare, and I’ve never heard of a rotating shutter like Moravian uses ever failing.
I have a Moravian C3-61000 with a Moravian Filter Wheel- I am a happy customer!
Infatti non ho detto che è un problema!
È solo una miglioria che si può ottenere.
Moravian stessa dice che l'otturatore rimane aperto durante una sequenza di light frames e flat frames.
In un mondo ideale in cui tra il frame e il successivo non c'è ritardo, si.
Ma nella realtà, no
Quindi perché far lavorare lo shutter durante la notte ,inutilmente?
Rodolphe Goldsztejn · Apr 1, 2026, 10:24 AM
The original OAG is difficult to tune up
The Moravian OAG is frankly garbage. I have two 26000 and they are great (although one needs repair after it died but that is after 4 years of nearly all night every night use at a remote site).
Most people do not know that a ZWO OAG-L will bolt directly to the front of the 26000 internal filter wheel with only minor modification (slight hole enlargement on the OAG) and slightly longer bolts. It is WAY better than the Moravian OAG if you have the back focus. Here is that installed on my FSQ/Nightcrawler. Note several mm spacer that I machined for between the Cam and the OAG but that may or may not be needed depending on your setup.
📷 oag.jpg
Second photo shows just the OAG/Cam and the enlarged mounting holes on the OAG.
📷 oag 2.jpg
Riccardo Civati · Apr 5, 2026, 06:20 AM
Good morning to all Moravian owners.
I wanted to point out something I noticed between one light frames and the next.
In short, the shutter closes automatically after the light frame with too short a delay. It's about 3 seconds.
During a normal sequence, there's image downloading and dithering, which takes about 10 seconds.
I wrote to Moravian and they say the shutter is designed to last forever, but that makes little sense.
I've already asked them to extend the delay to 30 seconds. If you also write to the company, perhaps they'll take the matter more seriously.
Riccardo
It sounds to me you are saying the shutter is opening and starting the next image before the previous image has completed downloading. This sounds like an imaging control software issue, not a camera issue.
Per the user manual, if the next frame is of the same type as the previous one the shutter doesn’t close, untiL a few (3?) seconds have elapsed.
I have never observed this behavior as a problem, even when dithering.
To me this is not a case for concern.
They have also issued a newer OAG which corrects the current issues related to focusing. Not cheap, but it seems very well designed. Didn’t acquire it yet, and may not in a near future because I’ve managed to set mine up correctly.
Rodolphe Goldsztejn · Apr 1, 2026, 10:24 AM
Hi Doug
I own that camera and I’m delighted with it.
It’s a bit heavy and bulky, so you need to plan ahead when balancing your OTA. Also noisy in operation . Cooling is perfect, temperature regulation is miles ahead of its ZWO sibling.
The original OAG is difficult to tune up, but once you’ve managed to reach focus, tighten it and you’re good to go for months.
Wish you good luck with it.
CS, Rodolphe
Thanks Rodolphe. I decided to buy a good quality camera to replace an unreliable QHY268M which I thought at the time a great device. However, the build let me down in the end as did the months long wait for it to be repaired in China.
Rodolphe Goldsztejn · Apr 6, 2026, 08:14 AM
Per the user manual, if the next frame is of the same type as the previous one the shutter doesn’t close, untiL a few (3?) seconds have elapsed.
I have never observed this behavior as a problem, even when dithering.
To me this is not a case for concern.
They have also issued a newer OAG which corrects the current issues related to focusing. Not cheap, but it seems very well designed. Didn’t acquire it yet, and may not in a near future because I’ve managed to set mine up correctly.
Explain in a simple mode:
0- shutter open
1-take First light frame
2-download First light frame
3- dithering
4- take next light frame.
Between the point 2 and 4 Is necessary more than 3 second, and the shutter Will close and reopen uselessly