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Question re my next upgrade - Scope or Camera?

ZWO ASI533MC Pro Equipment Refractors Buying Advice
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Which should I do based on these facts?
Single choice poll 15 votes
20% (3 votes)
33% (5 votes)
47% (7 votes)
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Interstellar Medium Rare avatar
Interstellar Medium Rare avatar
Y'all,

I have about $2500 to spend on my next upgrade (lucky me!).  I sold a bunch of music gear I wasn't using.  Goal is to either (1) upgrade my camera or (2) purchase a larger scope.  Here's the scoop.

-Current Camera:  533 MC Pro
-Current Scope:  Askar 400 FRA quint

I want to capture more detail, and I would like to go up in FL/Aperture.  I most want to capture a lot more of the finer detail of my targets, and a close secondary goal is to be able to capture more detail in medium-size galaxies (smaller targets than, say, Triangulum).

Considering:

-Replace my 533MC Pro with a 2600 MC Duo

OR

-Purchasing an Askar 107 PHQ or Askar 140 APO Triplet (w/flattener) to have in addition to my Askar 400 FRA.

I'm really torn, but maybe there is an easy way to decide that I'm missing.  Any input would be *very* appreciated.

-IMR
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Brian Puhl avatar
Brian Puhl avatar
Option 4:   Switch to mono :-).   533 or 571 are both similar sensors, just one has more pixels.    If budget is an issue, a 533 mono with filters should be well inside that.
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Nothing beats aperture, except the seeing…
Menelaos avatar
Menelaos avatar
I would go for the bigger scope! 533 has a smaller sensor than 2600 so targets appear closer I guess. Galaxy season is around the corner!
Adel Kildeev avatar
Adel Kildeev avatar
I would also opt for a new Mono camera and nice NB filters ( cost a fortune now).
LookSpaceThings avatar
LookSpaceThings avatar
I would also consider the Askar 130PHQ, you won't need a flattener for this scope.
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Bastiaan Feenstra avatar
Bastiaan Feenstra avatar
100% go for a scope. The camera is expensive and will only give you a wider fov at the same pixel size. So if the goal is finer and more detail, aperture is the way.
Quinn Groessl avatar
Quinn Groessl avatar
Scope for sure. 533 is an extremely capable camera. Except for the FOV and the benefit of having a guide camera built in, I don't think you'd be as happy as a larger scope.