Considerations when purchasing a camera

Hi

I am using an unmodified Canon 7D and am also thinking about buying a dedicated astro camera.  My thoughts are:

Mono or colour?
If I buy a mono camera I also need a filter wheel and filters.  The good thing about mono is that this means I can image in Ha OIII and RGB, extending the targets and images, the bad thing is the extra cost.  A colour camera is an extension of what I have with better sensitivity perhaps but many have smaller resolution (pixel count).

Cooled or not?
Cooled allows for much less noise which would be good but I wonder if I have the skills and the location (bortle 8/9 sky) for that to make much difference?

8/12/16 bit.
Obviously the more data bits the finer the resolution you get across the image and the finer the details it can resolve.  I'm definitely aiming for the higher end here.

The great thing about this site is that you can search for images which were taken with specific equipment so if you want to see the difference between two cameras, search for them both and compare the images available. You obviously need to ensure the scope etc are the same with images you compare but it is still a very useful feature.

For me it doesn't make sense to buy a colour astro camera because the 7D is a very capable camera and certainly doesn't limit the imaging I'm doing at the moment (my skill level is the limiting factor!)
My decision at the moment is that I will save for a good mono camera and filter wheel.  The best filters are very expensive so I'll start
with something reasonable and buy better ones as I can afford them.  From what I've read using a mono camera and filters is also a real benefit with light polluted skies.

I hope this helps - or at least doesn't confuse the issue for you

All the best

Michael

My advise - keep this wounderfull camera AS IS and use it for widefield astrophotography with 100-200 mm lense. Modification helps a lot but without cooling you would get too much noise with long exposition shooting. Look for astrocamera, there are so many to choose from, I love my ASI 1600 MM. You did not mention the mount, but this is more important thing in astrophotography. Without good mount and autoguider you will not get any decent results. Also the scope is important, Skywatcher 120 is too dark for DSO, but still good for planetary imaging. Clear skies!

I looked at so many images here on Astrobin and on so many different sites, and i came to a conclusion as following:

1. Dark sky will make any camera nice even unmodified.
2. Astro dedicated camera is easier to use because it give better control and processing apps is a fun to use them
3. Cooled cameras are the best because they can be used in all conditions or situations, dark, light pollution, hot, cold
4. Narowbanding is a life saver for people in light pollution area
5. A mono camera giving like full control and better results because you deal with each color individually although it will take time and more expensive.

So, a mono cooled astro camera is like the top list then anything else like one shot color cooled or modified DSLR uncooled or cooled or mono non cooled, and then it is up to people to choose whatever according to their locations and their budget and their time if they don't like long exposures.

In addition to the suggestions above, consider the ASI294MC Pro (if you want OSC). It is a good cam with a good chip size and medium sized pixels. Should be fine with your Apo.