dsmith
March 18, 2010, 01:19:35
With most long exposure astronomy CCD cameras it is possible to do 2x2 and even 3x3 binning of the pixels to increase sensitivity at the expense of resolution. Is this possible with the DMK41?
My idea would be to use 2x2 binning of the native 1280x960 and 4.65um square pixels to achieve 640x480 and 9.3um square pixels. This would presumably increase the sensitivity by a factor of (2x4.65/5.6)^2 = 2.76 versus the DMK21.
For long exposures this would mean cutting exposure times by a factor of 4 (and by a factor of almost 3 vs the DMK21). I know that DMK cameras are not generally used for long exposures but the capability to keep the shutter open a long time is certainly there. If the effective pixel size were 9.3umx9.3um the DMK41 would compare favourably with some of the high-end deep sky cameras.
Is binning a feature of the camera itself or simply of the acquisition software?
My idea would be to use 2x2 binning of the native 1280x960 and 4.65um square pixels to achieve 640x480 and 9.3um square pixels. This would presumably increase the sensitivity by a factor of (2x4.65/5.6)^2 = 2.76 versus the DMK21.
For long exposures this would mean cutting exposure times by a factor of 4 (and by a factor of almost 3 vs the DMK21). I know that DMK cameras are not generally used for long exposures but the capability to keep the shutter open a long time is certainly there. If the effective pixel size were 9.3umx9.3um the DMK41 would compare favourably with some of the high-end deep sky cameras.
Is binning a feature of the camera itself or simply of the acquisition software?