21 replies to this topic

[hughesthompson]

Cuiv the Lazy Geek interviewed Sam Wen, founder of ZWO, at a trade show in Japan yesterday.  The YouTube video is here: https://youtu.be/Phe...8gNqTzQCVqr-L-t

 

In addition to some Seestar comments, Sam showed off a couple of new integrated cameras, the ASI2600MM Air, and the ASI585MC Air.  Looks like ZWO is going all in on this type of combo with the guide chip and ASIair integrated into the camera.  The 585 Air is particularly interesting since it's the small format camera body and would be very portable.  Hopefully they will extend this concept to the 533 chip as well.

 

Hughes

Edited by hughesthompson, 01 March 2025 - 05:15 PM.

[DeepSky Di]

Cuiv the Lazy Geek interviewed Sam Wen, founder of ZWO, at a trade show in Japan yesterday.  The YouTube video is here: https://youtu.be/Phe...8gNqTzQCVqr-L-t

 

In addition to some Seestar comments, Sam showed off a couple of new integrated cameras, the ASI2600MM Air, and the ASI585MC Air.  Looks like ZWO is going all in on this type of combo with the guide chip and ASIair integrated into the camera.  The 585 Air is particularly interesting since it's the small format camera body and would be very portable.  Hopefully they will extend this concept to the 533 chip as well.

 

Hughes

When Cuiv asked whether we'll get rumored products Seestar S70 or AM7 the answer was "all of them."

 

Cuiv forgot to ask about the EAF Pro :-(

[Notdarkenough]

My favorite was the "internal" focusing inside an astrocam. I would love than. Good question, Cuiv! I can wait for that innovation, but they really need to expand the Star Atlas catalog for AAs. It is simply abysmal. Maybe make it like ASTAP, where you can decide how large a catalog you want to use vs data space available. 

[hughesthompson]

When Cuiv asked whether we'll get rumored products Seestar S70 or AM7 the answer was "all of them."

 

Cuiv forgot to ask about the EAF Pro :-(

What did you think of Cuiv's suggestion of a micro-focuser with 1mm travel built into the camera!  Anything built into the camera will mess with back-focus but that's less of an issue with the modern Petzval and similar designs.

[DeepSky Di]

What did you think of Cuiv's suggestion of a micro-focuser with 1mm travel built into the camera!  Anything built into the camera will mess with back-focus but that's less of an issue with the modern Petzval and similar designs.

I was initially surprised, but maybe it works if you can get into approximate focus manually and then microfocus from there. I'm so used to having EAFs and not being able to focus manually, so it would be quite a change!

 

I'm still skeptical about duo cameras and 3nm narrowband filters. I'd like to see a filter wheel with rectangular filters for APS-C and a hole for the duo guide camera. Of course, someone would have to make the rectangular APS-C filters. 

 

As for the rumored EAF Pro, my guess is it would have wifi and maybe even an on board battery, to disconnect it from the rotating components on the other side of the CAA.

[Jim Waters]

I would like to know their plans for the next generation of AM5N mounts.  I have one and love it.

[hyiger]

I was initially surprised, but maybe it works if you can get into approximate focus manually and then microfocus from there. I'm so used to having EAFs and not being able to focus manually, so it would be quite a change!

 

I'm still skeptical about duo cameras and 3nm narrowband filters. I'd like to see a filter wheel with rectangular filters for APS-C and a hole for the duo guide camera. Of course, someone would have to make the rectangular APS-C filters. 

 

As for the rumored EAF Pro, my guess is it would have wifi and maybe even an on board battery, to disconnect it from the rotating components on the other side of the CAA.

+1 there is no way I will ever have a use case for a Duo unless it's on a short and fast scope. Especially now that I use 2.5nm filters. I like the idea of having the guide camera peek over the filters. 

Edited by hyiger, 01 March 2025 - 08:22 PM.

[w7ay]

Anything built into the camera will mess with back-focus but that's less of an issue with the modern Petzval and similar designs.

+++ 100%

 

An "internal" focuser will not work with anything but Petzval telescopes, where you don't use flatteners or reducers.

 

As you change that internal focuser in the camera, what you are changing is the backfocus distance between the sensor and the reducer/flattener, not the distance between the objective lens and the flattener, where a focuser needs to be.

 

What an in-camera focuser is useful for is adjusting backfocus when you change filters with different thickness, but again, Petzvals don't care about that.  So, it is useful in places (Petzval) when it is not needed :-).

 

Chen

Edited by w7ay, 01 March 2025 - 08:58 PM.

[w7ay]

+1 there is no way I will ever have a use case for a Duo unless it's on a short and fast scope. Especially now that I use 2.5nm filters. I like the idea of having the guide camera peek over the filters. 

SBIG tried the two-sensor cameras back in the old days as the ST-7.

 

http://www.company7....oducts/st7.html

https://patents.goog...t/US5525793A/en

 

I mentioned the camera to Sam in an email a couple of years ago, but warned him that it is not useful for narrowband filters (i.e., serious astroimagers).  But he ran with it anyway; I think ZWO is after "convienience" for the novice ("Easy as 1,2,3"), rather than performance for serious hobbyists.  More money in that.

 

SBIG wised up and gave up on that diversion, and later cameras include a camera combo that integrated a main camera, filter wheel and a guide camera which is not obstructed by filters.  E.g. the STF series

 

https://diffractionl.../06/AAS_STF.pdf

 

Pretty complex set of prisms, though.  But a small sensor can probably be placed inside the filter wheel itself, and avoid any additional optical elements.

 

(I still have my SBIG ST-8300, but not the "F," though :-).

 

Instead of adding a guide sensor to a main camera, a filter wheel that includes a guide camera might make sense as a product (again stealing half the idea from SBIG).  But don't tell Sam I mentioned it, since he might want to make money off of such an idea too, without testing all scenerios out :-)

 

Chen

Edited by w7ay, 01 March 2025 - 10:35 PM.

[andysea]

I suppose an in-camera micro focuser may be useful to dial in the perfect back focus for reducer/correctors etc...

I would not want that in my cameras tho. The fewer moving parts the better.

[Strewth78]

I wonder what the actual release date will be. I have a holiday to a bottle 2 nightsky on April 21st and would love to take the 585air.

...but I feel like I might be a couple weeks too early

[licho52]

Can hardly contain excitement about these products.

[BKMaynard]

Meh

[hyiger]

There is a post by ZWO in their forums where they are taking an informal survey as to whether people have an appetite for them embedding an ASIAir inside the mount head of an AM5 or AM3. As long as I can turn it off and still use NINA I might go for something like that. Anyway, stuffing everything inside a 2600 camera body has got to end at some point and has never appealed to me. 

[Helyis]

Wake me up when we get a new, modern, micro 4/3 camera

[ShortLobster]

The most interesting comment coming out of the video is that ZWO has sold 100000 ASIAirs. I'm struggling coming up with any other astrophotography product that has sold that many units. Maybe Pixinsight. Celestron SCTs? 

[hughesthompson]

The most interesting comment coming out of the video is that ZWO has sold 100000 ASIAirs. I'm struggling coming up with any other astrophotography product that has sold that many units. Maybe Pixinsight. Celestron SCTs? 

Though not exclusively an astrophotography product, sales estimates for the C8 alone are over 200,000 units.  Has to be the most popular scope ever made.  There does not seem to be any good data on total Pixinsight sales but among AstroBin users it's more popular than the ASIAir (10,000 users vs 7,500).

[hyiger]

Though not exclusively an astrophotography product, sales estimates for the C8 alone are over 200,000 units.  Has to be the most popular scope ever made.  There does not seem to be any good data on total Pixinsight sales but among AstroBin users it's more popular than the ASIAir (10,000 users vs 7,500).

Is that 200K units in a year or since inception? If the later, the C8's been out for 55 years. 

[Anthony_1138]

The AM7 comment interested me - I guess that would be a strain wave mount with a higher payload than the AM5N?  The AM5N recommends focal lengths <=900mm.  An AM5-style mount that can support larger payloads and longer focal lengths would be great, especially if they can get into the range for common SCTs, e.g. an Edge HD8 (2000mm or 1400mm with the reducer).

[Phillip Creed]

The AM7 comment interested me - I guess that would be a strain wave mount with a higher payload than the AM5N?  The AM5N recommends focal lengths <=900mm.  An AM5-style mount that can support larger payloads and longer focal lengths would be great, especially if they can get into the range for common SCTs, e.g. an Edge HD8 (2000mm or 1400mm with the reducer).

ZWO *recommends* <= 900mm focal lengths for the AM5.  I know several folks who've successfully imaged with them using 8" SCTs, even at f/10.

Clear Skies,

Phil

[hughesthompson]

Is that 200K units in a year or since inception? If the later, the C8's been out for 55 years. 

That's 200,000 total based on the estimate in this post: https://www.cloudyni...n-8s/?p=9975065

[hughesthompson]

+1 there is no way I will ever have a use case for a Duo unless it's on a short and fast scope. Especially now that I use 2.5nm filters. I like the idea of having the guide camera peek over the filters. 

Maybe the simplest solution to the filter problem would be a rectangular drop-in or clip-in filter that sits right above the protect window and clears the guide chip.  You would not want it spaced further out since unfiltered light could leak over to the main sensor.