If you got the money, get the 2600. If you need to go with the 533 it will work great. I have been using the 533 for a while now with my RedCat51 and got great results. If you do decide to image something smaller with the 2600 you can just crop the image down and you lose nothing at all. A 2600 image cropped down to match the same resolution of a 533 is the exact same as shooting with a 533. Here is my assessment of each:
Disadvantages of both
- The pixel size is under-sampled at 250mm focal length. This will result in small stars looking a little square when zooming in really close. Applying a 2x drizzle will make it much better
2600
Disadvantages
- Costs more
- Files are much bigger
Advantages
- Wider FOV, although not really necessary with RedCat51
- Future proof
- Guiding + ASIAir integrated version available
533
Disadvantages
- FOV may be too small if you upgrade to a longer focal length (400mm+)
- No Guiding + ASIAir integrated version available yet
Advantages
- Smaller file sizes
- Cheaper
If you want to see samples of the FOV using RedCat51 and the 533MC you can look at my gallery on Astrobin. All shots there were taken with this combo:
https://app.astrobin.../JF1960#gallery
Edited by JF1960, 22 April 2025 - 11:18 AM.