Geeks.com, the popular computer parts store, sent us in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 14 megapixel digicam for a spin. This camera has been a hit in the past year, both for its still capabilities, but also for its 720p HD video at 24 fps (film speed).
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Member since:2006-12-16
True, very true. That said, noise below a certain level is not that intrusive to the eye, and the eye is quite tolerant. There's no real need to be super cooling modern DSLRs with liquid nitrogen, it's over kill.
Now for scopes, that's an entirely *different* story - you're picking up very faint detail, and the pixel MUST be very sensitive. Since noise kills detail, noise must be reduced. Hence liquid cooling. Cameras like SBIG, Atik, Apogee, Finger Lakes Instruments, etc mostly employ cooling for this very reason.
A lot of astro imagers will taken many subs (shorter exposures) and stack them in something like DSS (deep sky stacker). For astro shots, you don't necessarily have to have really long exposures, stacking will bring out lots of details. Just make sure to take flats, darks etc.
Dave
Member since:
2007-01-03
Noise will be in all cameras period. Since CCDs are sensitive to infrared wavelengths you will get noise regardless of the size of your sensor. Unless you keep your CCD cool with liquid nitrogen (and even then you'll get some noise due to the inherent statistical probability that *something* could excite a pixel), like they do for telescopes and such, you will have some noise.