atik horizon..a good buy???

[Sacred Heart]

Hello,  I am new to the group - first post.   I'm in the market for a camera, looking at QHY and ZWO 183 models.  Also been reading some horror stories on the cameras,  grease on the sensor, fans stop working, wrong camera in the box.

I know Atik is European English I think and I do not think they have service centers in the US.   

What I am trying to find out is honestly are there any / many bad experiences with Atik or their Horizon mono camera??    I don't want to buy a camera to work on before I use it or have it break within the warranty period let alone the first 30 days.   

Thanks for any and all help,   Joe

[CraigG]

Hello Joe!

Welcome to the forum. My experience with dedicated astro cameras is limited to SBIG and Atik. I have owned three Atik cameras...the Infinity, Horizon 1 mono and Horizon 1 color. Save for one adjustment that was needed for the Horizon mono and covered by the warranty, the Horizons have performed as advertised night after night. Build quality and consistency have been great.You are correct that Atik service work is handled, to my knowledge, exclusively in the UK but my experience with the warranty work that I mentioned was among the best customer service I've ever had. When my adjustment was completed, it left the UK on a Wednesday afternoon and I had it in my hands in northern Michigan, without any return shipping cost, on the following Friday morning!!! Pretty darn amazing.

As they say...your mileage may vary but I hope this helps a bit with your decision. Let us know what you decide to do!

Cheers!
Craig

[Sacred Heart]

Hello Craig, Thank you for your feedback.   If you do not mind me asking,  what adjustment is needed on the Horizon camera??    Thanks,  Joe 

[CraigG]

Sure!
Looking back at my notes, the work was actually done on my color Horizon. I was noticing horizontal banding to the right and left of very bright stars. I understand that they modified a circuit to smooth out one of the power supplies. That solved the issue.

Craig

[Sacred Heart]

Wow!!  That is great.   Thank you        Joe

[Noah4x4]

I too had great warranty service from Atik with my Horizon 1 OSC. Very early Horizon models had a slimline USB3 socket that could become wobbly under cable strain. This was promptly replaced with the most recent USB3 socket that is now common. They didn't have to do this as the camera wasn't faulty. But when it was realised the inferior (early) version of USB3 socket might create a future problem, it was replaced, no quibble.

As regards US-UK service, I regularly use Starizona and frequently I have received items that have travelled 5,800 miles in merely three working days, despite the pandemic. Modern air/land courier is remarkably efficient.  The Horizon is a great camera. I have owned mine for almost five years. Incredibly sensitive for DSOs. I didn't have the banding problem mentioned by Craig. Now it works with Sharpcap, it is my favoured camera (I also have a ZWO ASI294), especially on Hyperstar (at f/2) on my Celestron Evolution.

[rabbleoily]

Hello Joe!

Welcome to the forum. My experience with dedicated astro cameras is limited to SBIG and Atik. I have owned three Atik cameras...the Infinity, Horizon 1 mono and Horizon 1 color. Save for one adjustment that was needed for the Horizon mono and covered by the warranty, the Horizons have performed as advertised night after night. Build quality and consistency have been great.You are correct that Atik service work is handled, to my knowledge, exclusively in the UK but my experience with the warranty work that I mentioned was among the best customer service I've ever had. When my adjustment was completed, it left the UK on a Wednesday afternoon and I had it in my hands in northern Michigan, without any return shipping cost, on the following Friday morning!!! Pretty darn amazing. mario games

As they say...your mileage may vary but I hope this helps a bit with your decision. Let us know what you decide to do!

Cheers!
Craig

When I review my notes, I see that the work was completed while I was using the color Horizon. Horizontal banding caught my eye to the right and left of really luminous stars. One of the power sources, I've heard, had a circuit tweaked to make it more stable. Therefore, the problem is no longer present.