Cooling settings?

[stephen99]

Using the Atil 420 color. The factory setting on Artemis is 5 degrees. What should it be? Is there a guide based on the temp outside and would this help my images in anyway?

thanks

Steve

[mcgillca]

Dear Steve,

Hi - I don't have an Atik 420, but do have an Atik 314 and 460ex.

Looking at the spec for the 420, it can reduce temperatures by 30 degrees.

In general, the cooler your camera, the less noise there is and the better your pictures. However, the bias and dark frames (if you need them) need to be taken at the same temperature.

For my Atik 460, I try and image at -10 degrees. I can generally achieve this temperature except in the height of summer, when I might need to go to -5 degrees. I could go colder in winter, but the noise is already pretty low at -10 and it means I just need dark and bias frames at -5 and -10, rather than trying to get some at -10, -20 etc.

For the Atik 314, the noise is already pretty low at 0 degrees, and I can always image at that temperature, so never try  to go lower.

I would guess the Atik 420 is more like the Atik 460.

I hope this helps,

Colin

[MikeM]

Hi Steve, as Colin mentioned cooler is better in the noise reduction department. But obvioulsy there will be times when the cooler may not reach the desired cooling level.
I use a 383 and try to keep the cooling level at 80% power or less. So for my camera it translates to -10* in the summer and -20* in the winter. I can probably go lower in the winter but the image is clean at -20* so I don't feel the need to go lower. HTH.

[stephen99]

THanks for the replies. This will def. help. I have to retake flats anyway. Just found out all the flats that I thought were good are in fact bad! Nice! Was wondering why my images were coming out bad. So I can start fresh.

Steve