[Aavso-photometry] DSI Pro

[arne]

Fabrizio Lucidi wrote:
> Hi to all,
> my name is Fabrizio (LFZ).
> I'm new to the list, but not to Variable stars
> observing. 
> At now I usually can use an APOGEE AP7P CCD camera
> together with a 20 in newton telescope at the Cima
> Rest observatory in Italy.
> Because it is quite far from my home in Imola, I'm
> thinking to buy a Meade DSI Pro to use it with a SC
> Meade LX90 telescope when I stay here at home or
> during working week nights.
> My question is: is that camera a good idea? Is it
> suitable for quite good variable star photometry (of
> course with BVRI filters)? Has anyone bought that
> camera? And, if so, what about it?
> I don't need a very good (and expensive) camera (I
> already have the Apogee) but I think for that price
> it's a good object.
> Thank You to all and...
> ...clear skies (from a raining Italy...Sigh!)
> 
It should be an ok camera for photometry, especially if
your image scale is such that you have 2-3 pixels across
the seeing disk (fwhm) of the stars.  The vendor has set
the gain up such that the camera is reasonably linear,
but the full well is small and so the dynamic range is
limited.  I had a sidebar in the DSI-Pro article recently
published in Sky and Telescope on this camera.  The price
is hard to beat, it includes a filter slide, and the download
time is very fast so that you can do pretty high time-resolution
work.  Exposures should be kept reasonably short since the
camera is not cooled and dark current will vary with ambient
temperature.  As a second camera (doubling as a guider), or
as a first camera for a novice, it is a good choice.
Arne