Atik Infinity Colour Camera - Information

Look | Look at Different Telescopes | Sensor, Pixel Data, Field of View | Visited Sky Objects | First Photo Attempts | Early Conclusions | Links | Appendix: Data

Archive

On this page, I present some information about my Atik Infinity Colour* camera**. Possibly, this is useful for others who want to acquire this camera as well...

See also pages (Archive):

See the appendix for the data.

*) Usually, I would write "Color", because I try to use American English, but Atik is a company located in the UK, and therefore it's "Colour"...
**) Received used on November 25, 2017 (see Notes below); sold at the end of December 2022, and finally transferred on January 5, 2023.

Note: Over Christmas 2022, I sold my Atik Infinity camera (transferred on January 5, 2023). I therefore cannot report any further experiences with it here.

Notes

The Atik Infinity Colour camera is originally sold with the following accessories:

I bought the camera used at Teleskop-Leasing, instead of leasing it at first. They also supplied an adapter cable for the power supply that can be screwed into the camera und thus prevents the power cable from being removed inadvertently.

 

Look

Unboxing...

Note: Since this is a used camera, the package may not be in its original state...

Package and delivery note

Package opened, camera box and quickstart guide moved to top

Camera box and quickstart notes

Camera box opened, the packing list lies on top

Then the software CD and the Quickstart guide come...

After removing the plastic cover, you can see the camera

View of camera and cables (the original bags are gone...)

Everything taken out of the box; at the bottom right you can see the additional cable adapter for the power supply

Everything without box ...

Look of the Camera

Size Comparison with Sony RX100 M1

Sony RX100 M1 and Atik Infinity

Ditto

Ditto

Adapter Cable for the Power Cable

The adapter cable can be screwed into the power connector of the Atik Infinity camera, whereas the original power cable cannot.

Atik Infinity with Focal Reducer and Extension Sleeve (Sold)

TS 2 x Focal Reducer and 2.5 cm Extension Tube

TS focal reducer 2 x (right) and extension tube (left)

TS 2 x Focal Reducer Fitted to Atik Infinity

Attached to the Skymax-102 (not tested in practice - only at the Skymax-127)

TS 2 x Focal Reducer and 2.5 cm Extension Tube Fitted to Atik Infinity

 

Look at Different Telescopes

Heritage 100P on Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount

The Atik Infinity can be operated, from a purely technical point of view, at the Heritage 100P. Unfortunately, this combination does not work as such, because I cannot get into focus with the camera. But with a Barlow lens or a focal extender this is possible (tested with 2 x versions; not shown). In the meantime, I gave my Heritage 100P away.

View of the complete equipment including the power pack (for the mount and the camera) and a laptop computer (for running the Atik Infinity software)

Explorer 150PDS on Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount

In the meantime, I sold my Explorer 150PDS.
Top left and center view of the complete equipment including the power pack (for the mount and the camera) and a laptop computer (for running the Atik Infinity software)

Skymax-102 on Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount

The Atik Infinity can be operated at the Skymax-102. But because of the long focal length of the Skymax-102 and its small aperture ratio (1300 mm, f/12.7), a focal reducer is advisable (see above). I did not test this combination and sold the Skymax-102 in the meantime. Here the camera is shown without a focal reducer!
View of the complete equipment including the power pack (for the mount and the camera) and a laptop computer (for running the Atik Infinity software)

Skymax-127 on Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount

The Atik Infinity can be operated at the Skymax-127. But because of the long focal length of the Skymax-127 and its small aperture ratio (1500 mm, f/11.8), a focal reducer is advisable (see above). I tested this combination with a 2 x TS focal reducer plus a 2.5 cm extension tube (nominally 3 x, but 2.31 x in practice). Here the camera is shown without a focal reducer!
View of the complete equipment including the power pack (for the mount and the camera) and a laptop computer (for running the Atik Infinity software)
 

Bye-Bye End of 2022 with PS 72/432

 

Sensor, Pixel Data, Field of View

The ASI224MC camera uses the Sony CCD sensor type Sony ICX825 (CCD) with a resolution of 1.4 MegaPixels, or 1392 x 1014 pixels (H/V). The pixel size is 6.45 µm (quadratic pixels). With this, all sizes are known to calculate the field of view of the camera at different telescope tubes!

On page Atik Infinity Colour Camera - Field of View, I make more comprehensive estimates of the field of view with my telescopes at that time. In the following, I simply use the Website astronomy.tools to determine the field of view of my current telescopes (as of April 2021) at the Atik Infinity:

Legend: Orange Custom Scope = eVscope; Yellow Custom Scope = PS 72/432

And here the same for the ZWO ASI224MC (it uses the same sensor as the eVscope):

Legend: Orange Custom Scope = eVscope; Red Custom Scope = PS 72/432

I summarize the results in the following table (I added the ASI294MC):

 
Field of View
 
Telescope Reducer Focal Length Aperture ASI224MC* Atik Infinity* ASI294MC Remarks
PS 72/432 --- 432 72 0.65° x 0.48° 1.19° x 0.89° 2.54° x 1.73° The largest FOV
C5 --- 1250 127 0.22° x 0.17° 0.41° x 0.31° 0.88° x 0.60° FOV like C8 with reducer
C5 f/6.3 787.5 127 0.36° x 0.17° 0.65° x 0.49° 1.40° x 0.95° FOV a little smaller as with TLAPO1027
C8* --- 2032 203 0.14° x 0.1° 0.25° x 0.19° 0.54° x 0.37° The smallest FOV
C8* f/6.3 1280 203 0.22° x 0.16° 0.4° x 0.3° 0.86° x 0.58° FOV like C5
TLAPO1027 --- 714 102 0.39° x 0.29° 0.72° x 0.54° 1.54° x 1.05° FOV a little larger that for C5 with reducer
eVscope* --- 450 114 0.61° x 0.46 --- --- Same chip as ASI224

Roughly simplified, the fields of view of the Atik Infinity are almost twice as large per dimension, that is, the image areas are almost four times as large as those of the ASI224MC. Since the chips have roughly the same numbers of pixels, this difference is mainly due to the different pixel sizes (3.75 versus 6.45 µm). And compared with the ASI294MC, the fields of view of the Atik Infinity are almost half as large per dimension.
*) No longer in my possession.

 

Visited Sky Objects

I visited (and documented) the following sky objects with the Atik Infinity camera:

See also page Atik Infinity Colour Camera - Photo Gallery for photos of the DSO.

 

First Photo Attempts

Notes: On this page, I only show successful first photo attempts. On page First Experiences, I present all of my first attempts, whereas on page Gallery, I will collect and present the, in my opinion, best photos.

Attempts on December 31, 2017

Photos taken with Explorer 150PDS on Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount:

    

Photo: My test equipment

 

Chart: Locations of the sky objects M 15, M 27, M 56, M 57, and M 71 (larger chart)

The Photos

         

M 15 (Pegasus)

  

M 56 (Lyra)

  

M 57 (Ring nebula in Lyra)
   

M 27 (Dumbbell nebula in Vulpecula)

  

Ditto, alternative processing

 

M 71 (Sagitta)

Attempts on January 14, 2018

Photos taken with Skymax-127 and 2 x focal reducer plus 25 mm extension tube (results theoretically in about 3 x reduction, practically in about 2,31 x reduction) on Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount:

    

M 45 (Taurus), center

 

M 31 and M 32 (top left, Andromeda)
 

M 45 (Taurus), created from recording

     

M 31 and M 32 (top left, Andromeda), created from recording

Note that these photos show the complete image and that the large versions are in original size. This is due to the fact that the sky objects are extended - even beyond the field of view.

Attempts on February 12, 2018

The following photos were taken with the Explorer 150PDS on the Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount (with StarSense module):

         

M 35 (Gemini)

  

M 42 (Orion), processed

 

M 42 (Orion), alternative processing

         

M 36 (Auriga)

  

M 37 (Auriga)

  

M 38 (Auriga)

Attempts on February 21, 2018

The following photos were taken with the Explorer 150PDS on the Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount (with StarSense module):

         

M 35 (Gemini)

  

M 42/43

 

M 42/43, alternative processing

             

Nearly Half Moon

 

 

  

 

Later Observations

Note: See page Atik Infinity Colour Camera - Further Experiences (Nightly Tests) for later observations with the Atik Infinity.

 

Early Conclusions

Heritage 100P

As a "minimal info" I can pass on that I cannot directly use the Atik Infinity camera at my Heritage 100P, because the camera does not come into focus, that is, it delivers only blurry images. However, with a Barlow lens or a focal length extender, the focus point can be moved in the desired direction, namely outwards. Depending on the magnification factor (1.5 x, 2 x or 3 x), the focal length is extended accordingly, which might be quite an advantage. But this also reduces the aperture ratio, thus requiring longer exposure times. The results achieved with the Heritage 100P with a focal length extender can, however, only be called "poor"...
Update: I do no longer own the Heritage 100P.

Explorer 150PDS

The camera can be used directly at the Explorer 150PDS, and the achieved results are also much better than those achieved with the Heritage 100P. With appropriate post-processing, they seem to be no longer far away from what can be achieved with my equipment - they are also, at least in part, comparable to those of the eVscope.
Update: I do no longer own the Explorer 150PDS.

Skymax-127, Skymax-102 / C5, C8

Now it is all about detail improvements and trying out the camera with other telescopes. I tested the camera already briefly with the Skymax-127 and a 2 x focal reducer plus extension tube. Further tests are needed, als well as tests with the Skymax-102.
Update: I do no longer own the Skymax-102s. I also decided not to use the camera at my Maks. Later, I used the camera at my C8 and C5 instead.

A First Statement... / A Later Statement

Even with the initial poor results, I was already able to "see" more objects with the camera than I was previously able to find purely visually. In that sense, I was already satisfied with the camera from the beginning.

In the end, the photos were not really satisfying for me, except for those of the Orion Nebula M 42. Maybe, the camera needs longer exposure times than an AZ mount allows.

Positive Aspects of "Quick-and-Dirty Astronomy Photography"

I would also like to point out a few more positive aspects of "quick-and-dirty astronomy photography," which apply to "sub-optimal" photos in general, as well. Firstly, I can "see" objects with the camera, which I am not able to find for a number of reasons when observing visually. Even though the telescope tube was sitting on the GoTo mount, I was often not able to find some of the objects when observing visually, assuming that the objects were (mostly) correctly accessed. Thus, the camera can lead to the feeling of small successes, instead of frustration and disappointment.

Secondly, I can use the camera to save an image of the observed sky object, which at least, helps me afterwards to identify it, in the case that I am not quite sure that I actually have found it. And the image also shows certain object features that I normally cannot remember and quickly forget after observing. Later, you can find something like "a faint glow" or "nice" in my notes, which tells you close to nothing. Even a tiny and blurry photo contains more information that I can use in my recordings than such "overall" remarks.

Note: Over Christmas 2022, I sold my Atik Infinity camera (transferred on January 5, 2023). I therefore cannot report any further experiences with it here.

 

Links

 

Appendix: Data of the Atik Infinity Camera

 

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02.04.2023