JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Of course. Binning by 1 gives you the max resolution.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Can you please explain the process of binning 2x and 4x???
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

From what I recall from my G3 tussle, Binning 1x was for imaging. And higher binning was for focusing and faster work.
But Binning 1 was the desired binning to collect color images. 2x, 4x were B&W.

Now, the Infinity camera uses a 1, 2, 4, 8 binning. But all I've ever used was Binning 1 with the fast mode, or the Imaging mode.
I use the fast, or single image, format to find and center a target, or for focusing. But I don't think I've ever saved any of those.
Most recently, I've even been fine adjusting my focus in the video mode, with the stacking unchecked.

I think the control for the Horizon is supposed to be the same as for the Infinity. And you are going to love it.
Given a bit of time to get use to it, you'll be flying around and imaging all over the place.

The CMOS has come of age.

More on Binning here, Craig: https://www.swagastro.com/to-bin-or-not-to-bin.html

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Sonny, thanks for sharing all this great information. I am looking forward to getting my ATKI Horizon Camera Friday and Saturday night going to be at the mountain. I hope to get the basics worked out before then.
Craig

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Binning is the process of making a group of pixels behave as one bigger pixel. 2x means 2x2 pixels or a total of 4 pixels. The charge collected on each pixel is combined on the new pixel which can now hold 4x the charge. The result is that the effect of noise is reduced, and the signal to noise ratio increases. The download time also increases since there are fewer total pixels to retrieve information from.

In this mode, the sensitivity also increases.

A very useful application of binning is a way to increase the sensitivity of the CCD when you are first setting up for the evening, and you can see stars more easily before it is totally dark. I do this because the true focal point may be far away and I want to see more stars. I do start my focus in this binning mode, but as I get close, I go back to 1X mode (i.e. No Binning) to do the final focusing because I need all the help I can get with focusing.

Whether or not is makes sense to do binning has lots to do with the number of pixels in the CCD camera. If the number of pixels is small, you don't want to use binning for final images. As the CCD increases in the number of pixels, the reduction in effective numbers of pixels is less of a concern.

If you bin a color CCD, it loses color and reverts to monochrome. If you have the Atik Horizon, the process is different with the binning happening in the laptop computer used with the camera.

nicolas59

Thank you

nicolas59

Hi Jim

Is it True ?
If I use binning x2 : for exemple I expose 20 secondes. Ok. Black/white

If I want to do the same target BUT in binning x 1 I have to expose 40 secondes to have the same signal?

Thanks
Nicolas

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

I don't have a feel for if the expose time is exactly that. But you will need to expose longer.

nicolas59

Ok I understand.
Thank you
Nicolas