Nikon 810a compatibility

Sequence Generator Equipment Compatibility
1

I’d love to get some feedback on the use of a Nikon 810a with SGP.

Specifically, I’m interested in having SGP autofocus the camera (using an FSQ motorized focuser).

  1. Can SGP autofocus properly with this 35mm chip that uses 4.88 µm pixels?
  2. Since the file size is so huge, does this create any extraordinary delays in autofocusing and/or capturing?
  3. About how long does it take to download a raw image?
  4. Can the plate solver easily solve 810a images through say an FSQ with reducer (320mm focal length)?

Any other insights, problems, success when using this camera with SGP? I’d love to hear your experience with this camera.

Thanks!
Rick

2

Yes, SGPro will focus anything that uses an ASCOM driver to control the focus motor. You will want to use software binning during AF to remove bayer artifacts from the HFR analysis though.

Yes. How much though I cannot answer… depends how powerful your machine is…

It varies… Other D810 users would better answer this.

Not all of them. Some don’t do so great with super wide fields. Pinpoint would work. Not sure about the others. I would guess ANSVR would.

We offer a 45 day trial so you can make sure your happy before paying anything.

3

Hi Ken, I’ve been a happy user of SGP for may months now. You’re doing a great job! I don’t have the Nikon yet and want to be sure it works with SGP satisfactorily before I purchase it. I’d rather not use Backyard Nikon software as I like the SGP autofocus routine.

Can the Nikon 810a do binning?

4

Not at the hardware level, but SGPro will bin the image in software and remove the bayer artifacts.

5

Hi Rick!
I own a D810a & a Tak 106. Never used the setup together though (yet). But I can give it a go when the skies are clear over here…
I tried SGP with a Star 71 (aprox 350 mm.), a SGL focusser & the D810a, but autofocus was slow. Only tried this once, but because it was a vacation at the southern hemisphere, I skipped the autofocus to save time. I also used a cheap tablet with win10. That doesn’t help…
But as said, I’ll try this week on the Tak ( with robofocus ) to find out.
Marco

6

Sorry to say this, but the D810(a) is not a good match with the SGP autofocus routine…
The first exposure took a couple of minutes(!) to take & proces. Not usable…
I had a (cloudless) timespan of 30 minutes to get it all set up with the FSQ. It was hard to get the proper backfocus distance with an OAG, so I never had a chance to finish the routine.
I noticed the same when I went to Namibia earlier this year with a D810a & a Star 71 APO, so I only used SGP for its sequence. No autofocus and/or platesolving.
The D810a is a superb camera though!

I have an old laptop for SGP to use, but even with a SXV H35 (11k. fullframe ccd) autofocus was possible. (7 point routine in 4 minutes or so)
Regards,
Marco

7

I have to get back on this.
Last night I finally got a chance to get things running behind my FSQ106. Clear skies for one hour. (…)
Normally I run this setup (default = SXVH35 mounted on this permanent setup) on an old laptop, where download times with the D810a are way too long, but I tried a newer, very basic, Win 10 laptop yesterday, so still underpowered. Downloadtimes where about 10 seconds so probably this will work with a faster PC!
Clouds came in in the meantime and since not all software was installed, I couldn’t perform an autofocus run. Forecasts are not to bad the next couple of days, so I can give you further results this week.

Marco