The Cameras I have fall into two categories: Used for imaging and Used for guiding
Imaging
Canon EOS 1000d modded for Ha sensitivity.
I used this extensively when I first started and it produces very good results which you can be pleased with. If you plan to use one of these, there’s no fixed point temperature control, so you have to take darks at the time you image, which is a bit of a constraint, but I do it and it works fine.
SBIG STT8300Monochrome camera with SBIG 8 position filter wheel
I bought this and the filter wheel when I got hooked on imaging. It is a great camera – has been completely reliable and fully featured; great to use. It is made by Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG). Beware though as an amateur astronomer – this camera is heavy and you may have to attach it to a focuser which has to support its weight. The focuser consideration is just as important as the rest of the imaging train. I am lucky as I attach it to the backend of my C11 SCT and focus using the primary mirror.
The camera has a guide camera positioned in front of the filters – very important. In my experience, it is essential to use a guide cam integrated with the main camera. I struggled for ages to try to get good images when I guided using a small refractor. Mirror movement in the SCT made good image quality impossible. As soon as I stated to use the internal guider, all the problems went away – nice round stars at last!
I also own a starlight express Lodestar guide camera and this is also fabulous. For ages I struggled with a webcam, but you will rapidly find that they are not good enough to work wit anything but the brightest stars and quite often you won’t have one in your FOV! I replaced my webcam with a Lodestar and never looked back…
