ASI 294MC Pro capturing in BGGR

Sequence Generator Equipment Compatibility
1

I have a problem with my 294MC Pro in that it seems to be creating FITS files with BGGR instead of RGGB. Whilst I can force BGGR in APP or Pixinsight this doesnt help as I am trying to combine the data with DSLR RGGB images.

So my question is why is it capturing in BGGR anyway ? Everything I read suggests it should be RGGB.
SGP version is 3.1.0.544. Using native ASI driver.
Can I “rescue” the large amount of data I’ve already captured ?

THanks

2

For anyone reading this with the same problem - its because the ZWO native driver doesnt work correctly in SGP (version 3 anyway). SGP does warn its no longer supported. When I changed to the ASCOM driver the problem was fixed and the FITS files were being saved correctly as RGGB. I still dont know what to do with the old BGGR data though - its a duplicate set of my modded DSLR data and only has any real benefit to me if I can integrate it with the DSLR data.

3

Hi,

I still don’t understand your problem. Please explain in detail why the data obtained with the native driver are not compatible with the data obtained with the ASCOM driver. Do they have

  • different geometry (width and height)?
  • different orientation (bottom-up / top-down)?

Can you please upload one light frame of each sort to a file hoster and post the link here?

Particularly I don’t understand what problem arises when you want to combine data of the ASI294 with data from a DSLR: The image calibration has to be done on CFA data (i.e. for each sort of data you need matching light and calibration frames regarding acquisition software, camera driver, gain, offset, temperature), but subsequently the calibrated light frames are debayered - and afterwards it is irrelevant, which Bayer pattern the raw data had.

Bernd

4

Hi Bernd

Thanks for responding. my terminology is terrible sorry - i find it hard to put all this into correct terms and I know I shouldnt really be saying the FITS files are saved as RGGB or BGGR. All my calibration is performed correctly.
But I cant say it any simpler - the ZWO driver debayers with Red and Blue inverted if I select the correct debayer method of RGGB. With the ASCOM driver it just works as it should. I do note that the ASCOM image is rotated 180 degrees which I’m sure is significant.
I dont have the time or know how to try to post the images at the moment sorry -I’ve wasted too much time one this and have to leave it for now and do some real work.
Even if I save calibrated frames in APP they load back in to APP with colours inverted, which when combined with the DSLR images makes for a real mess.
I did come up with a solution hinted by Mabula (creator of APP) and Robin Glover (Sharpcap). APP has the ability to “undebayer” data. When I do this on the calibrated frames it then saves them correctly as RGGB and everything works just fine after that and I have successfully been able to merge the 294 and 6D data. (though I cant help but wonder if the “undebayering” is a destructive / noise-induing process. The final result of the two sets of integrated data was better than either integrated set.
I’d love to understand more about this problem but I’ll have to leave it for now.

5

This is an important observation. However I assume that the images are not rotated by 180 degrees, but mirrored vertically, are they?

It would really help to have one light frame (FITS image) of each sort, ASCOM and native driver. I am quite sure that I can tell you then how to “rescue” all of your large amount of data.

Bernd

6

Can’t you just save all the files in .tif format in PI and combine them that way?

Peter