Using a H9 and starlightXpress software for image capture works quite well for me. I fail to understand how either Maxim DL or Astro Art can make any difference to either Image data or noise.

I can see that both of these can do post image processing but as I use AIP4WIN what is the point in spending money on them.

I also found that using Astro Art V.5 demo versionthat the camera and filter wheel functionality was fine but it failed to make the Loadstar camera work.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

I use AstroArt V.4.0 for image capture as it is easy to use if you have a fairly complicated series of images to take and furthermore I use a textfile to take a series of images of various targets during which time I can retire to the pub, watch TV, etc.

Generally speaking no one piece of software does everything so I use IRIS, AIP4WIN, GUIDE, Astrometrica, AstPhot32, FITS Viewer and occasionally SX software as well as AstroArt. Several of these are freely available

Try posting your question re. operation of the Lodestar autoguider on the SX Yahoo e-group list. I think it may have come up before.

Richard

Why not use PHD from Stark Labs instead? Its pretty good - sufficiently so that I made a donation.

I can't say about AA as I always found it a bit akward to use but difference in functionality between SX software and MaximDL could be greater. Sufficient to say that I can guide with one and I can't with the other.

Andrea T.

What about Nebulosity. This is another very good program, written by Starklabs, who also write PHD.

A friend of mine has a H18 and he uses Nebulosity all the time.

It is very cheap. Compared with AstroArt

I tried several packages recently before buying AAv5.
I already had CCDSoft v5, AIP4WIn and Guide. Agree completely with the sentiment that no one package does it all.
I use SX and Sbig cameras mainly for photometry.
AA has IMHO very easy calibration and colour procedures and the camera control is good.
What I really like is the astrometry and photometry "calibration" of images using the inbuilt (GSC & USNO) star atlas.
Just being able to open an image and plot RA and Dec with photometry readings direct with a few mouse clicks is impresssive.
Rgds
Tony