ST10XME, the right choice?

I am considering purchasing a ST10XME for a second camera. It is 85% efficient compared to my ST2000xm at 55%. This is said to make them much better for narrow band as well as faint objects. Of course it is a blooming chip, so there is that to deal with, but I am wanting to hear what others think about this camera.
If you have one, what do you like about it? What do you not like about it? Is there a better camera for this purpose that cost about the same?
Thanks in advance.

Hi Floyd,

I went from an ST-2000XCM to the ST-10XME about 6 months ago. Work, weather and wife have conspired to prevent me from using it as much as I would like, but so far I love it. The high QE is fantastic and allows me to make the most of my limited imaging time. The larger chip is nice and I am able to cool to ~40oC below ambient with mine (I guess my fan was installed correctly ?) My only issue is that dealing with the blooms can be tricky, of course this is less of an issue when narrowband imaging. I paid US $4300 for the ST-10XME, CFW8a, astrodon gen I LRGB +6nM Ha - not a bad deal. I may one day upgrade to something else (ST-11K?), but I have no regrets with my purchase.

cheers,

Jeff

I liked the QE of my ST-10XME, but I didn't like the little spikes caused by the microlens. If I got another one I'd get the ST-10 non-microlens version -- especially with fast f-ratio scope.

Tom

Floyd,
I have a FLI camera that uses the same chip as the ST10XME. My chip came from a CM-10, and I had the camera body upgraded to a Microline. The cooling is fantastic. Last night I watched the sensor temp go from 29C to -30C in about 4 minutes. Amazing! I like the chip but don't like the blooms. They are not a big issue on many objects, but are a real problem on some.

I set up two nights ago and got 2 frames before the clouds rolled in. This reduced version will give you an idea of what you can get with that high-sensitivity chip, even with limited exposure time. This is 2 frames of twenty minutes each in Ha. Take a look. That sensitive chip is really nice. This was taken at F6 with my new AP 130.
Cheers,
Tyler

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