Re: [APML] Dynamic Range of CCD

[Aplanatic@aol.com]

Hi Jerry,

> Could one of my fine CCD brethren tell me what the exposure latitude, or 
>  dynamic range is of a typical astronomical CCD camera, preferably the 
ST-10E.

Dynamic range in electronics (my business) is usually defined as the 
difference between the clipping level (or the 1dB or 3dB compresion point) 
and the noise floor.  Is this how you define the dynamic range of an image?  
Or do you like some other definition?  There are several possible definitions 
that convey different information about the detector.

The CCD is noise limited at short exposures by readout noise and quantization 
noise.  At long exposures it is limited by sky background plus object shot 
noise, dark subtraction and flat fielding noise and inaccuracy.  The clipping 
level is, of course, the electron well depth, which depends on the detector 
and the amount of binning.

If you can define dynamic range for us, then we can estimate it under certain 
conditions and for certain cameras.  

Dave Rowe

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