At just over 4 inches in diameter and a few inches thick, the new miniCAM8 is a compact, high-resolution, high-performance, cooled imaging system capable of exceptional, high-quality deep space images as well as high-quality, high-resolution planetary images.
*Price shall be slightly different among countries and regions; shipment expenses, customs, or other taxes are not included.
At just over 4 inches in diameter and a few inches thick, the new miniCAM8 is a compact, high resolution, high performance, cooled imaging system capable of exceptional, high-quality deep space images as well as high-quality, high-resolution planetary images.
So often, compactness in astroimaging is achieved at the expense of some other critical feature found in multi-component cooled systems, such sensor quality or thermoelectric cooling, etc. Such is not the case with the new miniCAM8. Based on Sony’s IMX585 8 MP sensor, the miniCAM8 includes full TE cooling capable of reaching a delta of -45℃ from ambient along with a built-in 8-position filter wheel for complete LRGB and narrowband imaging.
Features
High Near-Infrared Sensitivity
The IMX585 is a Sony Starvis II processor that enables high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR). It also improves sensitivity in the near-infrared range by approximately 1.7 times* compared to the IMX485. The new camera QHY miniCAM8 has a maximum quantum efficiency of 60% in the near-infrared band and 92% in the visible wavelength band.
*This data is officially provided by Sony: https://www.sony-semicon.com/cn/news/2021/2021062901.html
BSI
One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved full-well capacity. This is particularly helpful for sensors with small pixels. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.
In the back-illuminated sensor, the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case, the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer, and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency, the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons, and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.
Zero Amplify Glow
QHY miniCAM8 is also a zero amplifer glow camera.
Anti-Dew Technology
Based on almost 20-year cooled camera design experience, the QHY cooled camera has implemented the fully dew control solutions. The optic window has a built-in dew heater, and the chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation. An electric heating board for the chamber window can prevent the formation of dew, and the sensor itself is kept dry with our silicon gel tube socket design for control of humidity within the sensor chamber.
Cooling
In addition to dual-stage TE cooling, QHYCCD implements proprietary technology in hardware to control the dark current noise.
Linearity HDR Mode
The native ADC of the IMX585 sensor is 12-bit. Compared to 16-bit, the 12-bit depth offers fewer bits, resulting in a relatively narrower dynamic range, which may lead to issues such as insufficient color gradation and potential information loss. During the product development of miniCAM8, QHYCCD merged high and low gain to extend the data to 16-bit. However, since this 16-bit depth is not native, a sudden shift in linearity might occur, affecting the smooth transition in images. To address this, QHYCCD developed the “Linearity HDR” mode, which uses an algorithm-based approach to correct image linearity through software, ensuring smoother transitions and richer color representation.
Specification
Model
QHY miniCAM8
CMOS Sensor
Sony IMX585
Mono/Color
Both
BSI/FSI
BSI
Sensor Size
1/1.2inch
Pixel Size
2.9μm*2.9μm
Total Pixel Area
3856*2180
Effective Pixels
8 MP
Full Well Capacity
54ke-
Readout Noise
0.76 – 7.8 e-
A/D
12bit (output as 16-bit)
Full Frame Rates
Full Resolution: 41.5FPS@8bit，23.5FPS @16bit
ROI Frame Rates
Full Resolution 1080Lines, 82FPS@8bit, 47FPS@16bit；640Lines, 177FPS@8bit, 105FPS@16bit
Exposure Time Range
11μs-900sec
Shutter Type
Electronic Rolling Shutter
Built-in Image Buffer
512MB DDR3
Computer Interface
USB3.0
Telescope Interface
1.25 inc
Optic Window Type
AR+AR
Filter Wheel
Built-in 8-Position Carousel
Back Focal Length
17.5mm
Cooling System
Dual Stage TEC cooler:
Long exposures (> 1 second) typically -45℃ below ambient
