Altair GPCAM 130 Mono - guiding and imaging camera

Altair GPCAM 130 Mono - guiding and imaging camera


The GP-CAM enables photography of the moon, sun and planets, but also deep sky images. In addition, there is an ST-4 autoguiderport!
♦ Aptina AR0130 SW CMOS sensor - 1.2 Mpixels

♦ Sensor size: 1/3" diagonal (4.8 mm x 3.6 mm) 1280x960 pixels

♦ Pixel size: 3.75 µm x 3.75 µm

♦ Approx. 17 fps at maximum resolution

♦ 1.25" connection with filter thread

♦ USB2.0 and ST-4 interface

♦ Lens mount: C-Mount

♦ USB powered

♦ only 70 g

Altair GPCAM 130 Mono - guiding and imaging camera
An all-in-one multipurpose astronomy camera with a 1.2Mpixel black and white CMOS sensor

Now you can enjoy cost-effective HD recording technology - with the quality and features you would expect from a product with mature CMOS technology.

The GP-CAM enables photography of the moon, sun and planets, but also deep-sky shots. In addition, there is an ST-4 autoguider port!

Of course, the GPCAM camera is ideal for autoguiding with small guide scopes! It offers low weight and a direct connection to miniguiders - like a 1.25" eyepiece. No difficulties, no hassle, no adapters.

The GPCAMAR0130 Mono is also ideal for recording planets in spectral ranges as desired without getting dust on the sensor chip when changing the filter. The window made of anti-reflective coated clear glass protects, but lets through all the light that is important for the chip. Reduce the influence of seeing with IR pass filters or make the structures in the clouds of Venus visible with a UV pass filter.

You can also attach a C-mount lens for wide-angle shots of the sky to "capture" shooting stars or aurora borealis - or simply create a video of the night sky with the stars passing through the field of view, thus demonstrating the rotation of the earth.

Full ROI (Region Of Interest) support is possible. This allows the frame rate to be increased to very high values by only reading out the area around a planet or a detail on the sun. With the AltairCapture software, freely downloadable from Altair Astro Customer Support, you can create dark frames in just a few seconds.

The sensor: a specially selected 1/3" Aptina AR0130 HD CMOS sensor with 3.75 micron pixels, high sensitivity and fast bitrate, but also the possibility for long exposures. A quantum efficiency of 78% in green and 65% with H-alpha exceeds the values of many more expensive CCD cameras, the IR sensitivity is noticeable when taking pictures of the gas planets, which can be seen much better here, especially in turbulent air.

EAA real-time live stacking by AltairCapture. Observe faint deep-sky objects, which only appear as blurry spots in the eyepiece, with great detail. All you need is this camera and the AltairCapture program that can be used with it. A few clicks and a detailed image builds up on your monitor, with each new frame automatically aligned to the first to maintain sharpness.

The camera: About the size of an eyepiece and weighing around 70 grams, the GP-CAMs offer many functions in a very small design. The sensor is protected by an optical window with anti-reflective coating on both sides. This blocks UV and IR on the color camera, allowing direct use with refractive elements such as correctors or Barlow lenses, while the window on the black and white camera is kept clear to give the user full control over what light they want to let through, for example for Narrowband photography, H-alpha solar imaging, RGB planetary imaging, or even planetary photography in the UV or IR range (which can show extreme detail).

There is an ST-4 autoguider interface on the rear, and 1.5m ST-4 cables are included for easy connection of the autoguider to your GOTO mount. The camera is powered by the 2m USB2.0 cable, reducing cable clutter. The CNC-machined body has a standard 1.25" eyepiece barrel, so it fits almost any telescope focuser, including the Altair Miniguider 60 and 80 and the Starwave 50mm Guidescopes. A standard filter thread is available. The 1.25" -Barrel can be removed to reveal a standard C-mount thread which is compatible with most industrial and surveillance lenses and microscope adapters. The heat from the electronics is dissipated over a short distance through the housing.

The 150° wide field lens: You can screw this wide field lens directly onto the camera and take spectacular shots of falling star streams or cloud movements. Or use the camera for beautiful timelapse shots - your imagination is the limit.

The software: There are no drivers or softwareware included, but they can be easily downloaded from the manufacturer's support site. The SharpCap linked there (externally) is also an interesting alternative for operating other cameras.

Minimum system requirements (according to manufacturer)

♦ Microsoft Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista, XP (32 + 64-bit)
♦USB2.0
♦ At least Intel Core2 2.8 GHz or comparable
♦ at least 2 GB RAM
♦ Monitor 17" or larger