Altair GPCAM2 IMX224 Colour Guide / Imaging Camera, 1.2 Megapixel - Complete Set

Altair GPCAM2 IMX224 Colour Guide / Imaging Camera, 1.2 Megapixel - Complete Set
The GPCAM2 allows photography of moon, sun and planets, but also all-sky imaging. In addition, there is an ST4 autoguider port!
♦ SONY Exmor IMX224 SW CMOS sensor - 1.2 MPixel

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

♦ Pixel size: 3.75 µm x 3.75 µm

♦ Approx. 30 fps at maximum resolution

♦ 1.25" connector with filter thread

♦ USB2.0 and ST4 interface

♦ Lens mount: CS mount, C mount

♦ 150° wide-angle lens included for spectacular wide-field imaging, cloud imaging, and shooting star monitoring

♦ Power supply via USB

♦ Only 90 g (without lens).

An all-in-one multi-purpose astronomy camera with 1.2 MPixel color CMOS sensor.
Now you can enjoy cost-effective HD imaging technology - with the quality and features you expect from a product in mature CMOS technology.

The GPCAM2 enables photography of the Moon, Sun and planets, as well as all-sky imaging. Additionally there is a ST4 autoguider port!

Of course, the GPCAM2 camera is ideal for autoguiding with small guide tubes! It offers light weight and direct connection to miniguiders - like a 1.25" eyepiece. No hassle, no effort, no adapters.

The GPCAM2 IMX224 Colour is also very well suited to capture planets. The high frame rate combined with short exposure times is helpful for "lucky imaging" to partially compensate for the influence of air turbulence. After removing the built-in UV-IR blocking filter or replacing it with a clear glass filter, you can use appropriate IR pass filters to reduce the effect of air turbulence, because the sensor is very sensitive to infrared (in all pixels!).

Solar photography with this camera is fun, not only in white light, but also in H-alpha and in the calcium line region. The GPCAM2 IMX224 has a high sensitivity here without the removable blocking filter, which keeps the exposure times short.

However, you can also attach a C(S) mount lens for wide angle shots of the sky to "capture" shooting stars or auroras - or simply create a video of the night sky with the stars passing through the field of view to demonstrate the Earth's rotation.

Full ROI (Region Of Interest) support is available. This allows the frame rate to be increased to very large values by reading out only the area around a planet or a detail on the Sun. With the freely downloadable AltairCapture software, you can make dark frames in just a few seconds.

Practical features
The sensor: a specially selected 1/3" Sony IMX224 HD CMOS sensor with 3.75-micron pixels, high sensitivity and fast bit rate, but also the ability for exposures up to 5 seconds.

The special DR-Pix Dynamic Response technology still delivers high color quality even in very low light - leading the way in maintaining color fidelity and low noise in low light conditions. This makes the camera a good choice for planetary photography, but also for short (up to 5 seconds) exposure deep-sky imaging.

The camera: About the size of an eyepiece and weighing about 90 grams, the GPCAM2 offers many features in a very small package. 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 black-and-white camera's window is kept clear to give the user full control over what light to let through, for example for narrow-band photography, H-alpha solar imaging, RGB planetary imaging, or even planetary photography in the UV or IR range (which can show extreme detail).

Regarding the electronics, the new GPCAM2 is superior to the old GPCAMs mainly in two areas: First, it has an improved frame buffer, which stabilizes the transmission of images at high frame rates, and second, there is the "trigger mode", which allows to stop longer exposures immediately. You can therefore immediately react to an image disturbance such as shaking, airplanes or clouds, instead of having to wait minutes for the end of the already ruined recording.

There is an ST4 autoguider interface on the back, plus 1.5 m ST4 cable is included for easy connection of the autoguider to your GOTO mount. The camera is powered by the 2 m USB2.0 cable, which reduces cable clutter. The CNC-machined housing has a standard 1.25" eyepiece sleeve, so it fits almost any telescope eyepiece focuser, including the Altair Miniguider 60 and 80 and Starwave 50mm guidescopes. A standard filter thread is provided. The 1.25" socket can be removed to expose a standard CS mount thread compatible with most industrial and surveillance objectives and microscope adapters. Heat from the electronics is dissipated a short distance through the housing.

The included 150° wide-field lens: you can screw this wide-field lens directly onto the camera and capture spectacular images of shooting star streams or cloud movement. Or use the camera for beautiful timlapse shots - your imagination is the limit.

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

Minimum system requirements (according to manufacturer)

♦ Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 (32 + 64-bit)
♦ USB 2.0
♦ min. Intel Core2 2.8 GHz or comparable
♦ min. 2 GB RAM
♦ Monitor 17" or larger
Sensor type: Sony Exmor IMX224 color CMOS sensor
Sensor size: 1/3" diagonal (4.8 mm x 3.6 mm)
Exposure time range: 0.105 ms (0.000105 secs) to 5 secs
Bit depth: 8-bit & 12-bit mode switchable
Pixel size: 3.75 µm x 3.75 µm
Resolution in pixels: 1280x960
Recording method: Single frame and video
Region Of Interest (ROI) Support: Yes, when using SharpCap or AltairCapture.
Approximate maximum frame rates (8-bit mode): 1280x960 25-32 FPS, 640x480 70-80 FPS, 320x240 112-125 FPS
Approximate maximum frame rates (12-bit mode): 60% of 8-bit values
Gain: 2.35 V/luxsec
Readout mode: progressive scan
Shutter: electronic shutter
Spectral range: 380-650 nm with UV/IR filter
AltairCapture OS Support: Win XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8/ 10 (32 & 64 bit)
USB port & cable: USB 2.0, 2 m cable
ST4 port & cable: Standard ST4 (optically isolated), 1.5 m cable
Camera body length: 65 mm total length with CS mount
Weight: 90 g (net)
Entry window: anti-reflective UV/IR blocking filter, pass 380-650 nm
Camera body shape: 1.25" stepped housing
Thread on camera: CS-mount female thread for direct connection of CS-mount lenses
CS-mount lens compatibility: CS-mount lenses with male thread and 12.526 mm backfocus requirement
C-mount lens adapter: included, female thread
C-mount lens compatibility: C-mount lenses with male thread and 17.526 mm backfocus requirement
Astro filter adapter: included, 1.25" female thread
Plug-in dimension: standard astro format 1.25"
Distance sensor surface to flat part of C-mount adapter: 17.58 mm
Distance sensor surface to flat part of 20mm 1.25" astro adapter: 37.58 mm
Power consumption: 0.875 W (normal operation)
Max operating temperature: 50 °C
Minimum operating temperature: -10 °C
Maximum relative humidity: 80
Power supply: 5 V DC (via USB cable)
Minimum CPU: According to Intel Core2 2.8 GHz
Minimum RAM: 2 GB
USB interface: USB2.0 high-speed port
Monitor: 17" and above
♦ Camera
♦ 2 m high-speed USB2.0 cable A connector to B connector
♦ 1.5 m ST4 autoguider cable
♦ 1.25" socket with filter thread
♦ C-mount extension 5 mm for lenses requiring 17.5 mm back focus
♦ CS mount adapter with UV-IR blocking filter
♦ 150° large field lens
♦ Rubber dust cap
♦ Note: No software is supplied. However, you can download current drivers and software free of charge.