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Review Summary
Three characteristics make the telescope camera DFK 31AF03.AS an ideal tool for color astrophotography: high resolution, fast refresh rate and a low price. Using the shipped software - IC Capture - you can save the captured images to lossless and uncompressed AVI files. The astro CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS is particularly well known for its ability to output high resolution images at high speed. In order to transfer these large amounts of data to the host PC, a very fast bus is required - FireWire (IEEE 1394).
IC Capture.AS performs color interpolation on the raw color data (RAW format) from the CCD chip. This reduces the load on the camera processor. On the other hand, if you prefer the camera itself to perform color interpolation, simply select the appropriate option in the shipped software IC Capture.AS. In this case, the maximum frame rate is 15 fps. Alternatively, should color interpolation not be desirable at all, AVI files can be written in RAW format.
Sony color CCD, type ICX204AK is at the core of the astro CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS. The format of this CCD is 1/3" at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Even at long exposure times, its noise is minimal. The unsurpassed quality of the ICX204AK allows its deployment in scientific image processing applications. Unlike the human eye, CCDs are sensitive to near infrared light (wavelengths over 700nm). The CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS ships with an IR cut filter. Thus, its deployment is recommended for applications in which capture of these wavelengths would lead to interference.