Imaging Source 1280x960 FireWire Color Astro Telescope Camera

The telescope camera DFK 41AF02.AS exceeds with its high resolution (1280 x 960 pixels). Additionally, the DFK 41AF02.AS can output these high resolutions images at a speed of up to 15 frames per second. Using the software - IC Capture.AS - you can capture lossless and uncompressed images sequences as AVI files. The telescope camera DFK 41AF02.AS outputs high resolution images, without compression at high speed. This results in large amounts of data being generated. In order to transfer these to the host PC, a very fast bus is required. Hence, the camera is fitted with a FireWire connector.

Using the original images from the CCD (RAW format) for visualization purposes does not make much sense. Only after color interpolation, it is possible to view the images in common formats. The bandwidth required when transferring interpolated images is considerably broader than when transferring the original RAW formatted images. The CCD camera DFK 41AF02.AS allows color interpolation to be switched off, thus achieving 15 color frames per second. In this case, color interpolation is performed by IC Capture.AS on the host computer. Alternatively, should color interpolation not be desirable at all, AVI files can be written in RAW format.

The astro CCD camera DFK 41AF02.AS deploys the color CCD ICX205AK, manufactured by Sony. This chip has a 1/2" format and 1280 x 960 pixel resolution. Even at long exposure times, its noise is minimal. Thanks to the high quality of the ICX205AK, it is often used in scientific image processing applications. Unlike the human eye, CCDs are sensitive to near infrared light (wavelengths over 700nm). It is often not desirable to capture light that is in the near infrared range. Indeed, such light often disturbs an otherwise perfect shot. Therefore, the CCD camera DFK 41AF02.AS ships with an IR cut filter.