SBIG STT-8300M Camera with Self-Guilding Filter Wheel Package, 3326x2504 Pixel Array, 10 MP/Sec Digitization Rate, USB 2.0 and Ethernet Interface

The SBIG STT-8300M Camera with Self-Guiding Filter Wheel Package is based on Kodak's KAF-8300, 8.3 megapixels, full frame CCD. This CCD array has 3326 x 2504 pixels at 5.4 microns making it ideal for both short fast optics in high resolution (unbinned) mode and for longer focal lengths it can be binned 2 x 2 or 3 x 3. The CCD has both antiblooming and micro lens technology to improve the effective Quantum Efficiency of the sensor. As a result it can be used in a wide variety of optical configurations.

A filter wheel is designed for STT-8300 sets it apart from other designs. The carousel holds eight 36 mm filters and inserts are available for 1.25" and 31 mm filters. Two new unique features make this an imager's delight: First, the design incorporates a self-guiding CCD in the filter wheel cover so that light from the guide star is captured before passing through the filters. The second unique feature of the STT filter wheel is a positive centering mechanism that precisely re-positions and firmly holds filters in the same position over the CCD no matter how many times the carousel is moved.

In the tests of the new design, the re-positioning of filters was accurate to better than one pixel (5.4 microns) using an STT-8300 after several complete rotations of the filter carousel. This degree of precision means that flat fields taken after the filter has moved and returned are accurate virtually to the level of a single pixel.