Home > Cameras > Guider Cameras

Guider Cameras

QHY5 - £144

QHY5 Camera

An excellent and affordable USB2 guiding camera with a large 1/2 inch CMOS sensor, for easy guide star acquisition, and small 5.2um square pixels for accurate guiding. Onboard ST4 Opto-Isolated guide port and powered by the USB2 bus.Can also be used as a Lunar/Planetary imager, with the supplied software, and even for experimenting with Deep Sky imaging!

Package includes camera, 1.25" nosepiece, dust cap, quick start guide and 3m USB2 cable.

Software:

Driver & capture application (Win 2K, XP, Vista), Plugins for PHD Guiding, Guidemaster, Maxim, AstroArt and CCDSoft, Twain driver (beta).

Tech Specs:

Micron MT9M001 1/2inch CMOS sensor, 1280 x 1024 Active pixels, 1.3 megapixels, Pixel Size: 5.2um x 5.2um, Peak QE = 56%, USB2.0 High Speed download; 24Mpixel/s 15 FPS @ 1280 x 1024; 50 FPS@ 640 x 480 Uncompressed Video data, Built in Opto Isolated Guide Port Progressive Scan, ROI support, Telescope Interface: female T thread + 1.25" nosepiece, Size: 64mm diameter 26.5-32mm length.

QHY6 - £299

QHY6

A cooled 16 bit camera with a highly sensitive Sony 1/3" Mono Exview CCD, which offers excellent guiding performance.

The QHY6 is exceptional in that it can be used either with or without external power for guiding, or with an external power source (12V > 650ma, centre positive) for long exposure imaging. It's equipped with an ST4 Opto Isolated guide port.

Package includes camera, 1.25" nosepiece, dust cap, quickstart guide and 3m USB2 cable.

Software:

Windows driver & capture application (2K, XP & Vista), Plugins for Maxim, AstroArt, Guidemaster and CCDSoft (under development).

Tech Specs:

Sony ICX259AL, Total pixels: 795x596, Active pixels:752x582 (440k pixels), Pixel Size: 6.5µm x 6.25µm, 1/3 inch Mono Exview CCD, Readout noise: 7 -10 e @600 Kpixel/s, QE: 65% at 580nm, Microlensing on chip, ABG: -115dB, Low noise 16bit ADC with CDS and Preamp.
USB2.0 High Speed interface, Built in 6pin Guide Port, One stage Peltier cooled.

Starlight Xpress Lodestar - £395

Starlight Xpress lodestar

The Lodestar is the new compact autoguider from Starlight Xpress. Featuring the very sensitive 1/2" Sony ICX429AL Mono Exview CCD making guide star aquisition easier then ever before, it's compatible with most mounts with a standard autoguider port.

Package includes camera, 1.25" nosepiece, dust cap, user guide, windows software and guide cable.

 

Software:

Windows software, plugin for Maxim DL/CCD, AstroArt compatability to follow.

 

Tech Specs:

  •  CCD type: ICX429AL Sony Exview interline CCD with low dark current and vertical anti-blooming.

  •  CCD Full resolution Pixel data: Pixel size: 8.2uM x 8.4uM, Image format: 752 x 580 pixels

  •  CCD Image area: 6.4mm (Horizontal) x 4.75mm (Vertical).

  •  CCD quality: Grade 1

  •  Spectral Response: QE max at 620nM (~65%), 35% at 400nM and 770nM. 

  •  Readout Noise: Less than 15 electrons RMS - typically only 10 electrons. 

  •  Full-well capacity: Greater than 50,000 e- (unbinned)

  •  Anti-blooming: Overload margin greater than 1000x.

  •  Dark current: Dark frame saturation time greater than 1 hour. Less than 0.1 electrons/second @ + 10C ambient.

  •  Data format: 16 bits.

  •  System gain:  0.9 electrons per ADU

  •  Computer Interface: Built-in USB 2.0 compatible interface. 

  •  Image download time: Typically 0.2 seconds at full resolution using USB 2.0.

  •  Power requirements: USB powered.

  •  Cooling system: Ambient air cooling.

  •  Size: 32 x 72mm anodised aluminium barrel with 25 x 0.75mm 'C mount' thread at the CCD window end & input/output plugs at rear. 

  •  Weight: approx. 50g.