High Near-Infrared Sensitivity

The IMX585 is a Sony Starvis II processor that enables high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR). It also improves sensitivity in the near-infrared range by approximately 1.7 times* compared to the IMX485. The new camera miniCAM8 has a maximum quantum efficiency of 60% in the near-infrared band and 92% in the visible wavelength band.

*This data is officially provided by Sony: https://www.sony-semicon.com/cn/news/2021/2021062901.html

BSI

One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved full-well capacity. This is particularly helpful for sensors with small pixels. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.

In the back-illuminated sensor, the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case, the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer, and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency, the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons, and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.

Zero Amplify Glow

miniCAM8 is also a zero amplifer glow camera.

Anti-Dew Technology

Based on almost 20-year cooled camera design experience, the QHY cooled camera has implemented the fully dew control solutions. The optic window has a built-in dew heater, and the chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation. An electric heating board for the chamber window can prevent the formation of dew, and the sensor itself is kept dry with our silicon gel tube socket design for control of humidity within the sensor chamber.

Cooling

In addition to dual-stage TE cooling, QHYCCD implements proprietary technology in hardware to control the dark current noise.

The native ADC of the IMX585 sensor is 12-bit. Compared to 16-bit, the 12-bit depth offers fewer bits, resulting in a relatively narrower dynamic range, which may lead to issues such as insufficient color gradation and potential information loss. During the product development of miniCAM8, QHYCCD merged high and low gain to extend the data to 16-bit. However, since this 16-bit depth is not native, a sudden shift in linearity might occur, affecting the smooth transition in images. To address this, QHYCCD developed the “Linearity HDR” mode, which uses an algorithm-based approach to correct image linearity through software, ensuring smoother transitions and richer color representation.

In the “Linearity HDR” mode, the full well is 46 ke-, while the read noise is only 1.0e-; the dynamic range reaches up to 46,300:1, equivalent to 93 dB or 15.5 stops.

The astronomical filters included with the miniCAM8 combos are custom-designed to match the specific characteristics of the cameras. The size is 19 mm * 12 mm * 1.1 mm. The filters are customized by XiMei Filters.

miniCAM8M Sloan Photometric filters: UGRIZ

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8M reaches 91.2% in the OIII band, 80.9% in the Ha band, 78.7% in the SII band, and 40.1% in the methane band.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8C: R channel: 82%; G channel: 87%; B channel: 75%.

FPGA version: 24-12-6 and its later version

SDK version: 24-12-26-12 and its later version

All-in-one version: 24.12.27.10 and its later version

HDR_correction will be on by default. (It is for 16-bit single frames and live, and not available for 8-bit.)

SharpCap version: 4.1.12311 and its later version

HDR Custom Control in SharpCap: “HDR_correction,” “HDR_L_K,” “HDR_L_b,” and “HDR_showKB”

HDR_L_K: stretch value of the low channel

HDR_L_b: offset value of the low channel

The two values influence the image linearity together.

You can manually set values of “HDR_L_k” and “HDR_L_b” by yourself when switching off the “HDR_correction.” But in general we recommend switching it on. Improper values setting will cause issues like image banding.

HDR_showKB: On: values will be shown on the top left of the image; Off: no values shown

Before using software, make sure you have connected the cooling camera to the 12V power supply and connected it to the computer with a USB3.0 data cable. If it’s an uncooled camera, 12V power is not needed. We recommend 64-bit Software, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras.

Launch SharpCap. If the software and drivers mentioned above are installed successfully, the video image will appear automatically about 3 seconds after the software loads. You will also see the frame rate in the lower left corner of the software window as shown below.

If you have already started the SharpCap software before connecting the camera, in order to open the camera, click on the “camera” in the menu bar and then select the device.

Offset adjustment. When you completely block the camera (i.e., like taking a dark frame) you may find that the image is not really zero. Sometimes this will reduce the quality of the image contrast. You can get a better dark field by adjusting the offset. You can confirm this by opening the histogram as indicated in the figure below.

If you want to enter the 16-bit image mode, select the “RAW16” mode.

By selecting the “LX” mode you can expand the exposure setting range and take long exposures.

After cooling devices connected to the 12V power supply, the temperature control circuit will be activated. You can control the CMOS temperature by adjusting the settings in the figure below. Basically, you can control the temperature of CMOS by either adjusting “Cooler Power” or clicking “Auto” and setting “Target Temperature”. You can also see the CMOS temperature at the lower-left corner of the software window.

On the side of the front end of the camera, there is a drying port designed for use with a drying tube to dehumidify the CMOS sealed chamber. If moisture inside the CMOS chamber causes the sensor glass to fog up, you can connect a drying tube to this port for drying. Place effective silica gel desiccant in the drying tube and ensure it contains cotton to prevent dust particles from entering the CMOS chamber. Please refer to the connection instructions below.
Notes:
1. When installing the drying tube, please remove the front cover of the camera to prevent the sealing screws from falling out.
2. Turn off cooling before starting the drying process.

High Near-Infrared Sensitivity

The IMX585 is a Sony Starvis II processor that enables high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR). It also improves sensitivity in the near-infrared range by approximately 1.7 times* compared to the IMX485. The new camera miniCAM8 has a maximum quantum efficiency of 60% in the near-infrared band and 92% in the visible wavelength band.

*This data is officially provided by Sony: https://www.sony-semicon.com/cn/news/2021/2021062901.html

BSI

One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved full-well capacity. This is particularly helpful for sensors with small pixels. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.

In the back-illuminated sensor, the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case, the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer, and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency, the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons, and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.

Zero Amplify Glow

miniCAM8 is also a zero amplifer glow camera.

Anti-Dew Technology

Based on almost 20-year cooled camera design experience, the QHY cooled camera has implemented the fully dew control solutions. The optic window has a built-in dew heater, and the chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation. An electric heating board for the chamber window can prevent the formation of dew, and the sensor itself is kept dry with our silicon gel tube socket design for control of humidity within the sensor chamber.

Cooling

In addition to dual-stage TE cooling, QHYCCD implements proprietary technology in hardware to control the dark current noise.

The native ADC of the IMX585 sensor is 12-bit. Compared to 16-bit, the 12-bit depth offers fewer bits, resulting in a relatively narrower dynamic range, which may lead to issues such as insufficient color gradation and potential information loss. During the product development of miniCAM8, QHYCCD merged high and low gain to extend the data to 16-bit. However, since this 16-bit depth is not native, a sudden shift in linearity might occur, affecting the smooth transition in images. To address this, QHYCCD developed the “Linearity HDR” mode, which uses an algorithm-based approach to correct image linearity through software, ensuring smoother transitions and richer color representation.

In the “Linearity HDR” mode, the full well is 46 ke-, while the read noise is only 1.0e-; the dynamic range reaches up to 46,300:1, equivalent to 93 dB or 15.5 stops.

The astronomical filters included with the miniCAM8 deepsky combos are custom-designed to match the specific characteristics of the cameras. The size is 19 mm * 12 mm * 1.1 mm. The LRGB and SHO narrowband filters for the miniCAM8M deepsky combo are customized by XiMei Filters. The LRGB filters have an optical density (OD) value of 3, while the narrowband filters have an OD value of 5.

The OD value, as a physical measure of the degree of light attenuation after passing through a filter, directly affects the filter’s ability to suppress unwanted light during imaging. A higher OD value indicates stronger suppression of stray light, effectively blocking most unnecessary light sources and thereby enhancing image contrast and detail clarity.

The filters provided with the miniCAM8C deepsky combo are customized by Optolong Optics. These include a light pollution filter, a heavy light pollution filter, a four-channel enhancement filter, and a UV/IR cut filter.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8M reaches 91.2% in the OIII band, 80.9% in the Ha band, 78.7% in the SII band, and 40.1% in the methane band.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8C: R channel: 82%; G channel: 87%; B channel: 75%.

FPGA version: 24-12-6 and its later version

SDK version: 24-12-26-12 and its later version

All-in-one version: 24.12.27.10 and its later version

HDR_correction will be on by default. (It is for 16-bit single frames and live, and not available for 8-bit.)

SharpCap version: 4.1.12311 and its later version

HDR Custom Control in SharpCap: “HDR_correction,” “HDR_L_K,” “HDR_L_b,” and “HDR_showKB”

HDR_L_K: stretch value of the low channel

HDR_L_b: offset value of the low channel

The two values influence the image linearity together.

You can manually set values of “HDR_L_k” and “HDR_L_b” by yourself when switching off the “HDR_correction.” But in general we recommend switching it on. Improper values setting will cause issues like image banding.

HDR_showKB: On: values will be shown on the top left of the image; Off: no values shown

Before using software, make sure you have connected the cooling camera to the 12V power supply and connected it to the computer with a USB3.0 data cable. If it’s an uncooled camera, 12V power is not needed. We recommend 64-bit Software, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras.

Launch SharpCap. If the software and drivers mentioned above are installed successfully, the video image will appear automatically about 3 seconds after the software loads. You will also see the frame rate in the lower left corner of the software window as shown below.

If you have already started the SharpCap software before connecting the camera, in order to open the camera, click on the “camera” in the menu bar and then select the device.

Offset adjustment. When you completely block the camera (i.e., like taking a dark frame) you may find that the image is not really zero. Sometimes this will reduce the quality of the image contrast. You can get a better dark field by adjusting the offset. You can confirm this by opening the histogram as indicated in the figure below.

If you want to enter the 16-bit image mode, select the “RAW16” mode.

By selecting the “LX” mode you can expand the exposure setting range and take long exposures.

After cooling devices connected to the 12V power supply, the temperature control circuit will be activated. You can control the CMOS temperature by adjusting the settings in the figure below. Basically, you can control the temperature of CMOS by either adjusting “Cooler Power” or clicking “Auto” and setting “Target Temperature”. You can also see the CMOS temperature at the lower-left corner of the software window.

On the side of the front end of the camera, there is a drying port designed for use with a drying tube to dehumidify the CMOS sealed chamber. If moisture inside the CMOS chamber causes the sensor glass to fog up, you can connect a drying tube to this port for drying. Place effective silica gel desiccant in the drying tube and ensure it contains cotton to prevent dust particles from entering the CMOS chamber. Please refer to the connection instructions below.
Notes:
1. When installing the drying tube, please remove the front cover of the camera to prevent the sealing screws from falling out.
2. Turn off cooling before starting the drying process.

High Near-Infrared Sensitivity

The IMX585 is a Sony Starvis II processor that enables high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR). It also improves sensitivity in the near-infrared range by approximately 1.7 times* compared to the IMX485. The new camera miniCAM8 has a maximum quantum efficiency of 60% in the near-infrared band and 92% in the visible wavelength band.

*This data is officially provided by Sony: https://www.sony-semicon.com/cn/news/2021/2021062901.html

BSI

One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved full-well capacity. This is particularly helpful for sensors with small pixels. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.

In the back-illuminated sensor, the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case, the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer, and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency, the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons, and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.

Zero Amplify Glow

miniCAM8 is also a zero amplifer glow camera.

Anti-Dew Technology

Based on almost 20-year cooled camera design experience, the QHY cooled camera has implemented the fully dew control solutions. The optic window has a built-in dew heater, and the chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation. An electric heating board for the chamber window can prevent the formation of dew, and the sensor itself is kept dry with our silicon gel tube socket design for control of humidity within the sensor chamber.

Cooling

In addition to dual-stage TE cooling, QHYCCD implements proprietary technology in hardware to control the dark current noise.

The native ADC of the IMX585 sensor is 12-bit. Compared to 16-bit, the 12-bit depth offers fewer bits, resulting in a relatively narrower dynamic range, which may lead to issues such as insufficient color gradation and potential information loss. During the product development of miniCAM8, QHYCCD merged high and low gain to extend the data to 16-bit. However, since this 16-bit depth is not native, a sudden shift in linearity might occur, affecting the smooth transition in images. To address this, QHYCCD developed the “Linearity HDR” mode, which uses an algorithm-based approach to correct image linearity through software, ensuring smoother transitions and richer color representation.

In the “Linearity HDR” mode, the full well is 46 ke-, while the read noise is only 1.0e-; the dynamic range reaches up to 46,300:1, equivalent to 93 dB or 15.5 stops.

The astronomical filters included with the miniCAM8 deepsky combos are custom-designed to match the specific characteristics of the cameras. The size is 19 mm * 12 mm * 1.1 mm. The LRGB and SHO narrowband filters for the miniCAM8M deepsky combo are customized by XiMei Filters. The LRGB filters have an optical density (OD) value of 3, while the narrowband filters have an OD value of 5.

The OD value, as a physical measure of the degree of light attenuation after passing through a filter, directly affects the filter’s ability to suppress unwanted light during imaging. A higher OD value indicates stronger suppression of stray light, effectively blocking most unnecessary light sources and thereby enhancing image contrast and detail clarity.

The filters provided with the miniCAM8C deepsky combo are customized by Optolong Optics. These include a light pollution filter, a heavy light pollution filter, a four-channel enhancement filter, and a UV/IR cut filter.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8M reaches 91.2% in the OIII band, 80.9% in the Ha band, 78.7% in the SII band, and 40.1% in the methane band.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8C: R channel: 82%; G channel: 87%; B channel: 75%.

FPGA version: 24-12-6 and its later version

SDK version: 24-12-26-12 and its later version

All-in-one version: 24.12.27.10 and its later version

HDR_correction will be on by default. (It is for 16-bit single frames and live, and not available for 8-bit.)

SharpCap version: 4.1.12311 and its later version

HDR Custom Control in SharpCap: “HDR_correction,” “HDR_L_K,” “HDR_L_b,” and “HDR_showKB”

HDR_L_K: stretch value of the low channel

HDR_L_b: offset value of the low channel

The two values influence the image linearity together.

You can manually set values of “HDR_L_k” and “HDR_L_b” by yourself when switching off the “HDR_correction.” But in general we recommend switching it on. Improper values setting will cause issues like image banding.

HDR_showKB: On: values will be shown on the top left of the image; Off: no values shown

Before using software, make sure you have connected the cooling camera to the 12V power supply and connected it to the computer with a USB3.0 data cable. If it’s an uncooled camera, 12V power is not needed. We recommend 64-bit Software, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras.

Launch SharpCap. If the software and drivers mentioned above are installed successfully, the video image will appear automatically about 3 seconds after the software loads. You will also see the frame rate in the lower left corner of the software window as shown below.

If you have already started the SharpCap software before connecting the camera, in order to open the camera, click on the “camera” in the menu bar and then select the device.

Offset adjustment. When you completely block the camera (i.e., like taking a dark frame) you may find that the image is not really zero. Sometimes this will reduce the quality of the image contrast. You can get a better dark field by adjusting the offset. You can confirm this by opening the histogram as indicated in the figure below.

If you want to enter the 16-bit image mode, select the “RAW16” mode.

By selecting the “LX” mode you can expand the exposure setting range and take long exposures.

After cooling devices connected to the 12V power supply, the temperature control circuit will be activated. You can control the CMOS temperature by adjusting the settings in the figure below. Basically, you can control the temperature of CMOS by either adjusting “Cooler Power” or clicking “Auto” and setting “Target Temperature”. You can also see the CMOS temperature at the lower-left corner of the software window.

On the side of the front end of the camera, there is a drying port designed for use with a drying tube to dehumidify the CMOS sealed chamber. If moisture inside the CMOS chamber causes the sensor glass to fog up, you can connect a drying tube to this port for drying. Place effective silica gel desiccant in the drying tube and ensure it contains cotton to prevent dust particles from entering the CMOS chamber. Please refer to the connection instructions below.
Notes:
1. When installing the drying tube, please remove the front cover of the camera to prevent the sealing screws from falling out.
2. Turn off cooling before starting the drying process.

The QHY5III (Ver. 2) series planetary and guiding cameras are all equipped with a 512MB DDR3 image buffer which can effectively reduce the pressure on computer transmission, a great help for planetary photography which often requires writing a large amount of data in a short period of time. Some deep-sky astrophotography cameras on the market today only have 256MB, for example.

In comparison, the 512MB DDR3 memory of the new 5III (Ver. 2) series cameras represents a significant upgrade.

QHY5III (Ver. 2) series cameras have adopted a new front-end design with better compatibility.Here we only take QHY5III200M as example, however, ALL V2 cams in the future share these features.

The BFL of  V2 cam is only 8mm, which means you can easily compat a V2 cam with your OAG. The basic top adapter includes 1.25 inch threads and you can still use your 1.25 inch filter.

The top adapter glass of V2 can be easily swiched. One of the adavantage of changable top glasses is you can use one filter even you’re using Lens! You can add a 1.25inch-cs adapter to connect CS lens, or add a second CS-C lens for C-mount lens. The two adapters are all standard accessories of V2 cams.

By the way, there’s a 1.25 inch filter wheel adapter to connet your mono planetary cam with QHYCFW3-S filter wheel.

The new QHY5III (Ver.2) series cameras all use the USB3.2 Gen1 Type-C interface. Compared to the USB3.0 Type-B interface used in the previous generation, the Type-C interface has a longer life and is more flexible.

Tips: It is recommended to use the official standard Type-C data cable of QHYCCD. As the market is flooded with a large number of poor-quality Type-C cables, casual use may lead to the camera malfunctioning. If you use your own spare cable, please make sure it is a high-quality cable.

The custom interfaces of the previous generation of planetary cameras and guiders has been replaced in the QHY5III (Ver.2) cameras with a more universal ST-4 compatible guiding interface. Now, even if the guiding cable is lost or damaged, you will be able to easily get a replacement on the market at a low cost.

The new QHY5III (Ver.2) series of cameras is equipped with a status indicator at the back of the camera. If the camera experiences an abnormal status, the multi-colored indicator light will help to determine the situation with different colors signifying different conditions. During normal operation this indicator light is off, so there is no worry about light contaminating the image.