ATR294C

Cooled USB 3.0 4/3″ color astro camera with powerful Sony CMOS sensor for astrophotography

•  Powerful two-stage Peltier cooling up to 35 °C below ambient temperature
•  Sony IMX294CJK color sensor – back-illuminated
•  4144 x 2822 pixels with 4.63 µm size
•  14 bit ADC – wide dynamic range
•  DDR Memory Buffer 256 MB – buffer for more stable data transport – minimizes amplifier glow
•  Telescope side connector: M42x0.75 female thread
•  Working distance only 17.5 mm from T2 (M42x0.75) female thread
•  Built-in UV/IR blocking filter as protection glass
•  Binning is supported
•  Unlike the third picture, no extra desiccant or CD is included.

TS 294CP Color Astro Camera of the latest Generation

The camera with the powerful Sony IMX294 sensor allows astrophotography on a very high level. This modern sensor can be used for all areas of astrophotography. The 4.3-µm pixels make this camera an all-rounder with highest sensitivity for short exposure times.

Another advantage is the sensational light sensitivity. The QE of 80% by the BACK ILLUMINATION technology already allow deep astro images with short exposure times. This makes the camera very well suited for deep sky photography.

The “single-shot” color camera offers more convenience compared to monochrome cameras. Not everyone wants to use the laborious L-RGB process for beautiful colored nebula images or planetary images. The color cameras offer you the possibility to get beautiful images without changing filters. But in direct comparison to the DSLR camera, the color camera convinces with a disproportionately higher light sensitivity, a smoother image and much more depth. Stars do not burn out as quickly.

Back-illumination technology:

Sony´s back-illuminated CMOS imaging sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction – key factors in improving image quality – by changing the basic pixel structure from front- to back-illuminated. The advantages of CMOS image sensors, such as low power consumption and high operating speed, have been retained.

The back illumination improves the light acquisition and increases the amount of light at the same time. This makes significantly shorter exposure times possible and leads to an improved quantum efficiency of 80 %.

Sony has developed a unique photodiode structure and on-chip lens optimized for backside-exposed structures, this results in higher sensitivity and lower random noise without light by reducing noise, dark current and defective pixels compared to the conventional front-side-illuminated structure.

Connection to correctors with M48 thread and 55 mm working distance with filter change

Most coma correctors or field flatteners for refractors have 55 mm working distance and an M48x0.75 thread on the camera side. Here you will find an interesting suggestion for the connection. The camera has a back focus of 17.5 mm from the T2 female thread. The adapters are from the camera to the corrector:

1. TSFSLM48T2 – filter drawer with T2 connection on the camera side and M48 thread on the telescope side.
2. TSVF220 – 20 mm M48 extension.
Total 55.5 mm flange focal distance – the 0.5 mm compensates well for the glass path of the filter – spot landing!!!