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Low Cost, High Resolution FireWire Color Telescope Camera
* Color FireWire camera with IR cut filter
* 1/3" CCD, progressive scan
* Resolution 1024 x 768
* Max. 30 fps
* Max exposure time 60 min
* C/CS Mount
* Software included
* Nosepiece not included
High resolution, fast refresh rate
Three characteristics make the telescope camera DFK 31AF03.AS an ideal tool for color astrophotography: high resolution, fast
refresh rate and a low price. Using the shipped software - IC Capture - you can save the captured images to lossless and
uncompressed AVI files.
Fast display of color images
IC Capture.AS performs color interpolation on the raw color data (RAW format) from the CCD chip. This reduces the load on the
camera processor. On the other hand, if you prefer the camera itself to perform color interpolation, simply select the appropriate
option in the shipped software IC Capture.AS. In this case, the maximum frame rate is 15 fps. Alternatively, should color
interpolation not be desirable at all, AVI files can be written in RAW format.
Sony® color CCD
A Sony® color CCD, type ICX204AK is at the core of the astro CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS. The format of this CCD is 1/3" at a
resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Even at long exposure times, its noise is minimal. The unsurpassed quality of the ICX204AK allows
its deployment in scientific image processing applications.
IR cut filter
Unlike the human eye, CCDs are sensitive to near infrared light (wavelengths over 700nm). The CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS ships with
an IR cut filter. Thus, its deployment is recommended for applications in which capture of these wavelengths would lead to
interference.
Fast data transfer via FireWire
The astro CCD camera DFK 31AF03.AS is particularly well known for its ability to output high resolution images at high speed. In
order to transfer these large amounts of data to the host PC, a very fast bus is required - FireWire (IEEE 1394)
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Shipped software for Windows®
This camera ships with the camera driver IC WDM DCAM TIS and the control software IC
Capture.AS. To learn more about these software products, please take a look at the software section: |
A device driver and the camera control software IC Capture.AS are shipped with every telescope camera on this web site. Both
components run on Windows® 2000 and Windows XP.
IC WDM DCAM TIS - Device driver for FireWire telescope cameras
The driver IC WDM DCAM TIS embeds all FireWire telescope cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source, into Windows® 2000 and
Windows® XP. By deploying this driver, all CCD cameras are compatible to DirectX®. Consequently, all The Imaging Source
telescope cameras can be used with all astro-photography software that is compatible to DirectX®.
Software requirements
* PIII/800 MHz, 128 MB
* Graphics card with 24 or 32 bit
* Windows® 2000/SP2 or Windows® XP
* DirectX® 9.0c or higher
IC Capture.AS - Camera control software
IC Capture.AS is authored by The Imaging Source and has been specifically designed for use with telescope cameras. The software
ships with all the telescope cameras sold on this web site. Using IC Capture.AS, you can do the following:
* Set all camera parameters
* See the live image data stream from the camera
* Retrieve singular images from the camera and save them as BMP or JPG files.
* Capture image sequences and save the single images as enumerated BMP or JPG files.
* Capture image sequences and save them as lossless, uncompressed AVI files. These files can be post-processed in other
astronomy applications, such as RegiStax.
Software requirements
* PIII/800 MHz, 128 MB
* Graphics card with 24 or 32 bit
* Windows® 2000/SP2 or Windows® XP
* DirectX® 9.0c or higher
Please note that in order to save image sequences, a host computer with a fast CPU and fast secondary hard disk is required.
AVI file generation
With IC Capture.AS you can save the images outputted from the camera as an AVI file. There are two approaches to achieve this:
* If you would like to save a compressed AVI file, simply select the appropriate codec in IC Capture.AS (DivX, for example).
* If you prefer uncompressed AVIs, simply select the shipped codec (uncompressed Y800, uncompressed RGB24, uncompressed
RGB32, uncompressed UYVY).
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