Imaging Source - DMK 21AF04.AS Monochrome Camera

FireWire Monochrome Camera with 60 fps for CCD Astronomy

* Monochrome FireWire camera with IR cut filter
* 1/4" CCD, progressive scan
* Resolution 640 x 480
* Max. 60 fps
* Max exposure time 60 min
* C/CS Mount
* Software included
* Nosepiece not included

Up to 60 color frame per second

With up to 60 fps, this astro CCD cameras is ideally suited to color astrophotography, in which very fast sequences of images are captured. Using the shipped software - IC Capture.AS - you can capture lossless and uncompressed images sequences as 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. Should, on the other hand, the camera be installed on a host PC in which the CPU is not particularly fast, color interpolation can be performed by the camera itself. In this case, the maximum refresh rate is 30 fps. Alternatively, should color interpolation not be desirable at all, AVI files can be written in RAW format.

Sony® color CCD

The telescope camera DFK 21AF04.AS uses a modern color CCD chip (ICX098BQ, progressive scan, manufactured by Sony®). It outputs a resolution of 640 x 480 pixel at a 1/4" format. Even at long exposure times, its noise is minimal. The high quality of the CCD chip also permits its deployment in scientific image processing applications.

IR cut filter

The CCD camera DFK 21AF04.AS is equipped with an IR cut filter that blocks wavelengths above 700nm. Thus, its properties are similar to those of the human eye.

Fast data transfer via FireWire

The telescope camera DFK 21AF04.AS generates a fast stream of uncompressed color images. In order to transfer these to the host PC, a very fast bus is required. Hence, the camera is fitted with a FireWire connector.

The Imaging Source - a multinational manufacturer of industrial cameras - has just brought to market a new series of 2 megapixel, industrial cameras for cost sensitive applications.

The cameras ship in compact and robust aluminum casing and are available as monochrome and color variants, with or without an IR cut filter. They have a USB 2.0 (without extra power supply) or GigE (with or without auto-iris control) and can output 15 frames per second at a resolution of up 1600x1200 pixels. The cameras are optionally available with a trigger input and digital I/Os, which make them ideally suited to machine vision, automation, traffic surveillance, quality control, medicine, logistic and security applications.

The software support of the cameras leaves nothing to be desired: Both programmers and end-users immediately feel at home. Getting started with the cameras takes only a matter of minutes and integrating them into existing applications takes only a few lines of code. Drivers for LabView, HALCON, DirectX, Twain and WDM are included. All camera parameters and settings can be set via the shipped software. Furthermore, a number of automatic modes are available, which guarantee optimal image quality in varying light conditions. The cameras ship with drivers for Windows XP, Vista and 7, the SDK IC Imaging Control (.NET, ActiveX and C++ class library) and IC Capture. The latter is a powerful end-user application, which allows all camera parameters to be set, live video to be displayed, singular images and image sequences to be captured.