Altair Hypercam 115M PRO MONO Astro Camera Peltier Cooled Sony Sensor D=23.2 mm

Altair Hypercam 115M PRO Thermoelectric Cooled Monochrome Astro Camera

This camera is an excellent astro camera. The SONY IMX492 4/3" CMOS sensor has been installed in this camera. The chip has a diagonal of 23.2 mm and is equipped with the latest technology like "Back Side Illumination" and EXMOR-R. Due to the very low amplifier glow, the camera is best suited for long exposures. The moderate pixel size of 4.63 µm makes the camera a good choice for telescopes and telephoto lenses with medium focal ratio between f/4 and f/7. You will be able to utilize the telescope resolution well photographically.

The main advantages of the PRO version:

Temperature sensor with real-time data output

ROI (Region of Interest) for cropping and thus faster photography when taking pictures of sun, moon and planets

4K mode (cropped!)

Binning

Amplifier noise reduction

One year license for SharpCap PRO free!

Includes ultra-accurate polar alignment guide, optimization wizard for CMOS exposure times for deep sky objects, livestacking for EAA/video astronomy, live subtraction for dark frames and flats. Just download the latest SharpCap, connect your camera, register it when the display pops up and confirm your free license.

Low readout noise.

The Sony IMX492 CMOS sensor has very low readout noise, wide dynamic range, and high sensitivity. In addition, the IMX492 ExmorR Back-Illuminated Sensor has a small dark current, no smear effect, and excellent anti-blooming properties. BSI technology moves the sensor electronics behind the pixels, thus not blocking part of the light, which increases quantum efficiency compared to CCD sensors and conventional CMOS sensors.

4 GB DDR3 buffer RAM - USB3.0 speed and USB2.0 reliability:

USB3.0 and buffering by memory directly on the board result in much faster transfer speeds than USB2.0 cameras, but if, like many photographers, you prefer longer and more flexible USB2.0 cables because they work more reliably on a USB2.0 hub, that´s not a problem either! The Hypercam is fully compatible with the USB2.0 protocol. Just install the software and get started!

Important: Windows PC hardware requirements for best performance

Minimum CPU: Equal to i5 or higher

Minimum memory: 8 GB or more

USB port: USB2.0 high-speed port or USB3.0 high-speed port (best performance)

Please note: Some laptops and touchscreen notebooks may not have sufficient USB throughput.

Quality software and drivers included:

AltairCapture: Unlike cheaper camera manufacturers, Altair Astro has spent a lot of time to further improve the AltairCapture software with its many features and intuitive operation, it can be downloaded from Altair Astro Customer Support. AltairCapture is a robust 64-bit Windows application that provides full control of the camera in video or single frame mode. It contains many automatic functions and supports all major file formats for astrophotography and professional scientific image acquisition in 16bit, 12bit or 8bit modes. Furthermore, the popular programs PHD Guiding and SharpCap are also natively supported. ASCOM drivers are available for download at Altair Astro Customer Support, where you can also get regular driver updates. Installation is very simple and, unlike cheaper cameras, you don´t have to waste time optimizing .DLL files just to get the camera to work as expected.

Firecapture does not support Altair´s Hypercams in general yet, but there is a patched version which offers most of the features. Only on the white balance one must do without. The download link is here. After the start the error message "System seems to be read-only. No setup will be stored" may appear, which can be acknowledged by clicking "ok".

SharpCap PRO:

Altair Astro has worked closely with SharpCap developer Robin Glover since 2015 to fully integrate Altair cameras with SharpCap from the ground up. Now, together with this camera, SharpCap PRO allows even more features, for example, software-assisted polar alignment (more accurate than most other methods), live subtraction of flats, and live subtraction of dark frames. The fast, accurate pole alignment feature in SharpCap PRO is a photography lifesaver that saves setup time.

Thermoelectric cooling:

Cooling reduces thermal noise during a long exposure. The internal thermoelectric cooling system can be controlled with the imaging program, so you can select a working temperature (stored in the .FITs header). The Hypercam is designed for consistent deep-sky imaging up to 40 °C below ambient temperature, the suitable temperature of the IMX492 sensor at gain 400 is -10/15 °C absolute, below that no more improvements can be expected.

Optical window with heater to prevent fogging. Every precaution related to the biggest problem of cooled cameras has been taken. The optical window is heated by special heaters to eliminate fogging at low temperatures. To prevent frosting on the sensor, the sensor chamber is sealed and was filled with dry air during manufacture. The chamber contains a desiccant cartridge made of stainless steel, which can be regenerated by placing it in an oven at 120 °C for a few hours after removing the small O-ring.

Practical tip from TS: Storage of cameras and accessories

Especially in our latitudes, the nights are often very humid. This humidity condenses on your camera, eyepiece or filter when they come into the warm interior of the apartment. Especially cooled cameras are affected by this. Quickly a photo session is over because the sensor ices up.

Good storage is an important prevention against dew and also extends the life span.

After use, put the camera immediately into the TS Protect Case and add some silica gel. During storage, the silica gel will suck the moisture out of the camera. At the same time, the penetration of humid room air is prevented. Dry storage even allows the small dry tablets in cooled cameras to partially regenerate. Your camera or accessories are always ready for you in optimal condition. You can find the silica gel and the case in our product recommendations.

The cameras are not airtight, so if the camera remains on the telescope, it is exposed to moisture. The small amount of desiccant in the camera can protect the sensor and the inside of the protective glass from moisture for the duration of the exposure, but not for days on end. Moisture problems can be the result. A simple trick is to stretch a plastic bag around the focuser to which the camera is attached so that no air can get in. Silica gel is placed in a small cloth bag inside the plastic bag. This will also create a "dry climate zone" for the camera on the telescope. This allows you to leave the camera on the telescope for a few days for an imaging session lasting several days.

In the medium and long term, however, this is no substitute for proper storage in an airtight case with silica gel.

Astrophotographic results obtained with this camera on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this camera model: Link to Astrobin

Astrophotographic results obtained with this camera on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this camera model: Link to Astrobin

Safety informations: PDF Download