The Imaging Source DBK 33GX290e.AS, 1/2.8 " CMOS STARVIS, Sony IMX290LQ (progressive scan).

The Imaging Source DBK 33GX290e.AS

Color GigE astronomy camera without IR cut filter.

  • 1/2.8 " CMOS STARVIS, Sony IMX290LQ (progressive scan).
  • Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels (2.1 MP).
  • Up to 56 FPS and 30 seconds exposure.
  • C mount.
  • Software included.

The camera ships with IC Capture.AS, a comprehensive software package with which you can capture lossless and uncompressed images sequences and write them to disk as AVI files, or as a series of singular bitmaps.

Color Interpolation

For visualization applications, it does not make sense to view the RAW image stream from the CMOS STARVIS chip. It must be interpolated, before it may be viewed or saved in common formats. IC Capture.AS perform color interpolation, thus reducing the load on the DBK 33GX290e.AS's processor. Should, on the other hand, you prefer that the camera itself performs color interpolation, you can select the appropriate option in IC Capture.AS. This enables the transfer of data to reach the camera's maximum of 56 FPS. Finally, if you do not require color interpolation at all, you can turn it off completely and the image stream is written to disk in RAW format.

Sony IMX290LQ 1/2.8 " CMOS STARVIS Chip

The DBK 33GX290e.AS ships with the color Sony IMX290LQ progressive scan CMOS STARVIS chip. With its 1/2.8 " format, the CMOS STARVIS chip produces a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Thanks to this extremely high quality, the Sony IMX290LQ CMOS STARVIS chip is also often used in other scientific, industrial and medical image processing applications.

No Compression, No IR Cut Filter

The DBK 33GX290e.AS does not compress the video stream it outputs - the video data that is captured by the CMOS STARVIS chip is outputted directly by the GigE connector. Similarly, the camera does not have an IR cut filter, a color filter, nor an other kind of electronic filter. The camera is, therefore, ideally suited to capturing very true-to-life images of the night sky.

High Speed Data Transfer Via GigE

In order to transfer the vast amount of data created by the stream of uncompressed and lossless color images to the host PC, you need a very high speed bus. Hence, the DBK 33GX290e.AS is fitted with a fast GigE connector.

Included Software

The DBK 33GX290e.AS ships with the device driver IC WDM GIGE TIS and the camera control and image acquisition application IC Capture.AS. Both of these run on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP (32 and 64 bit).

Software for Mac OS and Linux is available from third parties.

Technical details are subject to change
General Behavior
Video output format 8-Bit Bayer (RG), 16-Bit Bayer (RG), YUV 4:2:2, YUV 4:1:1, RGB24
Dynamic range 8/12 bit
Optical Interface
IR cut filter no
CMOS STARVIS specification IMX290LQ
Type progressive scan
Format 1/2.8 "
Resolution H: 1920 pixel, V: 1080 pixel (2.1 MP)
Lens mount C mount
Electrical Interface
Connector type GigE
Supply voltage 11 VDC to 13 VDC (power supply included)
Current consumption approx. 400 mA at 12 VDC
Mechanical Interface
Dimensions H: 44 mm, W: 29 mm, L: 57 mm
Mass 120 g
Manual Adjustments
Shutter (exposure time) 1/50,000 to 30 seconds
Gain 0 dB to 48 dB
Environmental
Max. temperature (operation) -5 °C to 45 °C
Max. temperature (storage) -20 °C to 60 °C
Max. humidity (operation) 20 % to 80 % non-condensing
Max. humidity (storage) 20 % to 95 % non-condensing
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