MORAVIAN C2 9000 [MONO]
Moravian Instruments
MORAVIAN C2 9000 [MONO] - NO FILTER WHEEL is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
The Moravian C2 9000 Mono is a high performance cooled monochrome astronomy camera using the Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor with a resolution of 3008 x 3008 pixels at 3.76μm. All C2 series cameras feature a mechanical shutter.
The cooled C2 series CMOS cameras were developed for imaging under extremely low-light conditions in astronomy, microscopy and similar areas. Mechanical design of this series inherits from earlier CCD-based G2 Mark II cameras, which makes the C2 series fully compatible with vast range of telescope adapters, off-axis guider adapters, internal or external filter wheels, Camera Ethernet adapters, guiding cameras etc.
The C2 camera head is designed to be easily used with a set of accessories to fulfill various observing needs. The camera head itself is manufactured in two different variants:
- Camera with Internal filter wheel.
- Camera with control port for External filter wheel. This model allows attachment of several variants of external filter wheels with various number of filter positions and sizes.
C2 Camera without filter wheel (left), with Internal filter wheel (middle) and with attached External filter wheel (right).
C2 camera model with Internal filter wheel accepts two sizes of filters:
- Filter wheel with 5 positions for unmounted D31 mm filters or filters in 1.25” threaded cells.
- Filter wheel with 6 positions for unmounted D27 mm (or 1”) filters.
There are two sizes of the External filter wheels, each capable to accept multiple sizes of filters, available for the C2 cameras:
- Extra small “XS” size wheel for 8 unmounted filters D31 mm or filters in 1.25” threaded cells.
- Extra small “XS” size wheel for 7 unmounted filters D36 mm.
- Small “S” size wheel for 12 unmounted filters D31 mm or filters in 1.25” threaded cells.
- Small “S” size wheel for 10 unmounted filters D36 mm.
- Small “S” size wheel for 7 unmounted D50 mm or 2" filter or filters in 2” threaded cells.
C2 cameras are equipped with a mechanical shutter, which is an important feature allowing unattended observations (fully robotic or just remote setups). Without a mechanical shutter, it is not possible to automatically acquire dark frames, necessary for proper image calibration etc.
The mechanical shutter in the C2 cameras is designed to be as reliable as possible, so the number of open/close cycles is virtually unlimited, because there are no surfaces rubbing against each other. The price for high reliability is slow shutter motion. Luckily, mechanical shuttering is not necessary for exposure control, only for taking dark frames and possibly bias frames — all used CMOS sensors are equipped with electronic shuttering.
The C2 9000 contains the IMX533 rolling shutter CMOS sensor, which brings a few key differences compared to the other C2 cameras. This is a natively 14-bit sensor with greater dynamic range and very good linearity. Additionally, the C2 9000 features 256MB of onboard memory, enabling fast sequential exposures. The rolling shutter allows the camera to take exposures while digitizing the previous image, resulting in greater FPS.
Sensor linearity of IMX533 sensor as found in the C2 9000 camera.
The CMOS sensors found in these cameras have a response to light that is linear very close to the saturation point. This means the C2 series cameras can be used for advanced research and scientific applications like variable star photometry and exoplanet transits.
The regulated thermoelectric cooler is capable of cooling the CMOS sensor to approximately 45°C below ambient temperature. The sensor temperature is regulated with ±0.1 °C precision. High temperature reduction and precision regulation ensure very low dark current for long exposures and allow proper image calibration. Two temperature sensors are built-in to the camera - one measuring the sensor package temperature and one measuring the temperature inside the casing.
Sensors used in the C2 9000 offers programmable gain from 0 to 36 dB, which translates to the output signal multiplication from 1× to 69×. Gain can be set with 0.1 dB step.
The USB 3.0 port operates at 5 Gbps allowing for fast transfer rates. C2 cameras with the "T" suffix include a hardware trigger input port for use with the optional GPS receiver module.
For more information on Moravian C2 cameras, please refer to the Moravian website.
Specifications
Sensor |
CMOS Sony IMX533 monochrome |
Resolution |
9 megapixels 3008 x 3008 |
Pixel size |
3.76 µm |
Sensor size |
11.31 mm x 11.31 mm (16 mm diagonal) |
Quantum efficiency |
~91% |
Exposure range |
From 100 μs |
Read noise |
1.46 e- @ 36 dB |
Full well capacity |
50,800 e- @ 0 dB |
Bit rate |
14-bit |
Speed |
0.06 s per frame |
Shutter type |
Rolling shutter with external mechanical shutter |
Cooling |
TEC-cooled |
Memory buffer |
256 MB |
ROI |
Supported |
Compatibility |
Windows, Mac, Linux |
Protecting window |
TBD |
Ports |
USB 3.0, Trig-in (for "T" version), EFW |
Back focus |
33.5 mm from sensor to adapter mounting flange |
Connections |
Varies - many different adapters available |
Dimensions |
114 mm × 114 mm × 77.5 mm (with internal filter wheel); 114 mm × 114 mm × 65 mm (without filter wheel) |
Weight |
1000 g (without filter wheel) |
Power supply |
12V DC 5A 5.5 x 2.5 mm |
Mechanical diagram showing C2 camera with integrated filter wheel on the left and External Filter Wheel on the right. Detailed diagrams can be found on the Moravian website.
Components of C2 Camera system include:
- C2 camera head with Internal Filter Wheel (5 or 6 positions)
- C2 camera head capable to control External Filter Wheel
- External Filter Wheel “XS” size (7 or 8 positions)
- External Filter Wheel “S” size (10 or 12 positions)
- C1 guider camera
- Off-Axis Guider with M48 × 0.75 thread
- Off-Axis Guider with M42 × 0.75 thread (T2)
- Thick adapter base, compensating EFW thickness to achieve proper back focal distance for cameras without filter wheel
- 1.75” dovetail rail for C2 camera head
- Camera Ethernet Adapter (x86 CPU)
- Camera Ethernet Adapter (ARM CPU)
- 5-positions internal filter wheel for 1.25”/D31 mm filters
- 6-positions internal filter wheel for 1”/D27 mm filters
- 8-positions external filter wheel “XS” for 1.25”/D31 mm filters
- 7-positions external filter wheel “XS” for D36 mm filters
- 12-positions external filter wheel “S” for 1.25”/D31 mm filters
- 10-positions external filter wheel “S” for D36 mm filters
- 7-positions external filter wheel “S” for 2”/D50 mm filters
- M42 × 0.75 (T-thread) or M48 × 0.75 threaded adapters, 55 mm BFD
- Canon EOS bayonet lens adapter
- Nikon bayonet lens adapter
Downloads
Gallery
M51 by Martin Myslivec using Moravian C2-9000 and 400mm f/2.9 astrograph.
M82 by Martin Myslivec using Moravian C2-12000 and 300mm f/3.8 astrograph.
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Colour or Monochrome
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SensorSony IMX533 - Monochrome
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Sensor diagonal
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Sensor dimensions
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Resolution3008 x 3008
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Pixel size
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Quantum efficiency
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Read noise1.46 e- @ 36 dB
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Fullwell capacity50,800 e-
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Bit depth
-
FPS0.06 s per frame
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Exposure rangeFrom 100 μs
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Shutter type
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Cooling
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Region of interest
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Memory256 MB
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Optical windowAR-coated
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Camera backfocus
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Power jack5.5 x 2.5 mm
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Connection side AVaries - many different adapters available
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Power supply