A professional monochrome guide camera featuring Sony's latest IMX662 back-illuminated CMOS sensor, offering exceptionally strong infrared light capture capability, large full well capacity, high dynamic range, high sensitivity, and ultra-low readout noise for outstanding performance in planetary, solar, and lunar photography.
The GPM662M camera possesses an exceptionally strong capability to capture infrared light with high QE values at 650nm. It features a large full well capacity, high dynamic range, high sensitivity, and low readout noise among other advantages. Equipped with HCG/LCG dual gain mode switching, the minimum read noise can reach 0.4e⁻, making it one of the lowest read noise monochrome guide cameras currently available. This results in outstanding performance in planetary photography, as well as in solar and lunar photography.
The GPM662M features Sony's latest IMX662 monochrome sensor with exceptional infrared sensitivity. With read noise as low as 0.4e⁻, full well capacity of 33.8ke⁻, and dynamic range reaching 75.2dB, the GPM662M delivers outstanding performance for demanding astronomical applications. The monochrome sensor provides superior quantum efficiency and eliminates the Bayer pattern interpolation, resulting in sharper images with better detail resolution.
The GPM662M sensor has a G sensitivity of 8970mv at 1/30s. Its spectral response range covers 380-1100nm (with AR protect window), delivering exceptional sensitivity across the entire visible spectrum and into the near-infrared range. The monochrome sensor's extended infrared response makes it particularly effective for capturing emission nebulae and other deep-sky objects that emit strongly in the red and near-infrared wavelengths.
The GPM662M supports switching between HCG (High Conversion Gain) and LCG (Low Conversion Gain) modes, providing optimized performance for different imaging scenarios:
Frame buffer is a dedicated high-speed memory component integrated directly into the camera hardware. Think of it as an intelligent data staging area that temporarily stores captured image frames before they are transmitted to your computer via USB.
When the camera sensor captures an image, the data is first written to the frame buffer memory at extremely high speeds. From there, it's transmitted to your computer at the rate supported by your USB connection. This two-stage process provides several critical advantages:
In practical terms: The frame buffer acts like a shock absorber for your data stream, ensuring smooth, reliable image capture regardless of momentary system hiccups or resource constraints. This technology is particularly valuable during long imaging sessions where data integrity and consistency are paramount.
The GPM662M features native 12-bit ADC, providing 4096 gray levels for capturing subtle tonal gradations. The camera supports hardware ROI (Region of Interest) functionality - smaller ROI sizes achieve higher frame rates, which is particularly useful in guiding applications where only a small area containing the guide star needs high-speed acquisition.
| Resolution | Bit Depth Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| 12-bit ADC | 8-bit ADC | |
| 1920 × 1080 | 8.9 | 17.8 |
Unit: Frames per second (FPS) - USB 2.0 interface
The GPM662M supports digital pixel binning from 1×1 to 8×8 in either stacking or averaging method. Pixel binning technology can improve signal-to-noise ratio, particularly useful in faint guiding conditions by combining adjacent pixels to enhance guide star signals while reducing read noise impact.
The GPM662M features a built-in standard ST4 guide interface for easy connection to the autoguider. This design simplifies guiding system configuration, reduces cable connections, and improves system reliability. Compatible with mainstream guiding software like PHD Guiding, MetaGuide, Nebulosity, MaxIm DL, and others for precise autoguiding control.
The GPM series cameras offer versatile connection options designed for seamless integration with various telescope setups and guiding systems. The diagram below illustrates the complete connection architecture, showing how the camera interfaces with your mount, computer, and other astronomical equipment for optimal guiding performance.
Connection Features:
The GPM662M supports multiple driver interfaces including Native, ASCOM, and WDM, compatible with mainstream astronomy software such as PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, MaxIm DL, SharpCap, MetaGuide, FireCapture, and AstroArt. Provides multi-platform SDK support for Windows, Linux, macOS, including development interfaces for Native C/C++, C#/VB.NET, Python, Java, DirectShow, and Twain.
The camera operates via USB 2.0 interface. Upon establishing a connection with the host system using the USB 2.0 cable, the device is primed for operation. This design is particularly suitable for field observations, reducing power cable complexity.
The GPM662M provides HCG and LCG gain modes that can be flexibly switched according to different imaging requirements, delivering excellent performance under various conditions.
Camera Settings: Full resolution, RAW 12-bit mode, LCG mode
LCG mode provides large full well capacity (33.8ke⁻), offering exceptional headroom for bright targets. This mode maintains good signal-to-noise ratio while providing extremely wide dynamic range (75.2dB), preventing overexposure on bright objects, particularly suitable for solar, lunar photography and bright planetary imaging.
| Gain Value | 100 | 199 | 398 | 794 | 1584 | 3162 | 6309 | 15000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rel Gain (dB) | 0 | 5.98 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 43.52 |
| e-/ADU | 8.26 | 4.46 | 2.29 | 1.17 | 0.59 | 0.3 | 0.15 | 0.06 |
| Read Noise (e⁻) | 5.86 | 5.12 | 4.56 | 4.09 | 3.54 | 3.07 | 2.69 | 2.33 |
| Full Well (ke⁻) | 33.8 | 18.3 | 9.4 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Dynamic Range (stop) | 12 | 11.8 | 11 | 10.2 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 6.8 |
Camera Settings: Full resolution, RAW 12-bit mode, HCG mode
HCG mode is optimized for low-light imaging, providing extremely low read noise (minimum 0.4e⁻), the lowest level among current monochrome guide cameras. At high gain settings, read noise remains at ultra-low levels, making it ideal for capturing extremely faint guide stars and deep sky objects.
| Gain Value | 100 | 199 | 398 | 794 | 1584 | 3162 | 6309 | 15000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rel Gain (dB) | 0 | 5.98 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 43.52 |
| e-/ADU | 0.951 | 0.477 | 0.241 | 0.121 | 0.061 | 0.030 | 0.015 | 0.006 |
| Read Noise (e⁻) | 1.06 | 1.32 | 1.1 | 0.93 | 0.77 | 0.64 | 0.59 | 0.4 |
| Full Well (ke⁻) | 3.89 | 1.95 | 0.98 | 0.49 | 0.25 | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.03 |
| Dynamic Range (stop) | 11.9 | 10.6 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 6.7 | 6.0 |
| Maximum Frame Rate (USB 2.0) |
12-bit: 8.9 FPS @ 1920×1080 8-bit: 17.8 FPS @ 1920×1080 |
|---|---|
| Read Noise | HCG: 0.4-1.06e⁻ | LCG: 2.33-5.86e⁻ |
| Full Well Capacity | HCG: 3.89ke⁻ | LCG: 33.8ke⁻ |
| Peak Quantum Efficiency | >91% |
| Dynamic Range | 75.2 dB |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 45.3 dB |
| Exposure Time Range | 0.1ms - 1000s |
| Gain Range | 1× - 150× |
| Sensor | Sony IMX662 Monochrome Back-illuminated CMOS |
|---|---|
| Image Resolution | 2.1 Megapixels (1920×1080) |
| Pixel Size | 2.9μm × 2.9μm |
| Sensor Size | 1/2.8-inch (diagonal 6.45mm) |
| Imaging Area | 5.57mm × 3.13mm |
| Shutter Type | Rolling Shutter |
| ADC Bit Depth | 12-bit |
| Frame Buffer | Built-in |
| Gain Modes | HCG/LCG dual mode switching |
| Spectral Response Range | 380-1100nm (with AR protect window) |
| Data Interface | USB 2.0 Type-C |
|---|---|
| Guide Interface | Built-in ST4 autoguider port |
| Camera Adapter | Standard 1.25-inch for telescope connection Standard CS adapter for industrial lens |
| Back Focal Distance | 8.5mm (17.5mm with C-mount, 12.5mm with CS-mount) |
| Protective Window | IR-cut filter/AR-window |
| External Dimensions | Diameter 37mm × Height 72.4mm |
| Weight | 65.3 grams |
| Cooling Method | Passive cooling |
| Supported Systems | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11 (32 & 64 bit) Mac OS X, Linux |
| SDK Support | Native C/C++, C#/VB.NET, Python Java, DirectShow, Twain, etc. |
Gift box dimensions: Length 19.5cm × Width 16cm × Height 6cm (each package weighs approximately
0.8-1.0 kilograms)
Carton dimensions: Length 50cm × Width 30cm × Height 30cm (20 pieces, 12-17kg per carton,
0.045m³)
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