miniCAM8 (IMX585)

High Near-Infrared Sensitivity

The IMX585 is a Sony Starvis II processor that enables high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR). It also improves sensitivity in the near-infrared range by approximately 1.7 times* compared to the IMX485. The new camera miniCAM8 has a maximum quantum efficiency of 60% in the near-infrared band and 92% in the visible wavelength band.

*This data is officially provided by Sony: https://www.sony-semicon.com/cn/news/2021/2021062901.html

BSI

One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved full-well capacity. This is particularly helpful for sensors with small pixels. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.

In the back-illuminated sensor, the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case, the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer, and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency, the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons, and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.

Zero Amplify Glow

miniCAM8 is also a zero amplifer glow camera.

Anti-Dew Technology

Based on almost 20-year cooled camera design experience, the QHY cooled camera has implemented the fully dew control solutions. The optic window has a built-in dew heater, and the chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation. An electric heating board for the chamber window can prevent the formation of dew, and the sensor itself is kept dry with our silicon gel tube socket design for control of humidity within the sensor chamber.

Cooling

In addition to dual-stage TE cooling, QHYCCD implements proprietary technology in hardware to control the dark current noise.

The native ADC of the IMX585 sensor is 12-bit. Compared to 16-bit, the 12-bit depth offers fewer bits, resulting in a relatively narrower dynamic range, which may lead to issues such as insufficient color gradation and potential information loss. During the product development of miniCAM8, QHYCCD merged high and low gain to extend the data to 16-bit. However, since this 16-bit depth is not native, a sudden shift in linearity might occur, affecting the smooth transition in images. To address this, QHYCCD developed the “Linearity HDR” mode, which uses an algorithm-based approach to correct image linearity through software, ensuring smoother transitions and richer color representation.

In the “Linearity HDR” mode, the full well is 46 ke-, while the read noise is only 1.0e-; the dynamic range reaches up to 46,300:1, equivalent to 93 dB or 15.5 stops.

We offer a range of custom-designed astronomical filters optimized for the miniCAM8’s specific characteristics. This complete imaging solution significantly enhances system compatibility, making deep-sky imaging, planetary imaging, photometry, and specialized narrowband imaging easier, more efficient, and cost-effective.

• miniCAM8M Deep Sky Filter Set: 

This set includes seven filters: LRGB and 7 nm SHO narrowband filters.

The filters have an optical density (OD)* of 5.

*Optical Density (OD): It works as a physical measure of the degree of light attenuation after passing through an optical filter, directly affects the filter’s ability to suppress unwanted light during imaging. A higher OD value indicates stronger suppression of stray light, effectively blocking most unnecessary light sources and thereby enhancing image contrast and detail clarity. 

• miniCAM8C Deep Sky Filter Set: 

This set includes four filters: a light pollution filter (LPF), a heavy light pollution filter (HLP), a four-channel enhancement filter (FCE), and a UV/IR cut filter.

• miniCAM8M Deep Sky EVO Filter Set: 

This set includes 7 filters: LRGB and 3 nm SHO.
Compared with the original Deep Sky Filter Set, the EVO version features upgraded optical-coating technology and narrower bandpasses for the narrowband filters. The filters have an OD value of 5.

• miniCAM8M Planetary Filter Set: 

This set includes seven filters: LRGB broadband filters, 20 nm methane filter, 40 nm UV filter, 10 nm Na filter (589 nm).

• miniCAM8M Sloan Photometric Filter Set: UGRIZ   

This set includes five filters.

• [Ar III] Filter: The Ar III (Argon III) filter is a narrowband filter centered around 713 nm, designed to capture the specific emission line of triply ionized argon. This emission line is commonly observed in planetary nebulae, H II regions, emission-line galaxies, and in the spectroscopy of ionized gases in laboratory plasmas. 

(M57, captured by Nico Carver using miniCAM8 +ArIII, SII, Ha, OIII filters)

QHYCCD has designed a dedicated Off-Axis Guider (OAG) for the miniCAM8, featuring a large 14×10mm prism. The oversized prism maximizes light throughput to the guide camera, enabling higher guiding precision. It comes with a standard M48 telescope interface for easy connection and maintains a 55mm back focal distance for broad compatibility with imaging setups. (additional purchase required)

Installation guide:

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8M reaches 91.2% in the OIII band, 80.9% in the Ha band, 78.7% in the SII band, and 40.1% in the methane band.

The peak quantum efficiency of the miniCAM8C: R channel: 82%; G channel: 87%; B channel: 75%.

3D Mechanical Drawing Download：

FPGA version: 24-12-6 and its later version

SDK version: 24-12-26-12 and its later version

All-in-one version: 24.12.27.10 and its later version

HDR_correction will be on by default. (It is for 16-bit single frames and live, and not available for 8-bit.)

SharpCap version: 4.1.12311 and its later version

HDR Custom Control in SharpCap: “HDR_correction,” “HDR_L_K,” “HDR_L_b,” and “HDR_showKB”

HDR_L_K: stretch value of the low channel

HDR_L_b: offset value of the low channel

The two values influence the image linearity together.

You can manually set values of “HDR_L_k” and “HDR_L_b” by yourself when switching off the “HDR_correction.” But in general we recommend switching it on. Improper values setting will cause issues like image banding.

HDR_showKB: On: values will be shown on the top left of the image; Off: no values shown

Note: In Linearity HDR mode, the Gain and Offset values are set by default and do not need to be adjusted. Any Gain and Offset settings in the software will have no effect.

Before using software, make sure you have connected the cooling camera to the 12V power supply and connected it to the computer with a USB3.0 data cable. If it’s an uncooled camera, 12V power is not needed. We recommend 64-bit Software, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras.

The instructions below are based on SharpCap 3.1

• Launch SharpCap.

Click Camera in the menu bar and select your camera.

If the software and drivers mentioned above have been installed correctly, the image will appear automatically. And the frame rate can also be seen in the lower-left corner of the software window, as shown below.

• Main Interface Functions:

Capture Profiles
Preset management.
After SharpCap is restarted, the default settings are restored. If you frequently use one or more specific parameter configurations, you can adjust the parameters as needed and then click Save to store them as a preset. The preset can be directly recalled the next time you open the software.

Exposure
Sets the exposure duration. When LX Mode is enabled, the single-frame exposure time can be extended to longer values.

Gain
Equivalent to the ISO setting on a standard digital camera. Higher gain values result in higher sensitivity.

Frame Rate Limit
Limits the maximum frame rate. By default, no limit is applied. Users can set the limit manually if needed.

Offset
Adjusts the bias level. Even when the camera is completely covered, the image may not appear perfectly black. By adjusting the offset value, a more optimal dark frame can be achieved. The Histogram can be used to verify the adjustment.

USB Traffic
Controls the data transfer speed (frame rate). When set to 0, the camera operates at its maximum frame rate.

Enable Broadcast Mode
Enables the broadcast driver. For detailed usage instructions, please refer to the documentation available on the download page.

Read Mode
Some camera models support high-gain and low-gain readout modes.

Color Space
Select the output format.
Raw8 / Raw16 are 8-bit or 16-bit formats. Images and videos saved in Raw8 or Raw16 format will be monochrome, even when using a color sensor. Color information must be restored through debayering during post-processing.
RGB24 is a non-RAW format that outputs color images directly, but requires more storage space.

Capture Area
Select the resolution used for image capture.

Binning
Enable pixel binning for image capture.

Output Format
Select the output file format.

Debayer Preview
When this function is enabled, the live preview will be displayed in color even if a RAW format is selected. Please note that the saved images will still be monochrome.

Gamma, Brightness, Contrast
Under normal operating conditions, we recommend leaving these settings unchanged.

White Balance (R/G/B)
This function is used for white balance calibration on color cameras. For detailed calibration instructions, please refer to the corresponding section on the color camera page.
This function is not required for monochrome cameras.

Histogram
The histogram is an important image reference tool. It can be used to check whether the white balance is set correctly, whether the offset value is appropriate, and whether the image is overexposed.
Its operating principle is the same as that of the histogram used in standard DSLR cameras.

Thermal Controls
After the cooled camera is connected to a 12 V power supply, the temperature control circuit will be activated. You can control the CMOS sensor temperature by adjusting the settings shown below.

There are two main methods for temperature control:

Adjusting the cooler power
Setting a target temperature

If you wish to control the CMOS temperature by setting a target temperature, first click “Auto”, and then use the slider to set the desired target temperature.

Scope Control: for filter wheel control
Select the corresponding filter wheel slot to control the rotation.

Note: The software must be started after the filter wheel has completed its rotation and returned to the home position; otherwise, the position will not be displayed correctly.

QHY devices can operate with many software applications that support the ASCOM platform. MAXIM DL is used as an example below.

First, make sure that both the ASCOM platform and the QHY ASCOM driver have been successfully installed. Launch MAXIM DL and follow the instructions shown in the figure below to complete the setup.

Click “Connect”

Set the cooling temperature.

EZCAP_QT is software developed by QHYCCD. For QHYCCD cameras, it provides basic image capture functions.

Install the EZCAP_QT software and connect the camera to your computer using a USB 3.0 cable. Launch EZCAP_QT, then click “Connect” under Menu → Camera.
If the camera is successfully connected, the EZCAP_QT title bar will display the camera firmware version and camera ID, as shown in the figure below.

In Camera Setup, click Temp Control to set the CMOS sensor temperature.
You can enable Auto to define a target temperature. For example, here we set the target temperature to –10 °C. The CMOS sensor temperature will quickly drop to the target value, typically within 2–3 minutes.

To disable cooling, select Stop. If you prefer to control the cooling power without setting a target temperature, you can manually set the cooling power as a percentage.

In EZCAP_QT, there is an Image Task Planner for sequence imaging.

Check Use to enable the task.

Set the following parameters:

Bin

ExpTime – exposure time

Repeat – number of frames

CFW – filter wheel position

Gain – gain value for the sequence

Click Folder to set the save path. (It is recommended to avoid special characters in the path and use English letters.)

Click Start to begin the sequence capture, and Force Stop to close the current task.

On the side of the front end of the camera, there is a drying port designed for use with a drying tube to dehumidify the CMOS sealed chamber. If moisture inside the CMOS chamber causes the sensor glass to fog up, you can connect a drying tube to this port for drying. Place effective silica gel desiccant in the drying tube and ensure it contains cotton to prevent dust particles from entering the CMOS chamber. Please refer to the connection instructions below.
Notes:
Turn off cooling before starting the drying process.

When the miniCAM8M displays ‘RGGB’ as the sensor type in NINA, the solution below can resolve the problem.

This problem is caused by an outdated NINA SDK version. Please install the all-in-one kit version 241027 or later, and select ‘NINA SDK’ during installation to update it.

After the update, the sensor type will display as “Monochrome” and the SDK version will be “24-12-26-12”.

If you find that the shading sheet and the filter disc have a slight deviation in the vertical position, the shading sheet can be adjusted manually.

Remove the camera cover, turn it over, use a screwdriver to loosen the three shading sheet fixing screws, adjust the shading sheet up and down according to the deviation, and then tighten the three screws.

Install the cover to check whether the deviation between the shading sheet and the disc is corrected.

The camera back focus is 17.5mm, which theoretically supports C-mount lenses. However, the thread length of the C-mount lens connected to the camera must be less than 3.5mm, otherwise the camera filter wheel will be stuck and the wheel will not rotate.