QHY585 (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 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

QHY585M is also a zero-amplifier 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 the QHY585 camera, 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.

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.

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.