SBIG ST-4000XCM Color CCD Camera

The SBIG ST-4000XCM Color CCD Camera...if not now...when?

If you have been waiting for a great CCD camera that can compete with the resolution of a digital SLR without breaking the bank, this is it! SBIG has added the amazing ST-4000XCM to the "ST" line of self-guiding CCD cameras for a limited time.

The SBIG ST-4000XCM color camera will use a large, 4.2 megapixel Kodak KAI-4022CM color CCD sensor, previously available only in an SBIG STL camera body. This CCD has 2048 x 2048 pixels at 7.4 microns square, and is the same size CCD used in the SBIG STL-4020 camera. The 7.4 mm square pixels with microlenses will provide high sensitivity for the SBIG ST4000XCM. The vertical overflow drain structure of the KAI-4022CM sensor provides antiblooming protection, and enables electronic shuttering for precise exposure control of the SBIG-ST-4000XCM to 0.001 seconds.

Other features of the limited edition SBIG ST-4000XCM include low read noise, low dark current, negligible lag and low smear. This CCD uses a high gain output amplifier that reduces the read noise by almost half compared to previous versions. SBIG's preliminary tests of the ST-4000XCM's CCD installed in a prototype ST camera body exhibits a read noise of less than 8e- rms and a dark current of less than 0.1e- at 0 degrees C. The Kodak KAI-4020CM CCD is a progressive scan detector with an active image area of 15.2 x 15.2 mm.

• The SBIG ST4000XCM offers the largest CCD available in an ST series camera - 100% larger than the ST-2000XCM

• Single-Shot Color CCD with 300X antiblooming protection

• 4.2 million pixels: 2,048 x 2,048 at 7.4 microns

• High resolution on smaller telescopes with 7.4 micron square pixels

• The SBIG ST4000XCM has a built-in TC-237H autoguider for self-guiding, or you can do external self-guiding with the optional Remote Guide Head containing a TC-237H CCD

• Mechanical shutter for automatic dark frames

• Electronic shutter for exposure times to 0.001 second

• Good sensitivity

• Low read noise

• Low dark current

• Thermoelectric cooling with air only or with water circulation

• Fast downloads - 10 seconds for a high resolution full frame image, 2 seconds for quarter frame

• Professional software

• The ST-4000XCM is easy to use and customize with a wide variety of optional accessories

• Low price

• SBIG quality and support

The ST-4000XCM's generous 4.2 megapixel CCD is twice the size of the KAI-2020CM used in the SBIG ST-2000XCM camera. It is approximately 50% larger than the KAF-3200ME CCD used in the SBIG ST-10XME. With a diagonal measurement of ~21.5mm, the KAI-4022CM is the largest CCD currently available in the SBIG ST series camera body. Because of the size of the sensor package, this camera is only available in single-shot color in the ST body, and will come without filter wheel. SBIG has made a special buy of CCDs for this camera and the low price offered on the ST-4000XCM is limited by the supply of CCDs on hand.

The SBIG ST-4000XCM camera comes with a built-in, custom designed, MAR coated, UV+IR blocking filter for optimum color balance in astronomical imaging and improved performance with camera lenses and short fast refractors. The characteristics of this custom filter are essentially the same as the separate Baader UV+IR blocking filter ("Luminance Filter") that SBIG includes with other single-shot color cameras. Since no external UV/IR blocking filter is required on the SBIG ST-4000XCM, using a camera lens is a simple matter of attaching a lens adapter. The built-in UV+IR filter helps shape the red cut-off but does not significantly attenuate the important wavelengths of H-alpha and [SII]. The UV+IR filter has better than 97% transmission at H-alpha. Additionally, the transmission curves of the RGB filters on the ST-4000XCM CCD itself happen to place the mostly unwanted wavelength of Sodium light pollution in the minimum gap between the red and green filters while passing H-alpha and SII. The peak red transmission is around 525nm. By way of comparison, typical unmodified DSLR cameras tend to have peak red transmission around 600nm with a significant fall off at H-alpha and almost no response to SII. This means that the DSLR is roughly twice as sensitive to Sodium light pollution as it is to H-alpha. The opposite is true for the SBIG ST-4000XCM where the curve of the red filter attenuates the Sodium line and transmits twice as much light near H-alpha.

The SBIG ST-4000XCM CCD Camera supports the optional Remote Guiding Head and is fully compatible with the new AO-8 Adaptive Optics accessory. It has the standard ST camera heat exchanger with water cooling capability. With both a mechanical and electronic shutter, the SBIG ST-4000XCM can automatically take dark frames as needed with exposure times from 0.001 seconds to 1 hour. Self-guiding is possible with either the built-in TC-237H CCD or the optional Remote Guide Head with external TC-237H CCD.

After all is said and done, if a camera is difficult to use at the telescope, no matter how good the hardware, image quality may suffer. Getting focused, framing an object that is difficult to see, processing the results, etc., all go into the final result. Good software makes these and other tasks easier to get right. The DSLR is designed to be used in one's hands without extensive external control of the camera's functions when attached to a telescope at night. It can be done, usually by adding third party software such as Maxim. This may add cost that needs to be considered. Like all other SBIG cameras, the ST-4000XCM includes more excellent software than any other camera from any other manufacturer.

CCDOPS version 5 is SBIG's full featured camera control software for Windows. The SBIG software package has evolved over the past 15+ years into one of the best, if not the best, basic camera control packages offered by any astronomical CCD camera manufacturer. This software controls all camera functions, self-guiding, autoguiding, color filter wheel and adaptive optics. It also has easy to use single-shot color processing for SBIG color cameras. CCDOPS is free with all SBIG cameras and can be downloaded for free from the SBIG web site.

CCDSoftV5: Professional astronomical software package. Jointly developed by SBIG and Software Bisque, CCDSoftV5 incorporates many of the camera control functions of CCDOPS, plus additional camera control features, in addition to its many other astrometry, image processing and telescope control functions. CCDSoftV5 is included with SBIG CCD cameras at no additional charge. Purchased separately it is $349.

TheSky Version 5: TheSky Version 5 is Software Bisque's well known planetarium and star-charting software package that includes telescope control for many popular telescope models. This is an indispensable tool for planning an evenings' imaging session. Field of view indicators for the imaging and tracking CCD, plus the ability to image link with CCDSoftV5 make TheSky one of the most useful planetarium programs you can own. TheSky version 5, level II, (full functioning demo) is included with all SBIG cameras at no additional charge.

EquinoX: EquinoX software for Mac OS-X operating systems is a planetarium program that now includes SBIG camera control (check with Microprojects for specific camera models). If you are running Mac OSX and would like a free copy of EquinoX, just mention it in the "Comments" section of our shopping cart.

Please Note: SBIG drivers are compatible with 32 bit Vista, but they are not compatible with 64 bit Vista.