ORION 51452 StarShoot G Series CMOS Cameras Instruction Manual

: June 8, 2024
: Orion

Table of Contents

ORION 51452 StarShoot G Series CMOS Cameras
INTRODUCTION
Getting Started
Software
Focusing
Cooling – for less noise!
G24 Spacing rings
SPECIFICATION
Warranty
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

ORION 51452 StarShoot G Series CMOS Cameras

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the exciting world of Astro-imaging. Your new StarShoot™ CMOS Imaging Camera is capable of capturing professional-quality Astro-images of your favorite celestial objects. You can showcase spectacular images on your computer, share them on the internet, or print them. The camera’s large pixel array provides very high-resolution images which are great for publishing in large prints. Please read this instruction manual before attempting to use the camera or install the needed software. This manual covers the installation of your camera along with the basic functions of acquiring images using the included software. To get the most out of your camera using 3rd party dedicated astronomy apps coupled with the universal ASCOM driver for the G Series Camera, please consult the software help files and manuals included with the individual software packages available on the market. Some of our favorite programs are mentioned below. Note: This manual covers the StarShoot Mini cameras as well as the larger format cooled G series cameras. Some features will only be available on specific models.

The StarShoot CMOS Camera (G10 and larger)
The StarShoot Camera is a high-resolution CMOS imager with a dual-stage, regulated thermoelectric cooler to enable maximum imaging performance. It is very sensitive and capable of detecting faint deep sky objects in a short exposure, and longer exposures or higher gain settings can reveal extremely deep fields with subtle nebulosity and galaxies in the background. The unique versatility of the CMOS chip lets you take advantage of the densely-packed pixel array. 1×1 mode utilizes the full resolution of the camera, providing the most detailed images and largest possible prints. The one-shot-color versions offer the easiest path to a full-color image, with the Bayer matrix over the chip to encode the color data without having to shoot through individual filters. The Monochrome versions are the most sensitive StarShoot cameras, because of the monochromatic nature of the chip, but will need to shoot through different color filters in order to produce a full-color image. Binning in 2×2 mode or higher shortens the exposures necessary and the full well capacity of each pixel at the expense of resolution. Binning in 2×2 mode can be especially useful for longer focal length and higher focal ratio telescopes as well offers super-fast downloads when focusing with a Bahtinov mask or V-curve assisted motorized focuser. Feature Highlights

Simple interface: A USB 3.0 port and power port are all that are needed to power and connect to the Camera (Figure 1).
Dual-stage thermoelectric cooler: Dramatically reduces thermal noise in all images, down to approximately 35 degrees C from ambient temperature
Regulated cooling: Enables you to set the exact temperature within the cooling range of the camera. This allows you to take calibration images like dark frames at the exact same temperature as your light frames, making for the cleanest images possible. Additionally, since you can match the CMOS temperature at any time (within the range of the cooler), you have the freedom to take dark frames when it’s most convenient for you, so you don’t have to use up valuable imaging time to take dark frames.
High speed USB 3.0 interface and internal memory buffer: The 512 megabyte on-board memory buffer ensures a clean image download each time, even if the system resources of your PC are temporarily compromised.
Two port USB 2.0 hub (Figure 1): means cable management is much easier. Plug up to two other USB devices (such as an autoguider and electronic filter wheel into the camera, and only have the USB 3.0 cable and power cable coming off the telescope.
Status indicator lights (Figure 1): Shows connection to the camera, data transfers (flashing light), power to the electronics, TEC (thermoelectric cooler) and fan.

The StarShoot Mini CMOS camera
The StarShoot Mini cameras (6.3mp Color and Monochrome) are lower cost alternatives to the larger G10 and above cameras. They are not cooled which means that while the inherent noise will be a bit higher, the size, cost, and power requirements are considerably reduced. The StarShoot Mini cameras are based around the Sony IMX 178 CMOS chip, and excel at planetary imaging because of the super-fast frame rates and the tiny 2.4 micron pixels. In addition, they are capable of deepsky imaging with exposures up to 1000 seconds. They also feature a standard SBIG autoguider port, so they can be used as a very sensitive autoguider while imaging through a different camera. For the most sensitive guiding, the mono version is recommended. All subsequent sections of this manual (including the deep-sky imaging section) pertain to the StarShoot Mini cameras as well, but some features such as the TEC cooler and AC power requirements, do not apply. The Mini cameras are powered fully by the USB 3.0 port on your computer

Getting Started

Parts List

StarShoot G Series camera
1.25” nosepiece (Mini), 2” nosepiece (G10 and above)
USB 3.0 cable
SBIG guide cable (Mini only)
DC power adapter and cable (G10 and above, and different AC plugs provided in EU/UK versions)
Hard carrying case (G10 and above)
Various adapter/spacers (G24 only)

Telescope
The StarShoot can be used with most telescopes on the market. The Mini cams slip into a 1.25” focuser, and the larger format cameras into a 2” focuser (Figure 3a). The cameras are also compatible with any focuser that includes male 42mm T-threads (G10 and above) or male c-mount threads (StarShoot Mini). Caution: Be sure to always firmly tighten the thumbscrew(s) that secure the camera in the telescope focuser, or it could fall out and onto the ground! If your telescope has T or C threads for direct camera attachment, a more secure connection can be made. First, unthread the 1.25” or 2” nosepiece from the camera body to expose the C or T threads on the camera front housing. Then simply thread the camera onto your telescope (Figure 3b).

Back-focus Requirement (G10 and above)
Deep sky imaging with the G Series usually requires an equatorial mount with a right ascension (R.A.) motor drive. The goal for your mount is to seamlessly track the apparent movement of the sky as the Earth rotates. The tracking must be very accurate, or the object you want to image will drift and blur across the camera’s field of view while the exposure is taken. Even a small amount of drift will cause a star to look oblong instead of round. We recommend using a high-quality equatorial mount which utilizes periodic error correction (PEC) or has the ability to interface with an autoguider. The camera requires 17.5mm (0.689″) of back-focus. This is the distance from the front threads to the CMOS sensor. This is necessary info to have when calculating spacers to put behind a Coma Corrector or Field Flattener, which usually require 55mm of space for optimum performance. Because of the necessity of a coma corrector or field flattener with the G24 Full Format on many style telescopes, the G24 includes some adapter and spacer rings to reach the optimal 55mm spacing. Other adapters in various sizes might be required depending on your specific attachments. Step down adapters from 54mm, 48mm, or 42mm with 0.75mm thread pitch are widely available from many online retailers. We have found Blue Fireball brand adapter rings come in a wide selection of sizes, and might be of help to fit your specific need(s).

Mount
Deep sky imaging with the G Series usually requires an equatorial mount with a right ascension (R.A.) motor drive. The goal for your mount is to seamlessly track the apparent movement of the sky as the Earth rotates. The tracking must be very accurate, or the object you want to image will drift and blur across the camera’s field of view while the exposure is taken. Even a small amount of drift will cause a star to look oblong instead of round. We recommend using a high-quality equatorial mount which utilizes periodic error correction (PEC) or has the ability to interface with an autoguider.

Computer
The camera requires a Windows PC to operate the camera. For astro-imaging in the field at night, a laptop computer is highly recommended. The included software requires Windows 7, 8, 10, and for full data speed, a USB 3.0 port is required. A large hard drive is also recommended, as the individual image files are quite large, and can take up a lot of disk space.

Power (G10 and above only)
The camera requires 12 volts DC (12VDC) to run the TE cooler. Power to the cooler and fan is supplied by the included 3amp AC/DC transformer when plugged into an AC outlet. Imaging in the field away from AC power usually requires the use of a portable field battery to supply power. Make sure the power supply provides at least 3 amps of current for the duration of your imaging session. This allows the camera’s TEC to use 100% of its potential cooling power. The 12v input port accepts a standard 5.5mm/2.1mm DC TIP POSITIVE plug.

Software and Driver Installation
The software and driver must first be downloaded from the Orion website before plugging in the camera. Please go to: www.telescope.com/Gseries to download all the relevant software for your camera. Downloadable files include

StarShoot Image Capture: camera control program
G series direct driver: for DirectShow applications
G series ASCOM driver: for camera control in 3rd part astro-imaging software.

Hardware setup

Now that the camera drivers and software are installed, it’s time to connect the camera to the telescope, and open up the software. Install the camera into your focuser, and for the G10 and above: connect any peripheral devices to the two USB 2.0 ports on the camera, and connect the camera to power. Please note the AC/DC transformer has a relatively short DC cable length. This prevents 12v voltage from dropping over longer runs, but you may find it difficult to reach an AC outlet depending on your scope setup. Use of an extension cord on the AC side of the adapter is suggested, and the DC transformer itself can rest on the tripod accessory tray, or secured with Velcro or some other method directly to the tube wall or telescope rings. If you need to extend the 12v side of the power cable, a 5.5mm/2.1mm DC extension cable (available from your local electronic supply) can be used, but please try to keep the length of the cable as short as possible. Finally, for all cameras including the Mini, connect the USB 3.0 cable from the camera to an available USB 3.0 port on the computer. Focusing the camera for the first time can be tricky, since the camera may focus at a completely different place from where an eyepiece focuses. It is recommended that you first center a bright star in a 25mm eyepiece before attaching the camera, to be sure the camera is centered on the star. Even very far out of focus, you should be able to see a fat disk (the out-of-focus star), to determine which way to turn the focus knob to bring the star down to a focused point

Software

The next section with document connecting to the camera and basic image downloads. The included software will run the basic astro-imaging steps including image download, cooler control, exposure controls and such, but please note that this software only touches on the basic functions of acquiring astro images. To get the best results with more advanced processes such as stacking multiple long exposures together to reduce noise, manual dark frame subtractions, flat field and dark frame stacking for smoother calibration frames, and other processes, it is HIGHLY recommended to control the camera with an ASCOM compatible capture program. Some are free on the web, others are paid, but there is a vast array of programs available that will be compatible with the camera. Here are some of our favorites: DeepSkyStacker: http://deepskystacker.free.fr/ – Excellent free program for pre-processing that simplifies the alignment and stacking of your images. Automatically monitors a directory where images are saved, and processes on the fly. Add all the calibration frames, including darks, flats, biases, and step back while the software does the rest giving you output ready for post processing in programs such as PhotoShop.

RegiStax : www.astronomie.be/registax/ – Excellent free program for aligning, stacking and processing of AVI video files, ideal for capturing lunar and planetary video, splitting the video into individual frames, analyzing each frame and aligning/stacking/processing the best ones for pulling out fine details.

SharpCap: sharpcap.co.uk – Free camera control and capture program. Features include video and long exposure control ORION
51452 StarShoot G Series CMOS Cameras 6

Sequence Generator Pro : mainsequencesoftware.com – free 45 day trial. Excellent Image Capture suite to control all aspects of your setup. Create sequences of exposures of different lengths, control a Go-To mount for automatic pointing and autocentering in any part of the image, auto v-curve focusing with a compatible electronic focuser (without having to re-center to a target star), autoguider control, and a host of other features.

Nebulosity : stark-labs.com –free demo available to try. Powerful, yet very easy-to-use image capture and processing program. Excellent processing routines such as aligning/ stacking and dark/flat/bias handling. An excellent choice for the beginning astro-photographer getting into processing

Orion StarShoot Image Capture
Plug the camera into the USB 3 port, and into AC power. When you open Orion Starshoot Image Capture, you’ll be presented with the main preview window on the right, and the control options on the lefthand side. On the top of the left-hand side, click the camera name to start a video preview Scrolling down the lefthand side, you’ll find all the controls for operating the camera. The primary window to control the exposure and to use first is the Capture and Resolution window In this window, you can set either video or still image mode (trigger mode), as well as set the resolution and gain of the camera and set single, loop-ing, or sequence shots to be saved automatically in a chosen directory.

Focusing

Make sure the camera is in preview mode – if not, click the camera name in the top left window, to turn on streaming preview mode.
In the Capture and Resolution window (Figure 5), set the resolution to full, the gain to somewhere in the middle of the slider, and the exposure to video mode with “auto exposure” unchecked, and an exposure time to somewhere around 200-500 milliseconds. This should provide you with several frames per second, enough to see a real time focus preview.
This should be good enough to see a bright star like Vega, provided it’s in the field of view, and relatively close to focus. If you see nothing, but are sure the star is in the center of the field, adjust your focus in and out because a very out of focus star will spread out and become quite dim.
Once you acquire the star, center it, and focus until it looks like a tiny point. At this point you are probably over-exposing the star, and can back off on the exposure time and gain settings. If the star is in the middle of the field, you can also reduce the resolution setting on the chip, in order to speed up the frame rate, to get a super responsive live focus. Readjust focus until the star is as tiny as possible. At this point, everything including the moon and a distant galaxy will be in focus.
If you wish to fine tune the focus further, a Bahtinov mask is an ideal method of focusing with Orion StarShoot Capture, as it is quite an accurate method using medium-brightness stars. Contact Orion or search for Bahtinov mask on www.telescope.com for more details, and to purchase a Bahtinov mask for your specific telescope

Your First Deep Sky Image

Now that you’re focused, slew to an object you wish to take a picture of, and the exposure and gain settings will need to be adjusted for best the best possible result.
For the brightness of the entire image, and moving the left edge longer nebulae exposures, trigger mode is recommended. bar closer to the start of the hump will darken down the black point, boosting the contrast
Note that For a nebula or star cluster, choose something bright the live histogram stretching will NOT change a trigger for your first target, and ideally an autoguider is already image that is displayed on the right.
It will affect the NEXT locked on and tracking a star, so your resulting images are image that downloads from the camera, so take another well guided. Pick an object like the Ring Nebula (M57), exposure and check the results. Dumbbell (M27), or Orion Nebula (M42) since they are all very bright and easy to see in short exposures to make
This is just a starting point, these numbers may in the lower right corner of the window and choose a have to be adjusted depending on your resulting image. file location to save your resulting images.
The far left of the histogram is black, or no light on a given pixel, and the far right is full white, or fully maxed brightness for those pixels.
A normal astrophoto has a lot of black in it, so the histogram bump should be left of center (approximately near the left 1/4 to 1/3 of the histogram for the hump) for a properly exposed photo of a nebulae with a lot of black sky around it
Also, make sure to adjust the histogram to show some of the faint detail that may not be visible upon first downloading an image. Previously, the “Live Histogram” adjustment was shown, but there’s another way to adjust the histogram of a saved image downloaded 120-second image of the Veil Nebula. Figure 7a shows the full range (select Menu>Process>Range to bring up a histogram of that image).
Notice how faint the nebulae looks? That’s not uncommon for a nebula to look like this right out of the camera, as it is just barely brighter than the background light pollution. Figure 7b is a Range adjusted shot, to show fainter detail. Notice how the left and right range lines are set just outside each end of the histogram?
The background is brighter, but ready for more processing in Photoshop to reset the black point and clean the image up. is a finished image, with dark frames subtracted and a stack of thirty 120 second light frames, 9 dark frames, processed in DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop.

Cooling – for less noise!

The TEC in your G10 and above is designed to reach temperatures of up to 35 degrees below the ambient temperature. As the chip gets colder, noise becomes less pronounced, so the resulting image is cleaner. In StarShoot Image Capture, you can find the current temperature of the chip in the lower righthand corner of the screen, next to the current resolution Cooler control is located down the list in the left hand windowpane Note the current temperature of the camera, then turn the cooler on, set a target temperature, and wait for the chip to reach that target temp. Please note that the colder the chip, the more prone to internal dew.

The CMOS chamber has been purged of moisture at the factory, but pushing the cooler to its limit may still cause whatever moisture remains to condense on the chip. You’ll notice this in the image as a circular pattern that grows in the image, and a major loss of detail. If the chip dews over, raise the target temperature and give the chip a few minutes to acclimatize. Raising the temp to 0 degrees C should remove any dew after a few minutes. It’s good to reduce the temperature of the chip, but it doesn’t have to be all the way down to 35 degrees below ambient. Somewhere between 15-25 degrees below ambient still provides a great noise reduction, but with much less chance of the chip dewing over. Once the target temp is reached and is stable, proceed with taking your light and dark frames. They must both be at the same exposure length and temperature for the darks to correctly calibrate. Since the cooler is regulated, you can also use these darks in subsequent imaging sessions, as long as you keep the target temperature the same night to night for your light frames. This is another good reason not to reduce the temperature to its lowest possible setting. If the next night is warmer, it won’t be possible to drop the cooler as far from ambient temperature.

G24 Spacing rings

Since the G24 is a full format camera chip, it becomes necessary to use a coma corrector on most Newtonian reflectors, or a field flattener on refractors in order to optimize the distortion correction of the telescopes field. Most coma correctors and field flatteners need to be positioned with 55mm distance between the chip and the attachment threads on the lens. This 55mm distance is the default spacing for a DSLR housing, but cameras such as the G24 have a chip mounted closer to the front opening (17.5mm in the case of the G24). Because of this, we are providing several spacer adapters that will replace the standard 2” nozzle on your G24 Thread in the 54mm – 48mm ring first (21mm length), then the 16.5mm extension ring, and then your coma corrector/field flattener (assuming it has 48mm t-threads. This will provide 55mm distance between the chip and the corrector/flattener. If you have a coma corrector or flattener that uses 42mm threads, use the 48mm to 42mm zero profile ring to step the threads down to 42mm. We do not usually recommend this, as a 42mm opening will vignette the larger chip, and the edges of your field will become darker. Please note that the standard 2” nozzle that is included with the G24 is threaded for Orion filters (M48 x 0.6mm), and does not use the camera t-thread pitch of 0.75mm. If you wish to add the extensions or purchase other length extensions online, make sure to be using the native opening of the camera (M54 x 0.75), or one of the spacing rings which also provides 0.75mm thread pitch in either the 48mm or 42mm diameter

SPECIFICATION

G10 COLOR / G16 MONO

Sensor: Sony IMX 294 color CMOS, 4/3 format Panasonic MN34230 CMOS, 4/3 format
Resolution: Up to 4128×2808 Up to 4640×3506
Pixel Size: 4.63 microns 3.8 microns
Diagonal size of chip: 23.1mm 22.1mm
Bayer Matrix pattern: RGGB arrangement BGGR/GRGB (depending on software)
Exposure range: 0.1ms – 1000s 0.15ms – 3600s
Shutter: Rolling Shutter Rolling Shutter
Partial frame download: Region of interest and Sub-frame Region of interest and Sub-frame download supported download supported
Binning: 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, 4×4 hardware and 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, hardware and software binning
software binning
ADC: 14 bit 12 bit
QE peak: 76% 60%
Read Noise: 1.12e@HCG Mode 1.2e@HCG Mode
Full Well: 66.6ke 20ke
Image Buffer: 512MB memory buffer 512MB memory buffer
Interface: USB3.0/USB 2.0 USB3.0/USB 2.0
Front nozzle threads: 42mm T-threads 42mm T-threads
CMOS chip window: IR blocking, 380-690nm IR blocking, 380-690nm spectral range bandpass
(Color). AR coated window, non IR blocking (Mono)
Dimensions: 80mm x 103mm 80mm x 103mm
Weight: 535g 535g
Back Focus: 17.5mm 17.5mm
Cooling: Regulated Two Stage TEC, Regulated Two Stage TEC, ~35 deg C from ambient ~40 deg C from ambient
Camera electronic power: DC 5v from PC USB port DC 5v from PC USB port
Cooler power: 12v/3a 12v/3a

G21/ G26 COLOR

Sensor: Sony IMX 269 CMOS, 4/3 format Sony IMX571 CMOS, APS-C format
Resolution: Up to 5280×3956 Up to 6224 x 4168
Pixel Size: 3.3 microns 3.76 microns
Diagonal Size of chip: 21.8mm 28.3mm
Bayer Matrix patter: RGGB RGGB
Exposure Range: 0.1ms – 3600s 0.1ms – 3600s
Shutter: Rolling Shutter Rolling Shutter
Partial frame download: Region of interest and Sub-frame Region of interest and Sub-frame download download supported supported
Binning: 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, 4×4 hardware and 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, hardware and software binning software binning
ADC: 12 bit 16 bit
QE peak: 84% 80%
Read Noise: 1.62e@LCG Mode 1.16e@HCG Mode
Full Well: 23ke 51ke
Image Buffer: 512MB memory buffer 512MB memory buffer
Interface: USB3.0/USB 2.0 USB3.0/USB 2.0
Front Nozzle threads: 42mm T-threads 42mm T-threads
CMOS chip window: IR blocking 380-690nm spectral range bandpass IR blocking 380-690nm spectral range bandpass
Dimension: 80mm x 103mm 80mm x 103mm
Weight: 535g 556g
Back Focus: 17.5mm 17.5mm
Cooling: Regulated Two Stage TEC, ~40 deg C Regulated Two Stage TEC, ~35 deg C from ambient from ambient
Camera electronic power: DC 5v from PC USB port DC 5v from PC USB port
Cooler power: 12v/3a 12v/3a

G24

Sensor: Sony IMX 410 color CMOS, full format
Resolution: Up to 6064 x 4040
Pixel Size: 5.94 microns
Diagonal Size of chip: 43.3mm
Bayer Matrix patter: RGGB
Exposure Range: 0.1ms – 3600s
Partial frame download: Region of interest and Sub-frame download supported
Binning: 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, hardware and software binning
ADC: 14 bit
QE peak: >80%
Read Noise: 4.48 – 1.95 e- (LCG)
0.68 – 0.3 e- (HCG)
Full Well: 104,000e- (20,000e- HCG)
Image Buffer: 512MB memory buffer
Interface: USB3.0/USB 2.0
Front threads: 54mm x 0.75mm thread pitch
CMOS chip window: IR blocking 380-690nm spectral range bandpass
Dimension: 89mm x 103mm
Weight: 718g
Back Focus: 17.5mm
Cooling: Regulated Two Stage TEC, Regulated Two Stage
TEC, ~35 deg C from ambient
Camera electronic power: DC 5v from PC USB port
Cooler power: 12v/3a

StarShoot Mini 6.3mp cameras

Sensor: IMX 178 (Color and Mono)
Resolution: Up to 3040 x 2048
Pixel Size: 2.4 microns
Diagonal Size of chip: 8.86 mm
Bayer Matrix Pattern: RGGB arrangement
Exposure Range: 0.244ms – 1000s
Partial frame download: Region of interest and Sub-frame download supported
Binning: 1×1, 2×2
ADC: 14 bit
QE peak: 78%
Read Noise: 1.4e – 2.2e (depending on gain setting)
Interface: USB3.0
Front Nosepiece threads: C-mount
CMOS chip window: IR blocking 380-690nm bandpass (Color version), AR coated, non IR blocking,
350-1050nm bandpass (Mono version).
Dimension: 72.4mm x 37mm
Weight: 61g
Camera power: DC 5v from PC USB port

Warranty

One-Year Limited Warranty

This Orion product is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original receipt) is required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase. This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable. For further warranty information, please visit www.OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.