Moravian Instruments C1-12000 CMOS camera with Sony IMX253 sensor
Global shutter CMOS 4112 × 3008 pixels, USB 3.0 interface
The C1 series cameras with global shutter CMOS sensors were designed to be small, lightweight imagers for Moon and planets and for automatic telescope guiding. With proper image calibration, C1 cameras provide surprisingly good results also in entry-level deep-sky imaging. The used CMOS sensors response to light is linear up to very close to saturation point, so, C1 cameras can be used for scientific applications like variable star research, too.
C1 camera models are equipped with Sony IMX global shutter CMOS detectors with 3.45 × 3.45 μm square pixels. Individual models differ in resolution only.
All used sensors utilize global electronic shutter. This means every pixel within the image is exposed in the same time, as opposed to rolling shutter sensors, which exposes individual lines one after another. There is no difference for long exposures of static objects, but imaging of moving objects using short exposure time using rolling shutter leads to image shape distortions.
Two lines of C1 cameras are available depending on the available dynamic range (bit-depth of the digitized pixels):
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C1 cameras with Sony IMX sensors supporting 8- and 12-bit digitization. Because every 12-bit pixel occupies two bytes when transferred to host PC, 12-bit image download time is longer compared to 8-bit image. Maximal FPS in 8-bit mode is then significantly higher.
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C1 cameras with Sony IMX sensors supporting 12-bit digitization only. As the 12-bit read mode is always used for long-exposure applications (astronomical photography, scientific research) either way, lower theoretical download time in 8-bit mode brings no limitations for real-world scenarios. All other parameters being same (sensor size, resolution, pixels size, noise, …), lower price of these cameras may be then very attractive.
C1 camera models with 8- and 12-bit digitization:
| Model | CMOS sensor | Resolution | Pixel size | Image area |
| C1-1500 | IMX273 | 1456 × 1088 pixels | 3.45 × 3.45 μm | 5.02 × 3.75 mm |
| C1-3000 | IMX252 | 2064 × 1544 pixels | 3.45 × 3.45 μm | 7.12 × 5.33 mm |
| C1-5000 | IMX250 | 2464 × 2056 pixels | 3.45 × 3.45 μm | 8.50 × 7.09 mm |
| C1-12000 | IMX253 | 4112 × 3008 pixels | 3.45 × 3.45 μm | 14.19 × 10.38 mm |
C1 camera models with 12-bit digitization only:
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