Player One Apollo 428M MAX Pro (Ideal at f/15)

Player One Apollo 428M MAX Pro - IMX428 Solar Cooled Camera

Visit Apollo 428M MAX Pro from Player One Astronomy is a high-end cooled solar camera designed for high-resolution imaging of the Sun and demanding planetary applications. It uses the Sony IMX428 in 1.1″, offering a resolution of 7.1 megapixels with 4.5 µm. Thanks to its active cooling, global shutter technology and advanced mechanical design, this camera offers outstanding performance for solar imaging and rapid capture.

Sony IMX428 sensor - large format and high resolution

• Monochrome sensor Sony IMX428
• Technology Sony Pregius 3rd generation
• Sensor format : 1.1″
• Resolution: 3216 × 2208 (7.1 MP)
• Diagonal : 17.5 mm
• Pixel size : 4.5 µm
• Load well : 25.3 ke-

This sensor is one of the largest formats available in today's solar cameras, enabling large portions of the Sun to be captured in excellent detail.

Sony Pregius Global Shutter technology

The camera is based on global shutter from Sony, which captures the entire image at once.

• No rolling shutter distortion
• Ideal for fast solar imaging
• Perfect for planetary or ISS imaging

Versatile BIN modes

The 4.5 µm sensor can be used in BIN2 to obtain pixels equivalent to 9 µm, which considerably increases sensitivity and saturation capacity.

• MONO8 hardware BIN2 : load sinks up to 100 ke-, 10-bit ADC, up to 135 FPS
• MONO16 hardware BIN2 : load sinks up to 100 ke-, 12-bit ADC, up to 109 FPS
• MONO16 software BIN2 depth up to 14 bits, approx. 27 FPS

Innovative design and lightweight construction

The camera adopts the design of the Ares cooled series, with a modern circular housing and a mix of gold and black finishes. The use of carbon fiber reduces weight while maintaining high mechanical rigidity.

• Carbon fiber case
• Lightweight, robust design
• Weight : 420 g

Advanced tilt correction system

The camera incorporates two sensor tilt correction systems to optimize field flatness.

• Front 3P Tilter Plate (installed by default)
• Rear 4P Tilter Plate (ideal with filter wheel, OAG or RASA)

These systems produce perfectly round stars across the entire field.

Double-stage TEC cooling

The Apollo 428M MAX Pro features a cooling system TEC double-deck allowing a significant reduction in collector temperature.

• Delta-T up to 35-40°C below ambient temperature
• Thermal stability for long exposures
• Optimized cooling for scientific imaging

In video mode, a Delta-T of approx. 30°C is generally achieved.

Integrated anti-fog system

The camera incorporates a anti-fog heating on the front window to prevent condensation.

• Adjustable power
• Control via ASCOM
• Indispensable for nocturnal and wet imaging

512 MB DDR3 cache

The internal 512 MB DDR3 ensures stable data transmission and prevents image loss.

• More reliable data transmission
• Reading noise reduction
• Can also be operated via USB 2.0

Modern connectors

• 2 USB Type-C ports
• Power supply port 12V DC 5.5 × 2.1 mm
• USB3.0 interface

With USB3.0, the camera can reach :

• 51 FPS in RAW8 (10-bit)
• 27 FPS in RAW16 (12-bit)

The use of a Fast SSD is recommended to achieve this performance.

HCG mode and very low reading noise

The HCG (High Conversion Gain) automatically activates when gain exceeds 70.

• Reading noise reduced to 2.4 e-
• Up to 1.4 e- high-gain
• High dynamic range up to 12 stops

Thermal performance

• Dark current : 0.08 e-/s/pixel at -20°C
• Dark current : 0.1 e-/s/pixel at 0°C

Key features

A cooled camera ideal for solar imaging

With its large sensor, global shutter technology, TEC cooling and advanced mechanics, the Apollo 428M MAX Pro is a high-performance solution for high-resolution solar imaging, H-alpha chromospheric capture and demanding planetary applications.