Atik 460EX Color CCD Camera

The next step in astronomical CCD evolution featuring the latest generation Sony EXview HAD CCD II technology, the Atik 460EX is an outstanding instrument and one of the best cameras for deep-sky astrophotography. With Quantum Efficiency, excellent thermal management, and very low noise, the Atik 460EX is an ideal match to telescopes commonly used by amateurs, up to bigger SCTs and RCs.

Featuring better cooling and a narrower body, the Atik 4-Series cameras are a development of the 3-Series cameras. Taking matching dark frames is a snap due to the benefits of set-point cooling on these cameras. The simple 12 V power requirement also makes this camera efficient and easy to use during field operation. The Atik Series 4 are magnificent CCD cameras with impressive sensitivity, great cooling and have a narrow profile, making them great to use on modern telescopes such as Hyperstar/Fastar systems.

The Atik 460EX is the new norm for high performance. With superb sensitivity, the Atik 460EX enables impressive performance in both narrowband and LRGB techniques. Faint fuzzies are not so faint anymore and stay within reach of the amateur astronomer, even with smaller instruments. The Atik 460EX is one of the lightest cameras of its class featuring the narrowest body. However, these features do not compromise cooling performance or stability. In addition, the sensor diagonal is big enough to satisfy the need for bigger sky coverage, but small enough to enable the use of 1.25" filters, even with f/2 systems.

Providing an intuitive and simple, yet powerful way to acquire images is the renowned Capture application included with the Atik 460EX that takes the stress out of imaging. Tools include image sequencer, focus assistance readout, guide camera control and integration with Atik filter wheels. There are plug-ins for Astroart, MaxIm DL, and CCDSoft if you require compatibility with other software, as well as a full ASCOM driver.

Included with your Atik 460EX is a new image processing software by Atik called Dawn. Much like the Atik Cameras, Dawn was designed from the ground up to be powerful and easy to use. The great part about this software is its ability to enable a sequence of image-processing steps to be represented in the form of a pictorial work-flow. This can be created with a few mouse clicks and is executed very easily for repeatable and speedy results.