ToupTek G3M664C Colour Camera

The ToupTek G3M664C is a colour planetary camera with Sony’s IMX664, a 1/1.8″ STARVIS 2 sensor of 4.1 megapixels with 2.9 µm pixels.

It has the same pixels as the IMX662 but a larger frame, so planets drift less out of view and more of the Moon fits in each shot. For the planets it samples well at around f/15. Full resolution runs at 91 frames per second in 8-bit mode, and read noise drops to 0.76 e⁻.

Player One’s Neptune-664C uses the same sensor.

Choose the window when you order. The IR-cut version is for normal colour imaging. Clear AR-coated glass lets infrared through, for use with an IR-pass filter on the planets and Moon, or your own UV/IR-cut filter.

Connections and fitting

The camera runs entirely from its USB 3.0 cable, so there’s no separate power lead to route. It fits the telescope with the 1.25″ nosepiece, which also takes 1.25″ filters, or with a C or CS adapter for lenses. An ST4 port and cable mean it can double as a guide camera. A 512 MB buffer holds frames while they transfer, so high frame rates don’t drop frames on a slower laptop.