ccdfreak

Some time ago I tried to debayer my Sony NEX-5 / 14MP sensor, let me share my experiences with you: It was quite hard to remove the cover glass. The only thing that helped here was to crack it by shocking it thermally und then removing the shivers manually. I fixed the bonding wires with UHU endfest, a 2 component glue, to protect them. The tool I used to scratch was a simple wooden toothpick Attached you can see the sensor at work in progress: and the "First Light" of the debayered sensor. Unfortunately I touched some parts of the circuitry, so the left part is nearly dark with extremely low responsivity. On the outer right side there's still some CFA left, you can still see some colors in the pillow: At the moment I'm stuck with the procedure, so I've decided to stop here and save my money for a ASI 1600 mono :-) CS, Andreas

Hi Vacuum, thank you very much for your precious info! Did you also check the a5000 for the "star eater" problem which Mark mentioned above? -ccdfreak

Hi Mark, as I've been developing scientific and surveillance cameras for over 15 years, I'm lucky to have good connections to image sensor manufacturers,... The proposed sensor isn't released yet (still under NDA, sorry for this), it's intended for a different application. The decision of going into mass production is expected to be made this summer. I'm asking whether there would be enough potential customers for such a device. Maybe I have to start a separate survey? -ccdfreak

Ok, now I've read about the issues of the alpha cameras. I had a similar problem some weeks ago when I wanted to use the bulb mode in my old NEX-5T. The bulb mode was not available by the RC app, so I searched for a suitable successor in the Sony world... Despite of that I'm still investigating the possibilities to design a simple full frame monochrome CMOS astro camera on my own. My plans are so far: 20-25MPixel CIS 24mm x 36mm, 3e- noise rms, temperature stabilization down to dew-point, USB3.0 Interface, ASCOM driver support, pricing approx. 3.5k$. At the moment I'm stuck on the decision how to bring it to life - DIY or Open Hardware. -ccdfreak

Hi Mark, yep, quite confusing, isn't it? Do you still own the alpha5100 you mentioned in your start post? If so, would you please check whether the latest version of the RC app supports the none-LENR mode? -ccdfreak

Hi Ian, you're absolutely right! This feature is also necessary for gapless time-lapse at low light levels. I wondered if Sony had improved the a5100's behaviour according to the mentioned spec. -ccdfreak

Does anyone know what the foot note *F in Sony's Smart Remote Control Specification means? see https://www.playmemoriescameraapps.com/portal/usbspec.php?eid=IS9104-NPIA09014_00-F00002 The Bulb Shooting mode of the a5100 is marked with a "*F", which resolves to: "*F: Long exposure noise reduction is turned off during BULB shooting" Isn't that exactly what the TO meant? - ccdfreak