After having owned and operated a SBIG ST-8XME CCD camera for the past four years, I now own one of SBIG’s latest CCD cameras, the ST-8300M. Like the ST-8XME, the ST-8300M is a monochrome, temperature controlled, CCD camera. Here, most of the similarities between these two cameras comes to an end. The ST-8300M is an anti-blooming (ABG) camera with a large-format, small pixel-size CCD array. A comparison of the important specification differences between these two cameras is presented in the table below:
| Specification | ST-8300M | ST-8XME |
|---|---|---|
| CCD | Kodak KAF-8300 | Kodak KAF-1603ME |
| Pixel Array | 3326 x 2504 | 1530 x 1020 |
| CCD Size | 17.96 x 13.52 mm | 13.8 x 9.2 mm |
| Total Pixels | 8.3 million | 1.6 million |
| Pixel Size | 5.4 x 5.4 microns square | 9 x 9 microns square |
| Full Well Capacity | ~25,500 e- | ~100,000 e- |
| Dark Current | ~0.02e-/pixel/sec at -15C. | 1e-/pixel/sec at 0C. |
| Antiblooming | 1000X | None |
| Shutter | Mechanical | Electromechanical |
| Exposure | 0.1 to 3600 seconds, 10ms resolution |
0.12 to 3600 seconds, 10ms resolution |
| Correlated Double Sampling | Yes | Yes |
| A/D Converter | 16 Bits | 16 Bits |
| A/D Gain | 0.37e-/ADU | 2.3e-/ADU |
| Read Noise | ~9.3e- rms | ~15e- rms |
| Full Frame Download | ~7.5 seconds | ~3.7 seconds |
| Cooling – standard | Single Stage Thermoelectric, Active Fan, max delta -40C, -36C regulated at ~80% power |
Single Stage Thermoelectric, Active Fan, Water Assist -45 C from Ambient Typical with water, -35 C w/air only |
| Temperature Regulation | ±0.1°C | ±0.1°C |
| Power | 12VDC at 3 amps, universal power supply included |
5VDC at 1.5 amps, +/-12VDC at 0.5 amps, power supply included |
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 | USB 1.1 |
| Weight | Approx. 1.8 pounds / 0.8kg | Approx. 2 pounds/0.9kg |