Full-Frame 61MP
Cinema-grade sensor. Drink in the light.
ArcBlue C42
Create Astrophotography Masterpieces.
No PhD Required.
Full-Frame
SENSOR
Infinite
SCOPE
Smart Align
SETUP
Smart-Guided Alignment
Skip Polaris. The system guides you into alignment.
One-Click Mosaic
Auto-stitch the Milky Way. Gigapixel scale.
Untethered Control
Wireless control from your warm tent.
Live Stacking
Calibration, alignment, stacking, and output. Built in.
Lifetime Gear
Grow from beginner to master.
Lucy Yunxi Hu
Astrophotographer & Research Fellow
5x NASA APOD FEATURED"The perfect balance of portability and power. The C42 is exactly the upgrade the serious astrophotography community has been waiting for."
Chapter 01: The Revolution
OPTICAL CORE
Full-Frame sensor, active cooling, and universal compatibility. From 14mm landscapes to 2000mm deep space.
Size Is Truth.
The Full-Frame Heart
At the core of this revolution lies a cinematic Full-Frame sensor (61MP).
Unlike crop-sensor toys, it drinks in light like a black hole, pulling in cleaner signal, wider dynamic range, and the kind of image depth small sensors simply cannot touch.
SENSOR_01
Sensor Type Full-Frame CMOS
Effective Pixels 61.0 MP
Welcome to the
Deep Freeze.
TEC Cooling
Drag the slider to see how TEC cooling suppresses thermal noise. As a general rule, dark current halves with every 6°C drop in sensor temperature.
Unlike standard DSLRs, TEC cooling locks the sensor at a precise temperature, delivering a cooling delta (ΔT) of over 30°C. That stability enables repeatable dark frames for precision deep-sky calibration.
Sensor Temp
+20.0°C
Status
UNCOOLED
AMBIENT (20°C) TEC LOCK (-10°C)
Dark_Frame_Test
EXP: 300s GAIN: 100
NOISE SENSOR T.
HDR Time-Lapse. Not Just Stills.
29 EV in Motion
ArcBlue does not stop at still photos. It also captures 29 EV high dynamic range time-lapse.
In this 2024 U.S. total solar eclipse sample, the darkest edge still reveals an approaching meteor.
At the same time, the brightest corona holds prominences and fine solar structure.
HDR_TIME_LAPSE
From 14mm to 2000mm.
The Universal Shift
Shatter the boundaries between "Landscape" and "Deep Space." Typically, shooting deep space requires a heavy equatorial mount, while landscapes need a portable camera. The C42 handles both. Its native Sony E-mount also supports Canon RF/EF and Nikon Z lenses via adapter. Whether it's a wide-angle Milky Way shot or a deep-dive into a nebula, simply swap the lens to swap your universe.
Wide Angle
Capture the Milky Way arch merging seamlessly with the terrain.
Recommended Focal Length
14mm - 35mm
Universal
Adaptability.
Lens Mounts
Engineered with a native E-mount chassis, designed to universally adapt to your existing lenses and telescopes without compromise.
Sony E-Mount
Native System
Canon RF / EF
Via Adapter
Nikon Z
Via Adapter
Telescope 1.25″ / 2″
Via T-Ring
Chapter 02: The Evolution
COMPUTATIONAL ENGINE
From smart-guided alignment to master-level workflows. Grow from beginner to expert.
GUIDED_ALIGN
Forget the North Star. Keep the Control.
Smart-Guided Alignment
The night is for capturing light, not wrestling with mechanics.
You do not need to know where Polaris is. Just set the latitude, point the C42 roughly north, and you are most of the way there.
Then the system tells you exactly how far off you are and how to turn the knobs, smoothing out the learning curve while keeping the hands-on feel of polar alignment.
Tap, Slew, Capture.
Smart GoTo
Don't know where the Rosette Nebula is? You don't have to.
Whether you are using the ArcBlue app or the magnetic screen, simply browse the interactive sky atlas and tap your target.
The C42 will automatically slew to the object, center your framing, and begin tracking immediately. Navigating the cosmos is now as easy as using GPS.
Step 01
Pick a target
Step 02
Automatic slew
Step 03
Tracking begins
Gigapixel Mosaics. One Click.
Master-Level Workflow
A true mosaic used to mean planning every panel by hand, managing overlap yourself, and manually steering the mount through a slow, unforgiving process.
With Master-Level Workflow, C42 does that for you. It can map the mosaic, drive the mount precisely between frames, and keep each panel ready for clean stacking and stitching. And mosaics are just one example. Master-Level Workflow includes many automated workflows that can execute preset operations for you, so ordinary users can create ambitious shots without the usual hassle.
MOSAIC_AUTO
The Pipeline. Built in.
We replaced the fragmented desktop software chain with real-time, hardware-level processing. Save hours and get a linear master ready for immediate creative editing.
Traditional Desktop Workflow
Step 01
Calibration
Bias Dark Flat
Step 02
Alignment
Star Registration
Step 03
Stacking
Integration
Output
Linear Master
Ready File
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear Edit
ArcBlue Workflow
Hardware ISP
One-Step Automation
Instant Output
Linear Master
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear Edit
Traditional
Step 01
Calibration
Bias Dark Flat
Step 02
Alignment
Registration
Step 03
Stacking
Integration
Output
Linear Master
Ready File
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear
ArcBlue Flow
Hardware ISP
Built-in Engine
Calibrate
Align
Stack
Align
Stack
Instant Output
Linear Master
User
Post-Process
Chapter 03: The Foundation
EXTREME PRECISION
Patented Integrated Guiding and robotic stability. Long-exposure precision without a separate guide scope.
The Long Exposure Equation. Stunning astrophotography requires long exposures. But as the Earth rotates, these long exposures quickly turn point-like stars into blurry trails. To capture sharp, faint details, you need two things: a motorized mount to track the sky, and a guiding system to continuously watch the stars and correct microscopic mechanical errors in real-time.
No Guide Scope Needed.
Integrated Guiding
Long-exposure precision starts with guiding.
Our patented Integrated Guiding lets the sensor keep imaging while guiding at the same time, so you get accurate tracking without adding a separate guide scope.
That means sharper stars, cleaner long exposures, and a much smaller astrophotography setup.
INTEGRATED_GUIDING
10-Minute Exposure. Zero Trails.
Robotic Stability
Powered by Strain Wave Gear (Harmonic Drive) technology—the same tech found in surgical robots and Tesla's Optimus.
This ensures pin-point stars even during 10-minute exposures.
Backlash: <1 arcsec. Repeatability: ±1 arcsec.
Traditional: Wrestling with Mechanics
C42: Guided, Precise, Hands-On
GUIDED_ALIGN
Chapter 04: The Freedom
UNBOUND EXPERIENCE
Minimal setup, built-in control, and all-in-one portability. Deep-space imaging now travels light.
Detach. Retreat. Untethered Control.
Untethered Control
Detach the magnetic screen and monitor your session wirelessly from inside your tent.
Watch the live capture in comfort instead of standing in the cold night wind.
If something goes wrong during the shoot, the screen alerts you immediately so you can respond before the session is lost.
WIRELESS_CTRL
Less Gear. More Sky.
All-In-One Portability
No bulky power brick. No separate guide scope. No laptop required.
Deep-space imaging now travels as easily as your water bottle.
PORTABLE_SYS
One Core. Endless Scenarios.
From standalone camera to fully automated observatory.
More to Come.
The Complete Ecosystem
ArcBlue is growing beyond the core device with a richer lineup of add-ons and collaborations.
We are preparing surprises including a NASA co-branded hard case, selected lens collaborations, and field essentials such as tripods and battery counterweights.
The full list is still under wraps for now. If there is an accessory or collaboration you want to see, tell us.
ECOSYSTEM
Coming Soon on Kickstarter
Be the first in line for early bird offers
ORIGIN STORY
We are Stargazers Before We are Makers.
Like you, we are the ones who have shivered in the dark, looking up.
Before building the C42, our team spent years developing custom, highly automated astronomical equipment for scientific-grade research and professional observatories.
The ArcBlue C42 is the offspring of this philosophy: a professional-grade astrophotography camera that is exceptionally easy to use, yet perfectly retains the pure joy of the process.
CEO
Chen Song
[ASTEROID #807098]
Song embodies the perfect balance of an amateur astronomer's passion and a serial entrepreneur's vision. In 2016, he and Dr. Shen co-developed a massive 500mm F3.8 survey telescope, which powered the discovery of 8 named asteroids and the first NEO found by Chinese amateurs.
"Every 5.5 years, the asteroid named after me meets the Earth."
CTO
Dr. Shen Feichen
[HARDWARE HACKER]
Dr. Shen's R&D history is a timeline of hardcore tinkering, from organizing astronomy events during the 2009 Solar Eclipse to becoming a founding member of the Nikon Hacker community in the US. He is the mastermind behind our core technology: Integrated Guiding.
"Testing sensors in a fridge really brings back that garage startup vibe."
SPECIFICATION
Technical Data
REV. 2.0 01 SENSOR_TYPE
Sony IMX410 (Industrial Grade)
02 EFFECTIVE_PIXELS
61.0 Megapixels
03 THERMAL_REG
TEC Cooling (ΔT -30°C)
04 ONBOARD_STORAGE
User Selectable (Up to 1TB)
05 MOUNT_SYSTEM
Native E-Mount (Canon RF/EF, Nikon Z, Telescope via Adapter)
06 POWER_CYCLE
5h Tracking + Imaging
07 DATA_INTERFACE
WiFi / Gigabit Ethernet / USB-C / Bluetooth / USB 2.0
08 WEIGHT_MASS
0.8kg Camera / 2.2kg Gimbal
VIEW: ISOMETRIC ● LIVE
Dimensions
105 × 90 × 75 MM