Which Apollo-M is this?

The Apollo-M MAX: Sony's 1.1 inch IMX432 mono global-shutter sensor, 1608 x 1104 pixels of 9 um. The plain Apollo-M uses the smaller IMX174, and the Apollo-M MINI the IMX429.

Does the whole Sun fit the frame?

At 630 mm, yes: on the Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha the disc was 649 pixels across in a 1608 x 1104 frame. At about 1,200 mm, as in my eclipse frames, the disc is taller than the frame.

Is the Apollo-M MAX cooled?

No. It has passive cooling only; SharpCap read 37 C during my September solar session. Player One sell an Active Cooling System as an extra.

Can it image deep-sky objects?

It is built for the Sun: 1.8 megapixels, a 12-bit ADC and no cooler. For nebulae and galaxies a cooled IMX533 or IMX571 camera is the better buy.

What took the eclipse frames?

The Apollo-M MAX behind the DayStar Quark Chromosphere on my ToupTek Hope D60, on the ZWO AM3N. Each frame is the best part of one high-speed recording stacked in ASIVideoStack: 900 of 3,000 frames for the 18:48 crescent.

160 g, 66 mm across, with 12.5 mm of back focus.

What have I not tested on the Apollo-M MAX?

I have not used it on the planets or the Moon, with the Active Cooling System or in white light, and I did not measure its read noise.

Player One Apollo-M MAX review: a global shutter solar camera

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 29 cameras on my board, against price
Rank	Camera	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	SVBONY SV705C	93 out of 100	£229
2	SVBONY SC571CC	90 out of 100	£1,029
8	ZWO ASI2600MC Duo	83 out of 100	£1,849
13	Player One Apollo 428M MAX Pro	76 out of 100	£1,045
14	Player One Apollo-M MAX	76 out of 100	£485
18	ZWO ASI6200MM Pro	74 out of 100	£3,999
22	Altair Hypercam 585MM	71 out of 100	£445
28	ZWO ASI183MC	38 out of 100	£549
29	Nikon COOLPIX P1000	32 out of 100	£787

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 From the video
04 The rig on the mount
05 How good is it? Here is what it captured
06 The eclipse in motion
07 Raw against finished
08 Watch it in my eclipse Short
09 Tested numbers and the download
10 Should you buy it?
11 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 76/100

Reviewed 12 Aug 2026 Updated 24 Sep 2026

Rank: #14 of 29 cameras
Verdict: Damon recommends

Written by Damon Scotting 4 min read

Buy it if

You image the Sun in hydrogen alpha and want the whole disc in one frame on a 630 mm solar telescope.
You want a global shutter: every pixel exposed at once for fast solar video.
You want a light camera: 160 g on the focuser.

Skip it if

You want deep-sky images: the sensor is 1.8 MP, 12-bit and uncooled.
You want the whole Sun at long focal lengths: at about 1,200 mm the disc overfills the frame.
You want one camera for everything: an IMX533 or IMX585 camera covers deep sky and planets.

“Paired with the Askar 50P, the Apollo-M MAX fitted the entire Sun in a single frame.”

Specifications and features

Against the cameras I have reviewed

Compare with

Player One Apollo-M MAX reviewed #14 of 29	Player One Apollo 428M MAX Pro #13 of 29	Altair Hypercam 585MM #22 of 29	ZWO ASI120MM #17 of 29
Recorded UK price	£485	£1,045	£445	£199
Stars for Your Buck	76/100	76/100	71/100	75/100
Sensor	Sony IMX432 mono, global shutter	Sony IMX428 mono, global shutter	Sony IMX585 mono	onsemi AR0130CS mono
Format	1.1 inch, 14.5 x 9.9 mm, 17.5 mm diagonal	1.1 inch, 17.5 mm diagonal	11.14 x 6.26 mm, 12.85 mm diagonal	1/3 inch
Colour or mono	Mono	Mono	Mono	Mono
Resolution	1608 x 1104, 1.8 MP	3216 x 2208, 7.1 MP	3840 x 2160, 8.3 MP	1280 x 960, 1.2 MP
Pixel size	9 um	4.5 um	2.9 um	3.75 um
Cooling	Uncooled (passive cooling system); Active Cooling System optional	Two-stage TEC, 35 to 40 C below ambient	Two-stage TEC, 35 C below ambient	Uncooled
Read noise	2.6 to 22.9 e-	1.4 to 5.5 e-	0.42 to 2.43 e-	4.0 e-
Full well	100 ke-	25.3 ke-	40 ke-	13 ke-
ADC	12-bit	12-bit	12-bit	12-bit
Weight	160 g	420 g	500 g	60 g
Back focus	12.5 mm	17.5 mm	17.5 mm	8.5 mm
Interface	USB 3.0, 256 MB DDR3 buffer	USB 3.0 (Type-C), 512 MB DDR3 buffer	USB 3.0	USB 2.0
In the box	Camera; T-mount; USB 3.0 cable; ST4 cable; M2 hex key; 1.25 inch cap; air blower	Camera, carbon-fibre zip case, cables and adapter rings	The camera, a 1.5 m USB cable, a 12 V DC power adaptor, an armoured case with foam inserts, a silicone dust cap and a software CD	Camera, 1.25 inch cap, 0.5 m and 2 m USB 2.0 cables, 2 m ST-4 cable, M28.5 to CS adapter, 1.25 inch extender, quick guide

From the video

One frame from my video

The Apollo-M MAX, the gold camera behind the Quark, 12 Aug 2026

The rig on the mount

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

How good is it? Here is what it captured

Two captures of the Sun

The eclipse at 18:48, Player One Apollo-M MAX

Integration: 900 of 3,000 frames
Field: 0.69 x 0.47 degrees
Telescope: ToupTek Hope D60
Camera: Player One Apollo-M MAX
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Partial solar eclipse, 12 August 2026 (18:48)
Type: Partial solar eclipse in hydrogen alpha

The eclipse at 18:30, Player One Apollo-M MAX

Integration: the best 30% of one recording
Field: 0.69 x 0.47 degrees
Telescope: ToupTek Hope D60
Camera: Player One Apollo-M MAX
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Partial solar eclipse, 12 August 2026 (18:30)
Type: Partial solar eclipse in hydrogen alpha

The eclipse in motion

Sixteen stacked recordings

The eclipse in motion

Date: 12 Aug 2026
Gear: Player One Apollo-M MAX behind the DayStar Quark Chromosphere on the ToupTek Hope D60, ZWO AM3N, 16 stacked recordings from 18:30 to 18:52

Raw against finished

Watch it in my eclipse Short

The 2 targets, the unprocessed side against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

Partial solar eclipse, 12 August 2026 (18:48): 900 of 3,000 frames of light, Player One Apollo-M MAX, DayStar Quark Chromosphere, the stacked frames with no sharpening and no colour
Partial solar eclipse, 12 August 2026 (18:30): the best 30% of one recording of light, Player One Apollo-M MAX, DayStar Quark Chromosphere, the stacked frames with no sharpening and no colour

CHECK OUT THIS INCREDIBLE VIEW of Our SUN?! · published 12 August 2026 · 1:01 · Watch on YouTube · 34,004 views, 1,254 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

0:00 The eclipse in hydrogen alpha
0:04 The specialised eyepiece on my rig
0:09 The live view on my laptop
0:17 Huge eruptions at the Sun's edge
0:36 Sunspots, the cooler regions
0:47 The eclipse in white light

Tested numbers and the download

Finished image

Licence: for personal use, credit Damon Scotting. Both JPEGs 1,604 x 1,099 px.

+37 C sensor temperature during imaging uncooled camera

630 mm focal length, measured stated 630 mm, on the Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha, measured from the Sun's limb

1.32 x 0.90° field of view 1,608 x 1,104 px on Player One Apollo-M MAX

1.8 MP Player One Apollo-M MAX 1,608 x 1,104 px, 14.5 x 9.9 mm

Should you buy it?

76/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

A global shutter reads the whole frame at once.
The whole Sun fits the frame at 630 mm: the disc is 649 pixels across on the Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha.
Fast: Player One rate it at 126 frames a second at full size, and my full-disc recording ran at 109.
Light: 160 g, with a 1.25 inch nose and an M42 thread.
A sensor tilt plate is built in for chasing out Newton's rings.

Cons

Uncooled: SharpCap read the sensor at 37 C on a September afternoon, and the Active Cooling System costs extra.
1.8 MP: at about 1,200 mm the Sun overfills the 1104 pixel height, as in my eclipse frames.
A 12-bit ADC.
No ZWO ASIAIR: the ASIAIR connects ZWO astronomy cameras only (plus some DSLRs), so it needs a computer running SharpCap or similar.

That is what everyone wants: to see the whole Sun and capture it in a single frame.

Who the Apollo-M MAX is for

Complete beginner

Skip

It shows nothing of the Sun on its own: it needs a hydrogen-alpha telescope or a dedicated solar filter system and a computer first.

Hydrogen-alpha solar imager

Buy

On a 630 mm solar telescope the whole disc sits in one 1608 x 1104 frame, recorded at over 100 frames a second.

Eclipse chaser

Buy

A global shutter at over 100 frames a second records a fast-changing eclipse in short bursts, with the Moon's edge sharp against the chromosphere.

Deep-sky imager

Skip

1.8 MP, a 12-bit ADC and no cooler: a cooled IMX533 or IMX571 camera is the tool for nebulae and galaxies.

Planetary imager with a long SCT

Skip

Its 9 um pixels need very long focal lengths for Jupiter and Saturn; an IMX585 or IMX533 camera samples finer at the same focal length.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Seven questions, answered

Questions about the Player One Apollo-M MAX

Reviewed 12 August 2026 ·Updated 24 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. How this site is funded

Which Apollo-M is this? The Apollo-M MAX: Sony's 1.1 inch IMX432 mono global-shutter sensor, 1608 x 1104 pixels of 9 um. The plain Apollo-M uses the smaller IMX174, and the Apollo-M MINI the IMX429. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does the whole Sun fit the frame? At 630 mm, yes: on the Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha the disc was 649 pixels across in a 1608 x 1104 frame. At about 1,200 mm, as in my eclipse frames, the disc is taller than the frame. What I captured ↓
Is the Apollo-M MAX cooled? No. It has passive cooling only; SharpCap read 37 C during my September solar session. Player One sell an Active Cooling System as an extra. Tested numbers and the download ↓
Can it image deep-sky objects? It is built for the Sun: 1.8 megapixels, a 12-bit ADC and no cooler. For nebulae and galaxies a cooled IMX533 or IMX571 camera is the better buy. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What took the eclipse frames? The Apollo-M MAX behind the DayStar Quark Chromosphere on my ToupTek Hope D60, on the ZWO AM3N. Each frame is the best part of one high-speed recording stacked in ASIVideoStack: 900 of 3,000 frames for the 18:48 crescent. The raw stacks against the finished images ↓
How heavy is it? 160 g, 66 mm across, with 12.5 mm of back focus. The rig on the mount ↓
What have I not tested on the Apollo-M MAX? I have not used it on the planets or the Moon, with the Active Cooling System or in white light, and I did not measure its read noise.