About SharpCap Beta Versions

Important: The SharpCap 4.1 Beta is now over and the information below is for reference only. The most up-to-date SharpCap 4.1 downloads can be found here.

Be aware: Beta versions of SharpCap have had less testing than usual and may contain unfinished or experimental features.

If you choose to use a beta version of SharpCap, please test the cameras and functionality you intend to use before an observing session to avoid frustration and lost observing time. You can install a beta version of SharpCap without having to uninstall the previous release version, so it’s easy to have both on the same machine and switch between them.

All beta versions have a built in time limit – they will only work up until a particular date (usually they have a life of a month or two). If your beta version runs out, check back at this page for an updated beta (or check the main downloads page for a new release).

You can use most SharpCap Pro features that are new in this version during the beta period without a license. SharpCap Pro features that existed in SharpCap 4.0 will continue to require a license in the beta versions.

Found a bug in the beta version? Please submit any bug reports if you are prompted and also report the problem in the Beta Testing Forum.

New Features

SharpCap 4.1 contains the following new and improved features

• A new Moon Mosaic planning tool (see sequencer menu – requires GOTO mount).
• Autofocus Improvements
• Python Scripting updated to Python 3.x
• Improvements to Feature Tracking
• Handle disconnected cameras that then reconnect (most camera types)
• Handle disconnected ASCOM hardware that is reconnectable or that works after a retry
• Add ASCOM switch support.
• Add configurable settle times for mount and focuser movels
• Add on-camera filter wheel support for Atik and Moravian cameras
• Basler camera support updated to support Pylon 7.2.1 (or newer)
• Keyboard shortcuts for zoom-to-fit (CTRL+0) and zoom to 100% (CTRL+1)
• Flip image (after dark/flat) option to allow reorentation without needing new calibration files
• Option to recenter live stacking periodically (using plate solving) once the drift reaches a threshold level
• Pause and resume guiding automatically when SharpCap commands an ASCOM mount slew
• Add non-linear gradient background removal
• Option to mask over-exposed pixels to black (solar disk masking)
• Add horizontal zoom option to main histogram for close inspection around black level
• Improvements to GOTO Target/Co-ordinates tool including plate solving refinement and live stacking save/stop/restart
• Add Exposure/Gain shift control to quickly change exposure and gain while keeping image brightness constant (supports most cameras)
• Added a ‘Connect all hardware’ button to the toolbar
• More flexible image stretch in live stacking
• Additional colour noise reduction option in live stacking
• Hot and cold pixel removal option as an alternative to using dark frames
• Improvements to display stretch, including toggle on/off and a continuous stretch adjustment mode

Many of these improvements are discussed in more detail in posts in the Beta Testing Forum.

Note that currently, SharpCap 4.1 Beta is only being made available as a 64-bit version. Also note that SharpCap 4.1 no longer includes support for iNova cameras, as 64-bit support was never added by the camera manufacturer.

SharpCap 4.1 Beta Downloads

Latest Version

The latest versions can now be found here.

Previous Versions

Download Version 4.1.10987.0 (64-bit) 21 August 2023 md5:8b4e91935371ddea3ff7d3cabce5f0ac sha1:469a83a7ee88b7f82d3a15c0b58ad3c4e85abbd4 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10987.0 (32-bit) 21 August 2023 md5:115f75045ba83cd8fe8930ecc10e759d sha1:e1315591d9d33102379d71380158d76848ea8ff2 Virus Total Scan Report

Updated QHY SDK – includes gain calibration for some models Improvements to waiting for next frame after GOTO in sequencer Fix crash to desktop using Weiner deconvolution on some systems Warn if CPU so old it cannot support debayer/star detection/etc Fix incorrect settings on opening deep sky sequence planner Fix SER files using timestamp of end of frame not start Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10970.0 (64-bit) 14 August 2023 md5:83f9cf69b74d682af61a6afde12c9147 sha1:b491ef630287949dbd3d3d73402b2f4246007773 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10970.0 (32-bit) 14 August 2023 md5:4d91ea5041a9f34e2193c2cc030ad7ad sha1:61a02c89e82869e5cbb80f16ac53cef2095af416 Virus Total Scan Report

Release Candidate 4 PushTo improvements including saving settings and setting target name Upate to sensor library data with data for new camera models Fix not being able to seek in WMV files created by SharpCap Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10949.0 (64-bit) 07 August 2023 md5:5248e760c807a0ba4eacdb532673f8aa sha1:228cbdb1436058ddff4b97e70e138d59fab7ecf7 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10949.0 (32-bit) 07 August 2023 md5:1fef373d2b868bac300e6297a70f4be4 sha1:2178be6cf85cab4f3fe9c6acbd09dc4c56971be1 Virus Total Scan Report

Release Candidate 3 Update to Altair SDK – finer USB speed control on 26C Fix PushTo issues including plate solve failures Improvements to focus curve fitting calculations Allow RAW8 to be saved to WMV (via debayer to RGB) Add /runsequence option for command line Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10931.0 (64-bit) 31 July 2023 md5:c90de415ccef7354fb9d5a56dc0cd992 sha1:79329a3f7db466d1b7227241fec37a07cccd06bf Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10931.0 (32-bit) 31 July 2023 md5:40b0a9248120d921022acce3e8a27682 sha1:617b3389e3e0584f3c0a984523ff10c7cb42b4b8 Virus Total Scan Report

Release Candidate 2 Fix for differences in handling of plate solving between PushTo and normal plate solve Add option to record plate solve images and info for debugging Fix CPWI crash on disconnect/fail to connect Fix incorrect frame rates when auto-exposure used on ZWO cameras ZWO SDK update to version 1.30 Try to auto-recover from dropped frames on Altair 26C Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10910.0 (64-bit) 24 July 2023 md5:f21a1a8b58cb343ee1e784e9d065da33 sha1:536b428b4c4ff86f0bda0ab0af2932b3485370f4 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10910.0 (32-bit) 24 July 2023 md5:9f58edf2f3a1d6fdca00a3ad4eb8d2be sha1:5e94e66455c40070fcb976e4ad8824f09b1aee96 Virus Total Scan Report

Release Candidate 1 – No time limit in this version Add support for re-scanning for remote (Alpaca) hardware Fix issue with spaces at the end of camera names Fix issue with greek letters in filenames causing problems for PixInsight etc Allow remote Alpaca devices to work even without ASCOM platform installed Improvements to user experience of first run of SharpCap on a clean system Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10885.0 (64-bit) 13 July 2023 md5:c819e79e8cd7daf18495cbe4907efb4a sha1:8c47129d27c8a4fd8df27c0e7906cb39f151afc1 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10885.0 (32-bit) 13 July 2023 md5:a2819219bc557567b24280d17adc7646 sha1:24e80754385dbfbb14d43bade5ccdd5b889b6d0f Virus Total Scan Report

Fix ZWO exposure resetting to minimum on switch between still and live mode

Download Version 4.1.10884.0 (64-bit) 12 July 2023 md5:19d76a8880b1126184d04484f12d44cd sha1:bb3bbb5ca93c0436b7c7a67bbdc89cb440aa7214 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10884.0 (32-bit) 12 July 2023 md5:d04cdd411f3f5243de52863915e71502 sha1:576815416bb2e398ff134a173023b4d9bc830d90 Virus Total Scan Report

Fix failure to rescan for Alpaca cameras Fix PlayerOne flip option changes Fix Moravian camera with GPS issue Fix crash in PushTo assistant Various other bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10872.0 (64-bit) 03 July 2023 md5:67ca2b15d332d8c2465f8cf751857d34 sha1:eaa705b91fb5f33276f3a810b5cbe3027419762f Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10872.0 (32-bit) 03 July 2023 md5:ad4d231bafad09242b8ede53486ba62c sha1:b407daf75371be94bb888ed553a96fd5fb3559ce Virus Total Scan Report

Fix failure to connect to some ASCOM mounts in 4.1.10827 Update Player One SDK to 3.4.0 Fix issues with ‘Set <Control Name> to <Control Value>’ step in sequence editor Update solar colorization to support 16 bit modes Improve detection of ‘donut’ stars when out of focus on SCT/Newtonian Add CTRL+SHIFT+F1 to F12 for shortcut for filter changes Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10856.0 (64-bit) 26 June 2023 md5:093f44450b144e2169647036195d630b sha1:847adb1dad852905b9fc01b70619651933c0525c Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10856.0 (32-bit) 26 June 2023 md5:2f4a01e75cc745db129df3bd093393e4 sha1:e9096c05d792208c94585bb489400a5741596afa Virus Total Scan Report

Solar system targets added to dropdown catalog. Also added a new target for moving to the center of the illuminated area of the moon. Hopefully fix issue with unresponsive UI on remote desktop and in some other situations Fix issues with over-long FITS header fields Fix some issues around camera reconnection Fix deep sky annotation being off due to declination offset Update icons on some buttons to look clearer Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10827.0 (64-bit) 19 June 2023 md5:a20c61a4038457c6a46c35c805170749 sha1:76d419b0bd66249a72b09fdc7c80abb780a7ed84 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10827.0 (32-bit) 19 June 2023 md5:52edb0afd55572e2500780b7c519ffd1 sha1:9c93aa005e6a0eae087a16da96d8e98a26652933 Virus Total Scan Report

Improvements (including improved performance) to Polar Alignment plate solving engine Add adjustable backlash handling to Solar/Lunar mosaic tools Additional logging to try to track down unresponsive UI issues Prevent the focus scanner from trying to step backwards if the focus seems to be getting worse – it rarely worked and caused issues with repeated steps backwards Improved handling of situations where an ASCOM mount unexpectedly disconnects Various bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10790.0 (64-bit) 12 June 2023 md5:bbe9537726c66ed3a1302e228f7955c1 sha1:814bf61c04d180752b91a2154714ba4b127cbe72 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10790.0 (32-bit) 12 June 2023 md5:867a62ea7188d5910e10047feaa85737 sha1:af1d4650ed928d306104f7ec2a2ad7e3f7fb6dc2 Virus Total Scan Report

Improvements to mosaic tools and add a warning on GOTO sun Fix incorrect orientation of deep sky annotation when plate solving with ASTAP Live stacking – add FWHM stats and bigger font for FWHM values Attempt to add support for Moravian cameras with GPS module PushTo tool improvements Fixes to issues with solar/lunar framing assistant Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10745.0 (64-bit) 06 June 2023 md5:648204647dc9d404dfe4b9bf50b23f50 sha1:accd27abc00f793a0a838e343b708aa8d40c9ad2 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10745.0 (32-bit) 06 June 2023 md5:c021bfc2a4d757fa7a877d3ae0b0528c sha1:6ff0d866d87b47a0422a38eceefea50187c5bd37 Virus Total Scan Report

Fix potential crash introduced in 4.1.10736 Fix some UI glitches Fix stacklog not saved if stack reset immediately after first save

Download Version 4.1.10736.0 (64-bit) 05 June 2023 md5:407cde1647350325c48951a2f83b8b5e sha1:a35c8f17c8bb33ff8c11cdd4086b18d5fcef114f Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10736.0 (32-bit) 05 June 2023 md5:57e377122cb43619da3990a677757a23 sha1:17ffb272bfa5901962ab3b6e6cd32aed625b5043 Virus Total Scan Report

SDK Updates from SVBony, QHY and Altair Improvements to Mosaic planner including meridian cross detection and ability to remove panels from mosaic Change WinJupos compatible filenaming to avoid Registax file name truncation issue Send raw frames (undebayered) to Astap for solving based on feedback Add emergency stop button to various tools that move mounts, focusers, etc. Add GOTO mount based rotation buttons for polar alignment, increase polar align overlay line width slightly Various bug fixes and tweaks

Download Version 4.1.10700.0 (32-bit) 29 May 2023 md5:0a9a78bf108ddc5a931e0a4011e740dc sha1:d46180eb816440111b2349cd5937786494ee3db0 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10700.0 (64-bit) 29 May 2023 md5:c5daeb32140d23b853c67fc365557fa3 sha1:c5cf5037fef12b35c6b21f40ca035c62335e1a11 Virus Total Scan Report

Updated SDKs from Moravian and Player One Fix crash on loss of connection to PHD2 guiding Lunar/Solar mosaic improvements and bug fixes Send FITS files to Astap for better plate solving Fix two monitor view when display scaling is 200% or more Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10652.0 (32-bit) 22 May 2023 md5:5461b9b392a2a6a9d46552d2875eb021 sha1:b72ea1fceb3a83759c91ebb1c3132e35b0a85fc7 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10652.0 (64-bit) 22 May 2023 md5:c75417abdd935c2d06fbee030e227cb1 sha1:a79157584e9b401bb784496e4c355a5c6b2135c0 Virus Total Scan Report

Improvements to Solar/Lunar mosaic planning Enable ‘Push To’ assistant in tools menu Fix altitude/direction calculations in GOTO target dropdown Add disk space warnings and readout in the status bar Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10609.0 (32-bit) 15 May 2023 md5:324d5e00063d00dc0ee1c0f00d9d76ec sha1:3964165aec84008ce44b7b16ecf2fed77d18f630 Virus Total Scan Report Download Version 4.1.10609.0 (64-bit) 15 May 2023 md5:27a96a6561bee165b35e4e91d7cbf320 sha1:607667eed61556b7be63582fd458ea1095521bfe Virus Total Scan Report

New code signing certificate – you may get Windows SmartScreen warnings. Click ‘More Info’ then ‘Run Anyway’ New Solar Mosaic tool Improvements to Lunar Mosaic tool New Solar System imaging sequencer planner New Push-To Assistant tool New Select ROI option on some cameras Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10561.0 (64-bit) 08 May 2023 md5:093abc4e83fbdd12f8c6b67840f04e77 sha1:34ec4f9fb1a8ae5a361dec5a47d6ca5a46bb59ef Virus Total Scan Report

Improvments to Moon Mosaic planner, including UI re-design and new guided 3-point alignment Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10523.0 (64-bit) 01 May 2023 md5:7a8c73066079ec1fa5a8f1bf7272e2f1 sha1:342888fd2eed19ce889c9b1fd0941433cbd2cacf Virus Total Scan Report

Updated SDKs from ZWO and SVBony Improvements to startup speed Improvements to Moon Mosaic Planner Limit gain boost during GOTO catalog plate solving to a factor of 10 Bug fixes Fix ASCOM hardware not showing in 4.1.10520

Download Version 4.1.10478.0 (64-bit) 24 April 2023 md5:c17e864b6bae087330c2f7c698cfdb82 sha1:b22c9f5e5bd415ec6a0a9cc1be8a42d79b0945f3 Virus Total Scan Report

Add prototype moon mosaic planning tool Make exposure drop to 4s with goto tool optional Fix error loading capture profiles from the sequencer Improve consistency of handling pixel sizes and effects of binning throughout the program Extra help for entering a new license key – automatically prompt if a better key found on the clipboard when starting Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10427.0 (64-bit) 17 April 2023 md5:1c139d86f1d498056c9e9a33b6a8a778 sha1:1634f84cddea49fcd1746bb6c4be928ea92802ea Virus Total Scan Report

Add support for Moravian cameras with filter wheel Fix memory leak when warned about overwriting file from live stack Set shorter exposures/higher gain during GOTO Co-ordinates Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10407.0 (64-bit) 14 April 2023 md5:f6c332112646fdaa094c505eedf656bc sha1:b4cbe26506b2a1c221594424fb820faddcd9792e Virus Total Scan Report

Fix plate solving issue (wrong epoch on mount co-ordinates) Fix issue saving capture profiles

Download Version 4.1.10388.0 (64-bit) 11 April 2023 md5:d533f0cd6ad02c15a6192103853667df sha1:2bcde2c98227dc4d062ec6bd409c8f50aac3d615 Virus Total Scan Report

Fix issues with recentering during live stacking Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10364.0 (64-bit) 03 April 2023 md5:af6e2fddf52b1e3737b22f346576aad9 sha1:e2d9ee84f1a2c6411712565fa4cc45f59b10d2a2 Virus Total Scan Report

Updated SDKs from Altair and SVBony Make GPS info available to scripting Tweaks to GOTO target interaction with live stacking Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10341.0 (64-bit) 27 March 2023 md5:10f672bf2b5774a2fc4515eec96c02f9 sha1:aca234a81d6b3682d6ffad5b1a7ea015284901c0 Virus Total Scan Report

Fix inoperative live stack colour balance sliders in build 10299 Add experimental autoexposure sequencer steps Add experimental ‘V shape’ focus curve detection (see focus scan options) Remove spurious bayer offset FITS headers that were stopping processing applications automatically loading correct bayer pattern Fix hang when out of disk space writing SER file Updated Altair SDK fixes issues with 12 bit mode on 269C Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10299.0 (64-bit) 20 March 2023 md5:eb00a1d6712aa4dfd32506244c251f6f sha1:f2a84b1fb08a0d580152ffbc2bc2f3dcb8523670 Virus Total Scan Report

Add ASCOM Switch support Additional options for deep sky annotation Fix to exposure/gain shift control giving wrong values when dragging the slider Attempt to add support for gain on old Atik cameras Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10276.0 (64-bit) 13 March 2023 md5:38acd6727995a4a6fb00a77b79d30fac sha1:901abbac1cc7d91a5b33cb12354b522fd56c49bd Virus Total Scan Report

Add fine adjustment buttons for exposure and gain controls Option to only unsharp mask the luminance, deconvolution now only runs on luminance Improvements to hot pixel detection. Add hot+cold pixel removal as an option Update some items in Japanese translation Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10260.0 (64-bit) 06 March 2023 md5:20c9e1f2e4edcda0f03dc4d93ab0c184 sha1:4dd642bd3c03acd2f74883b1fb2755f1c4d372e3 Virus Total Scan Report

Updated SDKs from SVBony, Player One, QHY Technical : Update to .NET 7.0, allows fix of crash on cancelling scripting Detect and warn about partially failed upgrade rather than crashing on startup Support for cooling on Player One cameras, improved binning support on Moravian cameras Improvements to deep sky annotation, add stars down to mag 7 to default catalog Add live stacking options to remain paused on clear and to auto turn off display stretch when live stacking Many bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10209.0 (64-bit) 27 February 2023 md5:ba3dd3a4dd093704f095b2f842d0c99b sha1:dc23e60459eeec920646222e0888c354e94fbe75 Virus Total Scan Report

First attempt to add filter wheel support for Atik cameras Prevent auto update from auto-rebooting computer if another SharpCap is open Improvements to colour noise reduction Fix comet align only working if option turned off and on again Read AAVSO CSV files as custom catalogs Filter annotation object types to those in selected catalogs Add keyboard control for live stack and mini histogram stretch levels Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10188.0 (64-bit) 20 February 2023 md5:47c964ac8644a6d2619cd526111c41e1 sha1:64ea841a16b0ce9ead1cd97a21f245e348a33ead Virus Total Scan Report

Update Moravian SDK to version 4.12 Turn off satellite detection during autofocus, as slow processing can affect results Try to resolve issue with background subtraction adding colour cast to frames from time to time Add fine movement (hold shift while dragging) to live stacking colour balance sliders Add holding <ESC> key as a way to cancel a simple sequence capture Scripting improvements, including autosave on run Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10172.0 (64-bit) 13 February 2023 md5:d9e966deebde99672d2ced1d98e49c6e sha1:7df845861ac49404b6162ce82bfdd03d9be3fd07 Virus Total Scan Report

Add display stretch on/off toggle and ‘locked’ (live) display stretch Add support for focuser settle delay Update SVBony SDK fixes e/ADU and FWD on 605CC/MC Fix non-linear background removal fail with live stacking Disable colour noise reduction in mono stack Fix ROI based feature tracking Fix ZWO resolution verification when hardware binning Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10151.0 (64-bit) 06 February 2023 md5:784a685c8383e0e75bb6974daa9bb415 sha1:253eb2ada29fe87cef79020996d6c33678c56d57 Virus Total Scan Report

Fix issue with autofocus on ZWO and some other cameras where the switch in/out of still mode reset the focus data New non-linear background subtraction option (‘low frequency wave’) Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10136.0 (64-bit) 30 January 2023 md5:9db696f516a36859fcfcef13c722d51b sha1:d7ad458b0c4e47f332fa9e7ca09f809d6d7776c1 Virus Total Scan Report

Updated Altair SDK Update to camera sensor data installed with SharpCap Add some more common names to default deep sky catalogs Turn off sigma clipping automatically when comet stacking enabled Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10119.0 (64-bit) md5:b6a8d42aad8fbe753585e6d743a5caaf sha1:cc74e3e430608e61d46b7622bf838f3c454dc43b Virus Total Scan Report

Add comet stacking option to live stacking – more info Add colour noise reduction option to live stacking enhancements Add option to increase contrast of slider position indicators Bug fixes

Download Version 4.1.10097.0 (64-bit) md5:b6cc331f47fd7f602a0935abbe93b1c8 sha1:c7316c62db465e576a34de31d42a219192904e1d Virus Total Scan Report

Improvements to GOTO Target/Co-ordinates tool New Exposure/Gain shift control Improvements to autofocus/focus scans Add ‘Connect all hardware’ button to toolbar More flexible stretch options in live stacking