QHY-8  6 Mega Pixel Cooled One Shot Color Camera
Sony's high performance CCD Sensor

It is a 28.4mm Diagonal CCD (Type 1.8inch) with 7.8um x 7.8um square pixel array with 6.15 Mega pixels (Effective).

Very high sensitivity and very low dark current are achieved through the adoption of Sony's Super HAD CCD techonology.

Using the Debayer R.G.B primary color mosaic filters on chip to build a vivid color image in one shot.
A Proven and documented High performance multi-function electronic design, and a built in USB2.0, assures high speed data transfer rates yet provides a very small footprint that produces very little noise, this is due to component count being kept to a bare necessity, and in turn reducing heat and noise. Many tests have been conducted by many amateurs, with great rock solid results

Double Correlated Sampling along with the ultra low kTC noise gives the product a very smooth image output.

The TEC used in the QHY-8 is a large 40mmx40mm 2 stage Peltier (2 Peltier's sandwiched together), unlike other cameras that use the smaller 20mmx20mm or 10mmx10mm single or dual stage TEC's.
This allows the sensor to cool faster and maintain a better stability due to changes in component temperatures inside the camera.
Those cameras struggle to cool the sensor due to the current/power rating of the TEC, there is no problem with the QHY-8 cooling down in this area.

The fan mounted on the back is a low vibration and low noise 80mm unit. It provides plenty of cooling to the heatsink and produces no vibration to your system. Compare this with many cameras using the smaller 20mm and 40mm fans. Without proper cooling it will lead to excess heat within the camera , which in turn effects noise levels to the CCD sensor. The QHY series do not suffer from excess heat within the camera.
Other cameras try  to lower heat by reducing the power to the TEC so the cooling fan/heatsinks can cope, which in turn drops the efficiency of the cooling system during warm or hot nights.

Ultra low noise Preamp Readout, noise is 8 -12e

Programmable Gain Amplifier with analog and digital stages allows gain to be controlled by the user.

16 bit AD converter allowing 65535 shade levels.

By having the power supply and regulation (DC-101) externally and away from the camera, we remove all unwanted noise and heat away from the sensitive components inside. This effectively lowers the noise further within the camera and allows for higher sensitivity overall.

Exposure steps are adjustable down to as low as 1ms increments.

High speed transfer data rate with USB2.0 interface. Normal download is at 600 KPixels/s, Fast preview mode is 6 Mpixels/s (Allowing fast focus, or object centering).
This allows you to download the whole 6 Mpixel image within 2 seconds when required.

The Progressive CCD was the preferred choice for the CCD sensor, Progressive CCD scan design produces less noise and temperature within the camera, plus the exposures are evenly exposed even for short exposures.
Interlaced sensors distort the exposure by unevenly exposing the odd and even fields of the CCD sensor during short exposures. This may directly affect your Flat frames and Bias frames, as while the data is read from the odd field, the even field is STILL being exposed, up to 30 seconds with slower PC's, resulting in an uneven exposure. This is why mechanical shutters are required by manufacturers.

M42 / 0.75  Standard thread allows all kinds of "Off the shelf" adapters to be connected.
40mm Diameter, large UVIR filter or Clear with Anti Relfection coatings (AR) available.

Self desicating design prevents CCD from forming ice. Does not need any desiccant plugs.

The 2" Standard filter nose piece can connect to the telescope directly, and "T" threads for optional filters or
other attachments.

Sony ICX-453
Total pixel  : 3110 x 2030
Active pixels: 3032 x 2016
Pixel Size:    7.8um x 7.8um square 
Color method:  RGB BAYER film on CCD
Effective sensor area: 28.4 mm diagonal
Readout noise: -8e   @600Kpixel/s
QE: 60% at Green (Peak) , 50% at Blue and H.a
Microlensing on chip
Progressive Scan
NABG: -110dB


Cooling System:

2-Stage TEC:  -45C below ambient
Built in 12V low noise FAN
Power consumption: 12V 3.3A



Excellent anti-blooming characteristics, even very bright stars with long exposure times dont show any blooming.

Progressive scan mode, means it does not require a mechanical shutter, and images a cleaner than Interlaced Sensors.

High H.a senstivity (QE=50% @ H.a) allowing the use of narrow band Imaging filters including H.a filters for Ha imaging of nebulas.

QE and Darkframe
Camera dimensions : 90 x 90 x 55 mm
This model is now phased out
The new QHY-8L model is now
available for purchase.