QHY 290C Color Back-Illuminated Cooled Astronomy Camera - QHY290C
| Article number: | 100089 |
| Availability: | More on the Way to us |
| Delivery time: | More on the Way to Us |
The QHY290C is a cooled USB 3.0 color imaging camera that is great for both planetary and deep sky. The 290C sports the back-illuminated Sony STARVIS Exmor-R IMX290 CMOS sensor, with small 2.9um pixels in a 2 megapixel array. The IMX290 is housed in a sealed chamber that is heated to prevent dew from building up on the sensor or window. This ColdMOS, or cooled CMOS sensor has an effective pixel array of 1920 x 1080, and does 120FPS at full resolution.
Sony's Exmor R technology results in a back-illuminated CMOS image sensor with improved sensitivity and noise reduction; the key factors to enhancing image quality, while radically realigning fundamental pixel structure from front-illumination to back-illumination. Exmor-R sensors have, however, retained the many advantages attributed to CMOS image sensors, such as low power consumption and high-speed operation.
In sensors with a conventional front-illumination structure, photon gathering that is being carried out by the on-chip lens is impeded by the metal wiring and transistors on the surface of the silicon substrate. A back-illuminated structure increases the amount of light that enters each pixel, because impediments have been moved to the reverse of the silicon substrate.
Sony has also developed a unique photo-diode structure and on-chip lens that has been optimized for back-illuminated structures in order to achieve a higher sensitivity and a lower random noise without light by reducing noise, dark current and defect pixels compared to the conventional front-illuminated structure. Additionally, Sony's advanced technologies, such as high-precision alignment, have addressed any color mixture problems.
The QHY290C comes with a two-stage TEC cooling and temperature regulation system that can cool your camera down to as low as -40C below ambient. QHY has also incorporated anti-dew technology into the QHY290. The CMOS chamber is fully sealed, and includes a silicon gel tube socket as well as a heater to help keep both your sensor and the sensor window dry, even on damp nights.
A built-in 128MB DDRII image buffer provides a safeguard against unexpected drops in data transmission. A frame buffer avoids lost frames during USB transfer by storing image data in the camera itself until it can be safely transmitted. Buffering will also make sure your video runs more smoothly when using a slower computer that cannot always handle high speed data well.
All semiconductors produce a small amount of light when powered up, causing brighter spots in the corners of the sensor where the high gain amplifiers are housed. Amplifier glow is most noticeable during long exposures. The QHY290C camera has an anti-amp light control circuit to reduce amplifier glow significantly.
QHY290C Camera Specifications
- Sensor: 2 megapixel Sony IMX290 Back Illuminated CMOS Sensor
- Color or Monochrome: Color
- Effective Pixels: 1920 x 1080
- Pixel Size: 2.9um x 2.9um
- Effective Area: 5.6mm x 3.1mm
- Shutter: Electric Rolling Shutter
- Full Well Capacity: 15ke-
- Output Sample Depth: 8bit/12bit
- On Camera Image Buffer: Yes, 128MB DDRII Buffer
- Cooling: 2-stage TEC, Typical -40 below Ambient, Temperature Regulated
- Power: USB Powered for camera and +12V powered for TEC
- Anti Dew Control: Air Connector for removable silicon gel tube. Heat board for optic window of sealed CCD chamber
- Computer Interface: USB3.0 Super Speed
- Telescope Interface: M42/0.75 & 2inch adapter. Optional C-mount adapter
- Optic Window: AR+AR
- Weight: 450g/15.87 ounces
- Electric Interface: 12V input with lock, USB3.0 socket