Based on the Sony IMX294C (Consumer) sensor, the QHY294M camera has an 11.7 Megapixel, 4/3-inch, back-illuminated, cooled, monochrome CMOS sensor with 14-bit A/D, 1.6e- read noise near unity gain and 1e- read noise at highest gain. At lowest gain the read noise is 6.8e-. The QHY294M full well capacity is nearly 65,000 electrons with 4.63 um x 4.63 um pixels, almost the same as an interline CCD camera with 9 um pixels.
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High Sensitivity
The QHY294M has high QE. The high QE, medium-sized pixels, and extraordinary low read noise and low dark current all combine to produce a camera with very high sensitivity, perfect for astronomical imaging. In addition, the back-illuminated structure provides greater full well capacity and therefore greater dynamic range than front-illuminated sensors with similar architecture.
Dual Gain Auto Switch - HGC/LGC MODE Boosts Low Light Performance
The QHY294M's CMOS sensor has a dual gain mode, HGC (high gain) and LGC (Low gain). The QHY294M will switch the two modes automatically when the gain is set to 1600 you will get the benefits of the ultra-low read noise (1e- to 1.6e-) of the HGC mode and a full well capacity of about 14.5ke- at the switch point setting.
Super Low Dark Current 0.005e-/p/s at -20C
The QHY294M uses QHYCCD's proprietary low dark current control technology. This technology significantly reduces the dark current noise in our CMOS cameras. The QHY294M has super low dark current as a result, lower than many CCD cameras, allowing for very long
exposure times.
High-Resolution 14-bit Frame Rates
The QHY294M produces 16.5 frames per second at high resolution (11.7 MP) with 14-bit A/D. Higher rates are achieved for regions of
interest, for example, 21 FPS at 4K resolution, 41 FPS at 1080 lines, 87 FPS at VGA, 156 FPS at 240 lines, etc.
256MB DDR3 Image Buffer
The QHY294M has an internal 256MByte high-speed DDR3 image buffer. This is more than enough for one frame and it significantly reduces any issue of lost frames due to a busy computer CPU or slow USB communication packet errors.
Anti-Dew Technology
The QHY294M benefits from more than a decade of cooled camera design experience. QHYCCD has implemented full dew control solutions. The optical window has a built-in dew heater and the sealed CMOS chamber is protected from internal humidity condensation.
Flexible Adapters
The QHY294M has the same body design and mechanical interface and the QHY163. It has a short back focal distance allowing the use of QHYCCD's 0.5 mm to 27 mm spacers (step size 0.5 mm) for flexibility in setting up your optical train.
New to the Monochrome version
The On-chip binning has been unlocked:In the monochrome QHY294M, we have included two read modes, the first reads the sensor like the color version, 11.7 megapixels, 4.63 um pixels, and 14-bits. The second read mode unlocks the on-chip binning to yield 47 MP at 2.315 um pixels and 12-bits. Preliminary tests indicate that this sensor will be an outstanding performer with extraordinarily high QE, low read noise, and dark current with great dynamic range.
