QHY

QHY268C

Name: QHY268C
Brand: QHY
Price: 1599 USD
Availability: InStock

QHY's take on the class-favourite APS-C sensor: a cooled 26-megapixel one-shot-colour camera with a true 16-bit readout and short back focus, a direct alternative to the most popular deep-sky camera.

90/ 100

Polaris Score

#2 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

See the breakdown ↓

Camera Type

PlanetaryDeep sky

Built for deep sky, the large APS-C sensor frames nebulae and galaxies with resolution to spare. Overkill for high-resolution planetary work.

Type

One-shot colour

Cooling

−35°C below ambient

Pixel Size

3.76µm

Read noise

1.0 e⁻

Resolution

26 MP · 6252×4176

Sensor

Sony IMX571 · APS-C

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The frame it captures

Same camera. Different telescope. A completely different photograph.

A camera has no field of view of its own, the telescope in front of it decides everything. Pick a target and watch the same 26-megapixel frame become three different images.

RedCat 51

250 mm · f/4.9

FOV 5.4° × 3.6°

Framed with space to spare, the full disc and both companions.

Esprit 100ED

550 mm · f/5.5

FOV 2.4° × 1.6°

Fills the frame edge to edge, the classic full-galaxy portrait.

EdgeHD 8

2032 mm · f/10

FOV 0.66° × 0.44°

Overflows frame

Only the bright core fits; the spiral arms spill off the sensor.

Explore any telescope in the Simulator →

01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

The IMX571 APS-C sensor delivers a large field and fine resolution that suits the widest range of deep-sky targets

Best at

✓The IMX571 APS-C sensor delivers a large field and fine resolution that suits the widest range of deep-sky targets

✓A true 16-bit ADC captures smooth tonal gradients in nebulae and galaxy cores

✓Deep regulated cooling to 35°C below ambient makes faint-signal integration repeatable night to night

✓The short-back-focus body simplifies reaching correct spacing behind fast flatteners and reducers

Trade-offs

!One-shot colour cannot match mono narrowband from the worst light pollution

!APS-C files are large and demand a well-corrected, flat imaging field

!It needs a tracking mount and, ideally, autoguiding for long exposures

02In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

Sony IMX571 · 26MP · 3.76µm · −35°C below ambient

Read noiseExcellent

About 1.0 e⁻

Read noise is what the camera adds each time a frame is read out. At around one electron, faint signal survives in short subframes, so you can shoot three-minute exposures instead of ten and lose less to wind, satellites and passing cloud.

SensorLarge

APS-C, 23.5 × 15.7 mm

A big sensor frames large objects whole rather than in pieces. It also demands a well corrected, flat imaging field, so a flattener matched to your telescope stops being optional.

Pixel sizeBalanced

3.76 µm

A middle pixel size that samples well from about 500 mm to 1200 mm of focal length, which covers most amateur telescopes. It avoids both starving small pixels and coarse sampling.

Bit depth16-bit

16-bit ADC

More tonal steps mean smoother gradients in nebulosity and bright galaxy cores after the heavy stretching that astrophotography processing requires, with less visible banding.

CoolingDeep

Regulated TEC

Regulated cooling cuts thermal noise and holds a repeatable sensor temperature, which is what allows a library of dark frames to stay valid across many nights instead of being rebuilt every session.

03Typical targets

What it shines on.

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), The North America Nebula, The Orion Nebula (M42)

Excellent

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

The full disc and both companions frame comfortably on APS-C.

Comes alive

The North America Nebula

Large emission nebula that fills the wide field with narrowband.

Excellent

The Orion Nebula (M42)

Bright core and faint wings build fast in cooled colour data.

04Build your imaging rig

Everything you'd actually buy.

Capture · Track · Frame

Capture

The scope that forms the image

Sky-Watcher Esprit 100EDX

550 mm f/5.5 apo, a flat, fast field that suits this APS-C sensor.

Track

What holds it steady

A tracking equatorial mount

Long exposures need accurate tracking; add autoguiding for the best stars.

Frame

Pull signal from the sky

A dual-band filter

Isolates emission nebulae so they stand out from light-polluted skies.

05The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

90/100 · #2 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

90/ 100

QHY268C

#2 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

Reference-grade APS-C sensor, deep regulated cooling and very low read noise. Scores just behind the category leader mainly on ecosystem familiarity, not performance.

Image quality

Low-light sensitivity

Ease of use

Value

Polaris weighs how well the camera does the job it was designed for — image quality, sensitivity, versatility and value — never list price or brand.

06Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Deep-sky imagers who want a large APS-C colour sensor for nebulae, galaxies and clusters

Buy it if you

✓Deep-sky imagers who want a large APS-C colour sensor for nebulae, galaxies and clusters

✓People invested in or preferring the QHY camera and software ecosystem

✓Imagers pairing it with a short-to-medium apo or fast reflector

Look elsewhere if you

!Planetary specialists, who want a small fast camera instead

!Imagers set on mono narrowband from heavy light pollution

!Anyone without a tracking mount, which long exposures require

07The numbers

Full specifications.

18 measured and stated values

Sensor

ModelSony IMX571

TypeCMOS · APS-C

Megapixels26

Pixel Size3.76µm

Bit depth16-bit ADC

Noise & sensitivity

Read noise1.0 e⁻

Full well51,000 e⁻

Peak QE~90%

Dynamic range14 stops

Cooling

Cooling−35°C below ambient

Connectivity & fit

InterfaceUSB 3.0

Weight0.62 kg

More

cooledtrue

Sensor Height15.7mm

Sensor Width23.5mm

Editor’s Take

The IMX571 is the sensor that defined the modern APS-C colour camera, and QHY pairs it with a genuine 16-bit ADC and a short back focus that eases spacing on fast optics. If you prefer the QHY ecosystem, you give up nothing on sensor quality.