QHY

QHY268M

Name: QHY268M
Brand: QHY
Price: 3739 USD
Availability: InStock

The monochrome version of the acclaimed APS-C sensor, a 26-megapixel mono camera with a 16-bit readout for the imager ready to chase the deepest narrowband and LRGB detail with filters.

90/ 100

Polaris Score

#2 of 6 mono deep-sky cameras

See the breakdown ↓

Camera Type

PlanetaryDeep sky

A dedicated deep-sky instrument. Mono with filters extracts the deepest signal from nebulae and galaxies, especially in narrowband from light-polluted skies.

Type

Monochrome

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.

Every pixel captures full-resolution luminance, so mono resolves finer detail than a colour sensor of the same chip

Best at

✓Every pixel captures full-resolution luminance, so mono resolves finer detail than a colour sensor of the same chip

✓With narrowband filters it isolates emission lines and cuts straight through light pollution

✓The 16-bit readout and deep cooling deliver smooth, low-noise data for demanding processing

✓The APS-C field frames large nebulae and galaxies whole

Trade-offs

!It requires a filter wheel and a set of filters to make colour images

!Acquisition takes longer, since each target needs multiple filtered exposures

!The mono workflow has a steeper learning curve and more processing steps

02In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

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

Sensor typeMono

Monochrome

No colour filter array sits over the pixels, so every pixel collects all the light reaching it. That yields finer detail and better sensitivity than a colour sensor of the same size, which is why mono is the choice for demanding work.

SensorLarge

APS-C, 23.5 × 15.7 mm, 26 MP

A big sensor frames whole nebulae and galaxy groups without a mosaic. It also asks more of the telescope, since any field curvature or tilt shows first in the corners of a sensor this size.

Pixel sizeBalanced

3.76 µm

A middle pixel size that samples sensibly across the 500 to 1200 mm focal lengths most deep-sky imaging happens at, without needing exceptional seeing to justify it.

WorkflowFilter-based

Needs a filter wheel

Colour comes from separate exposures through red, green and blue or narrowband filters, so a wheel, filters and more integration time are part of the purchase. In exchange narrowband imaging from light-polluted skies becomes genuinely deep.

Bit depth16-bit

16-bit ADC

More tonal steps between black and white means smoother gradients survive the heavy stretching astrophotography processing applies. Banding in faint nebulosity is largely a bit-depth problem.

03Typical targets

What it shines on.

The Heart & Soul Nebulae, The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), The Veil Nebula

Comes alive

The Heart & Soul Nebulae

Narrowband mono renders the faint emission structure with high contrast.

Excellent

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

LRGB mono resolves dust lanes and star colour with fine detail.

Excellent

The Veil Nebula

OIII and Ha filters separate the delicate filaments beautifully.

04Build your imaging rig

Everything you'd actually buy.

Capture · Colour · Track

Capture

The scope that forms the image

Sky-Watcher Esprit 100EDX

A flat, fast apo that suits the APS-C sensor and narrowband work.

Colour

How mono makes colour

A filter wheel + LRGB and narrowband filters

Essential to mono, each target is shot through several filters.

Track

What holds it steady

A tracking equatorial mount with guiding

Long multi-filter sessions demand accurate, guided tracking.

05The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

90/100 · #2 of 6 mono deep-sky cameras

90/ 100

QHY268M

#2 of 6 mono deep-sky cameras

The highest image quality in its class, at the price of a mono workflow that adds a filter wheel, filters and more processing steps.

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.

Experienced imagers ready for a mono filter-based workflow

Buy it if you

✓Experienced imagers ready for a mono filter-based workflow

✓People chasing the deepest narrowband detail from light-polluted skies

✓Imagers who want the highest resolution an APS-C sensor can give

Look elsewhere if you

!Beginners, since mono adds a filter wheel, filters and processing complexity

!Anyone wanting the simplest, quickest path to a finished image (go one-shot colour)

!Imagers without the patience for multi-filter acquisition per target

07The numbers

Full specifications.

18 measured and stated values

Sensor

ModelSony IMX571

TypeCMOS · APS-C (mono)

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

Mono is the deep end of the hobby: every pixel collects full-resolution luminance, and with narrowband filters it cuts through city light like nothing colour can. The cost is complexity, a filter wheel, filters and more processing. On the IMX571, the results are as good as APS-C imaging gets.