The QHY5III462C uses Sony's latest generation IMX462 back-illuminated sensor with extended red and near infrared response. It has nearly double the red and NIR sensitivity as previous generation BSI sensors and even greater sensitivity compared to front illuminated sensors. Because the RGB filters become transparent at NIR wavelengths, the camera captures RGB color images in visible light and monochrome images in NIR.
Sony's new sHCG (Super High Conversion Gain) technology produces a higher voltage from fewer photons resulting in greater sensitivity even at very low levels of light. With sHCG technology, even in visible light, the QHY5III462C has higher sensitivity than the back-illuminated IMX290 based cameras.
To produce the highest detail with the greatest dynamic range, many planetary imagers prefer to capture hundreds or thousands of images in as short a time as possible and then process the results into one final combined image. This requires high sensitivity for short exposures and low read noise for combining multiple images. The QHY5III462C will output 135 frames per second at full resolution. With its exceptionally high QE and extraordinarily low (0.5e-) read noise, it is the perfect camera for planetary imaging.
The QHY5III462C comes with two free 1.25-inch filters. The IR850 filter is a long wavelength pass filter that allows wavelengths > 850nm to pass through. The UV/IR filter passes visible light and blocks the NIR. With these two filters you can capture both RGB color images and NIR monochrome images with the same camera. At NIR wavelengths, the RGB filters become transparent and the camera behaves like a monochrome IR camera.
