QHYCCD QHY5III290C Colour Planetary Camera with UV/IR Filter – Used (Very Good)

Used – Very Good Condition. A QHYCCD QHY5III290C colour planetary and guiding camera, built around Sony’s IMX290 STARVIS back-illuminated CMOS sensor. Light cosmetic wear from normal use, no functional faults observed. A UV/IR cut filter is included. The USB 3.0 cable and original box are not part of this sale.

What’s Included

• QHY5III290C colour camera body
• UV/IR cut filter

Condition Notes

Stated plainly so there are no surprises after it arrives:

• No USB 3.0 cable. The camera needs one to connect. Tell us what you are plugging into and we will confirm the right cable before you order.
• No original box or packaging. It ships in our own protective packaging.
• Light cosmetic wear. Minor marks on the anodised body consistent with normal use. Nothing that affects operation.
• Not bench-tested by us. We have not run this camera on a scope, so we are not making a performance claim beyond the absence of visible faults.

About the QHY5III290C

The QHY5III290C pairs Sony’s IMX290 STARVIS Exmor R back-illuminated sensor with a USB 3.0 interface, running 1920×1080 full HD at up to 135 fps. High frame rates are what planetary imaging runs on — you capture thousands of frames, then stack the sharpest few percent to beat the seeing. The 2.9 µm pixels suit that work at the long focal lengths planetary imaging uses.

The IMX290’s back-illuminated design gives it roughly double the visible-light sensitivity of the older IMX236, and over three times the near-infrared sensitivity, which is why this sensor became a favourite for live video astronomy as well as planetary work. QHY notes that with a 50 mm f/1.4 C-mount lens fitted, it will pull in stars down to around magnitude 9 on real-time video.

Being a colour sensor, it produces one-shot RGB without a filter wheel — the simpler route for lunar, solar-system and video-astronomy work, and it doubles as a guide camera.

No longer in QHY’s current lineup. QHY has retired the QHY5III290 from their catalogue and taken its product pages down, and it has been superseded by newer QHY5III V2 models. If you already run one and want a second body, or you specifically want the IMX290’s near-IR response, a used one is now the practical way to get it.

Final Sale

This item is sold as a Final Sale. All used equipment sales are final, and the condition is described above in good faith. Please review our Used Equipment Sale Policy before purchasing.