Hands on with the QHY268M Astro Camera - First Light Testing!

[@nadirteymurov1]

You don't need to cool this camera down too low because dark current of the sensor is already much, much lower that any CCD. Just -5C or even 0 degrees is enough

[@DylanODonnell]

Great tip!

[@catchingphotons]

What a cool video Dylan! Thanks for that "second light" insides, very interesting. I already like watching over your shoulder because there is so much to learn. Keep on your great channel man! Clear skies! -Chris

[@DylanODonnell]

Cheers mate :)

[@iandobbin8068]

One of the benefits of a (usually) solo hobby is to be able to sneak off the lens cap without witnesses. It filled my heart with joy seeing I was not alone. Great video 👍

[@DylanODonnell]

Haha .. all my failures laid bare.

[@astrodad656]

I am a member of CN and am not surprised at the attitudes posted. I have been a visual observer for 20 years but my vision has gone into the poop hole. I turned to AP so I could "see" again. Your videos, musical talent, and humor have really enhanced my slow and at times painful journey. Thanks. BTW... Love your set-up...especially the new mount (encoders!).

[@DylanODonnell]

That’s brilliant mate! Thanks buddy and clear skies.

[@gavin5326]

That is absolutely incredible! Can't wait to see your future photos with it!

[@azastro919]

Jeeze you scared me dylan lol for a second there i thought you were gonna apologize for having an opinion some people don't like. Keep doing you man never apologize for having an opinion.

[@DylanODonnell]

All I can do is keep taking photos :)

[@chuck3814]

I agree

[@douweodh4146]

We can see you are genuinely happy with your new gear and finished photos! ✨

[@EDGCOMBE7]

Awesome, keep up the great videos. I have learnt a lot from your back catalogue over the years, dithering, phd how to use and processing images to name a few. I have always appreciate your sense of humor. Keep them coming 💫

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks novadawn! I will :)

[@afryhover]

That feeling after imaging all night, processing the next day, getting your breath taken away with joy. I know that feeling. It's as good as it gets. Great video. Cheers Mate!

[@wanderingquestions7501]

For USA clients: QHY can be serviced in California rather then China where ZWO services their products. My asi2600mc-p took 3 months to service in China but I was expecting that.

[@derekderek2570]

Your 2600mc pro was leaking oil on the sensor too?

[@DSOImager]

This is a big plus. I've been waiting for over 6 months to get my asi1600 back. ZWO sells enough camera's in the U.S., it's about time they get a service center setup stateside.

[@tombutts919]

That must be quite recent, one of my QHY cameras had to goto Beijing to get some servicing done.

[@markc7899]

Yes, I think in the past QHY was more expensive and it was not *that* justified. Maybe a bit better, but ZWO had better value. I think now QHY has caught up and in many cases is the more reasonable choice. There are further reasons as well which Dylan does not mention in the video, you can web search for QHY cameras and find many of them.

[@wanderingquestions7501]

@@derekderek2570 loose usb connector

[@merc500sec]

Great video Dylan , I use the 26C made by Altair and will be getting the 26M next , the new cmos sensor technology is mind blowing

[@humlakullen]

You, Trevor and a few others have saved me so much frustration (and money) getting started in this awesome hobby. I can't thank you enough. Keep 'em coming:-)!

[@simonwalsh6804]

Hi Dylan, I just looked at the CN thread. Handbags at dawn... I wouldn't give it a second thought - which clearly you haven't. Keep 'em coming. Simon

[@richschoepfer4857]

Good Grief first it was my favorite sticom SOAP now this . . . Don't change a thing Dylan - your videos are awesome!!!!!!!

[@AstroDenny]

Nice to see the new rig dialed in and that camera looks amazing! Good luck with the clear skies. We're blanketed in clouds almost constantly lately. As far as NINA goes- I like it. I was using APT for a long time and I also like that. I bought SGP and set it up but never actually took images with it. I think I will be moving over to NINA for most of my imaging but I'm also playing with Astroberry, which I like a lot! Couple glitches I need to work through but it is a really viable replacement for Windows (my end goal in all things...)

[@Astrolavista]

And that's just how the HH came out, no processing! 65,536 shades for the win! Absolutely bonkers image at the end, no wonder you're grinning :D

[@HockeyHomeBrewski]

Yeah, we’re having a blizzard here today - white ground, opaque white sky. Had to use snowblower instead . . . . Northerner problems. Thanks for the video - looks like a great camera

[@DylanODonnell]

I get the sense the whole world is having problems now. It's like the climate is changing or something.

[@cjmenagh882]

A simple wish for more clear skies for Eastern Australia. Great video, and man, visual observers are touchy and many dn’t spel so good neether.

[@DylanODonnell]

Haha! hear hear.

[@lukomatico]

Another great one Dylan! - regarding your camera driver/power issue, I've had the exact same thing with 4 qhy cmos cameras over the years, - you just need to provide power first and then connect to your imaging pc - basically as you discovered. never an issue then :)

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh seems odd because the camera is always connect to USB in an obs. It’s only power that you cycle remotely. So now I need to disable/enable USB as well as power in the right order to get the camera going without physically having to go in there.

[@lukomatico]

@@DylanODonnell It might be a bit less than ideal, but perhaps after powering up the obs you could force a reboot of your imaging pc - that should force a reconnect in the right order? Just an idea/temporary workaround anyhow! :) All the best mate, Luke

[@angusr7805]

Wow! That image of NGC3576 is amazing. I would be absolutely stoked if I could get images like that.

[@Westlake]

Keep doing what you’re doing Dylan. Hoping for some clear skies for you. Nice review on this camera. 🇨🇦

[@nishantpatil61]

nice rap in the description of this vid. Dylinem

[@ianbirkett6542]

Flaming Christmas christ that image is BEAutiful!!! Fantastic work!

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks Ian!

[@trufflehunter58]

Love your passion, Dylan. several hours south of you in Newcastle and back into astro after a 12 year hiatus. The changes that have occurred during that time! And the shit of a summer we've had this year! I've had my new scope out three (!) times in the last six weeks. But... keep ya mitts off me eyepieces! lol

[@DylanODonnell]

Haha yeh you picked a rough summer to come back !

[@pdc023]

I love your conviction, Dylan. Never change. I am an amateur astrophotographer who also does outreach. Eyepieces are indispensable for stimulating young minds and sharing our passion with the public, but I still prefer a night of astrophotography over visual observation. There's nothing wrong with having a preference, or even a passion about imaging over visual astronomy. People who get offended over your stance (or mine, for that matter) just need to chill out and grow up.

[@jonathanclark6337]

Great video (as always), great camera. I've got one now and I'm just putting it through its paces with my Edge HD 9.25. So far it's looking good, but its early days - nothing good enough to show yet...

[@broady64]

Keep doing what you're doing mate. Teaches me loads and make me laugh too, cheers from a very cloudy Uk.

[@bill_astro_music]

Paused at 0:25 to write this before I continue watching.....here it comes! :-D lol! Great image Dylan!

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe thx!

[@TwoPancakes]

Thank you Dylan ! Very cool !

[@Fawlty_User]

Always look forward to your videos. I don't know what was going on with the Cloudy Nights issue so...screw those eye piece huggers. High five from Bay Area California.

[@quincylee2276]

Thanks for this, I was lucky enough to get that 5% discount from bintel, you’re a legend!

[@DylanODonnell]

Ahh great !

[@scottwilkins6966]

I love your sense of humour! Could you do more to explain the differences between camera brands? Altair vs. QHY vs. ZWO, etc. All with the same chip, it's hard to understand what the differences actually are! Your comment about more memory is SUPER useful. Nobody talks about the little details and what they mean for the user. For THAT MUCH money, I want to know before buying.

[@trev354]

Hey Dylan, Thanks again what an awesome image. Keep up the great work :-)

[@shaunshelton6855]

One of my favorite videos you have posted. Very nice job on the Statue of Liberty image. I really like this camera and trying to decide on whether I buy it or not?

[@phatchimp7619]

Great Vid! I did miss the unboxing. These are always very satisfying...

[@scuba5k]

lol obviously as a subscriber I supported you on cloudy nights. I told them “Remember, everything is meaningless and we’re all going to die.”

[@DylanODonnell]

thanks mate :)

[@BrianH1313]

That was a nice image Dylan. Looks like it will, or should I say, working out great for you.

[@travbonde6035]

Wow looks and sounds like a great product I will buy one soon!!! Thanks

[@alanhat26]

I love the way you word things so I think u should keep me pleased!!!!!!

[@philkidd]

Well done Dylan! Good stuff!

[@michael.a.covington]

Glad to hear that CMOS has totally caught up with CCD. For a long time I've felt there was little difference. As for the eyepieces, I think some people didn't recognize your wry sense of humour.

[@DylanODonnell]

hehe yep, swoosh!

[@LogansChristmasLights]

Nice to see the camera working so nicely. I have the 2600mmpro on order with your "sponsor" so really looking forward to that arriving (since it basically has the same sensor)

[@DylanODonnell]

Tell em I said hurry up 😂

[@LogansChristmasLights]

Will do 🤣

[@georgeumber6287]

I bought the ZWO ASI2600C as the fittings to the telescope worked easily. I decided against the QHY version because I could not purchase the right fittings as they were not available in Australia. The camera is fantastic and reduces capture time. It make capturing and processing a real pleasure.

[@N4GW]

Excellent review/ A game changing camera

[@steppen57]

Fantastic video! And the images you took are amazing. My only complaint is that you make it look so easy :)

[@johanlandman1577]

Great video and beautiful Statue of Liberty. I received my QHY268M a few weeks ago. Still waiting for skies to clear. I noticed your offset was 76. Some forum recommendations are for 25 and mode 1. What is your feeling in this regard?

[@brendonstockdale4437]

Job done , now off to see the caterer 🍺 . Love the new addition

[@thomaspetersen5114]

This one camera is so, so tempting. I have a Moravian G3-16200, which is by all accounts a great camera, but this one honestly seems to blow it out of the water.

[@jerrymccaleb4452]

Not being familiar with the discussion on Cloudy Nights, I can only say that I appreciate the videos you produce and distribute and that is why I subscribe. I'm open to subscribing to a visual astronomer's product but there's a severe lack of producers of those products. In summary, the world seems to be in turmoil when anyone expresses that differs from one's own...the current phase of our "culture ". My sincere hope is that you not bow and will continue to express your opinions boldly and your audience can decide to agree or disagree with what you have said. BTW, that is a sporty new rig and I look forward to seeing you put it through the challenges and show us what you come up with....in videos preferably versus lectures of what you observe.

[@robertstuck3214]

Nice image. Keep being you. That is why I come back to this channel.

[@DylanODonnell]

thx mate :)

[@777muzzy]

That looks great Dylan. It's nice to see you enjoying your gear again. How about a screen shot of your guiding for those of us who will be forever held hostage by the CGX? Lol.

[@flanerpete2040]

Awesome image, M8!

[@endless-sky2777]

Nice video, as usual! I have been shooting for about a year with my astromodified D5300. Now I am saving up for an APS-C mono dedicated astrocamera and after watching this video I am really undecided between the ZWO ASI 2600MM Pro and the QHY 268M. I'll really have to research all the differences, pros and cons of each. Regarding CN and the thread, and since we are in a musical mood: I am beautiful no matter what they say Words can't bring me down I am beautiful in every single way Yes, words can't bring me down, oh no So don't you bring me down today Keep up the great work and don't mind the haters! :-)

[@RichieToaMills]

That final image is so dope!!

[@jonathanclark6337]

@Dylan, thanks for the great video! (All yours are). I'm thinking about getting the QHY268M. I already have an Edge 9.25, but I would want to use the QHY268M on a RASA 8. Did you manage to get it to connect to your RASA with filter tray and get the right back focus? Hopefully the camera won't be too big for the Rasa 8? I'd get a bigger RASA, but my mount (and my back) wouldn't manage it!

[@rulz492]

Wonderful video as always. I'm agonising over deciding between the zwo equivalents of the 268 and 294. Is it really worth the extra grand for the APS-C sensor? The 294 seems like incredible value.

[@DylanODonnell]

You know I think the 294 IS good value if you can't afford the 268... I wouldn't be unhappy just shooting with the 294. Just needs more data.

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Your images are spectacular! Please do more imaging Dylan!

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks Ray!

[@sirmeowcelot]

thanks Dylan for the educational video.

[@petetube111]

Just a heads up, it’s NGC 3576 not 3756 as you’ve written at 9:52 on the video. I was just looking for ngc 3756 and was confused as it wasn’t the Statue of Liberty Nebula. Cheers

[@stefanjagger]

Great video love your content. I thought you was a celestron supporter and would have gone with the cgx-l ?

[@ohwell2790]

This video is so good that I went thru a six pack watching this at 5 AM Kingman AZ USA time.

[@DylanODonnell]

🍻

[@cryptojihadi265]

Damn. That statue of liberty nebula pic is flat out insane!!!! Was like I definitely gotta hunt that one, but then I remembered why I've never heard of it until now. I'm on the wrong side of the planet.

[@davidcollier3604]

I had the opportunity to use the One shot color version of this camera the 268C and it is fantastic as well. I have also used once the ZWO 2600C color Camera and it was equally fantastic. I agree who needs CCD!

[@seanfullard2337]

thank you for the advice

[@AnakChan]

“I’ve pissed off the visualites, who can I piss off next? Oh the CCDers!”. Nice one Dylan. You should try the IMX455 based cameras...I’ve picked up crazy detail with the ASI6200MM. And J.Bunn is the king of adapters! P.S.,Use N.I.N.A. already:)!

[@Desertskyobservatoy1925]

Looks good Dylan, I'm searching for a new camera hoping CMOS will soon blow away CCD. I'd give it a try, however the size of the camera looks like a miniature football and would cover my lens with my Hyperstar on my Celestron 8" SC (and a filter wheel). Keep'em coming bro, love your videos, very informative and down to earth.

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh the footprint is an issue.. it *should* be ok .. but we'll see. For such a large heatsink and fan I would've liked another -5 degrees ;)

[@Desertskyobservatoy1925]

@@DylanODonnell I'm retiring soon maybe I'll spend my retirement bonus on a 14"....should work then...lol. Best!

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

Dylan , nice camera. Question about SGP I am having and cant seem to solve and maybe you can help... When I slew to an object it stops to take image, and that is fine. When it takes the next set to plate solve or the third set I get star tails and if they are long it wont solve. So if I program over night and that happens it parks at home and I loose a night. I have the scope settling for 10 seconds and that works sometimes and not others. I cant seem to get it to stop completely. Any ideas ? I know you are busy trashing eye pieces but could really use any ideas .... Thanks Steve

[@DSOImager]

I've run into this same problem. In my case, I'm pretty sure its backlash causing the issue.. and unfortunately the settle time you plug into SGP is only applied to that first image. Unless Dylan or someone else has the answer, the only work around is to enable the "automatic recovery" option in SGP. If a sequence fails for whatever reason, it will try again at an interval you define for a period you define (for example, mine will retry every 2 mins for 3 hours before finally aborting the sequence and parking). The auto recover feature works great when clouds come and go too.

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh I set my settle to 3 seconds.. which stopped the trails altogether... if it's still trailing after 10 seconds after a slew there is definitely some issue there! backlash does sound possible but could just be something software / glitchy too. (updates drivers / update mount firmware blah blah)

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

@@DylanODonnell Ok thaks for getting back to me. I have the EQ6 mount and love it... I had the same problem with last mount sometimes I would get star trails and sometimes not. But if it does it when I am not watching and the trails are long it wont solve. It does solve though if the star trails are short... Stay Safe

[@brod5352]

I've ordered a QHY 268C-PH and the lead time is killing me! It's been a month since I ordered, and I'm afraid it's going to be another one or two. I'm also waiting on a new Celestron 8" Edge HD and a new CGX mount. All this waiting. Christmas can't come soon enough!!!! ;o)

[@JayJayDeeCee]

Glad to hear you are getting some joy out of the stars again, that's what it's all about! Great Image, and video. How was RMS that night?

[@DylanODonnell]

0.33 to 0.4/5 mostly :)

[@simonwalsh6804]

Dylan: I am curious about your experience with achieving a flat field with this camera; have you had any problems? Does your Edge fully cover the sensor? I am using this camera with an FSQ106 which should easily have a large enough image circle but I am not getting as a perfect a field as I would have liked. Interested to hear your experience.

[@joecooksey4331]

Cloudynights locked the post.... to bad. I was going to link this video! good job!

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe yeh what a weird thread that was.

[@troyhunter4740]

Good old Byron Bay has had quite a soaking recently!.. hope your doing okay and the dome hasn't turned into a fish tank!

[@angelofranckgambino2458]

Hi Dylan! I have a doubt about all the ZWO items I would like to associate with the QHY268 Pro Mono. This camera has not an USB HUB, so I am wandering if it is possible to associate it with a ZWO EFW and an ASI120 for guiding. In my previous ASI1600MM camera I connected the filter wheel and the guiding camera directly to the imaging camera hub, in order to do not occupy all the USB ports of my Raspberry PC. Is there a smart way to use the existent set up with this camera? Thanks in advance for your answer.

[@davidjames4915]

3:42 You're not alone in that. I bought a QHY294C used from someone who sold it with the OAG-S and a bunch of spacers. Once it's all assembled with all threads fully engaged, the OAG prism is skew to the 294C sensor and is probably in the path of the light cone going to the sensor. There is no clean way to rotate it to a proper orientation. QHY seems to have designed a lot of their system with the use of filter wheels in mind, but a side effect of that is that with colour cameras where filter wheels tend not to be used the system doesn't quite work, at least not with the 4/3rds and smaller sensor cameras (I have found others on Cloudy Nights who have similar issues with other small-sensor QHY cameras and the OAG-S). The 268, from what I can tell, appears to come with an extra ring that addresses this issue when attaching it to the OAG-M or OAG-L.

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh I wasted a couple nights figuring out adapters! I believe some of my corner issues may be related.

[@Deliverator80]

I'll have you know, that my eyepieces are VERY offended every time I watch one of your videos, but like most inanimate objects, they have no sense of humor anyway. Great video, Dylan, I've been looking at the ZWO2600 pretty seriously as my first dedicated astronomy camera, so it's nice to see the comparison of the chip's supporting hardware on the QHY version.

[@DylanODonnell]

glad it helped !

[@jeffslade1892]

CCD or CMOS? There has now been more development on the CMOS to make it superior. There is one other form though, the Live-MOS (LMOS) which being biassed rather than complimentary, sweeps stray electrons off the sensor. Stray electrons cause electronic noise and eddy currents swirling about. Sony do make LMOS for Olympus and Panasonic, maybe Leica too. Whilst we do want bigger pixels, a smaller overall sensor generates less heat and less uneven heating, heat makes noise.

[@jedidiahwest4619]

I want to see one of those visual astronomers “Save the god damn world” with their pencil and sketch books. It’s 2021 people!!!

[@cucubits]

they're hopelessly stuck in the past and will use their pitchforks to tell you why their way is the "real" way. Sad.

[@jedidiahwest4619]

I understand where they’re coming from. Personally, I like to look through my 8” Dobsonian but it’s not like we are using Stellina to gather pictures.

[@MrGuilletv]

Nice Cam! Can someone explain to me : why the image dont look oversampled? 3.7 píxel size with that scope!! Sorry for me english Or he dont use a c14?

[@MrFingolfin]

Loooooving your disclaimer!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I also do visual sometimes (shame on me!!!) and find your jokes about that hilarious; and anyway, you are right, other visual astronomers don't because they just don't own a CAMERA (of course, they spend all their money in Nagler, Delos and Ethos 😛)

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe maybe I'll buy a reeeeeally good eyepiece one day.

[@TomBridle]

I've got a 268C on order, but man if I lived in an area where the sky might actually be clear for more than one night a month and could spend the time on mono... wow. Well at least it is the same sensor!

[@jeffslade1892]

Cooling - we had germanium diode gamma detectors on the labs running in liquid nitrogen 77K (-196°C) and then switched to Peltier pumps at the same temperature. The camera has a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) this is a Peltier but more akin to a thermocouple, such devices only have a delta T of about 96°C a best. Cooling could be better and held at some stable temperature, but this would add (a lot) to cost.

[@ctortolini]

Hey Dylan... great video as always and it couldn't have come at a better time for me. I want to upgrade my camera and my preferred choice would be the QHY268M. But I fear it would not be compatible with my M42 based imaging train. Specially with my filter wheel which is M42 threaded and uses 1.25 filters. If I have to replace the 7 filters with larger ones, it will become just too expensive for me. I see you used filters for the final photo at the end of the video... Did you use a M42 filter wheel? Did you use 1.25 filters? Any insight will be really appreciated.

[@DylanODonnell]

It’s a Starizona filter drawer with m42 threads but 2” filters.. and you’re right those filters and the setup cost a bomb to setup initially.

[@markc7899]

I also have a 268Mono. You will not be dissapointed Dylan!

[@markc7899]

Also great description!

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe spoiler alert .. I'm not disappointed.

[@OlliesSpace]

This looks exciting

[@TheHoaxHotel]

That single sub though... 0K cooling or bust

[@avt_astro206]

Nice Review of The Camera !! 🔭🌠

[@ASTROindi]

That’s a beautiful Nebula 🤘🏼

[@TheAngryAstronomer]

Question. I'm still running an ASI1600MC Pro cooled and I'm starting to run into walls. Do you think the newer cameras are enough of an improvement to be worth trading up?

[@DylanODonnell]

YES :)

[@markc7899]

but be sure to go for monochrome, it is easy to otherwise regret it in the long run

[@AndreaGirones]

You have that sleepy looking yet happy astronomer face!!!

[@DylanODonnell]

That’s me 😅

[@DSOImager]

LOL... I'd say mission accomplished on the CN bit, eh? That's a sweet setup you got there now. No excuses.. time for a non moon apod :P

[@DylanODonnell]

Gimme a decade!

[@DSOImager]

@@DylanODonnell Okay!

[@astrogeekman]

Ah, very good stuff, thank you.

[@shaunozs1ra92]

I am planning on buying this camera. Do I need the 50mm filters or will the 36mm filters and wheel do the job?

[@DylanODonnell]

Personally I’d spring for larger filters every time.

[@cucubits]

lol, that poke at visual astronomers in the credits made me chuckle. gg

[@luboinchina3013]

I went to bintel and their webpage works well in China too unlike Highpointscientific. Do they want to open a branch in China too? There is a big market here waiting for them.

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe awesome

[@Sabre912]

Dylan.. would you recommend the non HD version of the telescope? I can afford it but I feel I would be super limited on the focal reducers I could use im looking at getting the 9.25 or 8" advanced vx.. I would like your honest opinion good sir! Other than that. How have you been up to? Lol

[@DylanODonnell]

I’d recommend non-edge HD only if you are focussed on planetary. Flat field is basically essential for deep space photos!

[@Sabre912]

@@DylanODonnell yeah the reducers i have been able to find also add a flattener so i figured the advanced vx would be ok... Thanks Dylan!!!

[@brianreynolds1098]

Ya know, I was doing O.K. with the vid when I realized that your hair was sticking up like a pair of Devil's horns. I burst out loud laughing and couldn't take the vid seriously after that. I blame you and your influence on my viewing habits. But keep making 'em anyway. Maybe the next one won't be as unintentionally hilarious! Oh, and tell the CN people (of which I am one) to stuff it. They didn't invent the hobby....

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe thanks mate .. I didn’t even notice 😆😈

[@1CM69]

Nice camera, I should think that Dylan will have his wish and own one very soon with the fact of 5 double ads in a 13 minute video. Working the system 😉

[@DylanODonnell]

Haha that likely made me 0.1c .. thanks 😆

[@1CM69]

@@DylanODonnell you’re welcome 👍🏻

[@russellmm]

haha.. I feel so stupid. I sent you a PM is FB suggesting you do a live stream and a week later you do one and I miss it!

[@DylanODonnell]

Next time!

[@nikivan]

At 9:52, do you mean sulfur (instead of sodium)?

[@DylanODonnell]

Yep! 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@ericemanuelson5128]

Very cool!