Back-Illuminated 4/3 inch format

The new QHY294 Pro is a 4/3-inch back-illuminated camera, equipped with Sony IMX 492 (Mono) sensor. The 294 Pro has 11.7 MP at 4.63um, 14-bits A/D.

Expanded Pixel Mode11.7MP to 46.8MP

The IMX294 and IMX492 chips have 46.8 million 2.315um pixels, which Sony 2×2 bins on-chip to create the sensor’s advertised 11.7 million 4.63um pixel array. The QHY294 Pro series camera is capable of locking and unlocking the on-chip binning to provide two readout modes. The first mode reads the sensor “locked” mode to produce 11.6mp images with 4.63um pixel size and 14 bits per pixel. The second read mode unlocks the binning to produce 46.8mp images with 2.315um pixel size at 12 bits per pixel.

High QE – Low Readout Noise

Preliminary tests indicate that this sensor will be an outstanding performer with extraordinarily high QE, low read noise, and low dark current. The 294 has 6.8 to 6.9e- read noise at the lowest gain, 1.6e- read noise near unity gain, and 1.0e- read noise at highest gain, with great dynamic range! Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Dual Gain Auto Switch – HGC/LGC MODE Boosts Low Light Performance

he QHY294 Pro CMOS sensor has a dual gain mode, HGC (high gain) and LGC (Low gain). The QHY294 Pro will switch the two modes automatically when the gain is set to 1600 you will get the benefits of the ultra low read noise (1e- to 1.6e-) of the HGC mode and a full well capacity of about 14.5ke- at the switch point setting.

About the IMX294/IMX492 Sensor

The Sony Starvis IMX294 Exmor R is a 21.63 mm diagonal (Type 4/3), 11.6 megapixel, back-illuminated color CMOS sensor. Sony has commercialized the IMX294 Type 4/3 back-illuminated CMOS image sensor for low light applications. The IMX294CJK is the first in-house image sensor to adopt the Type 4/3 format and realize output of the number of pixels needed for 4K video at 120 frame/s (in ADC 10-bit output mode). In addition, use of a large-size pixel achieves SNR1s of 0.14 lx, and use of a Quad Bayer pixel structure realizes a High Dynamic Range function with no time difference, enabling video imaging with a wide dynamic range.

The IMX492 is the monochrome version of IMX294. IMX492 is announced with 47mega pixel, 2.315um pixel size.  The Origional QHY294C only output the 11.6mega pixel.  The four Quad Pixel is combined into one pixel and output. In this case, the pixel size is 4.63um.  In Oct of 2020, QHYCCD released the QHY294PRO.  The QHY294PRO add the “unlock” 47mega pixel output and the Quad Pixel can be output seperately, the pixel size is 2.315um, for both monochrome (QHY294M-PRO) and color (QHY294C-PRO).

By select the “ReadMode” options, this two mode can be selected. The standard 11.6mega pixel mode output 14bit image,  the “unlock” 12bit mode ouput 12bit image.  The standard mode can be regards as 1*1 binning mode and the “unlock” mode can be regards as 2*2binning mode.

STARVIS is a trademark of Sony Corporation. The STARVIS is back-illuminated pixel technology used in CMOS image sensors for low light applications and realizes high picture quality in the visible-light and near infrared light regions.

Exmor R is a Sony’s CMOS image sensor with significantly enhanced imaging characteristics including sensitivity and low noise by changing fundamental structure of Exmor™ pixel adopted column parallel A/D converter to back-illuminated type.