QHY163m with 1.25" filters

[Bagnaj97]

I bought a ZWO filter wheel and baader 1.25" filters with a view to getting an ASI1600mm-cool. I was a little apprehensive about the QHY equivalent because there was no information about vignetting with 1.25" filters, but a deal appeared that I couldn't pass up, so I've ended up with a QHY163m rather than the ZWO equivalent. I'll hopefully get some dark and bias testing done this weekend, but the forecast isn't looking great for getting lights. If anyone else is wondering about vignetting with the QHY163m and 1.25" filters, here's a quick flat test - the corners are quite severe, but until I get lights I don't know to what extent they'll calibrate out.

 

[LightBucket]

Hi,

i had looked at this option and heard that the backspace on the 163 is longer so vignetting can occur with 1.25" filters, more than the 1600, but as I have read on another forum, there are other benefits to the 163 that make it, in my opinion the better option, like the 128mb buffer for faster download, and to stop errors while the frames download which is not on the 1600, also the sealed sensor chamber with a controllable heated window, which I think is on the latest 1600 but not the early ones....

so all in all +1 for the QHY163

[Adam J]

From the look of the flat you will likely have some issues with those corners.

[Bagnaj97]

Yes, I'm pretty sure those corners won't entirely calibrate out, but I reckon I can live with it. I mostly posted this to help anyone else thinking of using the QHY163m with 1.25" filters as information wasn't easy to find. My FoV (480mm FL f/6) should be enough to comfortably crop the image for most targets to avoid the worst of the vignetting, and anything big enough to not be croppable is probably big enough to require a mosaic in the first place. It also looks like QHY have developed an adapter to lower the backfocus slightly, I just need to find one - https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/563069-qhy163-qhycfw2-lens-adapter-solution/

I picked the QHY163m up from a seller on Aliexpress during their 7th anniversary sale - coupled with coupons as a new user and a discount for buying through their mobile app it came to £730 delivered. I couldn't say no at that price, despite suspecting I may have vignetting issues! I've just got to hope it doesn't go wrong or I'll have to send it back to China.

[LightBucket]

8 hours ago, Bagnaj97 said:

Yes, I'm pretty sure those corners won't entirely calibrate out, but I reckon I can live with it. I mostly posted this to help anyone else thinking of using the QHY163m with 1.25" filters as information wasn't easy to find. My FoV (480mm FL f/6) should be enough to comfortably crop the image for most targets to avoid the worst of the vignetting, and anything big enough to not be croppable is probably big enough to require a mosaic in the first place. It also looks like QHY have developed an adapter to lower the backfocus slightly, I just need to find one - https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/563069-qhy163-qhycfw2-lens-adapter-solution/

I picked the QHY163m up from a seller on Aliexpress during their 7th anniversary sale - coupled with coupons as a new user and a discount for buying through their mobile app it came to £730 delivered. I couldn't say no at that price, despite suspecting I may have vignetting issues! I've just got to hope it doesn't go wrong or I'll have to send it back to China.

Hi, 

do you have a link to that offer, its very good...

[LightBucket]

Wow an ASi1600 clone for under £600 !!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Professional-USB3-0-long-time-exposure-Deep-Sky-Astronomical-Telescope-Camera-with-16MP-Panasonic-4-3/32750477650.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.1.5UCBxr&scm=1007.13338.79672.000000000000000&pvid=e6155c71-9453-488d-b3f1-440cb363be7f&tpp=1

[Bagnaj97]

6 hours ago, LightBucket said:

Wow an ASi1600 clone for under £600 !!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Professional-USB3-0-long-time-exposure-Deep-Sky-Astronomical-Telescope-Camera-with-16MP-Panasonic-4-3/32750477650.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.1.5UCBxr&scm=1007.13338.79672.000000000000000&pvid=e6155c71-9453-488d-b3f1-440cb363be7f&tpp=1

Heatsink and fan for cooling though, rather than a TEC with set-point cooling. Given the design of it I'd hazard a guess it's the same OEM as the Altair Hypercam series -

Given that the touptek cameras sold by FLO are the same as the Altair GPCAM cameras, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is actually the same camera as the Hypercam 1600. It says ascom drivers are available, and I can't find the Hypercam 1600 anywhere - who's brave enough to get one of these?

 

As for the deal I got, it's not available any more - the cheapest QHY163m on aliexpress currently (the same seller I bought from) is now ~£905 after a 7% discount for using the mobile app, and as a new user you get a $50 off a >$750 purchase, giving an approx total of £865 (and potentially VAT if customs pick it up - I got lucky).

It's still a decent amount cheaper than getting one from a UK dealer, but given that you'd have to wait a couple of weeks for shipping from China, the possibility of VAT on top, and possibly an iffy warranty (at the very least having to ship back to China) if it's faulty, it's no longer quite so tempting.

[LightBucket]

4 minutes ago, Bagnaj97 said:

Heatsink and fan for cooling though, rather than a TEC with set-point cooling. Given the design of it I'd hazard a guess it's the same OEM as the Altair Hypercam series -

Given that the touptek cameras sold by FLO are the same as the Altair GPCAM cameras, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is actually the same camera as the Hypercam 1600. It says ascom drivers are available, and I can't find the Hypercam 1600 anywhere - who's brave enough to get one of these?

 

As for the deal I got, it's not available any more - the cheapest QHY163m on aliexpress currently (the same seller I bought from) is now ~£905 after a 7% discount for using the mobile app, and as a new user you get a $50 off a >$750 purchase, giving an approx total of £865 (and potentially VAT if customs pick it up - I got lucky).

It's still a decent amount cheaper than getting one from a UK dealer, but given that you'd have to wait a couple of weeks for shipping from China, the possibility of VAT on top, and possibly an iffy warranty (at the very least having to ship back to China) if it's faulty, it's no longer quite so tempting.

Ah yes, they look identical, like you say a Chinese manufacturer and being sold under different names...so yes I agree they are all the same camera, probably with much cheaper electronics and build quality....think I will give it a miss....

[geordie85]

19 hours ago, Bagnaj97 said:

Yes, I'm pretty sure those corners won't entirely calibrate out, but I reckon I can live with it. I mostly posted this to help anyone else thinking of using the QHY163m with 1.25" filters as information wasn't easy to find. My FoV (480mm FL f/6) should be enough to comfortably crop the image for most targets to avoid the worst of the vignetting, and anything big enough to not be croppable is probably big enough to require a mosaic in the first place. It also looks like QHY have developed an adapter to lower the backfocus slightly, I just need to find one - https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/563069-qhy163-qhycfw2-lens-adapter-solution/

I picked the QHY163m up from a seller on Aliexpress during their 7th anniversary sale - coupled with coupons as a new user and a discount for buying through their mobile app it came to £730 delivered. I couldn't say no at that price, despite suspecting I may have vignetting issues! I've just got to hope it doesn't go wrong or I'll have to send it back to China.

Are you in the UK? How much was the import charges/ duty?

[LightBucket]

He has said, he didn't get charged any, he was lucky....it's the chance you take, when buying from outside the EU I guess, I have had a lot from abroad and sometimes it gets stopped and fees apply, and others no charge.....

[Bagnaj97]

1 hour ago, geordie85 said:

Are you in the UK? How much was the import charges/ duty?

If it gets picked up by customs it would be 20%VAT, but there's no import duty on cameras. I've ordered loads from abroad and it's all got through, although this was the first high value item.

[geordie85]

1 hour ago, Bagnaj97 said:

If it gets picked up by customs it would be 20%VAT, but there's no import duty on cameras. I've ordered loads from abroad and it's all got through, although this was the first high value item.

Thanks. Guess I've missed the bargain you got as it's showing just over 1k for me, still tempting though 

[geordie85]

Have you managed to get any light frames yet? I'm curious to know how well this camera performs as there is an ad on ABS wanting to swap their QHY163M for an atik. 

I'm tempted to take them up on the offer but I don't want to end up with a worse camera with a lower re-sale value

[Astrobug]

Any update?

[Bagnaj97]

Finally had a "proper" session with the camera - life, weather and short summer nights have been in the way for months! Flats help massively, but don't quite completely remove the vignetting from 1.25" filters with this camera, as you can see in the bottom left of the highly stretched luminance image below.

 

But with a bit of effort the end results aren't too bad http://www.astrobin.com/309974/

 

[Arc minute]

Bagnaj, do you have the ultra slim filter wheel and the new adapter that reduces the backfocus to 12,5mm?? I'm currently contemplating of buying the qhy163m bundle but I'm unsure which filters to get. Budget climbs quite high with 36mm filters (astronomiks) and If the 1.25s could be used without much of vignetting that would be a huge benefit €€ and I might get the whole NB set for a price of one.

Has anyone tried the 163m + us fw bundle with the new 3mm adapter and 1.25 filters??

 

Thanks?

 

[Bagnaj97]

21 hours ago, Arc minute said:

Bagnaj, do you have the ultra slim filter wheel and the new adapter that reduces the backfocus to 12,5mm??

 

I've got the ZWO 8x1.25" EFW. I assume by "new adapter" you mean the "m42 big screw adapter" mentioned here - http://qhyccd.com/bbs/index.php?topic=5659.0

If so, I haven't got the adapter. I'd love to get my hands on one but can't find it for sale anywhere.

[sloz1664]

1 hour ago, Bagnaj97 said:

I've got the ZWO 8x1.25" EFW. I assume by "new adapter" you mean the "m42 big screw adapter" mentioned here - http://qhyccd.com/bbs/index.php?topic=5659.0

If so, I haven't got the adapter. I'd love to get my hands on one but can't find it for sale anywhere.

Have a word with Bern at Modern Astronomy. I'm sure he will try his best to obtain one for you.

Steve

[Bagnaj97]

30 minutes ago, sloz1664 said:

Have a word with Bern at Modern Astronomy. I'm sure he will try his best to obtain one for you.

Steve

I did back in mid-June and he'd just finalized an order with QHY so I missed the boat. I suppose it's worth asking again, I have no idea how often he places orders!

[Bagnaj97]

I got hold of the M42 Big Screw adapter from Modern Astronomy and it's helped, but there's still a little vignetting that's hard to get rid of, but I can live with it.

WIP Jellyfish (needs a lot more data!) - http://astrob.in/319442/0/

M33 Triangulum - http://astrob.in/318998/B/

M31 Andromeda - http://www.astrobin.com/full/309974/B/

Vignetting is visible in the corners on the right hand side of Jellyfish and M33 but not the left and it's consistent, which suggests my filter wheel isn't quite lining the filters up centrally. If the filters were more central and the vignetting equal across all the corners it would likely be a non-issue. I can't see the vignetting in the Andromeda pic, but I've had all sorts of trouble getting the colour ok-ish on it, so I've done all sorts of background removals etc.

 

So in my opinion the QHY163m can be used with 1.25" filters, as long as you're at f/6 or slower. If you're buying everything from scratch then save your pennies for a bit longer and get 2" filters.

[joelshort]

I have a QHY163M and use it with 1.25" Astrodon filters.  This was mentioned, but I think it needs to be stressed that focal length can be a big factor.  At f/6 I do not see ANY mechanical vignetting, and that is with the camera at the standard 18mm backfocus, and the clear aperture of Astrodon filters is actually a bit less than other manufacturers.  

I use an Atik EFW2 and it has the ability to precisely center the filters.  You can adjust the filer position slightly in either direction.