Does the SV220 give star halos?

Not in my test. On the star halo test around Sadr, the SV220 was the only one of the three dual-band filters with no halo; the Optolong L-eNhance and the Altair 4nm both showed one.

SV220 or Altair Ha OIII 4nm?

They were neck and neck. The Altair's reds popped a little more on the Veil, the SV220 pulled ahead once both had the same noise reduction, and only the SV220 passed the halo test. The Altair costs more.

Which size did I use?

The 2 inch version, with its M48 x 0.75 thread, on the Askar SQA106 with a colour camera. SVBONY also sells a 1.25 inch version.

Does it work with a mono camera?

It is made for one-shot colour cameras, which record H-alpha and OIII together through it in one shot. A mono camera behind it records both lines in a single channel, so a mono rig is better served by separate narrowband filters.

How long did I expose through it?

In the comparison, 10 x 3-minute subs (30 minutes) per target for every filter. My Askar 50P images through it are 1 to 2 hours, and the SVBONY SV555 frame is 18 x 3 minutes.

Does it change star colours?

A little. It gives blue stars a greenish hue, slightly more than the Altair 4nm, which takes a tweak in processing to correct.

What have I not tested on the SV220?

I did not measure the SV220's bandpass or transmission myself; those figures are SVBONY's.

SVBONY SV220 review: the 3nm dual-band filter that beat halos

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 13 filters on my board, against price
Rank	Filter	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	Scorpio HSO 3nm	100 out of 100	£448
2	Laida HSO 5nm 1.25″	94 out of 100	£154
3	SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm	92 out of 100	£249
6	QuarkStar Chromosphere	76 out of 100	£1,149
7	Antlia 2.5nm HSO	75 out of 100	£1,740
8	Altair Ha OIII 4nm	74 out of 100	£399
9	Altair Solar Contrast Booster Filter	73 out of 100	£80
12	Optolong L-Ultimate Dual-Bandpass 3nm	43 out of 100	£216
13	ZWO HSO 7nm Narrowband	32 out of 100	£734

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 The same target through each filter
04 How good is it? Here's what I captured
05 Raw against finished
06 Watch the review
07 Should you buy it?
08 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 92/100

Reviewed 2 May 2026 Updated 25 Sep 2026

Rank: #3 of 13 filters
Verdict: Damon's pick

Written by Damon Scotting 5 min read

Buy it if

You image emission nebulae with a one-shot colour camera from a light-polluted sky.
You image nebulae near bright stars and want no halos.
You want a 3 nm dual-band filter for less than the premium brands charge.

Skip it if

You use a mono camera and want separate SII, H-alpha and OIII channels.
You mostly image galaxies and star clusters.
You want natural star colours with no tweaks in processing.

“When it comes to cost effectiveness, this filter stands head and shoulders above the others.”

Specifications and features

Against the filters I have reviewed

Compare with

SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm reviewed #3 of 13	Altair Ha OIII 4nm #8 of 13	Optolong L-Enhance #11 of 13	Optolong L-Ultimate Dual-Bandpass 3nm #12 of 13
Recorded UK price	£249	£399	£149	£216
Stars for Your Buck	92/100	74/100	61/100	43/100
Type	Dual-band narrowband filter (H-alpha and OIII)	Dual-band: Ha and OIII in one filter	Dual-bandpass light pollution filter (H-alpha, H-beta and OIII)	Dual-band narrowband filter (H-alpha and OIII)
Bandpass	3 nm OIII, 3 nm H-alpha, tolerance ±1	4 nm each band, tolerance about ±0.5	H-alpha 10 nm; OIII + H-beta 24 nm	3 nm OIII, 3 nm H-alpha
Lines passed	OIII 500.7 nm, H-alpha 656.3 nm	OIII 500.7 nm and Ha 656.3 nm	H-alpha, H-beta, OIII	OIII 500.7 nm, H-alpha 656.3 nm
Peak transmission	85% or more on average (OIII and H-alpha)	Ha 90 to 94%, OIII 88 to 91%	Over 90%	90% or more on average
Sizes	2 inch, M48 x 0.75 (the size I used); 1.25 inch also sold	2 inch (M48 x 0.75 thread)	1.25 inch, 2 inch (the size I tested), Canon EOS-C clip-in	1.25 inch (the size I use), 2 inch
Thickness	2.0 mm substrate	1.85 mm	1.85 mm B270 glass	1.85 mm
Coating	Multi-layer minimal halo coating	SiO2 hard overcoat with UV/IR block and anti-reflection coating	Multi-layer anti-reflection, non-cemented, ion-assisted deposition	Multi-layer anti-reflection, non-cemented, ion-assisted deposition
In the box	2 inch SV220 3 nm filter; plastic case; outer packing box	Filter and its spectrographic test report	Protective plastic case with EVA foam lining	Protective plastic case with EVA foam lining

The same target through each filter

The SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm against three other filters on Star halo test, Western Veil and North America Nebula, one telescope and one camera, star-aligned

Against

⇔

No filter SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm Star halo test drag

Star halo test (bright star in an emission nebula) · Askar SQA106, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro, ZWO AM3N · Bortle 6.8 (in my garden) Left: No filter, 30 min (10 x 180 s) Right: SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm, 30 min (10 x 180 s)

On the SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm

“The SVBONY 220 filter passes the test with flying colours. No star halos to be seen here.”

From my filter comparison video

Star halo test: Askar SQA106, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro, ZWO AM3N, Bortle 6.8 (in my garden); SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); Optolong L-Enhance 30 min (10 x 180 s); Altair Ha OIII 4nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); No filter 30 min (10 x 180 s)
Western Veil: Askar SQA106, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro, ZWO AM3N, Bortle 6.8 (in my garden); SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); Optolong L-Enhance 30 min (10 x 180 s); Altair Ha OIII 4nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); No filter 30 min (10 x 180 s)
North America Nebula: Askar SQA106, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro, ZWO AM3N, Bortle 6.8 (in my garden); SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); Optolong L-Enhance 30 min (10 x 180 s); Altair Ha OIII 4nm 30 min (10 x 180 s); No filter 30 min (10 x 180 s)

How good is it? Here's what I captured

Four targets

NGC 7000 North America Nebula, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm

Integration: 2 h
Field: 7.1 x 4.7 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC
Mount: Unknown
Target: NGC 7000 North America Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm

Integration: 1 h
Field: 7.1 x 4.7 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC
Mount: Unknown
Target: NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula
Type: Supernova remnant
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm

Integration: 1 h
Field: 7.1 x 4.7 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC
Mount: Unknown
Target: IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Sadr region (IC 1318) and the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), SVBONY SV571C, SVBONY SV220 3nm

Integration: 54 min (18 x 180 s)
Field: 5.4 x 3.6 degrees
Telescope: SVBONY SV555
Camera: SVBONY SV571C
Mount: Unknown
Target: Sadr region (IC 1318) and the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)
Type: Emission nebulae
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Raw against finished

Watch the review

The 4 targets, the raw combined stack against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

NGC 7000 North America Nebula: 2 h of light, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 Veil Nebula: 1 h of light, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula: 1 h of light, ASI2600MC, SVBONY SV220 3nm, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Sadr region (IC 1318) and the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888): 54 min (18 x 180 s) of light, SVBONY SV571C, SVBONY SV220 3nm, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch

What is the BEST Astro Filter on the Market in 2026? · published 2 May 2026 · 6:06 · Watch on YouTube · 5,706 views, 316 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

0:30 Three targets and what I judge them on
0:55 The rig: Askar SQA106 and a colour camera
1:35 10 x 3 minutes per shot, the same NoiseX and BlurX
1:48 Round one: the Veil Nebula
3:01 Round two: the North America Nebula
4:10 Round three: the star halo test
5:24 The winner

Transcript of the review video 1,108 words · 8 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

0:00 The question: the best colour-camera filter

0:00 Tonight I'm going to answer the question, what is pound-for-pound the best colour camera filter on the market today? 0:05 In this video, we're going to be finding out as I test the SVBONY 220 filter versus the Optolong L-eNhance filter and the Altair 4nm dual filter, as well as of course as no filter at all for a control variable. 0:17 Each of these filters cost very different amounts and as it turns out produce very different results. 0:22 Which one comes out on top? 0:24 Let's find out. 0:24 I'm Damon Scotting and this is Astronomical. 0:29 Okay, so let's jump straight into this.

0:30 Three targets and what I judge them on

0:31 No messing around. 0:31 I'm going to show you three different nebula based deep sky targets tonight. 0:34 And we're going to be looking at for which one provides the most detail, contrast, and least amount of star haloing with their filter. 0:40 I'm also going to be putting each image through various stages of editing so that you can see how your final image will likely turn out. 0:47 So, let's get started with a supernova remnant known as the Veil Nebula. 0:52 In particular, we are looking at the Eastern Veil Nebula.

0:55 The rig: Askar SQA106 and a colour camera

0:55 To capture these images, we are using the uber powerful and sharp Askar SQA106 telescope. 1:00 This is a scope that is practically guaranteed to give us the best colour and details we could possibly hope for. 1:06 I'll also be using the ASI 2600MC camera to take 26 megapixel colour images. 1:11 So, that's the key distinction here to note. 1:13 I'm using a colour camera. 1:15 This is just a single filter. 1:15 Your images are still going to turn out in colour, but with the help of these filters, you're bringing out similar levels of detail to what the likes of monochrome cameras with specific filters can do, but just, you know, with less mucking around. 1:28 So, to summarize, this is an absolute beast of a setup. 1:30 The conditions tonight are flawless. 1:32 So, let's get started. 1:34 So, for each shot, you are looking at 10 stacked 3-minute images, which means we have 30 minutes of exposure time per shot.

1:35 10 x 3 minutes per shot, the same NoiseX and BlurX

1:40 And a key distinction I'm going to apply to each image is the exact same NoiseX and BlurX effect. 1:46 Effectively improving the sharpness and noise of each image to give an idea of its full potential.

1:48 Round one: the Veil Nebula

1:49 This isn't so important for our filterless image here, but when it comes to our heavy intense filters, the images tend to be noisier as less light reaches the sensor. 1:59 Now, since the filter I'm mostly focusing on reviewing today is supposed to be the SV220, that will be the final filtered image shown. 2:05 But, as you can see, the Altair filter is the most expensive. 2:08 And as it seems, based on our first test, it's also the filter that produces the best image. 2:12 Both it and the SV220 are pretty noisy, but it just seems as though the red of the nebula is popping a little bit more in the Altair image. 2:20 The Optolong L-eNhance image is a nice step up in terms of highlighting the nebulosity in the image, but it still falls miles short of the SVBONY and Altair filters. 2:28 Here's a little insight into the effects of NoiseX and BlurX on our images. 2:56 So yeah, all in all, round one goes to the Altair 4nm dual-band filter. 2:58 This is the North America Nebula.

3:01 Round two: the North America Nebula

3:02 And I mean, look at the upgrade right here. 3:04 That is something special. 3:06 This is perhaps the perfect nebula to demonstrate the importance of a colour filter on. 3:10 It has made this into a completely different image. 3:14 It feels like I'm comparing 10-minute exposures with 10 hours. 3:15 The Altair and SVBONY filters take it a step further and really fine-tune a nebulosity. 3:21 But again, I feel the Altair filter edges it, or at least I do until you apply NoiseX and BlurX. 3:27 It's worth noting here that the Altair filter is supposedly 4 nm whilst the SVBONY is supposedly 3 nm, meaning it's even more specialized and filters out a lot more light. 3:39 Case in point, when you reduce the noise by the same amount on both, I'm starting to lean towards the SVBONY filter as being the best. 3:44 So maybe we just need some more exposure time to really start to appreciate who the real winner is here. 3:50 With that being said, in terms of testing on the North America Nebula, I don't think there are any losers here. 3:55 Every single one of them improves upon the raw image significantly, although the slight greenish hue the stars are getting in the Altair and SVBONY images is certainly something to keep an eye out for. 4:05 This will require a bit of tweaking in post to correct it, which then leaves us with a final target of the video.

4:10 Round three: the star halo test

4:12 Deneb, the star one third of the Summer Triangle. 4:15 This star is going to be key to determining which filter is ultimately the best. 4:19 Why? 4:19 Because what really separates the men from the boys when it comes to filters is whether or not there are any star halos. 4:24 Basically a deal breaker for most astrophotographers. 4:28 So the question is will they all pass the test? 4:30 Now Deneb is a very bright star making a great target to test this out on. 4:35 As we can clearly see the Optolong L-eNhance filter fails to pass the dreaded star halo test. 4:39 So too, in fact, does the Altair 4nm filter ultimately suffering the same fate as the Optolong. 4:46 This is very upsetting as it likely means all three filters are going to suffer the same fate. 4:51 Except, wait, look at that. 4:51 The SVBONY 220 filter passes the test with flying colours. 4:58 No star halos to be seen here. 5:01 How crazy is that? 5:01 It feels like it was always going to be very hard to pick a winner between the two here, but this final test makes it clear and obvious which filter produces the higher quality images. 5:10 The SVBONY filter images are still certainly noisier and gives our blue stars an even more greenish hue. 5:16 But it's doing a great job at bringing out the nebulosity whilst also keeping the stars the right shape and with no star haloing. 5:22 So, there we go.

5:24 The winner

5:24 Those are our final results. 5:24 I will leave it up to you in the comments to decide for yourselves which of these filters you think offered the most stars for your buck. 5:30 You can find direct links and even discount codes for each of the products featured in today's video by checking out the description down below. 5:38 Leave a comment stating which filters you would like for me to test out next.

Should you buy it?

92/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

“It's doing a great job at bringing out the nebulosity whilst also keeping the stars the right shape and with no star haloing.”
“When you reduce the noise by the same amount on both, I'm starting to lean towards the SVBONY filter as being the best.”
3 nm on each line: the narrowest bandpass of the dual-band filters I have tested, level with the Optolong L-Ultimate.
I really like the Altair filter and think it's very impressive, but it costs significantly more than the SVBONY.
Through the Askar 50P it captured the North America Nebula, the whole Veil and the Elephant's Trunk in 1 to 2 hours each.

Cons

“The SVBONY filter images are still certainly noisier and gives our blue stars an even more greenish hue.”
At 3 nm it lets through less light, so it needs more exposure time than a wider filter to beat the noise.
On the Veil, before noise reduction, the Altair 4nm made the red of the nebula pop a little more.
It passes H-alpha and OIII only: there is no SII, so it is not a full narrowband set.

It performs very well, and I'd certainly recommend it.

Who the SV220 is for

Colour camera under city skies

Buy

This is the filter I would put in front of a one-shot colour camera to pull nebulae out of a light-polluted sky.

Nebulae around bright stars

Buy

It was the only dual-band filter in my test with no halo around the bright star.

Imager on a budget

Buy

It gives you a 3 nm dual-band filter for less than the Altair 4nm costs.

Mono camera owner

Skip

With a mono camera, separate H-alpha, OIII and SII filters give you each channel on its own; my pick is the Scorpio HSO 3nm set.

Galaxy imager

Skip

Galaxies and star clusters shine in broadband light, which a dual-band filter blocks.

Altair 4nm owner

Skip

The two were neck and neck in my test, so swapping one for the other gains little.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Seven questions, answered

Questions about the SVBONY SV220 Ha OIII 3nm

Reviewed 2 May 2026 ·Updated 25 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Shop links marked Ad are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Does the SV220 give star halos? Not in my test. On the star halo test around Sadr, the SV220 was the only one of the three dual-band filters with no halo; the Optolong L-eNhance and the Altair 4nm both showed one. The same target through each filter ↓
SV220 or Altair Ha OIII 4nm? They were neck and neck. The Altair's reds popped a little more on the Veil, the SV220 pulled ahead once both had the same noise reduction, and only the SV220 passed the halo test. The Altair costs more. The same target through each filter ↓
Which size did I use? The 2 inch version, with its M48 x 0.75 thread, on the Askar SQA106 with a colour camera. SVBONY also sells a 1.25 inch version. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does it work with a mono camera? It is made for one-shot colour cameras, which record H-alpha and OIII together through it in one shot. A mono camera behind it records both lines in a single channel, so a mono rig is better served by separate narrowband filters. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How long did I expose through it? In the comparison, 10 x 3-minute subs (30 minutes) per target for every filter. My Askar 50P images through it are 1 to 2 hours, and the SVBONY SV555 frame is 18 x 3 minutes. What I captured ↓
Does it change star colours? A little. It gives blue stars a greenish hue, slightly more than the Altair 4nm, which takes a tweak in processing to correct. The same target through each filter ↓
What have I not tested on the SV220? I did not measure the SV220's bandpass or transmission myself; those figures are SVBONY's.