Why does the SV705C rank so high on my board?

I think the vast majority of the others go for about £359, whereas the SV705C can be found occasionally for as little as £207 or £210. That is why it ranks so highly in my Stars for Your Buck category.

Which other cameras use the same sensor?

The ZWO ASI585MC, the Player One Uranus colour camera, the Altair Hypercam 585 and the QHY585C all use the IMX585.

Is the SV705C cooled?

No. It has no cooler, so the sensor runs at the temperature of the night.

Does it work with a ZWO ASIAIR?

SVBONY lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi and ChromeOS, not the ASIAIR: plan on a laptop or a mini PC at the telescope.

SV705C or ZWO ASI183MC?

The main difference between this camera and the SVBONY 705C is that the pixel size of the ASI183 is smaller than that of the SVBONY, but the resolution is significantly higher, which sounds like a worthy payoff except for the fact that the ASI183 suffers heavily from amp glow.

What have I imaged with it?

M 13, Markarian's Chain and the Iris Nebula through the Askar 50P on a TeSeek 11, an hour each in 3-minute subs.

How much is the SVBONY SV705C?

The prices I recorded: £229 at Rother Valley Optics (UK), in stock; $295 at Amazon US (SVBONY store), US, in stock; $295 at SVBONY (Global), in stock.

What have I not tested on the SV705C?

I have not measured its read noise, dark current or planetary frame rate.

SVBONY SV705C review: the cheapest IMX585 camera

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 29 cameras on my board, against price
Rank	Camera	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	SVBONY SV705C	93 out of 100	£229
2	SVBONY SC571CC	90 out of 100	£1,029
7	ZWO ASI2600MM Air	84 out of 100	£2,499
10	ToupTek ATR2600C	80 out of 100	£1,127
14	Player One Apollo-M MAX	76 out of 100	£485
18	ZWO ASI6200MM Pro	74 out of 100	£3,999
27	ZWO ASI6200MC	59 out of 100	£3,999
28	ZWO ASI183MC	38 out of 100	£549
29	Nikon COOLPIX P1000	32 out of 100	£787

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 In the hand
04 The rig on the mount
05 How good is it? Here is what it captured
06 Raw against finished
07 Watch it in my videos
08 Should you buy it?
09 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 93/100

Reviewed 1 May 2026 Updated 24 Sep 2026

Rank: #1 of 29 cameras
Verdict: Damon's pick

Written by Damon Scotting 4 min read

Buy it if

You want an IMX585 camera for deep sky and planets for the least money
You already run a laptop or mini PC at the telescope
You are starting out with a small refractor

Skip it if

You want set-point cooling for long deep-sky exposures
You run your whole rig from a ZWO ASIAIR
You want a wide field from one frame

“A great sensor at an even better price.”

Specifications and features

Against the IMX585 cameras I have reviewed

Compare with

SVBONY SV705C reviewed #1 of 29	ZWO ASI585MC Air #3 of 29	Player One Uranus-C #15 of 29	Altair Hypercam 585C #6 of 29
Recorded UK price	£229	£799	£395	£359
Stars for Your Buck	93/100	89/100	76/100	84/100
Sensor	Sony IMX585, 1/1.2 inch (11.2 x 6.3 mm)	Sony IMX585, with an SC2210 mono guide sensor	Sony IMX585, colour CMOS	Sony IMX585 Starvis 2 BSI CMOS
Format	1/1.2 inch	1/1.2 inch, 11.2 x 6.3 mm	1/1.2 inch, 11.2 x 6.3 mm, 12.85 mm diagonal	1/1.2 inch, 11.2 x 6.26 mm, 12.85 mm diagonal
Colour or mono	Colour	Colour	Colour	Colour
Resolution	3856 x 2180, 8.4 MP	3840 x 2160, 8.3 MP	3856 x 2180, 8.3 MP	3840 x 2160, 8.3 MP
Pixel size	2.9 um	2.9 um	2.9 um	2.9 um
Cooling	Uncooled	Two-stage TEC, 30 to 35 C below ambient	Uncooled, passive cooling body; active cooling accessory sold separately	Fan and heatsink, powered by the USB cable; no TEC
Read noise	0.7 to 6.5 e-	0.7 to 6.67 e-	0.7 to 7.2 e-	0.42 to 2.43 e-
Full well	38 ke-	40 ke-	47 ke-	40 ke-
ADC	12-bit	12-bit	12-bit	12-bit
Weight	160 g	620 g	160 g	300 g
Back focus	6.5 or 12.5 mm	12.5 or 17.5 mm	12.5 mm	17.5 mm
Interface	USB 3.0, ST4 guide port	Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), USB Type-C, four USB 2.0, two DC 12 V sockets	USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible), 256 MB DDR3 buffer	USB 3.0, ST4 guide port
In the box	The camera, a USB 3.0 cable, an ST4 guide cable, an M42 to CS adapter, a T2 adapter, a 1.25 inch T-adapter, a 2 inch dust cover, a manual and a cleaning cloth	The camera, a camera bag, the external antenna, a 1 m DC cable, a 1.5 m DC extension, two 0.5 m USB 2.0 cables, a 21 mm T2 extender, a 16.5 mm T2 to M48 extender, an M42 to M48 tilter, a 1 m hook-and-loop strap, a 2 mm hex wrench and a quick guide	Camera; T-mount; USB 3.0 cable; ST4 cable; M2 hex key; 1.25 inch cap; air blower	The camera, a 1.5 m USB cable, a 2 inch nosepiece, a silicone dust cap and a software CD

In the hand

On the SVBONY SV503

The rig on the mount

On the TeSeek 11, then on six other mounts

How good is it? Here is what it captured

Three targets

M 13 Hercules Globular Cluster, SVBONY SV705C

Integration: 1 h (20 x 180 s)
Field: 3.36 x 1.89 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: SVBONY SV705C
Mount: TeSeek 11
Target: M 13 Hercules Globular Cluster
Type: Globular cluster
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

It's not a bad shot. Cluster looks dazzling. Stars are vibrant.

Markarian's Chain, SVBONY SV705C

Integration: 1 h (20 x 180 s)
Field: 3.36 x 1.89 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: SVBONY SV705C
Mount: TeSeek 11
Target: Markarian's Chain
Type: Galaxy cluster
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

This dense cluster of galaxies also gives us plenty to look at. Here we can see the Markarian Chain as well as the immense Messier 87, the first black hole we ever directly imaged.

NGC 7023 Iris Nebula, SVBONY SV705C

Integration: 1 h (20 x 180 s)
Field: 3.36 x 1.89 degrees
Telescope: Askar 50P
Camera: SVBONY SV705C
Mount: TeSeek 11
Target: NGC 7023 Iris Nebula
Type: Reflection nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

It's captured the central blue glow really well and even highlights the surrounding thick clouds of dust and gas, giving us a very spooky looking image.

Raw against finished

Watch it in my videos

The 3 targets, the raw combined stack against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

M 13 Hercules Globular Cluster: 1 h (20 x 180 s) of light, SVBONY SV705C, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Markarian's Chain: 1 h (20 x 180 s) of light, SVBONY SV705C, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 7023 Iris Nebula: 1 h (20 x 180 s) of light, SVBONY SV705C, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch

The $299 Telescope so GOOD, I Bought THREE of Them?! · published 1 May 2026 · 10:11 · Watch on YouTube · 124,079 views, 2,163 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

1:45 Test rig 1, SV705C IMX585
5:30 Can you really do astrophotography for under $500?

Transcript of the video 48 words · 2 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

1:36 Full Askar 50P specifications

1:38 In order to make it an interesting test and compensate for the very wide field of view, I'm going to be using the very cheap SV705C camera from SVBONY to get things moving.

1:45 Test rig 1, SV705C IMX585

1:46 It uses an IMX585 sensor, which is great for both planetary and deep sky objects.

Check out more videos on the SVBONY SV705C

Is this the BEST Telescope to buy for under £300?

19 Nov 2024

Should you buy it?

93/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

“The IMX585 sensor is one of the most popular sensors in astronomy history, and with good reason: it's capable of producing some very impressive 4K images of the night sky.”
It is great for deep sky and fantastic for the planets: a versatile camera that goes both ways.
It is by far the most affordable: the cheapest by a long stretch.
45 frames a second at the full 3856 x 2180, 187 at 1920 x 1080.

Cons

Comparing the Player One Uranus-C, the ZWO ASI585MC and the SVBONY SV705C, the first two were impossible to separate, but for some reason the SVBONY suffered.
No cooling: the sensor runs at the temperature of the night.
It needs a computer: SVBONY lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi and ChromeOS, not the ZWO ASIAIR.
12-bit readout and a 1/1.2 inch sensor, where the cooled APS-C cameras are 16-bit.

The perfect camera to get you started in this hobby.

Who the SV705C is for

First-time buyer of an astronomy camera

Buy

Start here: the cheapest IMX585 camera I know of, for deep sky and planets alike.

Planetary imager on a budget

Buy

One small camera for the Moon and the planets now, and for deep sky later.

Laptop or mini PC imager

Buy

USB 3.0 to the computer and an ST4 port for guiding.

ASIAIR owner

Skip

SVBONY lists no ASIAIR support; the ZWO ASI585MC Air has the same sensor with an ASIAIR built in.

Long-exposure deep-sky imager

Skip

No cooler to hold a set point; the SVBONY SC571CC or the ZWO ASI585MC Air hold -10 C.

Wide-field imager

Skip

An 11.2 x 6.3 mm sensor frames a small patch of sky; APS-C covers about five times the area.

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

Eight questions, answered

Questions about the SVBONY SV705C

Reviewed 1 May 2026 ·Updated 24 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

Why does the SV705C rank so high on my board? I think the vast majority of the others go for about £359, whereas the SV705C can be found occasionally for as little as £207 or £210. That is why it ranks so highly in my Stars for Your Buck category. Where does it rank on our leaderboard ↓
Which other cameras use the same sensor? The ZWO ASI585MC, the Player One Uranus colour camera, the Altair Hypercam 585 and the QHY585C all use the IMX585. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Is the SV705C cooled? No. It has no cooler, so the sensor runs at the temperature of the night. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does it work with a ZWO ASIAIR? SVBONY lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi and ChromeOS, not the ASIAIR: plan on a laptop or a mini PC at the telescope. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
SV705C or ZWO ASI183MC? The main difference between this camera and the SVBONY 705C is that the pixel size of the ASI183 is smaller than that of the SVBONY, but the resolution is significantly higher, which sounds like a worthy payoff except for the fact that the ASI183 suffers heavily from amp glow. From my video review The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What have I imaged with it? M 13, Markarian's Chain and the Iris Nebula through the Askar 50P on a TeSeek 11, an hour each in 3-minute subs. What I captured ↓
How much is the SVBONY SV705C? The prices I recorded: £229 at Rother Valley Optics (UK), in stock; $295 at Amazon US (SVBONY store), US, in stock; $295 at SVBONY (Global), in stock. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓
What have I not tested on the SV705C? I have not measured its read noise, dark current or planetary frame rate.