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So I've been researching cameras all morning and have come across a generic versions of the 120MM, the T7M (and the T7C for the colour version). Several brand names exist - Lovosky, SvBony, or unbranded, but they all seem to have pretty much the same specs as the ASI120 USB2 range, at least from the sensor side. They got for about $200 on eBay, so $50 less than the ZWO versions. The colour is more prolific and is only around $150.
I'm thinking I'm likely to upgrade down the track if all goes well, even if I get the ZWO 120 camera, so maybe I should save the $50 and get the mono one for now. It shows as having a much large dynamic range than the colour one (115dB vs 82dB for the 120MM sensor), although from reading the spec sheet on the sensor, that's only if HDR mode is enabled, which I don't know if that's configurable in standard camera control software, or has to be done low level by the developers.
I also came across a couple other cameras, the SV105 and the SV205. Their specs as presented look attractive at first, for their very cheap prices (about $70 and $140), especially with the SV205 being 8MP and USB3. Looking in detail at their sensor specs though, they only have 10-bit A/D converters, which I imagine will show a significant quality loss compared to the ASI line, which are all 12/14/16 bit devices. Still, I'd be interested in seeing some images from the SV205 for planetary imaging.
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