ZWO ASI2600 Pro Duo USB3.0 Cooled Color Astronomy Camera - ASI2600MC-DUO

The ZWO ASI2600MC Duo Cooled Camera combines two sensors - for imaging and guiding - in one compact body.  Since a separate OAG and guide camera are not needed, the camera only needs one USB cable for control. reducing possible cabling issues.

The Imaging Sensor

The main sensor is the 26 MP Sony IMX571.  This is an APS-C CMOS image sensor that is back-illuminated and has Starvis technology.  The sensor itself is 23.5 mm x 15.7 mm in size, with a diagonal measurement of 28.3 mm.  This IMX571 has native 16-bit ADC for a dynamic range of 14 stops for beautiful sharpness and contrast as well as smoother, more natural color transitions.  

The ASI2600MC Duo sports a max of 15 FPS in RAW 8 model at full resolution, and has a full well of 80ke when in extended full well mode.  Finally, the DDR3 buffer is 512MB, twice the size of the 2600MC Pro.

The Guiding Sensor

The guide sensor on the ASI2600MC Duo is the Type 1/1.8 SC2210 with excellent NIR sensitivity. This is the same sensor ZWO uses for their popular guide camera, the ASI220MM Mini.  The sensor size is 7.68mm x 4.32mm. It has 4um x 4um pixels with an array of 1920×1080 and a full depth of 8780e. The readout noise can go as low as 0.6e.  QI is 92% at 500 nm.  

USB3.0, DDR3 Buffer & Amp Glow

With features like USB 3.0 and 512MB DDR3 buffer, the ASI2600MC Duo provides stable and secure data transmission that can effectively avoid frame-dropping issues during long exposures. The camera does not use amp-glow circuitry, which means you get zero amp glow even when using high gain during long exposures.

Cooling & Dew

Thanks to the two-stage TEC cooling, ASI2600MC Duo can lower the CMOS sensor temperature to more than 35 degrees Celsius below ambient temperature, which can greatly reduce dark current generation and sensor noise even during extended exposure times.

*The Delta T 35℃ is tested at 30℃ ambient temperature. It might get down when the cooling system is working for a long time. Also, as the ambient temperature falls, the Delta T would decrease.

There is a polyimide heater completely fitting the protective window in the ASI2600MC Duo camera. It can help avoid any potential annoying dew or icing issues depending on the environment in which you capture images.

The power of the heater is around 5W. You are free to turn it off anytime in your photography software if you want to save power.

Please Note: External power supplies are needed for all ASI cooled cameras.  ZWO recommends you use a 12V@3A DC Adapter with a 5.5*2.1mm center pole positive or a lithium battery with 11-15V to power the camera.  Do not use a power supply that goes out of this recommended voltage range or irreparable damage to the camera may occur.