ZWO ASI2600MC Pro USB3.0 Cooled Color Astronomy Camera - ASI2600MC-P

The ZWO ASI2600MC Pro uses Sony’s latest back-illuminated IMX571 APS-C format sensor with a native 16-bit ADC. This camera has an impressive range of features that make it a popular choice for astrophotographer. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Ultra-low 1e- readout noise – bringing out more details in your images with improved dynamic range

• Innovative breakthrough design resulting in zero amp-glow – even during long exposures, which means one thing less to worry about in post-processing

• 16-bit ADC sensor – giving a high dynamic range of up to 14 stops! This 16bit ADC is not a CCD 16bit ADC. It can really achieve a dynamic range output of 14 stop, which will significantly improve the image sharpness and contrast, and also create smoother and more natural colour transitions.

• 80% peak QE – no need to worry about saturating stars

Sony’s back-illuminated CMOS image sensor improves the sensitivity and noise reduction – the key factors to enhancing image quality. It does this by radically realigning the fundamental pixel structure from front-illumination to back-illumination, while still retaining the advantages of CMOS image sensors such as low power consumption and high-speed operation.

With a conventional front-illumination structure, the metal wiring and transistors on the surface of the silicon substrate that form the sensor’s light-sensitive area (photo-diode), impede photon-gathering carried out by the on-chip lens. A back-illuminated structure minimizes the degradation of sensitivity to the optical angle response, while also increasing the amount of light that enters each pixel due to the lack of obstacles such as metal wiring and transistors. These components have been moved to the back-side of the silicon substrate.

USB3.0, DDR3 Buffer & Amp Glow

With features like USB 3.0 and 256MB DDR3 buffer, the ASI2600MC Pro provides stable and secure data transmission that can effectively avoid frame-dropping issues during long exposures. 

Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during operation quite often seen in the corner of uncalibrated images as the tell tale signs of ‘amp glow’. As the ASI2600MC Pro uses zero amp glow circuitry, you won’t have to worry about amp glow even when using high gain, long exposure imaging.

Cooling & Dew

Thanks to the two-stage TEC cooling, ASI2600MC 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 polyamide heater completely fitting the protective window in the ASI2600MC Pro 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.

Specifications

Sensor: SONY IMX571 CMOS
Diagonal: 28.3mm
Image area: 23.5*17.5mm
Resolution: 26 Mega Pixel 6248*4176
Pixel Size: 3.76μm
Bayer Pattern: RGGB
Shutter:Rolling shutter
Exposure Range: 32μs-2000s
ROI: Supported
Read Noise: 1.0-3.3e
QE peak: over 80%
Full well: 50000e
ADC:16bit
DDRIII Buffer: 256MB
Non-volatile memory/On camera storage: Build-in total 192K byte user-accessible space(image size up to 480X320)
Interface: USB3.0/USB2.0
Adaptor: M42X0.75
Protect window: D60-2 IR Cut
Dimensions: 90mm Diameter
Weight: 700g
Back Focus Distance: 17.5mm
Cooling: Regulated Two Stage TEC
Delta T: 35°C below ambient
Camera Power consumption: 1.15A at 5V
Cooler Power consumption: 12V at 3A Max
Working Temperature: -5°C—50°C
Storage Temperature: -10°C—60°C
Working Relative Humidity: 0%—80%

Max FPS at full resolution:

16Bit ADC
6248×4176 3.51fps
4096×3072 4.75fps
4096×2160 6.71fps
3840×2160 6.71fps
1920×1080 13.13fps
1280×720 19.29fps
640×480 28.06fps
320×240 51.44fps
More resolutions can be seen in software. Customized resolution is also supported.