ZWO ASI6200MC Pro Color Full Frame Astronomy Camera - ASI6200MC-P25

This most recent ZWO ASI6200MC Pro is similar in many ways to the original ASI6200MC Pro, but has the following improvements:

1. 1. Upgraded board with an enhanced performance in terms of lower readout noise and higher frame rates.

1. 2. New matte finish, providing a more premium and professional appearance.

The ZWO ASI6200MC Pro, which as you can see from the image above, also comes in a monochrome version, uses the Sony IMX455 monochrome full frame, back-illuminated sensor with a pixel size of 3.76um, and it has quite a few other benefits, including:

The ZWO ASI6200MC-P uses a full frame format for a large field of view.  The sensor dimensions are 36 mm * 24 mm, with a diagonal of 43.3 mm and a small pixel size of 3.76um.  This 62MP camera offers a large well depth, low readout noise and zero amp glow; all features bring out more details in your images with less concern about saturating stars.

The Sony IMX455 has a back-illuminated CMOS sensor to improve sensitivity and noise reduction for better image quality when compared to conventional front-illumination structures.  Because metal wiring and transistors have been moved to the back of the silicon substrate instead of the front, more light can reach each pixel due to the lack of those obstacles.  

The ZWO ASI6200MC Pro camera has excellent performance with a dynamic range of up to 14 stops that will greatly reduce the issue of overexposed images, and make colour gradients look smoother and more natural-looking.

The innovative design of the ASI6200MC Pro also includes high conversion gain mode (HCG) that automatically kicks in at a gain setting of 100, reducing the amount of read noise while simultaneously preserving the dynamic range during high gain imaging.

Please Note: All ZWO cooled (Pro) cameras will require an external 12V DC power source in order to operate properly and run the TEC cooler. You have three options:

1. Buy a 12V DC Power Supply with a minimum of 3 amps; we recommend the ZWO power supply listed at the end of this page.

2. Buy the ASIAir and use the DC Out port to run your camera.

3. Buy an external 12V DC battery like the Celestron PowerTank or equivalent.

It is important to know that your computer may not recognize your camera or operate correctly if you just use the USB 3.0 cable alone. You will want to connect whichever 12V DC power source you choose into your computer as well. 

Native 16bit ADC

The ZWO ASI6200 Pro camera has true 16-bit ADC, which means it really can achieve a dynamic range output of 14 stops.  This translates to improved image sharpness and contrast plus smoother and more natural contrast gradients.

Zero Amp Glow

Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during operation which is quite often seen in the corner of uncalibrated images as tell-tale signs of amp glow.  You won't have to worry about amp glow with the ASI6200MC Pro, even when using high gain during long exposure images, however, as ZWO uses zero amp glow circuitry.

Anti-Dew

The ASI6200MC Pro comes with a polyamide heater that sits on top of the protective window.  The heat provided avoids dew issues, but if you don't need it, the 5W dew heater can be turned off using software.

Two-Stage Cooling

With its built-in two stage TEC cooling, the ASI6200MC Pro can lower the sensor temperature to more than 35 degrees Celsius below ambient temperature, greatly reducing dark current generation and sensor noise.

The unique dark current suppression technology can further reduce dark current noise.  When it is cooled to 0ºC, the dark current noise can be as low as 0.003e/s/pix.  This means a 300 second exposure will only cause 0.9e- of dark current noise, which is oh-so negligible!

USB3.0 & 512M DDR3 Memory

The ZWO ASI6200MC Pro uses a USB 3.0 transmission interface and is equipped with a built-in 512MB DDR3 cache to ensure stable secure data transmission.  During long exposures, it avoids frame dropping and greatly reduces glow effect caused by slow read speed.

Three Sets of Adjustment Screws

The sensor is adjusted by three sets of screws, enabling precise calibration. Each set consists of a push-pull screw pair.

What's in the Box

Specifications

Sensor:  Sony Back-Illuminated IMX455

Sensor Size:  36mm x 24mm, Full Frame

Resolution:  9576 x 6388

Pixel Size:  3.76um

ADC:  16-bit

Read Noise:  as low as 1.2e

Cooling Temperature:  35ºC

DDR3 Buffer:  512MB

Download Time:  0.5s

Dynamic Range:  80db, 14571:1

DR Stops:  14 bits

Dark Current at 0ºC:  0.003e/p/s

Transmission Interface:  USB 3.0

Frames Per Second:  4.93

Full Well:  51.4ke

Quantum Efficiency:  80%