ZWO ASI2600MC-PRO cooled (colors) 6248×4176

Description

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro: amazing craftsmanship

ZWO has worked hard to reduce the weight of the camera while improving the camera’s performance. After years of technical accumulation and repeated weight loss experiments by ZWO engineers, ZWO finally concentrated the ASI 2600 at 0.7 kg. You therefore benefit from an astronomy camera with a lightweight body and solid image quality.

APS-C format

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro uses the APS-C format, the sensor length and width are 23.5mm * 15.7mm and the diagonal is 28.3mm. This is a 26 MP camera with a small pixel size of 3.76um that can record a large well depth (full well) of 50ke.

Native 16bit ADC

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro is our first batch of CMOS astronomy cameras with 16bit ADC. This 16-bit ADC is not a CCD 16-bit ADC and can achieve a dynamic range of 14 stops. This greatly improves image sharpness and contrast, and color changes are smoother and more natural.

IMX571 backlight sensor

Sony’s backlit CMOS image sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction. These are the main factors for improving image quality. At the same time, the fundamental pixel structure is radically realigned, from front lighting to back lighting. It has kept the advantages of CMOS image sensors such as low power consumption and fast operation.

With a conventional front lighting structure, the metal wiring and transistors on the surface of the silicon substrate, which form the light-sensitive region of the sensor (photodiode), hinder photon collection by the on-chip lens. A backlit structure minimizes degradation in optical corner response sensitivity, while also increasing the amount of light entering each pixel due to the lack of obstacles. Think of the metal wiring and transistors moved to the back of the silicon substrate.

Sony has recently developed a unique photodiode structure and on-chip lens optimized for backlit structures. As a result, the chip has higher sensitivity and lower random noise without light through noise, dark current and defective pixels. This compared to the conventional front-illuminated structure.

Camera performance

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro delivers excellent performance with a dynamic range of up to 14 stops. When the gain value is 100, the high gain HCG magic mode is turned on, the readout noise is greatly reduced, and the dynamic range is basically unchanged. It is recommended to set the gain to 0 or 100 in deep space.

Zero Amp Glow

Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during use, which is often seen in the corner of uncalibrated images as the telltale signs of ‘amp glow’. Because the ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro uses zero-amp glow circuits, you don’t have to worry about amp glow, even when using high-gain, long-exposure shots.

With amp glow – exposure time 300 seconds

ZWO ASI 2600 frame without amp glow – exposure time 300 seconds.

Anti-dew heater

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro is supplied with the polyimide heater. The anti-dew heater that fits completely into the protective window, warms it to avoid dew problems. The power of the heat anti-dew heater is about 5W and can be turned off in the software to save power.

QE peak value

We assume that the peak QE value of the ASI2600MC Pro is above 80%.

Two-stage TEC cooling, ultra-low dark current

Like the ZWO ASI 6200, the ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro also uses two-stage TEC cooling and can lower the CMOS sensor temperature to more than 35c below ambient. This can greatly reduce the production of dark current and sensor noise, even at longer exposures. The unique dark stream suppression technology can further reduce the noise of dark streams. At a cooling temperature of 0°, the dark current noise is only 0.0024e/s/pix. That means that a 300 second exposure can cause only 0.7 e dark current noise, which is completely negligible!

Note: the ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro cooled (colors) 6248×4176 requires 1A current from the USB. If your PC cannot supply enough power, use an external 12V power supply to power the camera.

DDR3 memory buffer

The ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro is equipped with a USB 3.0 transmission interface and a built-in 256MB DDR3 cache, to ensure stable and secure data transfer. In long exposure, it effectively avoids frame falling and reduces the glow effect caused by slow reading speed.

Mechanical diagram

Delivery of the ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro cooled (colors) 6248×4176 includes:

Note：cooled cameras require a 12v power adapter. If you don’t have it, click this link to buy a 12V power adapter. We are happy to advise you if desired.

Take advantage of the top quality of this camera

The high quality of this ZWO camera will not disappoint you. Order your ZWO ASI 2600 MC-Pro easily online at Ganymedes and get started with this fine device. You are also very welcome in our showroom in Amstelveen, where you can view and possibly test our collection. Also discover products from other brands in our range, such as Thousand Oaks and Pegasus Astro. Do you have questions? We are happy to help you via 020-6412083.