ZWO USB3.0 Color Astro Camera ASI2400MC PRO cooled, Chip D=43,3 mm

ZWO USB3.0 Color Astro Camera ASI2400MC-PRO cooled, Chip D=43,3 mm
Cooled USB 3.0 full-frame color astro camera with high-performance, back-illuminated 36 x 24 mm CMOS sensor with 14 bits for astrophotography
♦ Powerful Peltier cooling system

♦ Full-frame Sony IMX410 - back-illuminated sensor

♦ High full well value due to 5.94 µm pixels

♦ 14 bit ADC - high dynamic range

♦ No more amplifier glow due to Zero Ampglow circuitry

♦ Anti dew heating already built in

♦ Telescope side connection: M54x0.75 female thread

♦ Working distance only 17.5 mm from the female thread

ZWO USB3.0 color astro camera ASI2400MC-PRO cooled, chip D=43.3 mm
The ASI2400MC Pro uses the latest Sony IMX410 14-bit back-illuminated ADC sensor in full-frame format. It is a 24-MP camera with a high pixel size of 5.94 µm, featuring a super-large full-well capacity of 100 ke.

With ultra-low readout noise of 1.1e and amazing zero-amp glow circuitry, the ASI2400MC Pro is another great innovation from ZWO in the field of cooled full-frame OSC astro cameras.

The "single-shot" color camera (OSC) offers more convenience over monochrome cameras. Not everyone wants to go through the laborious L-RGB process for beautiful color nebula shots or planetary images. The color cameras offer you the possibility to get beautiful images without changing filters. But in direct comparison to the DSLR camera, the ASI camera convinces with a disproportionately higher light sensitivity, a smoother image and much more depth. Stars do not burn out as quickly.

Further advantages and product features of the ASI 2400MC Pro color camera:

♦ USB 3.0 for a fast download - can also be operated with USB 2.0.
♦ DDR3 memory buffer for stable data transfer with USB2.0 - minimizes frame dropping
♦ No amplifier glow!
♦ Powerful Peltier cooling up to 35 °C under ambient conditions
♦ One of the most light-sensitive CMOS sensors from Sony
♦ Higher full-well value due to 5.94 µm pixel - ideal for telescopes with medium focal ratio, such as Apochromats, Newtonian telescopes ...
♦ Distance T2 connection thread (internal thread) to camera sensor: 17.5 mm
♦ High sensitivity - QE above 80 % - ideal astronomy camera for low-light objects
♦ 14-bit ADC ... allowing you to achieve a bit depth almost as high as CCD cameras, but with incomparably higher sensitivity

Application areas of the camera:

♦ Deep-sky imaging (nebulae and galaxies): Due to the high sensitivity, nebulae and galaxies are imaged after only a few seconds. The camera can be cooled down to 35 °C below ambient. This further reduces the already low noise. By turning up the GAIN (comparable to the ISO setting on digital SLR cameras), you can reduce exposure times to under 30 seconds. Effects due to air turbulence or inaccuracies of the tracking are thus eliminated.

♦ Moon and planetary images: Extremely short exposure times due to high sensitivity freeze air turbulence. Due to the large sensor, the entire lunar disk can be imaged even with a longer focal length telescope. Video astronomy is also possible.

Important aspects, considered individually
Full-frame OSC camera
The ASI2400MC Pro uses the full frame format, the sensor length and width is 36 mm * 24 mm and the diagonal is 43.3 mm. For now, only the OSC (One Shot Camera) version is available, which is very suitable for beginners in astrophotography.

IMX410 Backlit Sensor
The backlit CMOS sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction - key factors in improving image quality - by changing the basic pixel structure from front to back illumination. The advantages of CMOS image sensors, such as low power consumption and high-speed operation, have been retained.

In a conventional front-illuminated structure, the metal wiring and transistors on the surface of the silicon substrate that form the light-sensitive area of the sensor (photodiode) obstruct the photon collection performed by the on-chip lenses. A back-illuminated structure minimizes the degradation of sensitivity with angle of incidence while increasing the amount of light entering each pixel because there are no obstacles such as metal wiring and transistors because they are now on the other side of the silicon substrate.

Large full-well capacity, low readout noise and high dynamic range.
Although these two cameras have very similar pixel sizes (5.94 µm vs. 5.96 µm), the full-well capacity of the ASI2400MC Pro is 100ke, which is 132% of the other ASI full-well camera, ASI128MC Pro, giving the ASI2400MC Pro a very high dynamic range of up to 14 stops. This reduces the likelihood of overexposure and provides richer color gradation.

No amplifier glow
Conventional CMOS sensors produce a faint infrared light source during operation, which can often be seen as a telltale sign of "amplifier glow" in the corners of uncalibrated images. Since the ASI2400MC Pro uses zero-amp-glow circuitry, you don't have to worry about amplifier glow even when using high-gain, long-exposure images.

Built-in anti-thaw heater
The ASI2400MC Pro comes with the polyimide heating element that helps avoid any dew problems. The anti-dew heater, which fits completely on the protective screen, heats it up a bit to avoid dewing problems.

The power of the anti-dew heater is about 5W. It can be turned off in the software to save power.

Quantum efficiency
One of the outstanding features of the ASI 2400MC Pro is its sensational light sensitivity. With a quantum efficiency of 80% due to BACK ILLUMINATION technology and no amplifier glow, the camera is very well suited for all astronomical applications, but especially for deep-sky astrophotography.

Two-stage Peltier cooling: ultra-low dark current
The ASI2400MC Pro uses two-stage Peltier cooling, which can lower the temperature of the CMOS sensor to more than 35 °C below ambient temperature, greatly reducing dark current and sensor noise even at longer exposure times.

Sensor type: Sony IMX410
Sensor size: 36 mm x 24 mm
Pixel size: 5.94 µm
Resolution: 6072x4042 (24 MPixel)
Spectral range: 200~1000 nm
Shutter: rolling shutter
ADC: 14 bit
Cooling: Powerful Peltier cooling up to 35° under ambient conditions
Full well: 100 ke
Readout noise: 1.1 e - 6.4 e
Sensitivity: Peak 80 % QE
Power consumption: 12 V, 3 A
Telescope connection: M54x0.75 female thread
Working distance from female thread to sensor: 17.5 mm
♦ Camera
♦ Bag
♦ M48-T2 adapter (0 mm)
♦ ASI Quick Guide
♦ USB 3.0 cable (2 meters)
♦ M54-M48 adapter (21 mm)
♦ M48 extension (16.5 mm)
♦ 2" dust cap
♦ Allen wrench
♦ 2x USB 2.0 cable (0.5 meter)