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About this product
Model: zwo_asi2600mc-duo
Part Number: ZWO ASI2600MC-Duo
The ASI2600MC Duo combines an imaging sensor and a guiding sensor in one compact body.
The main sensor is the Sony IMX571 equipped with a native 16-bit ADC, 14stops dynamic range and a 3.76um square pixel array.
The readout noise is as low as 1.0e, and the full well capacity reaches an incredible level of 73ke. And it has no amp glow!
The guide sensor is the Type 1/1.8 SC2210 with excellent NIR sensitivity. The sensor size is 7.68mm x 4.32mm. It has 4umx4um pixels with an array of 1920x1080 and a full depth of 8780e.
Both main and guide sensor windows have D60-2 IR Cut protection.
The stars in the corner of the guide images can be affected by a reducer's back focus distance and, in some circumstances, might not be very round. This is not due to sensor tilt and will not affect normal use/guiding.
Two-in-one design
Thanks to the compact design, the ASI2600MC Duo only needs one USB cable for control. It reduces potential cabling issues and improves setup speeds. You don’t need a separate OAG and guide camera.
Tilt Adjustment from Rear (Optional)
The 3 points from the rear make tilt adjustment much easier without the trouble of removing the tilt plate from the camera.
Performance improvement comparison
Guide sensor
The SC2210 sensor taken from the ASI220MM Mini camera features very high sensitivity.
The QE peak value reaches 92% at 500nm.
Readout noise is as low as 0.6e.
As the new generation of guide sensor, it has achieved great results in guiding, proved by hundreds of astrophotographers.
Main sensor
The main sensor is a Sony IMX571 in APS-C format and 26MP total pixels. The size is 23.5mm in width x 15.7mm in height, and the diagonal is 28.3mm. The 3.76um x 3.76um small pixel size accommodates an impressive full depth of 50ke. With the new hardware technology, it is even extended to 80ke.
STARVIS technology
ASI2600MC DUO is based on Sony STARVIS technology. Sony’s back-illuminated CMOS image sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction – the key factors to enhancing image quality.
Camera performance
Native 16bit ADC
This 16-bit ADC is not a CCD 16-bit ADC. It can achieve a dynamic range output of 14 stops, significantly improving the image's sharpness and contrast and creating smoother and more natural colour transitions.
FPS
ASI2600MC Duo’s max FPS in RAW 8 mode at full resolution is 15FPS, which is even quicker than ASI2600MC Pro.
Extended full well mode
The full well capacity of ASI2600MC Duo is extended to 80ke, which is 1.6x larger than ASI2600MC Pro.
USB 3.0 & 512MB DDR3 buffer
With the match of USB 3.0 and 512MB DDR3 buffer, ASI2600MCDuo provides stable and secure data transmission that effectively avoids frame-dropping issues during long exposures.
No amp-glow
Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during operation, often seen in the corner of uncalibrated images. It is the tell-tale sign of amp glow. The ASI2600MM Duo uses zero-amp glow circuitry, so there is no need to worry about amp glow, even when using high gain, long exposure imaging.
QE (Quantum efficiency)
Based on our testing results, the QE peak value of ASI2600MC Duo is over 91%.
Two-stage TEC cooling
Thanks to the two-stage TEC cooling, ASI2600MM Duo can lower the CMOS sensor temperature to more than 35 degrees Celsius below ambient temperature, significantly reducing 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 works for a long time. Also, as the ambient temperature falls, the Delta T would decrease.
Dark current noise
Anti-Dew heater
A polyimide heater completely fits the protective window in the ASI2600MM Duo camera. Depending on the environment in which you capture images, it can help avoid any potential annoying dew or icing issues.
The power of the heater is around 5W. You can turn it off anytime in your photography software to save energy.
Connection to external devices
Connection to Nikon/Canon lens
① Niko-T2 adapter
② EOS-T2 adapter
③ 2″ filter
④ Nikon lens
⑤ Canon lens
Structural dimension diagram
What’s in the Box
What's in the box
- ASI2600MC DUO Camera
- Soft Padded Case
- 1x 2-metre USB 3.0 Cable
- 2x 0.5-metre USB 2.0 Cable
- M54M to M54F Extender 16.5mm
- M54M to M54F Extender 21mm
- M54M to M48F Adaptor Ring
- Allen Key
- Quick Start Guide
Specifications
Sensor (main) | SONY IMX571 CMOS |
Diagonal (main) | 28.3mm |
Image area (main) | 23.5 x 17.5mm |
Resolution (main) | 6248 x 4176 (26 Mega Pixel) |
Pixel Size (main) | 3.76 μm |
Shutter (main) | Rolling shutter |
Exposure Range (main) | 32μs-2000s |
ROI (main) | Supported |
Read Noise (main) | 1.0-3.3e |
QE peak (main) | 91% |
Full well (main) | 50000e (standard mode), 73000e (extended mode) |
ADC (main) | 16 bit |
Sensor (guide) | SC2210 1/1.8 CMOS |
Diagonal (guide) | 8.8mm |
Image area (guide) | 7.68 x 4.32mm |
Resolution (guide) | 1920 x 1080 |
Pixel Size (guide) | 4 μm |
Read Noise (guide) | 0.6e |
QE peak (guide) | 92% |
Full well (guide) | 8780e |
ADC (guide) | 12 bit |
DDRIII Buffer | 512MB |
Non-volatile memory/On camera storage | Build-in total 192K byte user-accessible space (image size up to 480 x 320) |
Interface | USB 3.0 / USB 2.0 |
Adaptor | M54x0.75 |
Protect window | D60-2 IR Cut (covers both main and guide sensor windows) |
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 the software. Customised resolution is also supported.
Downloads / Manuals
The following manuals and downloads are available for this product:
Software
ZWO Software and Drivers
Customer reviews
Average Rating (3 Reviews): | |
08 January 2024 | Steven
This is a fantastic camera and the Asi220MM has provided me with the best guiding I’ve ever had.
ASI2600MC DUO First usage 19 August 2023 | Francis
The camera arrived eventually to two clear nights! The tonal range from the main sensor was immediately impressive shooting without filters the blue's and magenta/red from nebula targets was very apparent even in the centring images in NINA. My scope (10" f4.8 newt with TS 1x coma corrector) gave good guide stars after focusing without filters. Adding filters (IDAS NBZ and Askar 6nm Ha/OIII) dimmed the guide stars a little but not enough to effect guiding. A small increase in the guide exposures (from 2" to 2.5" in PHD2) was enough to compensate for the dimming. I could have increased the guide camera's gain to compensate which is something I will do in future. With or without filters in place there were always multiple guide stars in the field of view at 1200mm. Shorter focal lengths and faster optics should have no problem. A plus for me has been a reduction in cables after using a separate guide scope piggy backed on the main OTA, and my focuser now only needs a short cable to the back of the camera. I'm pleased, very pleased with the camera. It's still early days but at present I can't see going back to a piggy-backed guide scope set-up.
Another great camera from Zwo 16 August 2023 | Keith
Got this so that I could ditch the guide scope. Excellent camera with built-in guide camera, which along with a custom adapter have got fitted onto Celestron 8" RASA. Works very well. FLO have been excellent in supplying the kit along with Q&A support - keep up the good work
FAQ
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