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ZWO ASI224MC Color Imaging Camera

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SKU: ZWO-ASI224MC
$199.00 $149.00

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The ASI224MC Color Astronomy Camera From ZWO!

By pairing the highly sensitive Sony IMX224 sensor with the quality craftsmanshift from ZWO, the ASI224MC excels in planetary astrophotography. With its low signal to noise ratio, careful circuitry, and high speed imaging abilities, this One-Shot Color (OSC) camera captures stunning images brimming with clarity.

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The onboard Sony sensor offers qualities such as a high quantum efficiency, superb sensitivity, and ultra low readout noise, making the ASI224MC ideal for planetary, lunar, and solar astrophotography. The fast frame rate of 150FPS in full resolution coupled with the small pixel size of 3.5um offers the ability to capture remarkable details on our solar system neighbors. Not only is this camera great for planetary photography, you can also engage in DSO lucky imaging and take images of small deep sky objects as well! The integrated USB3.0 port offers quick transfer speeds, safely relaying your data to your computer. These incredible aspects make the ASI224MC a must have for any astrophotographer!

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A High Performance, Professional Camera for Astrophotography

Let's Dig into the Data!

What sets one astrophotography camera apart from another? How is performance measured? Camera and sensor manufacturers provide certain interconnected specifications that give insight into the performance of a camera. These measurements include quantum efficiency, read noise, full well depth, gain, dark current, and dynamic range. While the graphs provided by the manufacturer may be confusing or intimidating, don't fret! Our team has put together a breakdown of these complicated topics to help you make sense of them. Take a look at the article here: Understanding ZWO Camera Charts and Graphs, and feel more confident making the right choice for your astrophotography needs!

Sony IMX224 CMOS Sensor
Designed with SONY Exmor and NIR Technology, this 1.2MP Sony IMX224 sensor has an extremely low readout noise of 0.8e and high peak QE value of ~80%. This high sensitivity and small pixel size of 3.75um allows the ASI224MC to have an exceptional signal to noise ratio for sharp, detailed images. The 12bit ADC and full well capacity of 19.2Ke offers a wide range of signal collection within the frames captured. Making it ideal for planetary photography is its ability to image at an incredibly fast 150FPS at full resolution!

Electronic Highlights
In typical CMOS cameras, weak infrared light can be seen within the frames captured due to the circuitry within their camera bodies. This is what’s referred to as amp glow. In order to combat this, ZWO has crafted the ASI224MC with hardware that effectively reduces the effects of amp glow for cleaner, sharper images.

USB 3.0 and ST4 Guide Port
While imaging at high speeds, it’s important to have a reliable mode of transfer in order to retain all of the frames captured. The integrated USB3.0 port has a 5Gb bandwidth that can handle the transmission of a large amount of data in a short period of time, reducing buffer time immensely. This USB3.0 port allows the ASI224MC to run at 64FPS in 12bit normal mode, or 150FPS at 10bit high speed mode in full resolution. Not only is this camera optimal for planetary photography, it can be used as a powerful guide camera as well! Either connect it directly to your telescope mount through the ST4 port or to your computer with the USB3.0 port.

Astronomy Hub: Your one-stop-shop for Astrophotography Knowledge!

Our Gear Experts have compiled a wealth of information to help expand your astrophotography knowledge! Below you’ll find links to articles, videos and "how-to" guides. Just one more reason that our Astronomy Hub is a one-stop-shop for all your astronomy and astrophotography needs!

Choosing the Best Planetary Camera
Autoguiding
Imaging the Planets
ZWO ASIAir Ultimate Guide