ZWO ASI533MM PRO Monochrome Camera
The Chinese company ZWO (Zhen Wang Optical) offers a range of cameras designed for Astronomy whose quality, performance and price are surprising. The ASI533MM model is equipped with a 1" monochrome sensor with 9 million pixels (3008 x 3008px) whose use predestines it mainly for deep sky imaging. Cooling below the ambient temperature of 35 °C is achieved through the use of a Peltier module and a quiet fan to significantly reduce thermal noise.
In terms of sensitivity, the ASI533 features a high-performance Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor capable of reaching a peak sensitivity of 91% thanks to Exmor R Back-Illuminated technology. The peak is close to 60% at the hydrogen alpha line (at 656 nm, the emission zone of many nebulae). Note also the low readout noise and the absence of preamplification effect. In the "Pro" version, this camera has a 256 MB buffer memory that considerably increases the sensor readout speed.
In planetary mode, it offers a resolution of 3008 x 3008px at a rate of 20 frames/second, with a depth of 14bits. The acquisition rate reaches 216 fps with a resolution of 320 x 240px at 14bits. The ASI1533MM-Pro has an M42 female input thread. Various cables and adapters are supplied for multiple combinations (see "Documentation" tab).
Software
As for all cameras ZWO, the main and most comprehensive camera control software is ASIStudio, which can be downloaded free of charge from the manufacturer's website ZWO. The brand also offers a free SDK (Software Development Kit) for many programs, free or paid, to natively support the cameras ZWO: Prism, NINA, FireCapture, MaximDL, SharpCap, PHD2, AllSkEye, etc. We invite you to consult the specific documentation of these programs for their compatibility level or visit the ZWO website for an exhaustive list.
ZWO also offers a unified ASCOM driver to control all your accessories via the ASCOM/Alpaca platform. This driver can be downloaded free of charge from the ZWO website.
For Linux and Mac users, the Indi or Indigo drivers are free of charge and available on the websites of these platforms. Piloting is done through the KStars/Ekos software (on Linux) and AstroImager/AstroTelescope proposed by the CloudMakers publisher (on Mac). Finally, the cameras ZWO are accessible through video drivers such as DirectShow or TWAIN. For more details, visit the ZWO website.
Technical specifications:
Model ZWO ASI533MM-Pro cooled monochrome
Sensor
Type CMOS Monochrome
Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor
Format "1
Resolution 3008 x 3008px (9 million pixels)
Pixel size 3.76µ
Surface area 127.91mm² (11.31mm x 11.31mm)
Electroluminescence reduction ("amp-glow") Yes
Full charge capacity 50.000 e-
Maximum sensitivity (peak QE) 91
14-bit dynamic range
Exposure time from 32µs to 1000s
14-bit frame rate: 3008x3008@20img/s, 1920×1080@54img/s 1280x720@80img/s
640x480@117img/s, 320x240@216img/s
Reproductive noise 1 to 3.8e-
Mechanical
Transfer/connectivity 1 USB 3.0 port / 2 USB 2.0 ports
Buffer memory DDR3 256MB
Cooling with thermoelectric control and set point. ΔT = -35°C max.
2" male lens mount with T2 M42x0.75 female thread
Rear focus 6.5mm or 17.5mm with T2 adapter
Maximum temperature (operation) -5°C to 45°C
Maximum temperature (storage) -20°C to 60°C
Maximum humidity (operation) 20% to 80%.
Maximum humidity (storage) 20% to 95%.
Dimensions (diam. x h.) 78mm x 73.5mm
Weight 470g
Power supply (optional) 12V at 3A Max (#ZWPOWER recommended)
what comes in the box?
1 cooled monochrome camera ZWO ASI533MM-Pro
1 adapter with M42 male thread to 1.25 male thread
1 short cable (0.5m) USB2.0
1 long cable (2m) USB3.0
1 16.5mm T2-M48 adapter
1 21mm T2 spacer
1 M42-M48 ring
1 reducer with M42 male thread to 1.25" female thread (to insert a 31.75mm filter)
1 set of 4 M42 spacers (1x 0.1mm / 2x 0.2mm / 1x 0.5mm)
1 protection bag
Camera ZWO ASI533MM PRO Monochrome
