ZWO ASI533MC Pro color camera

Camera ZWO ASI533MC Pro color camera

The ASI533MC PRO incorporates SONY's latest back-illuminated IMX533 sensor, a 1-inch, 9.07MP square sensor that is ideal for astronomical photography needs and can be considered the latest version of the venerable ASI183MC Pro.

As expected, this latest generation camera not only retains the key features of the ASI183 series, such as an attractive QE figure, high frame rate capture and other excellent features of the ASI183 cameras, but now also includes new and improved features, such as a zero brightness amplifier, extremely low read noise (as low as 1.0e), 3.76 micron pixel size and an improved 2-stage TEC cooler that provides enhanced cooling capabilities.

1" square sensor

The IMX533 is a 1-inch, 9MP CMOS image sensor in square format with a pixel size of 3.76 µm, capable of producing frames at 20 frames/s in 14-bit mode.

Read noise is as low as 1.0e, making it comparable to SCMOS or EMCCD sensors and well suited for high-definition, low-noise imaging.

IMX533 back-illuminated sensor technology

Sony's back-illuminated CMOS image sensor enhances sensitivity and noise reduction, the key factors in improving image quality, while radically realigning its fundamental pixel structure by exchanging front illumination for back illumination. It retains the advantages of CMOS image sensors, such as low power consumption and high-speed operation.

With a conventional front-illumination structure, the metal wiring and transistors on the surface of the silicon substrate that forms the light-sensitive area (photodiode) of the sensor partly prevent photon collection by the chip. In contrast, with the back-illuminated structure, the loss of sensitivity for certain photon incidence angles is minimized, while the amount of light reaching each pixel is increased due to the lack of obstacles such as metal wiring and transistors that have been placed on the back of the silicon substrate.

Sony has recently developed a unique photodiode structure optimized for back-illuminated structures, which achieves higher sensitivity and lower random noise by reducing dark current and defective pixels compared to conventional front-lit structure.

Zero Amp Glow

Traditional CMOS sensors are a source of weak infrared light produced during operation, which is often perceived in the corner of uncalibrated images as telltale signs of Amp Glow. Since the ASI533MC PRO uses a zero Amp Glow circuit, you won't have to worry about Amp Glow even when imaging with high gain and long exposure.

2-stage TEC cooling

Enhanced 2-stage TEC cooling can reduce CMOS sensor temperature to more than 35°C below ambient temperature, which greatly reduces dark current generation and sensor noise even with long exposure times.

DDR memory buffer

The ASI533MC PRO is equipped with a USB 3.0 interface and even in 14-bit mode can achieve 20 frames per second. The 256 MB DDR3 memory ensures stable frame download with higher USB speeds.

Drivers and software:

ZWO offers the latest version of camera drivers for the ASI533MC Pro (color) and a diverse range of software tools for DSO (deep sky objects) and planetary capture.

ZWO ASI533MC Pro color camera