ZWO Color Astro Camera ASI 2600MC-PRO cooled, Sensor D= 28.3 mm

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro - powerful color astro camera

The colour sensor in APS-C format convinces with its extremely high sensitivity and 16-bit data depth. Even with longer exposure times, the stars will not burn out. You get a much better dynamic.

One of the outstanding features of the ASI 2600MC Pro is its sensational light sensitivity. The QE of 80% by the BACK ILLUMINATION technology and the non-existent amplifier glow make the camera very suitable for all astronomical applications, but especially for deep sky astrophotography.

The "single shot" colour camera offers more comfort than monochrome cameras. Not everyone wants to go through the laborious L-RGB process for beautiful coloured nebula or planet images. The color cameras offer you the possibility to get beautiful pictures without changing filters. In direct comparison to the DSLR camera, the ASI camera convinces with a much higher light sensitivity, a smoother image and significantly more depth. Stars don´t burn out that easy.

Further advantages and product features of the ASI 2600MC Pro color camera:

USB 3.0 for fast download - can also be used 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 Sony´s most light-sensitive CMOS sensors

High resolution by 3.76 µm pixels - ideal for fast and sharp telescopes like Apos, Hyperstar, Celestron Faststar, Newtonian telescopes etc.

Supplied with IR cut filter - no problems with refractive optics

Distance T2 connection thread (female thread) to camera sensor: 17.5 mm

High sensitivity - QE over 80% - ideal astronomy camera for low-light objects

16-bit ADC: you can achieve a depth like CCD cameras, but with a much higher sensitivity.

Application areas of the camera:

Deep-sky images (nebulae and galaxies): Due to the high sensitivity, nebulae and galaxies are imaged after only a few seconds. The camera can be cooled up to 35 °C below ambient temperature. This further reduces the already low noise. By raising the GAIN (comparable to the ISO setting for digital SLR cameras), you can reduce exposure times to less than 30 seconds. Effects caused by air turbulence or inaccuracies in the tracking are thus eliminated.

Moon and planetary images: Extremely short exposure times due to high sensitivity freeze the air turbulence. Due to the high resolution of the sensor, many details can be imaged even with a shorter telescope focal length. Video astronomy is also possible.

Back illumination technology

Sony´s back-illuminated CMOS image sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction - the key factors to enhancing image quality, while radically realigning their fundamental pixel structure from front-illumination to back-illumination. It has retained the advantages of CMOS image sensors such as low power consumption and high-speed operation.

The backside exposure improves the light absorption and increases the amount of light at the same time. This allows significantly shorter exposure times and leads to an improved quantum efficiency of 80%.

Sony has developed a unique photo-diode structure and on-chip lens optimized for back-illuminated structures, that achieves a higher sensitivity and a lower random noise without light by reducing noise, dark current and defect pixels compared to the conventional front-illuminated structure.

Zero amp glow

Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during operation quite often seen in the corner of uncalibrated images as the tell tale signs of "amp glow". As the ASI2600MC Pro uses zero amp glow circuitry, you won´t have to worry about amp glow even when using high gain, long exposure imaging.

Anti-dew heater integrated

The ASI2600MC Pro comes with the polyimide heater that can avoid any dew problems.
The anti-dew heater, which fits completely onto the protective window, heats it up slightly to prevent condensation problems.
The power of the anti-dew heater is approx. 5 W. It can be turned off in the software to save power.

Important: external power supply required!

This camera requires 1 amp even in uncooled operation, which is a problem for USB sockets on computers, because they are only rated for 900 mA (0.9 A).

Stable operation of the camera is therefore only possible with an external 12 V power supply.

Optimal support before and after the purchase through Teleskop-Service:

We work with the cameras ourselves and can offer you optimal advice. Which camera fits to your telescope, how do you achieve the optimal adaptation? Teleskop-Service is one of the largest ZWO dealers. Through our contacts we also offer the best possible service after the purchase.

Practical tip 1 from TS: Integration of 2" filters, 360° rotation and quick coupling

The camera is often used on correctors that do not have a filter thread. In addition, the filters should always be used as close as possible to the camera. Here we offer you a solution that can do much more.

2" filter holder directly in front of the camera

360° rotation for the right choice of the image section

Quick release - you can remove the camera from the remote ear at any time, without screws and thus entangling the cables

The adaptation is very simple, the 21 mm T2 extension is replaced by:

1x TSROTT2-T2 and 2x T2AbstimmA1

One tuning ring comes to the camera side, one tuning ring comes to the telescope side of the rotator. Then screw on the M42-M48 adapter with 16.5 mm length and you are in the right distance with the camera.

Practical tip 2 from TS: Storage of cameras and accessories

Especially in our latitudes, the nights are often very humid. This humidity condenses on your camera, eyepiece or filter when they come into the warm interior of the apartment. Especially cooled cameras are affected by this. Quickly a photo session is over because the sensor ices up.

Good storage is an important prevention against dew and also extends the life span.

After use, put the camera immediately into the TS Protect Case and add some silica gel. During storage, the silica gel will suck the moisture out of the camera. At the same time, the penetration of humid room air is prevented. Dry storage even allows the small dry tablets in cooled cameras to partially regenerate. Your camera or accessories are always ready for you in optimal condition. You can find the silica gel and the case in our product recommendations.

Downloads, drivers:

ZWO provides software and drivers online for free download.

Software and drivers for all ZWO cameras

Frequently asked questions about ZWO cameras:

The FAQ area is constantly updated by ZWO, here you will find answers to many questions.

FAQ about ZWO cameras

ZWO Users Forum

Manuals for ZWO products:

The manuals page is constantly updated by ZWO, here you can find user guides for ZWO products.

Link to the manuals

How to clean my ZWO camera:

The manufacturer provides a manual that covers how to clean an ASI camera and regenerate the desiccant tablets: Please click here.

Astrophotographic results obtained with this camera on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this camera model: Link to Astrobin

Astrophotographic results obtained with this camera on Astrobin

Here you can find some astrophotographs made with this camera model: Link to Astrobin

Image by our customer Wolfgang Daseler:

(Please click on the image for a larger photograph)

Object: Cirrus Nebula
Photographer: Wolfgang Daseler
Imaging optics: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED
Camera: ZWO ASI2600
Exposure: 5 h with STC filter, 5 h with L-eXtreme filter
Processing of the large image by TS: Only resizing to a width of 1440 pixels

Congratulations on this beautiful photograph!

Experience report of our customer Detlef Lind

Since I use beside my RC8 an Edge HD11 with 2788mm focal length (with Hyperstar 560mm) also apo refractors with the focal lengths 360mm, 480mm and 525mm, my ASI071MC-Pro was often only a compromise from the sampling point of view. For the shorter focal lengths, such as 560mm with the Hyperstar optics, smaller pixel dimensions than 4.58 µm are appropriate if one prefers the superpixel option for image evaluation.

So I ordered the ASI 2600MC-Pro from TS, which promises not only short exposure times in the deep sky range but also advantages in planetary and lunar photography with a pixel size of 3.76 µm due to the higher quantum efficiency of the IMX571 sensor and 16 bit readout. For example, with the RC8 I only need a dual barlow, which brings a higher light intensity to the imaging optics when filming.

Now for the results:

1. As promised, there is not the slightest sign of amp-glow and the sensor delivers sensationally flat dark images. For example, a master bias of 60 single frames made at gain 100 and offset 50, after removing the random readout noise in PixInsight, consists of only 94% pixels with an ADU value of 501 and 6% pixels lying on vertical lines with an ADU value of 500.

2. I use such a superbias in calibration, as it prevents the overcorrection that would otherwise occur when applying master flats.

3. The workflow after stacking pre-calibrated light frames using DeepSkyStacker seems a bit less complicated than before, since I usually get by with a few standard operations in PixInsight.

As evidence, I attach two images taken with my RC8. In both cases, the focal length was reduced to 1326mm with the photoline reducer:

The first one shows Messier 106, where because of partly disturbing moon a total of 183 light frames with exposure times from 3 to 10 minutes were made in 6 nights with the NB1 three band filter (total duration and 16 hours).


The second is a mosaic for which Messier 81 and Messier 82 were each imaged for 3 hours in dark skies with 4-minute frames through a neodymium filter.

Detlef Lind

Congratulations for the nice results!

Images by our customer Tobias Lamb

He started the beautiful hobby of astrophotography at the end of 2020 and has already made amazing progress, as the following images (larger version by clicking) prove:

Object: The Horsehead Nebula (IC 434)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: The Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: Christmas Tree Cluster, Cone Nebula (NGC 2264)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: Thor´s Helmet (NGC 2359)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: Leo Triplett (M65, M66, NGC 3628)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB


Objekt: The Pleiades (M45)
Photographer: Tobias Lamb from Stockheim (Oberfranken, Germany)
Telescope: TS-Optics 94EDPH 7-Element - Flatfield Apo
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Camera control with smartphone or tablet (ASI Camera Controller): ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter: Optolong L-Extreme 2" Filter
Filter Drawer: ZWO for 2" Filters
Guiding Scope: TS-Optics Deluxe 50 mm finder
Guiding Camera: ASI120MINI
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ-5 (GoTo)
Mount Control: PegasusAstro EQDIR USB

Thank you very much for these amazing images!
Respect also for the great equipment.

Photo Credits: Tobias Lamb
https://www.facebook.com/lambson.vom.dach
https://www.instagram.com/dobbee86

Image by our customer Andreas Tofahrn:

(Please click on the image for a larger photograph)

Motif: Constellation Orion, shot with camera lens

Individual objects: Messier 78 (M 78), Horsehead Nebula (B 33), Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), Running Man Nebula (in Sh2-279 resp. NGC 1977), Orion Nebula (M 42)

Photographer: Andreas Tofahrn
Location: Hoherodskopf, Bortle 5, 50% moon, about -10 °C
Imaging optics: Nikon Micro Nikkor 55/2.8 AIS, stopped down to f/4
Adapter: ZWO Adapter Nikon to T2 (ASIT2-Nikon)
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (ASI2600MC-P)
Exposure: 129x 120 s (4.3 h) at gain 100
Mount: Astro 5 (similar to Bresser EXOS-2, Celestron AVX or Skywatcher EQ5)
Control: ZWO ASIair Plus (ASIAIRPLUS)

Thank you for this magnificent photo!

Question:
Camera control via Sharpcap possible?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
It is possible to control the camera with Sharpcap, for this purpose the latest version of Sharpcap must be requested. (as of February 6, 2020)


Question:
Why does ZW Optical recommend a maximum gain of 100?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
At a value of 100 the HCG High Gain mode is activated, which drastically reduces the readout noise without reducing the dynamic range too much. A higher gain does not result in a significant reduction of the readout noise anymore, but successively reduces the dynamic range.


Question:
Will my Pro camera work without extra power supply if I don´t turn on the cooling?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
No, the current Pro cameras always require extra power supply, even without cooling.