Camera ASI662MC Color - ZWO

All on camera ZWO ASI662MC

The ZWO ASI662MC camera is equipped with a 2.07 million pixel CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080 px) and 6.45 mm diagonal. At full resolution, the maximum acquisition speed reaches 107 images/second with a dynamic on 12 bits. With the latest technologies of the Starvis 2 sensor architecture proposed by Sony, the camera offers latest generation features: a complete absence of electroluminescence, high capacity pixels, a wide dynamic range, very high sensitivity in the loved one infrared and a very low reading noise.

With its color sensor in 1/2.8 "format format, the ZWO ASI662MC camera is adapted to planetary imagery at high speed of acquisition. You will thus get magnificent photographs of the planets, in color, while freeing yourself from the vagaries of turbulence Atmospheric. Thanks to its sensitivity to the low lights, the 662MC gives excellent results in assisted visual or in imaging of the deep sky according to the technique of "Lucky Imaging" (rapid acquisition in burst then stack of very many images of the deep sky).

Sensor performance

Designed by Sony for surveillance and safety applications, the IMX662 sensor is built on the Techinque Starvis 2 architecture 2. The latter incorporates powerful features allowing obtaining light and contrasting images, with a large dynamic, including in extremely limited lighting conditions. The most important is the use of an opto-electronic structure known as "back-illuminated" (or BSI, backside Illumination Sensor). All the electronics of the sensor is placed under the photosites; The distance to be crossed by the light in the sensor is reduced, as well as the blocking of photons by non -photosensitive electronic elements. The sensitivity is very strongly increased, even in condition of very low light. The sensor is also extremely effective in the close infrared (NIR), a spectral band popular with planetary astrophotographs for its lower sensitivity to atmospheric turbulence. This stored structure makes it possible to place more electronics in the sensor itself, such as the ADCs, thus minimizing the artifacts and the noise.

Compared to the old generations of Sony sensors, the IMX662 offers a very low reading noise and high capacity pixels, 3 times greater than that of the IMX462 sensor, for example. This increased capacity decreases the risks of overexposure and makes it possible to carry out longer poses. It therefore becomes possible to photograph weak celestial objects in a few seconds without having the noise too high. Add to that a current of reduced darkness, several times lower than that of the ASI174MC, for example, and you get an ideal solution for the assisted visual or the imagery of the deep sky in burst.

Quantum efficiency and reading noise are the two most important parameters to measure the performance of a camera. A quantum high yield and low reading noise are conditions necessary for the significant improvement in the signal/noise ratio.

Reading noise is the sum of several components: thermal noise of the photosites, the sounds linked to the electronics of the sensor and the quantification noise from the analog/digital conversion stages. The lower this reading noise, the better the results; Technological work is therefore carried out at each level in order to reduce it to the maximum. At the outset, the camera incorporates an HCG (High Conversion Gain) device which can reduce the high gain reading noise while retaining the great dynamic that you would get low gain. This HCG mode activates automatically as soon as the gain reaches 150.

Assembly mechanics

The ASI662MC has a female M42 input entry; The backfocus is 12.5 mm. A M42 mechanical converter to 31.75mm male is delivered, as well as a 2m length USB cord and a ST4 autoguidage cord. Zwo also offers a 2.1mm focal lens, of good quality. Thus equipped, the camera can therefore also serve as a All-View camera for monitoring the sky.

Software

As with all the cameras of the ZWO brand, the main camera control software and the most complete is Asistudio, freely downloadable from the manufacturer ZWO website. The brand also offers free SDK (software development kit) so that many software, free or paid, natively support the ZWO cameras: Prism, Nina, Firecapture, Maximdl, Sharpcap, PHD2, Allskeye, etc. We invite you to refer to the specific documentation of this software to find out their level of compatibility or to visit the ZWO website to obtain an exhaustive list.

ZWO also offers an ASCOM unified pilot for the management of all its accessories through the ASCOM/ALPACA platform. This pilot can be freely downloaded from the Zwo website.

For Linux and Mac users, Indigo or Indigo drivers are free and available on the websites of these platforms. Management is then carried out through KSTARS/EKOS software (under Linux) and Astroimager/Astrotelescope offered by the Cloudmakers editor (under Mac).

Finally, ZWO cameras are accessible through video pilots like Directshow or Twain. For more details, visit the ZWO website.