The new ZWO ASI 294 MC Pro cooled colour camera features a premium back-illuminated Sony CMOS sensor, representing the latest technology with its outstanding sensitivity and 14-bit colour depth. Compared to mono cameras, colour, so-called "single-shot" cameras simplify imaging for those who do not wish to use the L-RGB colour filter technique.
The 11.7-megapixel sensor, measured by ZWO at a 23.2 mm diagonal, consists of 4.63-micron pixels, providing particularly high resolution. Its 14-bit ADC converter and QE exceeding 60% promise outstanding performance in deep-sky imaging.
The ZWO ASI 294 MC Pro cooled colour camera features a high-performance Peltier cooler that keeps the sensor 45°C below ambient temperature, allowing even the fine details of galaxies to be captured. The built-in 256 MB DDR memory improves data transfer and reduces the sensor's so-called "amp glow" noise.
The camera features a USB 3.0 connection, which enables significantly higher image transfer speeds, allowing more frames to be captured within a given period when using larger image sizes. This is particularly important for lunar and solar imaging, while being less relevant for capturing planets or deep-sky objects.
A range of free image capture software applications can be downloaded from the internet; for Windows, we particularly recommend SharpCap and FireCapture. The camera requires Windows XP or later, but can also be used under Linux and supports Macintosh systems as well.
The package includes several adapters for connection: 1.25", 2", and T2 adapters. The camera cooling system operates on a 12V power supply, for which the manufacturer recommends at least 3A.
