The new ZWO ASI 294 MC Pro colour still camera features a high-end back-illuminated Sony CMOS sensor, the latest development with outstanding sensitivity and 14-bit colour depth. Unlike mono cameras, colour, so-called "single shot" cameras simplify the work of those who prefer to shoot with a non-L-RGB colour filtering technique.
The 11.7 megapixel board, measured by ZWO at 23.2 mm diagonal, is built with 4.63 micron pixels: this allows for particularly good resolution. Its 14-bit ADC converter and QE above 60% promise outstanding performance in deep-end photography.
The ZWO ASI 294 MC Pro colour cooled camera features a powerful Peltier cooler that keeps the sensor below 45°C outside, so you can capture fine details of galaxies. The built-in 256 Mbyte DDR memory improves data transfer and reduces the so-called "amp-glow" noise of the sensor.
The camera is equipped with a USB 3.0 connector, the latter allowing much higher image transfer speeds, meaning that more shots can be captured in a given amount of time for larger image sizes. This is of most importance when shooting the Moon and Sun, but less so when capturing planets or deep-sky objects.
There are several free image capture software downloads available on the internet, but for Windows we particularly recommend SharpCap and FireCapture. The cameras require Windows XP or later, but can be used under Linux and even have Macintosh support.
The package includes a number of adapters for mounting, 1.25", 2", T2 adapters. The camera is cooled by a 12V supply voltage, for which the manufacturer recommends a minimum of 3A.
