The ASI 2600 Air combines image and guiding sensors in a compact housing. The main sensor is the Sony IMX571 with a native 16-bit ADC, a dynamic range of 14 f-stops and square pixels of 3.76 micrometres. The readout noise is only 1.0 e, and the full well capacity reaches an incredible level of 80 ke. And that's without amplifier glow. The main feature is the now integrated ASI Air astrophotography computer, which was previously only available separately. This gives you a cooled DeepSky camera including guider and astro computer (controls) in one instrument!
The guiding sensor is the SC2210 with excellent NIR sensitivity, which corresponds to the sensor of the ZWO ASI 220MM mini camera. The sensor size is 7.68 mm x 4.32 mm. It has 4x4 micrometre pixels with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and a full well capacity of 8780e. The stars in the corners of the guiding images, which are affected by the flange focal distance, may not be completely round. This is not due to the sensor tilt and does not affect normal use.
Thanks to its compact design, the ASI2600MC Air requires only a USB cable for control. This avoids potential cabling problems and simplifies setup. You do not need a separate OAG or guiding camera.
Additional features:
- STARVIS technology: The ASI2600MC Air is based on Sony's STARVIS technology. Sony's back-illuminated CMOS image sensor improves sensitivity and noise reduction - the key factors for improving image quality.
- Native 16-bit ADC: This 16-bit ADC is not a CCD 16-bit ADC. It can achieve a dynamic range of 14 f-stops, which significantly improves image sharpness and contrast, and also allows for smoother and more natural colour transitions.
- FPS: The maximum frame rate in RAW8 mode at full resolution is 15 fps, which is even faster than the regular ASI 2600MC Pro.
- USB 3.0 & 512 MB DDR3 buffer: With the combination of USB 3.0 and 512 MB DDR3 buffer, the ASI2600MC Air offers stable and secure data transfer that can effectively prevent image dropouts.
- No amplifier glow: Conventional CMOS sensors generate a weak infrared light source during operation, which is often visible in the corners of uncalibrated images. This is the telltale sign of amplifier glow. Since the ASI2600MC Air uses a zero-amp glow circuit, you don't have to worry about amp glow even when shooting with high gain and long exposure times.
- QE (quantum efficiency): Based on ZWO's test results, the peak QE of the ASI2600MC Air is over 91%.
- Two-stage TEC cooling: Thanks to two-stage TEC cooling, the ASI2600MC Air can lower the temperature of the CMOS sensor to more than 35 degrees Celsius below the ambient temperature, which can significantly reduce dark current and sensor noise even during longer exposure times. The Delta T 35℃ is tested at an ambient temperature of 30℃. It may decrease if the cooling system is in operation for a longer period of time. As the ambient temperature decreases, the Delta T also decreases.
- Dark current noise: The dark current noise of the ASI2600MC Air is extremely low. Even with moderate cooling, you will get a very low-noise image.
- Anti-frost heating: The ASI2600Air camera has a polyimide heater. This can help prevent possible problems with condensation or icing, depending on the environment in which you are taking pictures. The heater's power is approximately 5W. You can switch it off at any time if you want to save power.
Please note: External power supply required!
This camera requires 1 ampere even in uncooled operation, which is a problem for USB sockets on computers, as they are only designed for 900 mA, i.e. 0.9 A. Stable operation of the camera is therefore only possible with an external 12 V power supply (12 V, 3 A, 5.5 / 2.1 mm).
Dual-band Wi-Fi: The external dual-band antenna, which supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, enables stable and smooth use of the camera within 20 metres. With the ASIAir app from ZWO, you can control the camera and view the images easily via your Smartphone.
