ZWO ASI183MC Pro Review: The Right Sensor for You?
The ASI183MC Pro is a cooled one shot colour camera whose 2.4 micron pixels make it superb behind a short focal length refractor and a poor match behind a long one. Buy it if you are imaging at roughly 400 to 700mm and want detail without a filter wheel and a mono workflow. Skip it if you image at long focal length, where those tiny pixels oversample your seeing and cost you signal for no extra resolution.
Twenty megapixels of cooled colour sensor, and the pixel size that decides whether it suits your telescope.
ZWO ASI183MC Pro 20.18 MP CMOS Color Astronomy Camera
~$870
A cooled 20.1 megapixel colour CMOS camera with 2.4 micron pixels, a 256MB DDR3 buffer and USB 3.0 transfer up to 19 frames per second at full resolution.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Sensor | CMOS colour, 5496 x 3672 pixels, 20.1 megapixels |
|---|---|
| Pixel size | 2.4 microns |
| Cooling | Integrated thermoelectric cooling |
| Interface | USB 3.0, up to 19 fps at full resolution |
| Buffer | 256MB DDR3 |
| Body | Red anodised CNC aluminium, with 1.25 inch nosepiece and 2 inch adapter |
| Power | Separate 12V 3A supply required for the cooler, not included |
Specifications above come from ZWO's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Cooling is the feature that separates a dedicated astronomy camera from a DSLR, because it removes thermal noise that no amount of stacking fully cleans up.
- Twenty megapixels at 2.4 microns gives a lot of resolution on a small chip, which is exactly what a short refractor wants.
- One shot colour means no filter wheel, no separate luminance run and no channel alignment, which is a large reduction in both cost and complexity.
- The onboard buffer keeps frames intact when the USB connection stutters, which matters on long unattended runs.
Where it falls short
- The pixels are small. At long focal length they oversample typical seeing, so you collect less light per pixel and gain no real detail, which is the single most common mismatch with this camera.
- It is a 1 inch class sensor, so it will not cover a wide field the way an APS-C sized astronomy camera does.
- The cooler needs its own 12V supply that is not in the box, so budget for a power supply and one more cable in the dark.
- Twenty megapixels of 16 bit data fills drives quickly, and the processing is heavier than a smaller sensor's.
What owners report
Published owner reports converge on a single piece of advice: match this camera to a short focal length. Users pairing it with refractors in the 400 to 600mm range describe sharp, detailed results and low noise. Users behind long focal length Schmidt-Cassegrains more often describe dim, noisy subframes and end up binning the data, which discards the resolution they paid for.
The other repeated theme is the cooling, which owners describe as the upgrade that changed their results most, particularly for anyone moving from an uncooled camera or a DSLR in summer. Amp glow is discussed but generally described as removed cleanly by dark frames, which is standard practice anyway.
Who it suits
- Imagers with a short refractor around 400 to 700mm of focal length.
- Anyone moving up from a DSLR who wants cooling without committing to a mono and filters workflow.
- Imagers targeting small objects like planetary nebulae and compact galaxies, where the fine sampling helps.
Who should skip it
- Imagers at long focal length, where larger pixels collect more signal for the same detail.
- Wide field imagers who want a big sensor covering a large area of sky.
- Beginners without a tracking mount and guiding, because no camera fixes a mount problem.
Alternatives worth considering
SVBONY SV305C Astrophotography Camera, 2.1MP IMX662 Color Telescope Camera
~$130
An uncooled entry level camera for planetary imaging and electronically assisted astronomy. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the capability, but it is the honest way to find out whether you enjoy imaging before spending nine hundred dollars.
Check price on AmazonCanon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm lens
~$529
A DSLR takes daytime photographs as well, has a much larger sensor and needs no separate power supply. It has no cooling, so summer noise is worse, but it is a more flexible first purchase.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Planetary camera vs DSLR
- Focal ratio calculator
- NPF rule exposure calculator
- Explore Scientific ED80 review
- ZWO ASIAIR Plus review
- How to start astrophotography
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently asked questions
What focal length suits the ASI183MC Pro?
Its 2.4 micron pixels sample very finely, which suits roughly 400 to 700mm under typical seeing. Beyond about a thousand millimetres you are usually oversampling, meaning you spread the same light over more pixels without resolving more detail. Our exposure time by focal length reference and focal ratio calculator help you check the pairing before you buy.
Do I need to cool an astronomy camera?
Cooling suppresses thermal noise, which grows with sensor temperature and is worst in summer. It is not essential for planetary imaging, where exposures are milliseconds, but for deep sky exposures of minutes it makes a visible difference to how clean the stacked result is. That is the main thing you are paying for over an uncooled camera.
Does the ASI183MC Pro have amp glow?
The sensor produces some, and it calibrates out with matched dark frames. Taking darks at the same temperature, gain and exposure is standard practice for any cooled camera, and the set point cooling is what makes that repeatable from night to night.
Colour camera or mono with filters?
One shot colour is simpler, cheaper and produces a usable image from a single night. Mono with filters collects more light per pixel and gives better results on narrowband targets, at the cost of a filter wheel, filters and roughly three times the imaging time. For most people starting out, one shot colour is the right answer.
Can I use it for planets?
Yes, and the high frame rate over USB 3.0 supports the lucky imaging technique planetary work depends on. That said, dedicated planetary cameras with smaller, faster sensors are cheaper and better suited. Our planetary camera versus DSLR comparison covers what actually matters for Solar System imaging.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, optical figures we can verify, and reviews from owners who have used the equipment under real skies. We do not test gear in person. Never point any telescope, finder or binocular at the Sun without a certified full-aperture solar filter fitted over the front of the instrument.
Recording your own eyepieces, exit pupils and sessions? The Observing & Astrophotography Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.