ZWO ASI462MC USB 3.0 Color Astronomy CMOS Camera

ASI 462MC is the latest color planetary camera from ZWO packed with the Sony IMX 462, 1/2.8-inch format, 12bit ADC sensor.

Its 2.9 um pixel size accommodates a good depth of 11.2ke and a total of 2.1 megapixels. With the ability to capture infrared lights, super-high sensitivity, and ultra-low readout noise, this camera is considered the upgraded version of ASI290MC and will offer great performance for planetary imaging, solar, and lunar imaging.

With the ability to capture light in the near-infrared portion of the spectrum, and the super high sensitivity combined with ultra-low readout noise, this camera is considered as the highly improved version of ASI290MC. It will offer great performance for planetary, solar, and lunar imaging. Some highlights include:

• Sony IMX462 1/2.8” format 12bit ADC
• 2.9um pixel size
• Well depth of 2ke-
• Total of 2.1 megapixel accommodating a resolution of 1936*1096
• Ultra-low read noise of 0.5e- to 2.6e-

IMX462 sensor

The format of the IMX462 sensor is 1/2.8”. The sensor length and width are 5.6mm*3.2mm and the diagonal is 6.46mm. The resolution is 1936*1096.

The cameras have a built-in HCG mode which can effectively reduce the readout noise at high gain and keep the same wide dynamic range as you would expect at low gain. When the gain is 80, the HCG mode will automatically turn on. This results in the read noise being as low as 0.47e- while the dynamic range still can reach close to 12 stops.

QE curve

ASI462 has a very high QE value at 800-1000nm wavelength (almost 2 times higher than that of ASI290MC). The sensitivity in the near-infrared light region ranks first among all ASI planetary cameras.