Great review. I wanted to note that I was getting 19-20 fps with lunar shots using the ASI533MC. I did have have an issue with a different computer and my ASI183MM and its massive 20 MP sensor where I was only getting 2-3 fps for lunar images. There are a couple chokepoints that reduce speed, but the main culprit for me appeared to be the write speed of my hard disk. I was able to improve write speed with a solid state hard drive (NVMe). USB architecture can also be a chokepoint and there might not be easy options for upgrading this without changing laptops. Currently, I'm using an Intel NUC 7i5BNH as my data acquisition computer which has a second NVMe drive (2 TB) that handles everything both the 183 and 533 can throw at it.
I just ordered the monochrome version of this camera, which will be a good match for both small apochromatic refractors and SCT's with or without focal reducers. The square sensor, no amp glow, very low noise, and excellent sensitivity are major factors in my decision to purchase one.
Thank you for the Review. This is what I needed to hear. I have been in search for my First Astro Camera, and I think that I have landed on the one I will be getting. I have done other research on it as well, and it helps to hear your input on it. Thanks again for your review and what you do on the channel. 👊😎
Mine arrives in a few days time. I found your video extremely useful. You also tend to start talking about technical stuff I don’t understand which for me as a beginner astrophotographer (maybe somewhat surprisingly) is really useful because it directs me to areas I need to research.
I've always liked square format (daylight) photography, so it made sense for my first cooled camera to be square format. I've it since a few months now and I'm really happy with it, sure 9Mpx isn't much compare to my dslr but it's plenty enough for me. For this price, it's the way to go. And the zero ampglow kills it, preprocessing is like butter with good calibration frames!
Update/FYI: My ASI533 came in, and in native Sharpcap I get 19.8 FPS so not sure why you were getting 1-2 FPS. At 640 x 480 nearly 160 FPS This may be a camera I can use for planetary AND deep sky, I'm stoked.
@@JamesPetruzzi_MyHawaiianImages not sure why I was getting so low FPS. Hardware limitations maybe. I'm glad it's come through and you most certainly could use this for planets! Have fun with it 😁
Great presentation. I liked the part "the stuff you don't like so much". I've been looking at the three ZWO cameras you mentioned, and right now leaning towards the 533mc. Thank you!
Thanks Steppen, yeah I enjoy being as fair as can be, and I like to find things I dislike about anything I review. I'm confident if you got the 533mc Pro you'd enjoy it
Couldn't find the Fat Thumbs Down, so just hit the thumbs up. Yes, square sensor is an instagram sensor. But it makes a lot of sense in that it's getting the best of the lens & field of view. The issue it that we rarely print like that - but why do print have to be rectangles? You probably will get a number of people tell you that you can successfully print much larger than 10 x 8. Anyway, 10 x 8 is old money. (I like old money). There are plenty of videos on this subject. The problem we gave is that when we create such a fine image, we don't want printing to make a mess of our work, but the pros know how to do it. I'm sure ZWO will be well pleased with this honest review. Great edit.
Thanks for the thumbs up! Yeah I remember printing at 72 DPI and it just not looking good, so I printed at 300dpi and just looked so much better. I'm sure you can inflate the print larger but it's fine art print and I don't want to upscale my prints like that. Though I'm sure with some more research on my own, I'll find out more about printing. Square frames aren't even that common either. The ones I see readily available are 6x4, 8x10 or larger if you go into a photography/print store. I'm happy if people enjoy my review and leave with a better understanding and more informed on their choice, and if ZWO likes it too then that's just some icing on the cake :)
Excellent video, Ruz. You're swaying me, for sure. That zero amp glow (within my budget) is really attractive. Your honesty honestly comes through in all your work. Honest. Keep up the tremendous work.
Thanks Tom! Yeah the zero amp glow was definitely such an attractive and brilliant feature. Even at 1 hour it didn't show any bursting. And honestly the honesty of this honest comment honestly means a lot to me, if I'm being totally honest.
I gotta say i really enjoy your genuine presentation style :) Honest and to the point! Keep this up :) I learned a lot from your GIMP tutorial video and lots of other vids of yours!
Hey thanks for that! I'll do my best keeping it up 😁 I'm glad the GIMP video was of help also! Reminds me that I've really got to do the other tutorial videos I've got planned. So much to do, not enough hours in the day or bytes of storage on the harddrive 😂
Hey! Great review! All the in and outs needed for deciding on an astro cam .Really liked the range of focal lengths and objects sizes covered. Would like to see this tech with some larger pixel sizes and slightly larger sensors for bigger scopes. Please keep the specifications heavy talks coming!
Thanks for the hands on thoughts. Still waiting for delivery due to the C19 , but looking forward to it even more. And I'll try to remember not to delete sessions, good tip. Lol.
@@AstroFarsography It confirmed at lot of what I researched. I have an 071 in for repair and the FOV gives me a couple good options going forward.. with the 533 especially now in galaxy season.
Thanks for this video review. I just pulled the plug on a ASI533MC Pro which will be going on my remote observatory which will use a 8" f4 Newt and HEQ5Pro with Belt Mod. Looking forward to using it under Bortle 2 skies. As my first dedicated Astronomy Camera, a move up from DSLR, this will do me for a little while until I can afford to go Mono. Although I do prefer LRGBHa images the RGB or RGGB should be useful for a little while. Keep the videos coming.
Great channel with some really good content. I've just started using the 533, I came from a dslr so had a lot to learn. I actually like the square sensor & lack of noise on longer eposures. I use it on my WO z61 & my 102mm Altair triplet depending on what I want to shoot, so far no complaints !
Good review mate, thanks. I'm waiting for delivery, I'll be pairing it with a William Optics Z81 on an EQ6-R and I'm running the ASIAir too. My first rig, can't wait.
I chose the 183 for the cropping reasons you mentioned. The ampglow is real but i tend to crop to 5:4 or 4:3 which is usually enough to crop the rightside of the sensor out which is where the glow is really bad. Thanks for the unbiased review. Clear skies from the UK 😄
The 183 definitely was a nice sensor to use so I'm sure you'll have fun with it! Have you tried AstroPixel Processor? When I was using the 183 I ended up using APP to help calibrate out the amp glow on it. I strive to be unbiased, clear skies from the Midlands in the UK! Haha
@@AstroFarsography midlands also :D havent tries APP. I use DSS for stacking and affinity for processing. Still learning the ropes at the moment and its an expensive hobby to get into! Stay safe 🤞🏼
@@stufftosee1746 yup definitely an expensive hobby. Believe there's a free trial of APP you can try out. Where abouts in the midlands? I live in Northamptonshire
@@AstroFarsography on the border of Warwickshire and Worcestershire not too far south of Birmingham. West Midlands. My free trial ran out. Had a whole month of cloud! Doh!
Hi Ruz, after much deliberation I just pulled the trigger on one of these from FLO. Thanks for the video, I watched it three times during my fevered decision making. It was a decisive factor. Now some clear Northampton skies would be helpful.
Hey Tony. So you're the reason there's clouds over Northampton? As a Northampton resident I am directly affected, and apparently responsible, for these clouds 😂 great camera choice I'm glad my review was useful and helpful for you! You'll enjoy it, I assure you!
@@AstroFarsography an older refractor, Altair Starwave 80ED, 1xflatner, 0.8 FF/FR. AVX Mount; Celestron SE6 for planetary & visual on the same mount. Yeah like wise, I have some local contacts on the forum I’m in. One day we will be able to socialise again.
Hi Ruz, played around last night getting used to the 533 in the end due to a cock up on my end (forgetting to tighten the RA bolts after putting the mount on the tripod) the only thing imaged was the moon, I got 26FPS at 2256 by 2256 connected through USB3 - seems a lot faster than you saw? Mind you the file size after 2100 frames was 21.5gb 🤭
This camera has peaked my interest although I really want the ASI2600MC pro but I don't have the budget for it so I've been looking at this one recently. Nice review although maybe I might find something at Kelling this year ;-)
Interesting, and a possibility for me I like the 294, but it is pricey, not too worried by the square format. The drop off on well depth against gain is a bit dodgy, hmm food for thought.
Really really....and just one more..really ;) like how you show the different targets vs focal length mate! I’m considering this camera but still have a niggle the sq sensor might be a pain for some targets. Im coming from a 6d, I love it but once the (outdoor)temperature rises it gets noisy compared to what a cooled camera would so it’s time for a shopping trip! Do you think a OSC camera is the way to go ( UK skies) or would you jump in to mono? With all this free time lately I’ve been building a permanent pier so I’ll pretty much be able to get shooting the moment it’s dark every night weather permitting ...that’s the plan :) so that’s why I’m also considering mono. If there’s other cameras you’d recommend love to hear it mate 👍🏼 focal length of my ‘eventual scopes’ will be around 400-750mm mark, I’ve got a spacecat on the way ...scared to go much deeper atm!lol Cheers, Ant
Great informational review. On the comparison to other cameras in the line it would be of interest to comment on the asi2600 and the asi071 in the comparison for size and technology of the imaging chip. I'm really enjoying the asi2600 ans recommend the 533 as well especially as they have no amp glow with hig sensitivity.
Thanks very much. Also thanks for the suggestion for including the 071 and the 2600. My reasoning behind not including them was their price tag and sensor size really. I felt that comparing the 533 to those two cameras wouldn't have been a fair comparison as they're a lot more expensive and such. But maybe you're right in sensor technology. Going forwards I'll see about including other cameras in my comparisons!
Hey there thank you 😊 Well I know exactly how good this camera is with the L-eNhance. The 294 is definitely an excellent camera, a lot of people use one to great results and I wanted one also. However the lack of amp glow cannot be understated and when I was buying my most recent cooled camera I chose the 533 over the 294 because of the lack of amp glow and sensitivity, plus the smaller chip was just about that sweet spot with my scope. I think you'd be happy with the 533 and L-eNhance.
@@AstroFarsography I am pretty new to astrophotography, I have been amazed by some 30 to 60 second exposures, so now gagging for a guiding system. This led me to look into dual sensors, one sensor for exposures and one for guiding, all through the same scope. Keep it simple and potentially cheeper as no guide scope. But apparently these cameras are expensive and what you can do with them is limited as filters etc effect the guiding. If a manufacturer (maybe Zwo) made a cheap one for beginners it would be perfect for images of galaxies, stars and bright nebular. I was just wondering if you had tried one of the more expensive ones.
@@johnybaby2 ah sounds like you're describing Off-Axis Guiders. They're really good for long focal length instruments but they do need setting up correctly. As for filters and such affecting the guide camera, I'm not entirely sure but I think you'd put filters in after the OAG so the guide camera isn't interrupted. But I have no experience with them, I've never seen one up close not have I used one. So I can't really give you solid information unfortunately. Check out A.V Astronomy. He has a video on OAGs that might give you some answers
AstroFarsography since February my computer died so I haven’t used my 533 at all. While I’m saving to buy a new one to process I’ve reverted back to old school Canon 6Dmii imaging. Luckily or unluckily however you look at it, since then there has been only 2 clear nights, I’ve got hundreds of light and calibration frames stored. They say the Air pro will be ready for shipments by May-June. I really think bc of parts shortages from corona virus they are tearing up those 1st gen airs to build these and thus the discounts if you turn them back in. You would be an idiot to turn any of them in, imo
Great video as always, been thinking of getting pretty much the same setup as you have as well as this camera. I was wondering though, do you still have the same issue with balancing in declination you had with your dslr? Also did you use any other adapters outside of the ones supplied with the camera to get to 55mm backfocus? Thanks!
Informative vid mate. I own asi533 camera as well. Can you please recommend Gain/offset for this camera? Scope f5. Bortle 6/7. I use celestron LP filter.
Currently using a DSLR thinking of getting a cam along these line. Been looking at the 183 and this one. I have the Altair starwave 115 F7 , 805mm Focal length using a .79 reducer/flattering. What would be your tips for which cam. I'm not going to buy it on your say so. Just a view as you've experience of them. Cheers. Top vid again top.
Recently purchased this camera. (ZWO ASI 533 mc Pro) also using ASI software to Operate the camera and settings. And successfully captured Saturn and the Sun. Both times all my images were Black and white with no color that I could tell.. is there a setting that is off or something that I am not turning on to achieve color with this camera.? Still kind of new to me. Any help is Appreciated.
Good choice there mate. The ASI Software I'm unfamiliar with. But it sounds like you need to go into the settings and tell it to debayer the images to RGGB format. Once you stack the images also you'll probably see colour appear. Though when you take videos of sun/moon planets etc also ensure its not capturing a mono video. May be some settings to look out for, again I'm unfamiliar with the software. If you still struggle send me a screenshot to my email
Awesome video! Thank you!! Silly question, but can you cool to a specific temperature with the 533? I appreciate you can drop the chip temperature by, say, 20C but can you cool to a set -10C? I'm just asking because Id like to know if I can make one master dark at -10C and just use the same callibration dark files for a while ;) Second question is, would you pick this over the 294MC Pro? Thanks so much for the video!!!
@@AstroFarsography I think the only reason they do not do this is, because they do not have a mono IMX sensor with similar size. So they are jumping on the ASI6200 on which they have a mono ... but the price is insane.
Hi Ruzeen, I got the 533 last month and using apt, do you connect through ascom driver or native in apt? I get n/a offset through ascom but shows up value through native connection
@@flexable9256 astronomy.tools and look for the CCD Suitability calculator. That's where I looked to get my figures. I don't necessarily have any links for further reading but there'll be lots on sites like Stargazers lounge and cloudy nights
Good to hear mate. You can use it on a 1370mm but without any reduction you'll have slight oversampling. Which means you'll need steady seeing and a very good mount. Also, the field of view is going to be very - very - tight. This camera has a 2.7x crop factor to consider. You'll get the core of M31, a star or two in M45 and that's about it
@@AstroFarsography Yea i took in consideration that i have an RC in fact and so i am planning to use it for far away dsos, i already saw it on astronomy tools , ofc closest dso such as Andromeda, pleiades or orion i won't be able to see almost anything if not sorta the core but i didn't know about the oversampling, is there anything i can do to fix that without buying a reducer?
I have this camera i am struggling to get it imaging correctly. Could you arrange some time to help me I will be glad to pay for your time? I would appreciate this cheers
I just purchased this camera. I tried it for the first time last night. The camera body got very hot when trying to cool. The fan was working and it started to cool but couldn't go down due the casing getting hot. And the temperature wouldn't stay constant. Have you had this issue with this camera i.e camera body getting hot? Thanks
Hmm I never had that issue. What sort of power are you using to it? The nature of thermal electric cooling could cause the body to warm a bit. How cold are you trying to get it and how hot is it outdoors?
@@AstroFarsography i was only trying to get it to -10 and it was 10°c out side and used the pegasus power box so should be fine. There is a definite fault with the camera I have. I have asked in various places and I seem to be the only person who has had this issue. I have now sent it back to the supplier for a replacement. Thanks for getting back to me
Yeah my problem is that i can not deside witch to order, the asi183mc or this one asi533mc, i have a skywatcher HEQ5 pro mount, skywatcher 72ED and a skywatcher 100ED and a skywatcher skymax 127, the two refactors have a focal length of 420 and 900 and the skymax a 1500 focal length, with the two refactors i do deepsky, and with the Mak i do planet's, so whats the best to buy, 183 or 533, please help, or i go crazy, maybe i already am 😜
Well I know the 183 sensor works nice with the 72ed as I used that combination before! However with such a wide range of scopes, if you're just looking for one camera to do them all okay then I'd probably go for the 533. The 183 will not be well sampled at 900mm let alone 1500mm. But it does have a lot of megapixels 😂 If it was me I think if I was happy with the field of view, then the 533mc pro
@@AstroFarsography yea thx for your response, i think u are wright, i did also think about that 533, and yea a square picture i can live with, only it has to be a nice one, i think no amp glow and very low noise will be nice, thats wy it think the 533 is de future and 183 is de past, and again thx for your answer, and do i love your video's, keep up the good work
Nice review and great images from the Evostar 80ED! Do you have much light pollution where you image from? I've got this camera on order from FLO and I'll also be using it with an Evostar 80ED, it'll be my first dedicated astro cam after messing about with a DSLR.
Hey there thanks for the comment. I have bortle 6 skies where I live. The Evostar 80ED is such a good scope. Punches well above its price tag I feel. You'll enjoy this combination for sure.
Shooting at 1260mm, currently DSLR, looking to an astro cam. Thoughts on this vs the 294? Also trying to understand gain vs ISO. Something like gain at 100, has no meaning because I have no reference. Any links to a good explanation? Thanks
At 1260mm with this camera will result in over sampling. I believe that, basically, means your image scale is so small and fine that you're going to need a very good mount and careful guiding. At that focal length the 294 is definitely the better match for the telescope. Samples correctly. I've not personally used the 294 though so I'm just going by the suitability calculator. astronomy.tools/calculators/ccd_suitability Gain is a measure of the camera's sensitivity almost. Similar to ISO. ISO is a measured value in stops and gain is a more flexible value. ISO also -should- be a standard measurement across any camera since it's from a organisation that designs standardized values. Higher gain is akin to higher ISO. Trying to compare them 1 for 1 isn't that straight forwards and I'm not going to pretend that I know all the ins and outs of it really. I found this article which made sense to me www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2547876 I hope this helps!
@@AstroFarsography Thanks for the reply. I think the 294 is better overall fit. I will do some more reading on the gain. I am not rushing to get the astro cam, going to stick with the DSLR for now, but at some point will get something. Cheers
Im using the asi2600 at 1200mm and 980mm. Works fine. Seems to be the same technology as the 533. Same pixel size in an APS-C formate (more megapixels). Also back illuminated zero amp glow, but 16bit.
I really like the look of this camera, especially the zero amp glow and am tempted by the FLO summer sale right now. I shoot with a Z61 (360mm). Is oversampling really going to be an issue when it's so close to the 388mm min you mention in the vid? Seeing is generally pretty good here in Wilts (Bortle 4-5).
Altair was a very good camera, sensitive and huge megapixels. Better for shorter focal lengths than this but suffered mad amp glow/starburst that I could only ever calibrate out using AstroPixel Processor. It also has small wells so it's more suitable for lots of 2-3minute exposures. I was looking at both the ASI183 and this 533 to buy the other day and j settled on the 533 due to the amp glow and sensitivity plus more versatile pixel size
@@AstroFarsography Thanks for the quick reply. We really do appreciate everything you and the others are doing to help introduce us to this new (to me) hobby. Having never done any DSLR photography previously I am not familiar with "wells" but based on this comment, it sounds like the deeper they are, the longer exposure time is possible. According to Highpoint Scientific both are rated for the same 2000 seconds "maximum exposure" which is why I thought these two may be more closely matched but it now sounds like you are saying that was not the case IRL then, right? My objective for this color camera is more for showing others relatively quickly (e.g. be able to show friends and family what a 3-5 minute image) actually looks like 4 minutes after it is taken rather than hours later after processing. So perhaps for this quick "turn around" friends and family function perhaps I should just go cheaper with either a ASI385MC or even one of the Altair Hypercam 178MC models and buy a separate higher-end cooled mono camera for the longer duration stacking efforts that I would be doing late at night without an audience.
