ZWO ASI183MC Pro Cooled Colour 4/3" CMOS USB 3.0 Deep Sky Imaging Camera

The new ZWO ASI183 has lots of astro photo potential with its 84% QE peak, 20.18Mega pixels resolution, 15000e full well, 1.6e read noise, 19FPS at full resolution. Each feature means a new possibility!

Although comes with some similar features, don't be confused, this is not to replace the already well established ASI1600 series; read the below article to get a better understanding of its main area of "expertise" and see if it is the ASI183 or ASI1600 that would fit your telescope setup better. Shortly, this camera would very well fit small, fast ED doublet or triplet apochromats, achromates and small, fast Newtonian telescopes.

(fast means small number in the focal ratio, i.e. f/4, f/5, so that exposure times can be much shorter than with an f/8 or f/10 instrument, hence it's called fast)

Diagonal size 15.86 mm, approx. 20.48M effective Pixel count (available with Monochrome or Color CMOS Image Sensor)

High-Speed and High-Picture-Quality Rolling Shutter-Type Back-Illuminated CMOS Image Sensors
In the astronomic application field, the Sony IMX183CLK-J (monochrome) and IMX183CQJ-J (color) sensors use a very high sensitivity back-illuminated structure with high resolution 2.4 μm square unit pixel.

The optical size is 1 inch. (don't worry about this if you don't know what it means...it's a historic figure, the main thing to know is that the diagonal size is 15.86mm)

DDR Memory Buffer
The ASI183 Pro camera includes a 256MB DDR3 memory buffer to help improve data transfer reliability. Additionally, the use of a memory buffer minimizes amp-glow, which is caused by the slow transfer speeds when the camera is used with a USB 2.0 port.

In addition to few minor mechanical differences, the DDR memory buffer is the main difference between ASI “Cool” and “Pro” cameras.

Astrophotography Performance
The ASI183 cameras has a very large full well capacity（15000e） for such small pixel size, 1.6e read noise @ 30dB and 12stops dynamic range @ Gain=0.

The ASI183 cameras also utilize firmware features to minimize amplifier glow for maximum performance in astrophotography.

Reliable Mechanics
ASI183 Pro has same mechanical construction as the ASI1600 PRO. There are four screws that seal the sensor chamber. Our camera design has been extensively tested and is very reliable.

Even when used in high humidity environments, the ASI183 PRO will still work fine without dewing up problems.

High Speed
Fast FPS can be used in solar and lunar imaging, as well as for live viewing/EAA.The high speed readout may also be used for real-time focusing, true lucky imaging of double stars and other small objects, planetary imaging of the major planets in the solar system, and much more.

10Bit ADC
5496×3672 19fps
3840×2160 41.04fps
1920×1080 80.10fps
1280×720 117.30fps
12bit ADC
5496×3672 19fps
3840×2160 36.12fps
1920×1080 70.48fps
1280×720 103.23fps

High Quantum Efficiency
Sony’s back-illuminated Exmor R technology, giving it excellent Deep Sky performance. ASI183 QE peak reaches a remarkable 84%. In Ha channel, QE is still over 60%.

Having high QE means more of the light that enters your telescope and reaches the sensor is actually used. With 84% peak Q.E. and no less than ~50% within the visible spectrum, the ASI183 will utilize a high percentage of the light that reaches it, improving your signal quality.

USB 3.0 Port & USB2.0 HUB
USB 3.0 Port: Provide 5Gb bandwidth to make it possible for ASI183 Pro to run at 19 fps (12bit, normal mode) or 19 fps (10bit, high speed mode) at full resolution(20.18Mega).

Recommended cooler power supply: 12V @ 3-5A (or more) DC adapter (2.1×5.5mm, center pole positive). Also suitable: DC battery with 9-15V.

Using a battery with 9-15V is also suitable for the cooler power supply.

USB 2.0 HUB: can connect with various accessories, such as filter wheel, guide camera and electronic focuser, so you can better manage your cables. The ASI183 Pro includes two short 0.5m USB 2.0 cables. The integrated USB 2.0 hub is powered by the external power source if you connect one.

Drivers and Software:
You can find the latest camera drivers and links to many DSO and Planetary capture software on the manufacturer's website. Please make sure the most up-to-date driver and software has been installed before you start shooting:

https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/software/

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

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