ZWO

ZWO ASI585MC Pro

Name: ZWO ASI585MC Pro
Brand: ZWO

A cooled colour camera on the modern IMX585, very high sensitivity and low read noise in a compact, affordable body that shines for both deep-sky and live-view EAA.

86/ 100

Polaris Score

#5 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

See the breakdown ↓

Camera Type

PlanetaryDeep sky

A versatile cooled colour camera: sensitive enough for deep-sky nebulae and galaxies, and fast and responsive enough for live-view EAA.

Type

One-shot colour

Cooling

−35°C below ambient

Pixel Size

2.9µm

Read noise

0.9 e⁻

Resolution

8.3 MP · 3840×2160

Sensor

Sony IMX585 · 1/1.2"

From$399

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The frame it captures

Same camera. Different telescope. A completely different photograph.

A camera has no field of view of its own, the telescope in front of it decides everything. Pick a target and watch the same 8.3-megapixel frame become three different images.

RedCat 51

250 mm · f/4.9

FOV 2.6° × 1.4°

Fills the frame edge to edge, the classic full-galaxy portrait.

Esprit 100ED

550 mm · f/5.5

FOV 1.2° × 0.66°

Overflows frame

Only the bright core fits; the spiral arms spill off the sensor.

EdgeHD 8

2032 mm · f/10

FOV 0.32° × 0.18°

Overflows frame

Only the bright core fits; the spiral arms spill off the sensor.

Explore any telescope in the Simulator →

01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

The IMX585 is highly sensitive with very low read noise and essentially no amp glow

Best at

✓The IMX585 is highly sensitive with very low read noise and essentially no amp glow

✓Deep cooling makes it a real long-exposure deep-sky camera, not just an EAA tool

✓Strong near-infrared response opens up dust and hydrogen detail

✓Small, light and affordable, an easy camera to travel and learn with

Trade-offs

!The 1/1.2-inch sensor sees a smaller field than APS-C

!A 12-bit ADC has less tonal depth than the 16-bit cameras

!Long exposures still need a tracking mount and, ideally, guiding

02In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

Sony IMX585 · 8.3MP · 2.9µm · −35°C below ambient

SensitivityVery high

IMX585, very high QE

Quantum efficiency is the fraction of arriving photons the sensor actually records. A high figure means shorter exposures for the same signal, which is what makes this sensor popular for electronically assisted observing where you want an image within seconds.

Read noiseExcellent

About 0.9 e⁻

Very low read noise means faint detail survives in short subframes, so a stack of thirty-second exposures can rival much longer ones. It also suits live stacking, where each frame is brief by design.

SensorCompact

1/1.2 inch, 11.2 × 6.3 mm

Smaller than APS-C, so the field is narrower and large nebulae will not fit at longer focal lengths. Pair it with a short refractor and the compact sensor becomes an advantage, since corner correction is easy.

Pixel sizeFine

2.9 µm

Small pixels sample finely, which suits short focal lengths and good seeing. At long focal lengths they oversample, spreading the same light over more pixels and lengthening exposures for no extra detail.

CoolingDeep

Regulated TEC

The Pro designation is the cooling, and it is what separates this from the uncooled version: thermal noise drops sharply and the sensor holds a repeatable temperature for reusable calibration frames.

03Typical targets

What it shines on.

The Orion Nebula (M42), The Eastern Veil Nebula, The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)

Excellent

The Orion Nebula (M42)

The sensitive sensor builds the bright core and faint wings quickly.

Comes alive

The Eastern Veil Nebula

Strong sensitivity pulls the delicate filaments from a dark sky.

Excellent

The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)

Bright and compact, a great match for the small, sensitive sensor.

04Build your imaging rig

Everything you'd actually buy.

Capture · Track · Frame

Capture

The scope that forms the image

William Optics RedCat 71 APO

A short, fast Petzval that matches this compact sensor for wide fields.

Track

What holds it steady

A tracking equatorial mount

Cooled long exposures reward accurate tracking; add guiding for the best stars.

Frame

Pull signal from the sky

A dual-band filter

Isolates emission nebulae so they stand out from light-polluted skies.

05The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

86/100 · #5 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

86/ 100

ZWO ASI585MC Pro

#5 of 8 colour deep-sky cameras

A very sensitive, low-noise modern sensor in an affordable, portable cooled body. Held back only by a smaller field and 12-bit depth versus the APS-C cameras.

Image quality

Low-light sensitivity

Ease of use

Value

Polaris weighs how well the camera does the job it was designed for — image quality, sensitivity, versatility and value — never list price or brand.

06Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Imagers who want a sensitive, affordable cooled colour camera

Buy it if you

✓Imagers who want a sensitive, affordable cooled colour camera

✓EAA observers who also want to do proper deep-sky integration

✓People pairing it with a short, fast telescope for a portable rig

Look elsewhere if you

!Imagers who need the largest field of an APS-C or full-frame sensor

!Those wanting 16-bit depth for the smoothest gradients

!Mono narrowband specialists chasing the deepest detail

07The numbers

Full specifications.

18 measured and stated values

Sensor

ModelSony IMX585

TypeCMOS · 1/1.2"

Megapixels8.3

Pixel Size2.9µm

Bit depth12-bit ADC

Noise & sensitivity

Read noise0.9 e⁻

Full well40,000 e⁻

Peak QE~91%

Dynamic range13 stops

Cooling

Cooling−35°C below ambient

Connectivity & fit

InterfaceUSB 3.0

Weight0.46 kg

More

cooledtrue

Sensor Height6.3mm

Sensor Width11.2mm

Editor’s Take

The IMX585 is one of the most sensitive modern colour sensors, with almost no amp glow and excellent near-infrared response. In a cooled body it makes a genuinely versatile camera, small enough to travel, sensitive enough for real deep-sky work, and quick enough for electronically assisted astronomy.