Some people know what they want just by looking at ZWO ASI cameras, but when shopping for dedicated astrophotography cameras, it’s important to look at the label for details you might miss that are crucial to what you’re shopping for.
Here is a breakdown of ZWO naming convention rules and what the letters and numbers mean as placed side by side.
Letters and Numbers in ZWO Camera Names
All ZWO ASI cameras names start with ASI, this is the camera brand name. Next you will see a numerical value describing the camera type. The numerical value represents either the total pixels or sensor type. The numbers are followed by two letters, in various orders, but either M or C. When the first letter is M this means the camera has a CMOS sensor. When the first letter is C it means the camera has a CCD sensor, although this is never used.
Most importantly, if the second letter following the numbers is “M” it means it has a monochrome sensor, and if it is “C” it means it has a color sensor.
The last part of the ZWO ASI camera name will be either Pro, Cooled, GT, or have no suffix. Let’s take a look at their differences. A Pro camera is a cooled camera with a DD3R buffer. When the suffix says “cool” it means that the camera is a cooled camera but has no buffer. When the camera name ends with GT this means that the ZWO ASI camera is an all-in-one cooled camera DD3R. Finally no suffix means uncooled camera and no buffer.
For a visual reference check out the chart below.
Whichever you choose, these cameras make great options for their price points and the specs they provide. Let us know what you think about ZWO astronomy cameras in the comments below!
