ZWO ASI533MC Pro FULL Review 6 months on | Watch Before You Buy

I've had the ZWO ASI533MC Pro OSC camera for over 6 months now and have used it for several imaging sessions, so it's time for a review! This is a really capable OSC camera, with no amp glow, but is that small square sensor a deal breaker?
I love this camera and will be using this for a very long time. Which one would you choose?
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[@AstroExploring]

Apologies if you can see flickering on the wall behind me. I've bought a new camera and my smart light caused the flicker, I've amended the settings so it won't happen again 😀

[@redbeardthepilot3168]

Thanks for the review! The low amp glow artifacts is a bonus for the sensor, even if we can 'manage' amp glow through dark frame calibration. Calibrating out amp glow helps from a cosmetic stand point, but reduces the dynamic range in the regions affected.

[@LamboPhoto]

Great timing, Nick. At this very point in time, I am having this debate. Very helpful, thank you 👍

[@DSOImager]

The 533 is a great camera. FOV wise the 183 and 533 are pretty much the same.. the 294 does get you a larger FOV. I think that's the biggest advantage it offers over the 533 but the 533 has the latest tech.. and its data is super clean. I've done a lot of 2 panel mosaics with the 533... solves all the possible issues one might have with the square image :)

[@AstroExploring]

Mosaics are a great solution 👍🏻

[@ballage2023]

also square images great for instagram :)

[@astronebulee578]

Great video Nick, really enjoyed it. I have gone for the 294 and was delivered last week, so hoping the skies are clearing for me this week to try it out. As you know I was weighing up the 533 and 294 but the bigger sensor won me over and what I could fit in the FOV with my sw 72ed. As you've said the amp glow can be callibrated out with darks. Never really considered the 183 as it was a straight shootout between the 533 and 294 for me but happy I've got the 294 now and great step up from my unmodded Canon 600D. That's a great tip on placing the bag over the camera whilst still set up and shall be doing this too. Keep up the great work and look forward to your next video 👍

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Lee. Best of luck with the 294!

[@Westlake]

Thanks Nick for your review on the 533MC Pro.

[@AstroExploring]

No problem!

[@robertsipes7391]

Yeah, I was amazed that a lot of the high-end GoTo telescopes do not come with a power supply either. Think how disappointed I was when I received my 11-inch SCT and couldn't use it until I purchased a 12-volt adapter! Thanks for sharing this review, I'm in the market for a dedicated astronomy camera. This really helps.

[@syedawais]

Great review. Thanks. Quick question. Did you use the filter drawer with a DSLR also? I have a Canon 750D and RP and would like to get this. If you know please do guide where I can. Thanks.

[@boaty1968]

My first cooled Astro camera absolutely love it , use with a 350mm fl and a 1000fl, Put a filter wheel on so I can switch between L Extreme filter and a clear filter when required,Square sensor saves cropping .

[@blackice5649]

Thanks for the great video! Several comments about losing dynamic range when using calibration frames to get rid of amp glow on the 294 - is this really true?

[@ScottDavies]

Great information and imaging Nick 😉👏👍

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Scott!

[@dafyddwyncharles7521]

Thanks for the great review! I'm saving up to get my first dedicated astro cam, but still can't decide between the 294 and the 533. I'll have to decide between no amp glow vs bigger fov

[@AstroExploring]

It’s a tough one, in an ideal world I’d have both 😂

[@yervantparnagian5999]

Good review! I'm considering my first dedicated Astrocam right now. It's not an easy choice really. I have pretty much narrowed it down to the 533 and 294. I like the higher resolution and bigger pixels of the 294. Like you said, Amp glow can be calibrated out. My question is: When does the amp glow occur? Is it always there or does it come out after a specific exposure time? The 533's square sensor is really a limiting factor only if one combines the camera with a long focal length telescope. Keeping the 533 on my 60mm would work well as I would still be able to crop to a specific aspect ratio without cutting out the image. On my 102mm scope, I could get some really nice closeups for detail. I think the choice comes down to how many scopes or what FL scope a person has. That will ultimately determine what camera to buy. Keep up the good work.

[@astrophotonics9470]

Grabbed one of these when they first came out... Nice cam, squared format takes some getting use to.

[@jiffijoff9780]

Interesting review. I couldn't decide for which ZWO camera to chose and finally ended up with Altair 269C Pro instead. Wonderful device, no ampglow, 20mp, 3.3um pixel size on an m43 sensor. I find that to be the sweet spot in pixel size vs. sensor size vs. resolution. Of course everyones mileage may vary... 😊💪👍

[@AstroExploring]

The 269 is a superb camera! Great choice

[@davidaylsworth8964]

Having purchased my copy of the 533 in May 2021 I enjoyed watching your review of this camera model. No amp glow was a huge draw for me and the 533 has not disappointed. The square sensor isn’t as much of detractor to me. Coming from a DSLR form factor to the square required some adjustments but overall it’s been a pleasant experience. I think there’s a corollary to aperture fever that applies to sensor sizes too. I’ll still use this camera even when I do eventually get another one.

[@sevenskiesastro]

Hello. Yes I have the 533 and same dilemma. But with the skywatcher 72ed image scale was ok but the amp glow done it for me. No need for darks just dark flats/flats for calibration. Square sensor I quite like for framing and if doing mosai s

[@tomroberts3851]

Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for your awesome content, I only just found your channel a few days ago and I'm really enjoying a British take on things! I went with the 533 a few years back and I love it. The only criticism I'd have is I get a lot more noise in my darks than is shown in the darks in the manuals, tonnes of hot pixels. Like you say though, these can be removed with a good master dark. Thanks again, keep at it!!! Tom (Brum, bortle 7, UK)

[@TonyNeat]

I've had the 533 in my FLO favourites for a while. Now I'm ready to take the plunge I did some more research. Now I feel the 183 PRO is going to be better for me given that I plan to use the Redcat 51 which has a 250mm focal length. I just hope I've understood all the research and am doing the right thing 😬

[@alphaadhito]

Thank you, a very nice detailed review. Yeah, I think it's a bummer for them not including power adapter but probably they just want to save space by not including an adapter in the box. Idk I haven't tested the camera yet (just arrived last week but, thank you clouds!) but I think the square sensor would perfectly framed galaxies. Can't wait to try it out :)

[@astrocarone9671]

Awesome review Nick! I use the 183MC, it's a great camera!

[@AstroExploring]

You were one of the ones I was thinking of when I was talking about the 183 🙂

[@astrocarone9671]

@@AstroExploring Thank you so much!

[@jwastroimaging2711]

Great video. They do bung a few power leads in with the ASIAir Plus so hopefully one of those might do the job. I've heard the 533 is more forgiving of guide errors and might therefore be a great match with a guided Star Adventurer and a small refractor?.

[@AstroExploring]

I think it would be a great pairing with a Star Adventurer. Especially if used with something like the Rokinon 135mm

[@MazzifLOL]

I chose the 183 based on the fact its pixel size best pairs with my focal length, so Im less likely to over/under sample.

[@valentinotera3244]

Has sense do narrowband with a AR color camera? At least H-alpha region.

[@davidletz9123]

What focal length telescopes are a good match for this camera?

[@jamesw5713]

Really dumb question, with the light frame comparison between a DSLR and the cooled ZWO, how do you tell the difference between noise, and faint stars? Me as a novice, id just assume it was stars lol

[@mattsbackyardastro]

Awesome review! Im starting to lean toward the 533 more, no amp glow, and that image you took of the North America Nebula is brilliant, it is framed up nicely. Have you tried to print any of your images you have taken with the 533? Was just wondering how that might work out. Thanks for the review it definitely is helping me decide on my first astro cam!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Matt! I haven’t printed any of the images yet but I had planned to just to see how they turned out. I’ve never printed any of my images but I would assume because of the small sensor the size of print is quite limited

[@CDigata]

have you tried it with less than 380mm fl?

[@DavesAstrophotography]

There's just so many choices🤔 I have two 2600mc's already and was needing another camera but didn't want another one the same and didn't want to go too high, so after much head scratching I went with the 533. Be interesting to see how I get on with the square sensor, but don't think it will be much off an issue as you say.

[@AstroExploring]

You’ll love the 533. You can always do a mosaic to get around the square sensor 🙂

[@nman2563]

I think the answer to the power supply is straight forward and obvious. There are so many different ways users will power their camera that a power supply will most likely be left unused. Having a large bin in my house full of orphaned cables and power supplies I'm all for this.

[@moemode]

I literally sitting on my bed counting my money for 533 or 294 . Lol. Honest and good review. The sq sensor on 533 is putting me off , and I think it's a slightly better camera for a newbie like me .ill do more research on these two cameras while saving . Love the videos mate 👌.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks, I appreciate that 😃

[@MikeHammer1]

The square aspect ratio of the CMOS makes more sense when you consider that the image it receives from the optics wastes less of the light over a wide format CMOS. The 533 would be my first choice, but stock of all astrophotography cameras is near non-existent, so I am looking for a Canon T6i body in lightly used condition instead. Currently using a T1i on an Orion ED80T-CF Triplet.

[@AstroExploring]

I’m not sure where you’re based but FLO currently have the 183, 533 and 294 in stock but if you’re based out of the UK then the shipping charges might be expensive

[@MikeHammer1]

@@AstroExploring I'm an East Coast (NJ) Yank. And the price of the 533 is a bit of an issue for me (personal issue, and I am not poor). Another option I considered is a mirrorless DSLR, but for some reason they are way overpriced when compared to their much more complex, mirrored, counterparts of similar photographic capability.

[@jezrougan]

Im still saving for the Atik 26200 with a 3.5K price tag... it will still be a while away yet...

[@HogarthsAstrophotography]

Nice review. The power supply or lack of isn’t to do with zwo expecting people to have ASIAIR Pros/Plus. They have had powered cameras well before these existed without providing a supply. Personally for me I power my cams from a Pegasus pocket power box meaning I don’t have to work out where to have a standard 12v psu when imaging. So didn’t bother me when I got my 2600.

[@AstroExploring]

I let my cynicism take over sometimes 🙂 I had the same thing when I ordered my RPi, a 3 pin plug with USB C was an extra cost. It’s annoying, but I get it

[@tonyleece6381]

I was miffed about the lack of power supply too mate, then i realised that the asiair are also power hubs, so sales of these devices may be effected if zwo give power supplies with there cameras :(

[@rpg350]

Great video, I own this camera but I'm struggling with noise a lot , living in small town my temp sensor is on -20 C and using IDAS NBZ Nebula Booster Filter any suggestions or tips.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks! Do you take calibration frames? My lights are quite clean but using darks makes the final stack much better

[@rpg350]

@AstroExploring Thank you for your response, yes I do calibration frames usually 20 each darks , bias and flats, I don't know if I should try to do longer exposure like 900 , is probably very unlikely that is something wrong with the camera. Perhaps I could send you some pictures if you have email to send to ?

[@AstroExploring]

@@rpg350 [e-mail]

[@user-lt9py2pu6u]

I use Altair cameras which come with a 12v power supply. To be honest I would prefer if they were like ZWO and supplied spacers for correct back focus instead. (I usually power the camera from my Eagle control unit so only require the supplied unit as a back up) I personally like the square field of view given by the 533 sensor, to be honest I often crop the images I take with my 183 camera so they're square anyway. I like both of these cameras, I think these days most of the well known brands are producing decent models, they mostly use the same Sony sensors anyway for a given size.

[@alexandrarosa264]

Why does the 294 cost more than the 533?

[@ronmac1832]

The coma outside of a square image on my SCT make a square sensor ideal for me ... but computer screens aren't square. What a conundrum!

[@robertsipes7391]

Yeah, like with my SCT. I spent $3,000 for it and had to purchase a 12-volt adapter sepsarately.

[@SKYST0RY]

Regarding your thoughts at 6:30, I think ZWO does try to push everyone into their ecosystem. It's a major reason I don't usually use their equipment.

[@phcalama]

Unfortunately you shouldn't plug the MC533MC-P to the ASIAir Plus for power. - the current draw to too high.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks, I didn’t realise that!

[@albutt7132]

Has no effect for me. Plug 533mc pro into asiair+ together with 2x Kendrick dew heaters with splitter cable. with no problems. I use a Jackery 240.

[@kk-GUK]

Yes it is a fab camera, get it to a dark sky sight and the images are just magic. Surprised you run at -15 degrees, be careful of dew. Never run mine below 0 degrees.

[@chrisoriordan6975]

I’ve just bought the 533 and it’s great, as well as this video check out Cuiv’s review if you are thinking about one and you’ll be sold

[@romans9249]

8:33 - if £100 is a constraint, astro photography or astronomy as a whole is the wrong hobby. I would like to correct you, as price or sensor crop factor is not the main difference between 183, 533 and 294. Mainly, the difference is pixel size. 183 has the smallest pixel size out of the three cameras, which means it’s the most suitable for wide field scopes 200-400mm, whereas 533 pixel size is ideal for 360-800mm, and 294 has the largest pixel size which is best suited for longer focal lengths. if you use 533 or 294 on e.g redact, you will end up with oversampled stars, i.e. lower resolution image.

[@MrMartillo20Lbs]

That's a nifty Nintendo 64 lurking there in the background.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks! There’s actually 2 but only one is in shot 😃 there’s also a SNES out of shot

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

I do not understand why this camera is called a one inch camera. It has a diagonal of about 16 millimeters, but an inch is somewhat more than 25 millimeters.

[@RainerGigachad]

Correction: Amp-Glow can't be simply calibrated out. Dynamic range in the Amp-Glow region is always reduced, no matter what. There's no such thing as free lunch.

[@ianbryant2142]

Doggo @ 2:07!!!! 🦮

[@AstroExploring]

Wasn’t sure if anyone would spot that!

[@Psychlist1972]

If it came with a power supply, I'd never use it. My camera is powered through 12v distribution on the scope itself. When in the field, on a battery, this is even more important, because converting DC to AC to 12v DC again has a lot of loss.

[@Neanderthal75]

I have both the 533 and the 183, although I got the QHY version of 183. I got 183 about a year ago with a big mark off deal, I think I paid $600 (US) for it which is amazingly good price if you look at camera prices. To be totally honest, while I had the 183 longer and of course I made more pictures with it, many times it's hard to choose which camera to go with. Just saying, both sensors are good. The only reason I'd stick with ZWO versions if I would re-buy it, is because QHY had drivers issues in the past (and disconnections) and the QHY camera can be loud, as it seems the fan always running near at max speed. Not an issue for me, who goes inside and leaves the telescope alone after setup. Advantages of the QHY183 is its capability to cool down much lower temps than the 533. Comes very handy during summer. Also at 2.4 qm sensor pitch the 183 can produce some very sharp images if used correctly. Also the 183 (QHY version) comes with a UV/IR sensor glass, so the camera is ready to image out of the box, and if I remember correctly it came with a power supply as well. For absolute beginners though I would still rather recommend the 533 over the 183. The 183 could cause some headaches regarding what gain or how long to expose, since it doesn't have a deep well depth, it's about 1/3 of the size of the 533. That means you could expose much longer with the 533 without blowing out the stars, so it's more forgiving to newbies, not fully understanding exposure times and gain and so on. Also just another extra, the 533 is also an excellent planetary camera as I have tested it and took shots of Jupiter and Saturn past summer. The square sensor and low noise helps a lot to frame those planets and you don't even need to plug in any power supply, just the USB cable to the laptop. I tried the 183 too, not saying it's worse, but the 533 is really easy to work with, just feels reliable and easy to use.

[@fredmercury1314]

6:42 Square images are just rectangular images that you haven't cropped yet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ What would you do if you had a rectangular sensor that was zoomed in too close on a nebula? You're still losing the top and bottom of the image but it's being cropped for you and there's nothing you can do about it...

[@randallpatrickc]

Music - ugh

[@kekedong]

900 pound for533 in UK？shocking

[@muhdiversity7409]

lose the music. It provides no value and is distracting.

[@NoxusGr01]

Great review, thanks! But honestly your cons were my pros because I think power supplies are redundant because 99% of your customers have something to plug in the DC port on the camera (minipc, PSU etc.) and I think also that the square sensor frame the celestial objects much better than a panoramic one! But hey, to each their own!