ZWO ASI715MC User manual

Planetary Camera ASI715MC
Product Manual
Thank you so much for purchasing ZWO ASI camera! Before using the product, please read this manual carefully.
All materials related to this publication are subject to change without notice and its copyright totally belongs to
Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.

Contents
1 Product Introduction........................................................................................................................1
2 Notice for Use .................................................................................................................................. 3
3 Getting to Know Your Camera......................................................................................................... 4
3.1 External View......................................................................................................................... 4
3.2 Camera Specifications............................................................................................................5
3.3 Quantum Efficiency & Read Noise .........................................................................................6
3.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)......................................................................................... 8
3.5 Power consumption...............................................................................................................8
4 What’s in the Box?........................................................................................................................... 9
5 Structural Dimension Diagram.........................................................................................................9
6 Connection Methods..................................................................................................................... 10
7 Warranty........................................................................................................................................ 11
8 Servicing .........................................................................................................................................12

1
1 Product Introduction
Color Camera with Small Pixels
ASI715MC is a sensitive color camera with a 1/2.8" sensor and 8.46MP resolution. With the Sony STARVIS
technology, this camera has very low read noise (0.72e) and ultra-high sensitivity, making it ideal for astronomical
imaging of the planets and smaller deep-sky objects and also for microscope photography
Also, thanks to the 1.45μm small pixel size and 4k resolution, this camera offers very sharp object details in use
even without a Barlow lens.
STARVIS
ASI715MC adopts SONY STARVIS CMOS sensor. It has an amazing feature of zero amp glow, and also a great
sensitivity in NIR wavelength.

2
High Speed Transmission
ASI715MC is equipped with a USB 3.0 transmission port and a built-in 256MB DDR cache to ensure stable and
secure data transmission.
USB 3.0 Port & ST4 Guide
USB 3.0 Port: Provides 5Gbps bandwidth to allow ASI715MC to run at 45.1fps (10bit, high speed mode).
ST4 Port: Can be used to connect with the auto guide port of mount for guiding.

3
2 Notice for Use
Before using the camera, please read this manual carefully.
Note that the camera can only be used and stored under the following conditions. Usages out of the environment
limits might lead to damage to the camera.
Storage temperature
-20°C ~ 60°C
Storage humidity
20% ~ 95%
Working temperature
-5℃~ 50℃
Working humidity
20% ~ 80%
Please do not use corrosive solutions to clean the camera to avoid corroding the oxide layer on the surface and
damaging the camera. Meanwhile, please do not keep the camera exposed to the sun for a long time to avoid
discoloration of the oxide layer on the camera surface.

4
3 Getting to Know Your Camera
3.1 External View
① USB 3.0/2.0 port
② ST4 guide port
③ AR protective window (D21x1.1mm)
④ 1/4” screw for fixing the camera to the tripod

5
3.2 Camera Specifications
Sensor
Sony-IMX715
Sensor format
Type 1/2.8
Diagonal
6.43mm
Resolution
8.46MP (3864x2192)
Pixel size
1.45µm
Sensor size
5.602mmx3.178mm
Fast frame rate
45.1fps
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure range
32μs~2000s
Read noise
0.72-2.1e([email protected] gain)
QE peak
80%
Full well capacity
6.03Ke
ADC
12bit
USB interface
USB 3.0 / USB 2.0 Type-B
Adapters
1.25″/2″/M42x0.75
Protect window
φ21-1.1 AR
Dimension
62mm
Weight
126g
Back focus distance
12.5mm
Supported OS
WIN7/8/10 32&64、Linux、Mac

6
3.3 Quantum Efficiency & Read Noise
Quantum Efficiency
QE curve and read noise are very important parameters to measure the camera's performance. Higher QE and
lower read noise are necessary to improve the image signal-to-noise ratio.
According to our estimation, the QE peak value of ASI715MC is about 80%.

7
Read Noise
Read noise contains pixel noise, circuit noise and ADC noise. The lower the read noise is, the better.
ASI715MC’s read noise is very low. And with the gain value going high, the read noise goes lower and lower.

8
3.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
ASI715 records in 12bit ADC and 10bit ADC. You can image at a faster frame rate if you use 10bit ADC (high speed
mode). You may also set an ROI if you want even faster frame rates. Below are the maximum speeds of ASI715
running at different USB transmission modes.
3.5 Power consumption
All ASI cameras have low power consumption. ASI715 is no exception. When it is powered with a USB cable, the
max power consumption is only 1.36W.
Resolution
USB 3.0
USB 2.0
12BIT ADC
10BIT ADC
12BIT ADC
10BIT ADC
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
3864*2192
23.3fps
38.0fps
45.1fps
2.05fps
4.1fps
4.1fps
1920*1080
75.1fps
75.1fps
89.1fps
8.4fps
16.7fps
16.7fps
1280*720
109.7fps
109.7fps
130.2fps
18.8fps
37.6fps
37.6fps
640*480
158.3fps
158.3fps
188.1fps
56.4fps
113fps
113fps
320*240
285.1fps
285.1fps
338.7fps
226.6fps
285.1fps
338.6fps

9
4 What’s in the Box?
Equipped with a 2m USB cable that can be used to connect the computer and the camera for guiding.
Note: Please take off the self-contained lens on the top of the camera if you want to use the camera for
astrophotography.
5 Structural Dimension Diagram

10
6 Connection Methods
① 1.25” T-mount
② 1.25” filter (optional)

11
7 Warranty
1. ZWO will provide a 2-year free warranty service (Warranty Period) for ZWO products purchased by Users from
ZWO (“Products”) in accordance with this Policy, commencing on the day following receipt of the Products by
Users. For ASIAIR Plus users, commencing on the day of device activation.
2. If a User encounters the following Dead on Arrival (DOA) and contacts ZWO within the corresponding time limit
to issue the Product purchase invoice and relevant evidence, ZWO will provide door-to-door pick-up service and,
as appropriate, after-sale replacement (or partial replacement), repair or return (or partial return) service for the
following Products:
1) Product quality problem
Provided that a User detects a quality problem and contacts ZWO within 180 days after receipt of the Products,
and ZWO support team confirms that the Products indeed have a quality problem or defect after their inspection,
ZWO will provide free replacement service towards such Products;
2) Product transportation problem
Provided that a User finds obvious signs of bubbling, serious overstocking, or deformation on the outer package
of the Products upon receipt of the Products, and provides ZWO with pictures of the outer package and proof of
receipt within 3 days after receipt of such Products, ZWO support team will verify the actual shipper and
determine the responsible party for such transportation problem. In the event that ZWO is the actual shipper,
ZWO will be responsible for providing the relevant return or replacement service, however, if the Products are
directly sold or transported to the User by an agent of ZWO, the agent will be responsible for providing the
relevant return or replacement service.
3) Any quality problem with the accessories or other parts of the Products is not a condition for the return or
change of the Products, and the User may solely request to replace the accessories with new ones, which shall be
handled after verification by ZWO support team.
3. If the Products are under the following circumstances, they are not within the scope of warranty service. ZWO
may provide maintenance services to the Users:
1) The Warranty Period of the Products has expired;
2) The Products are injected into liquid or affected by moisture or corrosion;
3) The Products are damaged by an external force (such as the broken of the camera protection window glass, the
deformation of the product shell, the broken of the USB port, etc.);
4) Disassembling, repairing by a third party, refurbishment of the Products (such as downloading erroneous
firmware) without the written authorization of ZWO;
5) The product system is modified, or the maintenance notice is lost or changed;
6) Product quality problem caused by installation not following the requirements or instructions for the Products;
7) Physical damage or failure of the Products caused by the force majeure (such as strong vibration or extrusion
such as flood, fire, earthquake, or thunder stroke);
8) Damage caused by the improper User operation during the period of shooting or use, such as using without
the equipment protection or direct shooting of the sun;
9) No valid purchase invoice or warranty certificate;
10) The Products are second-hand products.

12
8 Servicing
For software upgrades, please refer to “Guide & Manuals” on our official website.
https://www.zwoastro.com/guides-and-manuals/
For repairs and consultation, you can visit here:
https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
Email: [e-mail].
Phone: [phone]
1. For the normal repair or replacement of the Products during the Warranty Period, the User will bear the return
cost. When returning the Products, Users shall specify the actual reasons for the damage to the Products, and
shall provide the corresponding valid certificates, such as pictures or videos, etc.
For the Products that need to be replaced after being confirmed by ZWO in writing, the User shall return the
Products with the complete package, together with all accessories, manuals, etc., to the address designated by
ZWO.
By sending back the product to ZWO, the User agrees to pay out-of-warranty fees that may arise during the repair
process of the product. ZWO will send back the product after charging.
2. For the Products that need to be returned for after-sales service, ZWO will provide the corresponding RMA
code for reference. ZWO will not accept any products having no RMA code that have been returned privately
without ZWO written confirmation.
3. If a User purchases the ZWO Products from a ZWO agent, the User may contact the ZWO agent directly for the
relevant after-sales service.