ZWO ASI290MM
For guiding and moon/planetary work, smaller sensor cameras with higher frame-rates are often required. An early addition to the observatory for this purpose was the ZWO ASI290MM. Just like the ASI1600MM, also the ASI290MM has been a very popular camera over the years. It has small 2.9 micron pixels. But contributing especially to its popularity was the super fast frame rate of 170 fps.
Cameras like the ASI290MM have a very small form factor. There is no cooling and just one USB-3 connection is used to operate the camera. At the front is a practical female M42 thread. It connects to all main telescope systems and allows for a direct mounting on extenders such as the TeleVue Powermates.
When doing planetary work, a monocamera requires a filterwheel. This is a setup that I’ve never really used in any significant way. I have used this camera for lunar work, and it also worked well as a guiding camera for my travel setup.
The camera is now replace by cameras with more modern sensors and has been retired.
Specifications
Sensor: Sony IMX290
Res.: 1936×1096 pixels (2.1MP)
Pixel-size: 2.9 µm
Sensor-size: 5.6 x 3.2mml
Frame rate: 170 FPS
ADC: 12-bit
Interface: USB3
Diameter: 62mm, weight 120g