ZWO ASI585MM Pro Review: An Affordable Mono Powerhouse
The ZWO ASI585MM Pro is ZWO’s most affordable cooled monochrome astronomy camera, and after two months of backyard imaging with it, I’ve come away pretty impressed.
This little camera offers a lot of versatility—ideal for both planetary imaging and deep-sky astrophotography—thanks to its high frame rate and cooling capability. But like any gear, it has its quirks.
Let’s dive into what it’s like to use the ZWO ASI585MM Pro and see if it deserves a spot in your astrophotography setup. Prefer to watch instead of read? See my video review below.
A Jack-of-All-Trades
The ZWO ASI585MM Pro lands in a sweet spot between planetary and deep-sky imaging. With a frame rate of 47 FPS, it’s capable of capturing crisp planetary and lunar images. But where it really surprised me was in deep-sky work.
I paired it with my William Optics FLT 132 refractor telescope (900mm at f/7, reduced to 728mm at f/5.6), which yielded an image scale of 0.82 arcseconds/pixel—a bit oversampled, but manageable.
That tighter crop gave me close-up views of targets like the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula in H-alpha, and I was genuinely happy with the sharpness and resolution.
What’s in the Box
Like all ZWO cameras, the ASI585MM Pro comes with the adapters needed to thread the camera to your telescope, along with the cables to power and connect the camera to your computer or ASIAIR WiFi Controller.
Here is a complete list of what was included in the box with the ASI585MM Pro:
- ZWO ASI585MM Pro Cooled Astronomy Camera Body
- Soft Camera Bag
- Quick Guide
- USB 3.0 Cable (2m)
- 2x USB 2.0 Cable (0.5m)
- M42-M48 Adapter
- M42-M48 Extender (16.5mm)
- M42-1.25″ Adapter
- M42 21mm Extender
- 1.25″ Nosepiece
- 2″ Cover
It does not include a power adapter to power the camera, so you will need to purchase one separately. I use an inexpensive, generic 12V 5A power adapter, and it works absolutely fine with the ASIAIR Plus.
I run the power adapter to the ASIAIR controller, and then use the standard 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC cable to power the camera.
You’ll need to purchase a 12V 5A power adapter to power the camera.
Sensor Specs and Performance
The ASI585MM Pro uses the same sensor found in several other cameras including the QHY MiniCAM 8 and ToupTek ATR585M.
This SONY 4K sensor is known for its high Quantum efficiency (QE) and sensitivity in the near infrared (NIR).
Here are some key specs worth noting:
- Pixel size: 2.9 microns – great resolution but demands good guiding and seeing
- Quantum efficiency: ~91% – excellent photon capture for faint targets
- Full well capacity: surprisingly good, but avoid overly aggressive gain settings
I recommend using a Gain setting of 100 for broadband targets and 252 for narrowband targets.
While capturing Bode’s Galaxy, I noticed that the core was blown out in my 180-second sub exposures. This is because I made the mistake of using a gain of 252 (default) for my broadband targets, which was just too high.
A better choice for this camera would’ve been Gain 100 when shooting in LRGB.
Bodes’ Galaxy in LRGB. ZWO ASI585MM Pro + William Optics FLT 132.
Specifications
- Sensor: IMX585
- Dimensions: 11.2×6.3mm
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- ADC: 12 bit
- FPS: 47
- Full Well Capacity: 38.7Ke
- Read Noise: 0.7e
- Cool Temp: 35°C
- DDR3 Buffer: 512MB
- USB: 3.0
- QE: 91%
- Pixel Size: 2.9um
Tight Field of View (With a Bonus)
One of the camera’s biggest limitations is the small sensor size, definitely smaller than a DSLR or an ASI2600MC Pro with an APS-C sensor. That translates to a tight FOV.
In the graphic below, you can see just how much tighter the field of view is compared to a crop sensor camera like the larger ZWO ASI2600MM Pro.
The field of view is much smaller using the ASI585MM Pro than the ASI2600MM Pro.
But paired with a 700–800mm focal length refractor, it can make it feel like you’re using a larger telescope because of the close crop.
It’s not magnification—it’s just a deeper zoom-in, which can be both a benefit and a challenge depending on your target and skies.
For example, the Blowdryer Glaaxy (M100) is quite small (0.12 x 0.11 degrees in the sky), but it was an appropriate target for a mid-range telescope when paired with this camera.
The M100 Galaxy. 7 Hours Total Exposure (LRGB). ZWO ASI585MM Pro + William Optics FLT 132.
Which Telescope to Pair the ASI585MM Pro With
While I used a mid-range focal length telescope for my review, the ASI585MM Pro is an even better fit for short focal length refractors in the 250-400mm range.
For example, the William Optics RedCat 51 would provide an image scale of 2.3 arcsec/pixel, which is a good match in terms of resolution.
While it’s slightly above the recommended 2.0 pixel scale (undersampled), the resulting images should look nice and sharp without looking too ‘blocky’.
The ASI585MM Pro is a good fit for the William Optics RedCat 51.
If you use something with a little more focal length, in the 400-500mm range, the ASI585MM Pro will provide a pleasing image scale with a surprising amount of ‘extra reach’.
While the magnification of your telescope is, of course, unchanged, your target choices will shift to smaller objects due to the field of view.
The Askar SQA106 provides an image scale of 1.2 arcsec/pixel – right in the sweet spot.
Mono Camera Setup: What You’ll Need
If you’re used to one-shot color cameras, going monochrome is a big change. For this camera, I used my 7-position 36mm ZWO electronic filter wheel, which is overkill for this sensor size but worked great.
Swapping out my 2600MM for the 585MM gave me access to all my narrowband (Ha, OIII, SII) and LRGB filters. I use a set of Chroma 36mm LRGB + SHO filters to handle any astrophotography project.
While it is a more complex setup, a monochrome camera gives you flexibility and better signal purity—no Bayer matrix means no color interpolation, just clean data through each filter.
- You’ll need a filter wheel or a manual filter drawer
- You’ll need more clear sky time to build a color image
- Calibration and post-processing take more time
- The sensor is relatively small, which limits your field of view compared to APS-C or full-frame color cameras
If you’re planning mostly broadband imaging or prefer a streamlined workflow, you might want to weigh these trade-offs carefully.
The Elephant’s Trunk in H-Alpha using the ASI585MM Pro.
Mono + Color Combo for Max Data
I happen to own both the color and mono versions of the ZWO ASI585 sensor. This opens the door to a dual-camera setup: capture broadband or dual-narrowband with the color cam, while the mono grabs high-contrast narrowband data.
It’s a fantastic way to maximize imaging time and gather complementary data for combined processing.
Summary: What Other Users Are Saying
We’ve combed through user feedback from forums like Cloudy Nights and product pages across the web to bring you the highlights of what real astrophotographers are saying.
Feature | What Users Love | Watch Out For |
---|---|---|
Small pixel size | Superb detail for planetary & deep-sky work | Demands good guiding & seeing |
47 FPS frame rate | Ideal for planetary imaging | Overkill for long-exposure imaging |
TEC cooling | Low noise, no amp glow | Needs 12V power supply |
Back-illuminated sensor | High quantum efficiency | Not exclusive to this model |
Mono format | Greater control with filters | Extra steps and gear required |
Compact sensor | Great for targeted objects | Narrow field of view for larger targets |
Final Thoughts: Should You Get One?
If you’re ready to step into the world of monochrome imaging, the ASI585MM Pro is an excellent place to start. It’s efficient, versatile, and much more affordable than many mono cameras out there.
Just remember, you’ll need a filter wheel and a set of filters to unlock its full potential.
If you’re not quite ready for that leap, stick with your OSC camera and enjoy the simplicity. But if you’ve got a mid-range refractor and you want to dig deeper into narrowband imaging, this camera is a little powerhouse.
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula in RGB + Ha. 7 Hours Total Exposure.
Trevor Jones is an astrophotographer and a valued member of the RASC. His passion is inspiring others to start their astrophotography journey on YouTube so they can appreciate the night sky as much as he does. His images have been featured in astronomy books & online publications, including the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
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