Which sensor does the ToupTek ATR533C use?

The Sony IMX533 colour sensor, 1 inch and square: 3008 x 3008 pixels of 3.76 um, 15.97 mm across the diagonal.

Is the ATR533C the same camera as the ZWO ASI533MC?

Same sensor, different camera. ToupTek quote a 512 MB buffer, up to 42 C of cooling and 577 g; ZWO quote 256 MB, 35 C and 470 g. The ZWO runs from the ASIAIR; the ToupTek does not.

Does the ATR533C work with the ASIAIR?

No: the ASIAIR connects only ZWO astronomy cameras (and some DSLRs). Run the ATR533C from a computer or from ToupTek's AstroStation, which ToupTek opened to other makers' gear.

What does the ATR533C need to run?

A 12 V 3 A supply (one comes in the box; USB alone does not power it) and a USB 3.0 cable. ToupTek say the camera can only be powered by a 12 V 3 A supply, the adapter supplied or a lithium battery with a stable 11 to 14 V output, and warn against supplies with false ratings or unstable output.

How heavy is the ATR533C?

577 g, with an 80 mm body 107 mm long and 17.5 mm of back focus.

What have I used it on?

A Celestron 8 inch EdgeHD with a 0.7x reducer, in my used £2,000 setup video.

What have I not tested on the ATR533C?

This page shows no images taken with the ATR533C, and I did not measure its cooling, read noise or amp glow.

ToupTek ATR533C review: a cooled square IMX533 colour camera

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 29 cameras on my board, against price
Rank	Camera	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	SVBONY SV705C	93 out of 100	£229
2	SVBONY SC571CC	90 out of 100	£1,029
5	ToupTek SkyEye 24AC	85 out of 100	£1,804
9	ZWO ASI585MM Air	83 out of 100	£1,099
16	ToupTek ATR533C	76 out of 100	£799
17	ZWO ASI120MM	75 out of 100	£199
23	ZWO ASI220MM	67 out of 100	£299
28	ZWO ASI183MC	38 out of 100	£549
29	Nikon COOLPIX P1000	32 out of 100	£787

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 The rig on the mount
04 Watch the review
05 Should you buy it?
06 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 76/100

Reviewed 12 Jul 2025 Updated 24 Sep 2026

Rank: #16 of 29 cameras
Verdict: Damon recommends

Written by Damon Scotting 4 min read

Buy it if

You want a cooled IMX533 colour camera for less than the ZWO version.
You run a computer or a ToupTek AstroStation rather than a ZWO ASIAIR.
You want a square 1 inch frame for galaxies and clusters at 1,000 to 1,400 mm.

Skip it if

You control your rig with a ZWO ASIAIR: it connects ZWO astronomy cameras only (plus some DSLRs).
You want wide nebula fields from a short refractor: an APS-C sensor covers about 2.9 times the area.
You need the lightest cooled camera: at 577 g it outweighs the ZWO ASI533MC by about 100 g.

“It's an amazing deep sky imaging sensor, but also more than capable when it comes to planetary imaging.”

Specifications and features

Against the cameras I have reviewed

Compare with

ToupTek ATR533C reviewed #16 of 29	ZWO ASI533MC #12 of 29	Player One Saturn-C #11 of 29	ZWO ASI533MM #24 of 29	ToupTek ATR2600C #10 of 29	SVBONY SC571CC #2 of 29
Recorded UK price	£799	£859	£514	£999	£1,127	£1,029
Stars for Your Buck	76/100	77/100	78/100	66/100	80/100	90/100
Sensor	Sony IMX533 colour	Sony IMX533 colour	Sony IMX533 colour	Sony IMX533 mono	Sony IMX571 colour, back-illuminated	Sony IMX571 colour
Format	1 inch square, 11.31 x 11.28 mm, 15.97 mm diagonal	1 inch square, 11.31 x 11.31 mm, 15.97 mm diagonal	1 inch square, 11.31 x 11.31 mm, 16 mm diagonal	1 inch square, 11.31 x 11.31 mm, 15.97 mm diagonal	APS-C, 23.4 x 15.7 mm, 28.3 mm diagonal	APS-C, 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Colour or mono	Colour	Colour	Colour	Mono	Colour	Colour
Resolution	3008 x 3008, 9 MP	3008 x 3008, 9 MP	3008 x 3008, 9 MP	3008 x 3008, 9 MP	6224 x 4168, 26 MP	6224 x 4168, 26 MP
Pixel size	3.76 um	3.76 um	3.76 um	3.76 um	3.76 um	3.76 um
Cooling	Two-stage TEC with fan, up to 42 C below ambient	Two-stage TEC, 35 C below ambient	Uncooled (passive); Active Cooling System optional	Two-stage TEC, 35 C below ambient	Two-stage TEC, 35 C below ambient (short exposures) to 42 C (long)	Dual-stage TEC, about 35 C below ambient
Read noise	1.11 to 1.26 e-	1.0 to 3.8 e-	1.0 to 4.46 e-	1.0 to 3.8 e-	0.79 to 2.77 e-	1.14 to 2.6 e-
Full well	52 ke-	50 ke-	73 ke-	50 ke-	51 ke-	Approximately 16,000 electrons at the lowest plotted HCG gain (0 dB); graph-derived, not an all-mode maximum
ADC	14-bit	14-bit	14-bit	14-bit	16-bit	16-bit
Weight	577 g	470 g	160 g	470 g	577 g	557 g
Back focus	17.5 mm	17.5 mm	12.5 mm	17.5 mm	17.5 mm	17.5 mm
Interface	USB 3.0, 512 MB DDR3 buffer, two-port USB 2.0 hub	USB 3.0, 256 MB DDR3 buffer	USB 3.0, 256 MB DDR3 buffer	USB 3.0	USB 3.0, two-port USB 2.0 hub, 512 MB DDR3 buffer	USB Type-C, 512 MB DDR3 buffer
In the box	Camera, M42 adapter (12.5 mm), 16.5 mm and 21 mm extenders, M48 to M42 extender, 12 V power adapter and cable, 1.5 m USB 3.0 cable	Camera, padded case, T2 nosepieces and adapters, 1.25 inch cap, USB cables, T2 and M48 extenders, M42 to M48 adapter, spacers	Camera; T-mount; USB 3.0 cable; ST4 cable; M2 hex key; 1.25 inch cap; air blower	Camera, lens cover, T2-M48 16.5 mm extender, T2 21 mm extender, M42-M48 adapter ring, T2-1.25 inch adapter, four spacer rings, 1.25 inch nosepiece, two USB 2.0 cables, USB 3.0 cable, padded bag, quick start guide	Camera with its 2 inch adapter, 12 V 3.3 A power adapter and cable, 1.5 m USB 3.0 cable, M48 to M42 adapter, 16.5 mm and 21 mm extenders, 12.5 mm M42 adapter, cover	The camera, three adapter rings (M42 to M42, M48 to M42, M42 to M48), a dust cap, a USB cable, a 12 V 3 A power supply, desiccant, a manual and a cleaning cloth

The rig on the mount

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

Watch the review

What YOU can SEE with a £2000 "USED" Telescope setup?! · published 12 July 2025 · 12:12 · Watch on YouTube · 9,098 views, 506 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

6:00 What we now have
6:37 Choosing the camera
7:09 The ToupTek 533
7:28 Why the 533 sensor
7:49 Images I have captured
8:30 Final costs
9:12 My best images
10:06 Jupiter and its four moons

Transcript of the review video 236 words · 2 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

9:12 My best images

9:12 You can really tell in this shot of the Ring Nebula that you're getting your money's worth with the filter. 9:37 There's almost a second layer of surrounding nebulosity that standard setups can't really pick up. 9:42 Of course, you always have the option to also create mosaic shots of larger objects like the Veil Nebula and then combine them later on. 9:50 Overall, as far as it goes in terms of imaging deep sky objects, I think this setup does a terrific job at a budget of 2,000 British pounds. 9:56 But what about when it comes to the planets? 9:58 Well, obviously you're not going to be surprised here. 10:01 The Celestron C8 Edge HD telescope knocks it out of the park.

10:06 Jupiter and its four moons

10:07 Here's a time-lapse that I made over a couple of hours from imaging the largest planet in our solar system with this scope and a 533 sensor. 10:12 I didn't even bother to use a Barlow lens for this shot, which is crazy. 10:16 This will go down as one of my favourite ever shots of Jupiter simply because of the fact that not only does it have Jupiter's great red spot showing, but all four of the Galilean moons at the same time. 10:27 I like it. 10:30 In reality, at this playback, the time-lapse only lasts about 3 seconds, and yet I've watched it loop for probably an hour in total. 10:35 I'm absolutely mesmerized by it. 10:37 So, there we go.

Should you buy it?

76/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

The same 1 inch square IMX533 sensor as the ZWO ASI533MC for less: $769 at ToupTek against $799 at ZWO.
ToupTek state zero amp glow and a two-stage TEC with a fan that cools up to 42 C below ambient.
A 512 MB DDR3 buffer, a four-level window heater and a two-port USB 2.0 hub on the back.
The box holds an M42 adapter and 16.5 mm and 21 mm extenders for the spacing, plus a 12 V supply and a 1.5 m USB 3.0 cable.

Cons

No ZWO ASIAIR: the ASIAIR connects ZWO astronomy cameras only (plus some DSLRs), so it needs a computer or ToupTek's AstroStation.
Heavier than the ZWO: 577 g against 470 g.
9 MP on a 1 inch square: an APS-C camera covers about 2.9 times the sensor area.
It needs a 12 V 3 A supply to run at all: ToupTek say the camera can only be powered that way, from the supplied adapter or a stable 11 to 14 V battery.

I did find an even better deal, and it's not even used.

Who the ATR533C is for

Complete beginner

Skip

It needs a telescope, a tracking mount and a computer or controller before the first picture; a smart telescope is the gentler start.

Budget buyer of a cooled IMX533

Buy

It is the same sensor as the ZWO ASI533MC for less money, with a bigger buffer and a window heater.

Laptop or AstroStation user

Buy

With no ASIAIR in the way, a laptop or ToupTek's AstroStation runs it; it needs 12 V and one USB 3.0 cable.

ASIAIR owner

Skip

The ASIAIR connects only ZWO astronomy cameras (and some DSLRs); the ZWO ASI533MC is the same sensor inside that system.

Wide-field imager

Skip

An APS-C camera such as the ToupTek ATR2600C or the SVBONY SC571CC frames big nebulae whole.

Narrowband imager

Skip

A mono camera such as the ZWO ASI533MM with filters suits hydrogen, sulphur and oxygen work better.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Seven questions, answered

Questions about the ToupTek ATR533C

Reviewed 12 July 2025 ·Updated 24 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Shop links marked Ad are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Which sensor does the ToupTek ATR533C use? The Sony IMX533 colour sensor, 1 inch and square: 3008 x 3008 pixels of 3.76 um, 15.97 mm across the diagonal. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Is the ATR533C the same camera as the ZWO ASI533MC? Same sensor, different camera. ToupTek quote a 512 MB buffer, up to 42 C of cooling and 577 g; ZWO quote 256 MB, 35 C and 470 g. The ZWO runs from the ASIAIR; the ToupTek does not. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does the ATR533C work with the ASIAIR? No: the ASIAIR connects only ZWO astronomy cameras (and some DSLRs). Run the ATR533C from a computer or from ToupTek's AstroStation, which ToupTek opened to other makers' gear. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What does the ATR533C need to run? A 12 V 3 A supply (one comes in the box; USB alone does not power it) and a USB 3.0 cable. ToupTek say the camera can only be powered by a 12 V 3 A supply, the adapter supplied or a lithium battery with a stable 11 to 14 V output, and warn against supplies with false ratings or unstable output. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How heavy is the ATR533C? 577 g, with an 80 mm body 107 mm long and 17.5 mm of back focus. The rig on the mount ↓
What have I used it on? A Celestron 8 inch EdgeHD with a 0.7x reducer, in my used £2,000 setup video. Watch the review ↓
What have I not tested on the ATR533C? This page shows no images taken with the ATR533C, and I did not measure its cooling, read noise or amp glow.