Do I use the ASI220MM Mini myself?

Yes. It is the guide camera on my ZWO FF110 rig, and it guided every image on this page on the ZWO AM3N.

Is the ZWO ASI220MM Mini a good guide camera?

Its SC2210 sensor is the guide sensor inside my ASI585MC Air, and with it I was regularly getting 0.4 arcsec RMS on my AM3N, a clear step up from the ASI120MM.

ASI220MM Mini or ASI120MM Mini?

The ASI220MM has a 1/1.8 inch, 1920 x 1080 sensor with 4 micron pixels against the ASI120MM's 1/3 inch, 1280 x 960 sensor with 3.75 micron pixels. Both weigh 60 g and connect by USB 2.0 Type-C; £299 against £199.

Can I image deep-sky objects with the ASI220MM?

No. It is uncooled, 12-bit and its exposures stop at 10 seconds, so it is built for guiding.

What sensor does the ASI220MM use?

ZWO list the SC2210, a 1/1.8 inch 7.68 x 4.32 mm mono sensor, not a Sony IMX220 despite the name. It is also the guide sensor in ZWO's ASI585 Air cameras.

What comes in the box with the ASI220MM?

The camera, a 1.25 inch cover and extender, an M28.5-CS adapter, an ST4 cable and two USB 2.0 Type-C cables of 0.5 m and 2 m.

What have I not tested on the ASI220MM?

I have no guide log that isolates the ASI220MM Mini, so this page carries no guiding figure measured with it alone.

ZWO ASI220MM Mini review: the SC2210 guide camera I use

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
6	Altair Hypercam 585C	84 out of 100	£359
11	Player One Saturn-C	78 out of 100	£514
20	ASI 4400MC	72 out of 100	£3,299
21	ZWO ASI2600MC	72 out of 100	£1,599
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 In the hand
04 The rig on the mount
05 What it guided
06 Raw against finished
07 Watch it in my videos
08 Should you buy it?
09 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 67/100

Reviewed 2 Sep 2026 Updated 26 Sep 2026

Rank: #23 of 29 cameras
Verdict: Worth a look

Written by Damon Scotting 4 min read

Buy it if

You want a more sensitive guide camera than an ASI120MM Mini for your guide scope.
You guide from a bright, light-polluted sky and struggle to find guide stars.
You want a small 1.25 inch guide camera with an ST4 port.

Skip it if

You are building a first guided rig on a tight budget.
You are buying a new imaging camera that could guide for itself.
You want a camera to image with.

The ZWO ASI220MM Mini is the 60 g mono guide camera on my rigs: its SC2210 sensor is the same guide sensor as in the ASI585MC Air, which I found a huge improvement on the ASI120MM.

Specifications and features

Against the cameras I have reviewed

Compare with

ZWO ASI220MM reviewed #23 of 29	ZWO ASI120MM #17 of 29	SVBONY SV705C #1 of 29
Recorded UK price	£299	£199	£229
Stars for Your Buck	67/100	75/100	93/100
Sensor	SC2210	AR0130CS, mono CMOS	Sony IMX585, 1/1.2 inch
Format	1/1.8 inch, 7.68 x 4.32 mm, 8.81 mm diagonal	1/3 inch, 4.8 x 3.6 mm	1/1.2 inch, 11.2 x 6.3 mm
Colour or mono	Mono	Mono	Colour
Resolution	1920 x 1080, 2.07 MP	1280 x 960, 1.2 MP	3856 x 2180, 8.4 MP
Pixel size	4 um	3.75 um	2.9 um
Cooling	Uncooled	Uncooled	Uncooled
Read noise	0.6 to 3.2 e-	4.0 e-	0.7 to 6.5 e-
Full well	8.78 ke-	13 ke-	38 ke-
ADC	12-bit	12-bit	12-bit
Weight	60 g	60 g	160 g
Back focus	8.5 mm or 12.5 mm	8.5 mm	6.5 or 12.5 mm
Interface	USB 2.0 Type-C, ST4 guide port, 1.25 inch or M28.5 x 0.6	USB 2.0 Type-C, ST-4 guide port	USB 3.0, ST4 guide port
In the box	Camera, 1.25 inch cover, 1.25 inch extender, M28.5-CS adapter, ST4 cable, two USB 2.0 Type-C cables (0.5 m and 2 m), quick guide	Camera, 1.25 inch cap, 0.5 m and 2 m USB 2.0 cables, 2 m ST-4 cable, M28.5 to CS adapter, 1.25 inch extender, quick guide	The camera, a USB 3.0 cable, an ST4 guide cable, an M42 to CS adapter, a T2 adapter, a 1.25 inch T-adapter, a 2 inch dust cover, a manual and a cleaning cloth

In the hand

The rig on the mount

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

What it guided

Five captures of four targets

North America Nebula, guided by the ASI220MM Mini

Integration: 4 h 9 min (83 x 180 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: ZWO FF110
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: North America Nebula (NGC 7000)
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Heart Nebula, guided by the ASI220MM Mini

Integration: 1 h 9 min (23 x 180 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: ZWO FF110
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Heart Nebula (IC 1805)
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Andromeda Galaxy, guided by the ASI220MM Mini

Integration: 2 h 18 min (46 x 180 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: ZWO FF110
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Andromeda Galaxy (M 31)
Type: Galaxy
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Dumbbell Nebula, guided by the ASI220MM Mini

Integration: 42 min (14 x 180 s)
Field: 2.7 x 1.8 degrees
Telescope: ZWO FF110
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Dumbbell Nebula (M 27)
Type: Planetary nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Andromeda Galaxy on the Hope D60, guided by the ASI220MM Mini

Integration: 8 h 42 min (174 x 180 s)
Field: 6.7 x 4.4 degrees
Telescope: ToupTek Hope D60
Camera: ZWO ASI4400MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3N
Target: Andromeda Galaxy (M 31)
Type: Galaxy

Raw against finished

Watch it in my videos

The 4 targets, the raw combined stack against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

North America Nebula (NGC 7000): 4 h 9 min (83 x 180 s) of light, ASI6200MM Pro, SHO, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Heart Nebula (IC 1805): 1 h 9 min (23 x 180 s) of light, ASI6200MM Pro, SHO, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Andromeda Galaxy (M 31): 8 h 42 min (174 x 180 s) of light, ASI4400MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Andromeda Galaxy (M 31): 8 h 42 min (174 x 180 s) of light, ASI4400MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch

Is the ZWO FF110 Worth $1,499? (ZWO FF110 + ASI 6200MM + AM3N + ZWO LRGB) · published 2 September 2026 · 6:45 · Watch on YouTube · 14,693 views, 237 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

1:30 The rig: ASI6200MM Pro, AM3N mount, LRGB and 2.5nm narrowband filters
2:19 Andromeda Galaxy (M31), 2 hours LRGB, full frame field of view
3:03 Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in SHO with Antlia 2.5nm filters
3:54 North America Nebula (NGC 7000), 4 hours in one night, the Cygnus Wall
4:28 Dumbbell Nebula (M27), a planetary nebula on a full frame sensor

Check out more videos on the ZWO ASI220MM

ZWO ASI585MC Air Review: Is This the BEST Beginner Astro Camera?!

3 Dec 2025

This £299 Telescope Mount Just Beat the £2,260 Mount…

16 Oct 2025

Should you buy it?

67/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

A 1/1.8 inch SC2210 sensor of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 4 microns: a bigger chip with bigger pixels than the ASI120MM Mini's 1/3 inch sensor, so more stars in a guide field.
ZWO quote 0.6 e- read noise and a 92% QE peak.
At 60 g, with a 1.25 inch nosepiece, an ST4 port and USB 2.0 Type-C, it drops into a guide scope.
It guides my ZWO FF110 with the ASI6200MM Pro, my ToupTek Hope D60 with the ASI4400MC Pro and my Askar SQA106 with the ASI533MM Pro, all on the ZWO AM3N.

Cons

At £299 it costs half as much again as the ASI120MM Mini at £199.
Uncooled, 12-bit and limited to 10 s exposures: it is a guide camera, not an imaging camera.
USB 2.0 only.
ZWO's ASI585 Air cameras carry the same guide sensor, so buying one of those needs no separate guide camera or guide scope.

Whilst the guide camera is a huge improvement on the ASI120 monochrome, I was regularly getting 0.4 RMS with my AM3N mount.

Who the ASI220MM is for

Upgrading from an ASI120MM Mini

Buy

A 1/1.8 inch chip with 4 micron pixels and 0.6 e- read noise finds more guide stars than the 1/3 inch ASI120MM sensor.

Guiding under a bright sky

Buy

Low read noise and a 92% QE peak help pull faint guide stars out of a light-polluted sky.

Small guide scope owner

Buy

At 60 g with a 1.25 inch nosepiece and an ST4 port it fits a 30 to 50 mm guide scope.

First guided rig on a budget

Skip

My recommendation is the ZWO ASI120MM Mini at £199: the same 60 g Mini body with an ST4 port, for £100 less.

Buying a new imaging camera anyway

Skip

My recommendation is the ZWO ASI585MC Air: the same SC2210 guide sensor is built in, so no guide scope or second camera.

Hoping to image with it

Skip

It is uncooled, 12-bit and stops at 10 second exposures: a guide camera only.

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 ZWO ASI220MM

Reviewed 2 September 2026 ·Updated 26 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

Do I use the ASI220MM Mini myself? Yes. It is the guide camera on my ZWO FF110 rig, and it guided every image on this page on the ZWO AM3N. What I captured ↓
Is the ZWO ASI220MM Mini a good guide camera? Its SC2210 sensor is the guide sensor inside my ASI585MC Air, and with it I was regularly getting 0.4 arcsec RMS on my AM3N, a clear step up from the ASI120MM. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
ASI220MM Mini or ASI120MM Mini? The ASI220MM has a 1/1.8 inch, 1920 x 1080 sensor with 4 micron pixels against the ASI120MM's 1/3 inch, 1280 x 960 sensor with 3.75 micron pixels. Both weigh 60 g and connect by USB 2.0 Type-C; £299 against £199.
Can I image deep-sky objects with the ASI220MM? No. It is uncooled, 12-bit and its exposures stop at 10 seconds, so it is built for guiding. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What sensor does the ASI220MM use? ZWO list the SC2210, a 1/1.8 inch 7.68 x 4.32 mm mono sensor, not a Sony IMX220 despite the name. It is also the guide sensor in ZWO's ASI585 Air cameras. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What comes in the box with the ASI220MM? The camera, a 1.25 inch cover and extender, an M28.5-CS adapter, an ST4 cable and two USB 2.0 Type-C cables of 0.5 m and 2 m. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What have I not tested on the ASI220MM? I have no guide log that isolates the ASI220MM Mini, so this page carries no guiding figure measured with it alone.