Which telescopes did I use the ASI6200MC on?

The Askar 140APO with its 1x flattener at 977 mm on a ZWO AM5N, and the Askar 185APO at 1,294 mm on the EM31 Pro, both by my plate solves; every header names the ZWO ASI6200MC Pro.

Is the ASI6200MC the ASI6200MC Pro?

Yes: ZWO sells it as the ASI6200MC Pro. Mine is the earlier Pro; ZWO and First Light Optics now sell the P25 version, the same IMX455 sensor with an upgraded main board. The read noise in the table, 0.86 e-, is ZWO's figure for the P25.

How big are the ASI6200MC's files?

Every colour stack my ASIAIR saved at 9576 x 6388 is 367 MB on disk, and my TIFF exports run to 300 to 460 MB each.

What telescope does the ASI6200MC need?

One with a full-frame image circle: the sensor is 36 x 24 mm with a 43.3 mm diagonal. On the Askar 140 the corners of my raw stacks were healthy.

Should I buy the ASI6200MC or an APS-C camera?

For most imagers the APS-C ASI2600MC Air, with the same 3.76 um pixels, at £2,149 against £3,999. The ASI6200MC earns its price only on a telescope that lights full frame.

How much does the ASI6200MC cost?

The prices I recorded: £3,999 at First Light Optics (UK), awaiting stock; $3,999 (ZWO's 2025 P25 version) at Agena Astro (US), in stock; $3,999 at ZWO store (Global), in stock.

What have I not tested on the ASI6200MC?

I have not measured the ASI6200MC's read noise, dark current or amp glow, and no same-night frame of it against an APS-C camera on the same telescope exists.

ZWO ASI6200MC review: 61 megapixels of full frame

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
19	ToupTek ATR2600MM	73 out of 100	£1,488
21	ZWO ASI2600MC	72 out of 100	£1,599
27	ZWO ASI6200MC	59 out of 100	£3,999
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 How good is it? Here is what it captured
05 Raw against finished
06 Watch the review
07 Tested numbers and the download
08 Should you buy it?
09 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 59/100

Reviewed 24 Jul 2025 Updated 24 Sep 2026

Rank: #27 of 29 cameras
Verdict: With reservations

Written by Damon Scotting 6 min read

Buy it if

Your telescope lights a full-frame 36 x 24 mm sensor, a 43.3 mm diagonal, without dark corners.
You want the widest field and the most pixels one colour exposure can give: 61.2 megapixels.
You have the storage and the computer for stacks of about 367 MB each.

Skip it if

Your telescope's image circle is under 44 mm: the corners of this sensor will fall off.
You want value: an APS-C camera with the same 3.76 um pixels costs about half as much.
You image from a small laptop with little disk space.

“With a sensor this big there is no place to hide any dodgy stars.”

Specifications and features

Against the full-frame cameras I have reviewed

Compare with

ZWO ASI6200MC reviewed #27 of 29	ToupTek SkyEye 24AC #5 of 29	ASI 4400MC #20 of 29	ZWO ASI6200MM Pro #18 of 29
Recorded UK price	£3,999	£1,804	£3,299	£3,999
Stars for Your Buck	59/100	85/100	72/100	74/100
Sensor	Sony IMX455, back-illuminated	Sony IMX410	Full-frame back-illuminated CMOS	Sony IMX455, back-illuminated
Format	Full frame, 36 x 24 mm (43.3 mm diagonal)	Full frame, 36.0 x 24.0 mm	Full frame, 36 x 24 mm	Full frame, 36 x 24 mm
Colour or mono	Colour	Colour	Colour	Mono
Resolution	9576 x 6388, 61.2 MP	6064 x 4040, 24.5 MP	8192 x 5460, 44.7 MP	9576 x 6388, 61.2 MP
Pixel size	3.76 um	5.94 um	4.4 um	3.76 um
Cooling	Two-stage TEC, 30 to 35 C below ambient; -10 C set point	Two-stage TEC, 30 to 35 C below ambient	Two-stage TEC, 30 to 35 C below ambient	Two-stage TEC, 30 to 35 C below ambient
Read noise	0.86 e-	0.3 to 4.48 e-	1.1 e-	0.86 e-
Full well	51.4 ke-	104 ke-	74.6 ke-	51.4 ke-
ADC	16-bit	14-bit	14-bit	16-bit
Weight	700 g	718 g	700 g	700 g
Back focus	17.5 mm, 55 mm with the boxed extenders	17.5 mm, 55 mm with the boxed extenders	17.5 mm	17.5 mm
Interface	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0, 512 MB DDR3	USB 3.0
In the box	The camera, M48-M48 16.5 mm and M54-M48 21 mm extenders, an M42M-M48F adapter, a dust cover, a 2 m USB 3.0 cable, two 0.5 m USB 2.0 cables, a hex key, a quick guide and a camera bag	The camera, a 12 V 3 A adapter, a 1.5 m USB 3.0 cable, a CD, a hex key, M54M-M48F 21 mm and M48M-M48F 16.5 mm extenders, an M48M-M42F adapter; the product page adds a free tilt plate	The camera, a 2 inch silicone dust cover, M48-M48 16.5 mm and M54-M48 21 mm extenders, an M42M-M48F adapter, two 0.5 m USB 2.0 cables, a 2 m USB 3.0 cable, a hex key, a quick guide and a camera bag	The camera, M48-M48 16.5 mm and M54-M48 21 mm extenders, an M42M-M48F adapter, a dust cover, a 2 m USB 3.0 cable, two 0.5 m USB 2.0 cables, a hex key, a quick guide and a camera bag

The rig on the mount

On the JUWEI-17, then on six other mounts

How good is it? Here is what it captured

Eight targets on two Askar refractors

M 42 Orion Nebula, ASI6200MC Pro

Integration: 1 h 15 min (15 x 300 s)
Field: 2.09 x 1.37 degrees
Telescope: Askar 140APO + 1x flattener
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5N
Target: M 42 Orion Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

M 51 Whirlpool Galaxy, ASI6200MC Pro

Integration: 1 h (12 x 300 s)
Field: 2.10 x 1.40 degrees
Telescope: Askar 140APO + 1x flattener
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5N
Target: M 51 Whirlpool Galaxy
Type: Galaxy
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Leo Triplet (M 65, M 66, NGC 3628), ASI6200MC Pro

Integration: 3 h 25 min (41 x 300 s)
Field: 2.08 x 1.36 degrees
Telescope: Askar 140APO + 1x flattener
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5N
Target: Leo Triplet (M 65, M 66, NGC 3628)
Type: Galaxy group
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Markarian's Chain, ASI6200MC Pro

Integration: 2 h 40 min (32 x 300 s)
Field: 2.10 x 1.40 degrees
Telescope: Askar 140APO + 1x flattener
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5N
Target: Markarian's Chain
Type: Galaxy chain
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

M 45 Pleiades, ASI6200MC Pro

Integration: 1 h 45 min (21 x 300 s)
Field: 2.04 x 1.36 degrees
Telescope: Askar 140APO + 1x flattener
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5N
Target: M 45 Pleiades
Type: Open cluster and reflection nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

NGC 6960 Veil Nebula, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate

Integration: 30 min (6 x 300 s)
Field: 1.59 x 1.06 degrees
Telescope: Askar 185APO
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: EM31 Pro
Target: NGC 6960 Veil Nebula
Type: Supernova remnant
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Tonight is a full Moon, which as far as deep sky imaging goes is pretty much the worst time ever to image the night sky.

IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate

Integration: 30 min (6 x 300 s)
Field: 1.59 x 1.06 degrees
Telescope: Askar 185APO
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: EM31 Pro
Target: IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

NGC 7000 North America Nebula, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate

Integration: 30 min (6 x 300 s)
Field: 1.59 x 1.06 degrees
Telescope: Askar 185APO
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Mount: EM31 Pro
Target: NGC 7000 North America Nebula
Type: Emission nebula
Location: Bortle 6.8 (in my garden)

Raw against finished

Watch the review

The 7 targets, the raw combined stack against my finished image, each with its integration, the camera and the palette:

M 42 Orion Nebula: 1 h 15 min (15 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
M 51 Whirlpool Galaxy: 1 h (12 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Leo Triplet (M 65, M 66, NGC 3628): 3 h 25 min (41 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
Markarian's Chain: 2 h 40 min (32 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 6960 Veil Nebula: 30 min (6 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula: 30 min (6 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch
NGC 7000 North America Nebula: 30 min (6 x 300 s) of light, ASI6200MC Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate, the raw combined stack with one automatic stretch

Is BIGGER always BETTER? (Askar 103 v 140 v 185 Telescope) · published 24 July 2025 · 10:21 · Watch on YouTube · 55,018 views, 1,493 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

1:53 The Askar 140 with the full-frame ASI6200MC
2:23 The corners of the full-frame raw stacks
2:56 Planets through the Askar 140
3:06 The Askar 185
4:23 Imaging under a full Moon
5:40 Final thoughts and ratings
6:20 The Askar 140: the Goldilocks scope
8:17 Light gathering against price
9:19 How much weight goes on the mount

Transcript of the review video 616 words · 5 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

1:53 The Askar 140 with the full-frame ASI6200MC

1:54 Moving on to its slightly bigger brother, the Askar 140, I decided to also use the one times flattener to accompany it in my explorations, especially since I was going to be testing this telescope out with this ginormous full-frame sensor in the ASI6200MC. 2:11 Yeah, with a sensor this big, there is no place to hide any dodgy stars. 2:12 It's time to find out if there's a reason these telescopes are so cheap. 2:17 The company that makes these telescopes, Askar, does say that the telescope is suitable for full-frame sensors, but let's see how true that statement is.

2:23 The corners of the full-frame raw stacks

2:24 I must admit, I'm surprised by the quality, especially on the edges of the images. 2:30 These are the raw stack shots, and as you can see from its corners, the stars look a very healthy shape. 2:37 Overall, it is a really nice telescope. 2:39 I'm very happy with the Askar 140 and out of the three telescopes, this is the one I've spent the most time with. 2:43 And based on these images, you can see why. 2:47 So, I think given the price tag, size, and image quality produced on the Askar 140, I may have found a sweet spot for us amateur astrophotographers who have a more than modest budget and are looking for a large and capable refractor telescope.

2:56 Planets through the Askar 140

2:58 With a refractor this size, it's even viable to take images and videos of the planets. 3:02 Videos that are, in fact, of a very high quality, such as these.

3:06 The Askar 185

3:06 But I didn't stop there. 3:06 I was obsessed with this range of Askar telescopes and decided to do something I'd never done before and tried an absolutely gargantuan monster of a telescope. 3:22 Right. 3:22 So, we've had big, we've had bigger, and yet surprisingly somehow this isn't the biggest. 3:24 Yeah, as of the time of releasing this video, there is actually a model that's even bigger than this called the Askar 203. 3:31 Now, I won't be reviewing that for multiple reasons. 3:36 The main one being due to the expense of the telescope. 3:37 But the secondary reason, which is more than adequate, is because of the colossal weight of the telescope. 3:43 I mean, look at this one here. 3:43 It is absolutely huge. 3:45 It is pretty much the length of my entire wingspan, especially once we get a camera attached to this. 3:52 And then in terms of weight, I mean, at 18 kg, it really is pushing the limit of most traditional mounts. 3:57 Certainly pushing the limits of a strain wave mount like the EM31 Pro here, which can handle payloads of up to 20 kg. 4:03 So, because of this telescope, we are very much putting this to a stress test. 4:06 But I am quite confident that it's going to be more than capable of doing so. 4:10 In fact, I'm so confident that, as you can see, I've attached a bunch of different accessories. 4:15 Just at the very back here, I have an Optolong L-Ultimate filter. 4:19 Using this filter is supposedly going to cut through a large chunk of it and allow me to image the night sky.

4:23 Imaging under a full Moon

4:24 And that is doubly important tonight because tonight is a full moon which as far as deep sky imaging goes is pretty much the worst time ever to image the night sky. 4:35 Yeah, I'm not going to say it's pointless, but compared to the images that you achieve under moonless skies, they just look rubbish. 4:40 The goal that I'm hoping to achieve tonight is I want to image the same objects with the filter attached. 4:46 So without a further ado, we've seen the Askar 103, we've seen the Askar 140. 4:50 Now, let's see what the Askar 185 can really do. 4:57 Right. 5:38 So, there we go.

Tested numbers and the download

Finished image

Licence: for personal use, credit Damon Scotting. Both JPEGs 4,096 x 2,677 px.

-10 C sensor set point the set point I run every cooled camera at

977 mm focal length, plate solved on the Askar 140APO with its 1x flattener; 1,294 mm on the Askar 185APO

2.11 x 1.41° field of view 9,576 x 6,388 px on ASI6200MC Pro

61.2 MP ASI6200MC Pro 9,576 x 6,388 px, 36 x 24 mm

Should you buy it?

59/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

“These are the raw stack shots, and as you can see from its corners, the stars look a very healthy shape.”
61.2 megapixels over 36 x 24 mm: at 977 mm the frame is 2.1 x 1.4 degrees, room for M 42 with the Running Man or the whole Leo Triplet.
Every stack held the -10 C set point: the headers read -9.8 to -10.0 C.
A native 16-bit ADC and a 51.4 ke- full well.

Cons

£3,999 at First Light Optics for the current P25 version, against £2,149 for the APS-C ASI2600MC Air.
Every 9576 x 6388 colour stack the ASIAIR saved is 367 MB on disk, and my TIFF exports run to 300 to 460 MB each.
The 43.3 mm diagonal needs a telescope with a full-frame image circle.
It weighs 0.7 kg and, like every cooled ZWO camera, needs its own 12 V supply.

I must admit I'm surprised by the quality, especially on the edges of the images.

Who the ASI6200MC is for

Owner of a big full-frame refractor

Buy

On the Askar 140 the corners of the raw stacks held healthy star shapes across the whole 36 x 24 mm sensor.

Nebula imager at long focal lengths

Buy

Even at 1,294 mm on the Askar 185 the frame is 1.59 x 1.06 degrees, enough for the Elephant's Trunk or the Cygnus Wall.

APS-C imager thinking of upgrading

Skip

The ZWO ASI2600MC Air has the same 3.76 um pixels on APS-C for £2,149 against £3,999.

Owner of a small refractor

Skip

A 43.3 mm diagonal needs an image circle to match; check your telescope's before you buy.

Imager with little disk space

Skip

Every stack is about 367 MB and the TIFF exports run to 300 to 460 MB each; plan the storage before the camera.

Full-frame buyer on a budget

Skip

The ZWO ASI 4400MC is full frame at £3,299, and the ToupTek SkyEye 24AC is full frame for less again.

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 ASI6200MC

Reviewed 24 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 telescopes did I use the ASI6200MC on? The Askar 140APO with its 1x flattener at 977 mm on a ZWO AM5N, and the Askar 185APO at 1,294 mm on the EM31 Pro, both by my plate solves; every header names the ZWO ASI6200MC Pro. What I captured ↓
Is the ASI6200MC the ASI6200MC Pro? Yes: ZWO sells it as the ASI6200MC Pro. Mine is the earlier Pro; ZWO and First Light Optics now sell the P25 version, the same IMX455 sensor with an upgraded main board. The read noise in the table, 0.86 e-, is ZWO's figure for the P25. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How big are the ASI6200MC's files? Every colour stack my ASIAIR saved at 9576 x 6388 is 367 MB on disk, and my TIFF exports run to 300 to 460 MB each. What I captured ↓
What telescope does the ASI6200MC need? One with a full-frame image circle: the sensor is 36 x 24 mm with a 43.3 mm diagonal. On the Askar 140 the corners of my raw stacks were healthy. The raw stacks against the finished images ↓
Should I buy the ASI6200MC or an APS-C camera? For most imagers the APS-C ASI2600MC Air, with the same 3.76 um pixels, at £2,149 against £3,999. The ASI6200MC earns its price only on a telescope that lights full frame. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How much does the ASI6200MC cost? The prices I recorded: £3,999 at First Light Optics (UK), awaiting stock; $3,999 (ZWO's 2025 P25 version) at Agena Astro (US), in stock; $3,999 at ZWO store (Global), in stock. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓
What have I not tested on the ASI6200MC? I have not measured the ASI6200MC's read noise, dark current or amp glow, and no same-night frame of it against an APS-C camera on the same telescope exists.