About this product
Model: zwo_asi120mc-s
Part Number: ASI120MC-S
The ZWO ASI120MC-S is a super-fast USB 3.0 version of the ASI120MC lunar and planetary imaging camera.
It can deliver up to 254x frames-per-second at reduced resolution or 60x FPS at full 1280X960 resolution!
The ASI120MC is also a capable guide-camera, particularly when used with finder-guiders and other fast / short guide-scopes.
Peak QE of 75%, (better than the ICX618) and no Fixed pattern Noise!
The sensor is protected by a UV/IR cut optical window so a separate 1.25" UV/IR rejection filter is not necessary.
Supplied with a 150-degree wide lens so you don't even need a telescope to start imaging the stars!
Note:
It is possible to screw the 150-degree accessory lens in too far resulting in a scratched optical window! Please adjust focus slowly and don't focus beyond infinity.
Reviews
ASI120 cameras have been reviewed by some of the most popular astronomy magazines. You can read them in PDF documents:
All ZWO cameras include a 2-year warranty.
Camera Field of View Simulator
Optical Window Transmission
This ZWO colour cameras features a UV IR-cut off filter as an optical window, the transmission chart of this is shown below.

ASI120MC QE Curve

What's in the box
- ASI120MC-S Camera
- 150° Lens
- M42-1.25" Nosepiece Adapter
- 1.25" Cap
- 2-metre USB 3.0 Cable
- 2-metre ST-4 Cable
- Driver CD
Specifications
Sensor | 1/3″ CMOS AR0130CS(Color) / MT9M034(mono) |
Resolution | 1.2Mega Pixels 1280×960 |
Pixel Size | 3.75µm |
Exposure Range | 64µs-1000s |
ROI | Supported |
Interface | USB3.0/USB2.0 |
Bit rate | 12bit output(12bit ADC) |
Adaptor | 2″ / 1.25″ / M42X0.75 |
Dimension | φ62mm X 28mm |
Weight | 100g |
Working Temperature | -5°C—45°C |
Storage Temperature | -20°C—60°C |
Working Relative Humidity | 20%—80% |
Storage Relative Humidity | 20%—95% |
Supported Resolutions:
Binning 1×1:
- 1280X960@60FPS
- 1280X720@98FPS
- 1280X600@116FPS
- 1280X400@168FPS
- 960X960@74FPS
- 1024X768@90FPS
- 1024X400@160FPS
- 800X800@85FPS
- 800X640@106FPS
- 800X480@141FPS
- 640X480@133FPS
- 512X440@145FPS
- 512X400@158FPS
- 480X320@196FPS
- 320X240@254FPS
Binning 2×2:
*Tested under USB3.0 port without overclocking. There is an option to overclock 30% of the current fps
Downloads / Manuals
The following manuals and downloads are available for this product:
Manuals
ZWO ASI Camera User Manual v1.3 (PDF)
ZWO ASI USB2.0 Camera FAQ v1.0 (PDF)
ZWO ASI USB2.0 Camera Troubleshooting v1.0 (PDF)
Software
ZWO Software and Drivers
Customer reviews
Average Rating (5 Reviews): | |
bought as a guide/planetary scope Tuesday, 22 December 2020 | Mike
seems to be doing fine as a guide scope. Haven't had a chance to try it on my 127 Mak yet.
on windows 10 it plugs straight in and is working, windows 7 I had to DL the drivers. no big issue
solid build like ZWO seem to be. colour capture worked fine in sharpcap when I was playing around indoor
ZWO ASI 120MC-S USB 3.0 Colour Camera Thursday, 5 March 2020 | Barry
I am not in to imaging but wanted a camera to view the moon on screen in real time and to capture transient events such as impact flashes or other TLP's. After reading the reviews of the ZWO 120 and some advice from FLO, I placed an order for one and braced myself for a bit of a fight to get the thing working, and as something of a technophobe I did this with some trepidation. In the meantime I downloaded the ZWO driver software using the link on the FLO product page as well as Sharpcap and FireCapture on to my new HP EliteBook (Intel Core i5 5th Gen, 8GB Memory, 256GB with lots of USB3 ports) which I got specifically as I read that ZWO's do not like ADM processors. All very simple so far.
The camera arrived, there was no CD/software included - but as I had already downloaded the driver software from ZWO nothing additional was needed. Having replaced the all sky camera with the 1.25" nosepiece I stuck the camera in a 70mm apo and connected the to the laptop via the USB3 cable. The computer immediately recognised the camera as it came up in the list of devices - phew! Next start up Sharpcap (or FireCapture) select the ZWO ASI 120MC from the camera menu as both programs recognised it was connected and an image appeared on the screen once the exposure was adjusted a bit. I did not expect it to be this easy - but it was, dead simple and very straightforwards. The only surprises were the field of view - very narrow, but if you use the Camera Field of View Simulator on the FLO product page you will already know what your FOV will be, and having done so myself I got hold of a x0.5 focal reducer which allows most of the lunar disc to be framed in my Skywatcher 80DS Pro. One thing I did find out is that you need a well aligned finderscope as centering and focussing on something even as bright as the moon can be a little tricky due to the small FOV.
So, having expected a bit of a battle with hardware/software/settings and so on, I was up and running in literally 5 minutes - which is as far as I am concerned a 5 star performance. This leaves time to come to grips with the capture software, and I found Sharpcap dead easy as a beginner and quite intuitive to use.
Thursday, 31 October 2019 | Stephen
I was looking to buy my first astronomy camera and after research decided on this one. Nicely engineered and good value for money, have been unable to use with my telescope (rain) but tested the operation of the sky lens connected to my laptop, all very easy. The paper quick guide included is a bit too small in its screen shots and and have yet to see the downloaded software show as per the quick guide. it took me till the following day to find by selecting the question mark icon shown on the ASICAP screen (at the top right hand corner) to reveal a drop down box with help sub menu that explained all the icons of what they do. pity that was not put in the quick guide. On the whole i think this is a very sophisticated first camera for me with lots to be able explore while gazing at the night sky. and would not hesitate to recommend it.
Wednesday, 18 September 2019 | Claus
Very easy to connect and use from computer I havn't used it for astronnmy yet
ZWO ASI 120MC-S USB 3.0 Colour Camera Monday, 24 June 2019 | Adrian
Excellent performance! Used it to video Jupiter
FAQ
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