Discover the Player One Zeus-M Pro IMX455 Cooled Camera

The Player One Zeus-M Pro is designed for serious astrophotography enthusiasts. Featuring the Sony Industrial-grade IMX455ALK-K full-frame monochrome sensor, it provides 61MP resolution (9576x6388), a pixel size of 3.76µm, and a well depth of 71.6Ke, perfect for capturing stunning deep-sky images.

Innovative Design with Player One Style

The ZEUS 455M Pro stands out with its unique hexagonal shape. Its modern octagonal design, with chamfered edges and a luxurious red and black frosted finish, is not only stylish but functional, minimizing diffraction effects when used with telescopes like the RASA.

Key Features

• Optimized for Deep-Sky Imaging: Capture high-resolution celestial images with minimal noise.
• Advanced Cooling System: Dual-stage TEC cooling achieves a Delta-T of approximately 35°C, ensuring stability during long exposures.
• Zeus-M Pro Full-Frame Sensor:  The 36mm x 24mm sensor format is ideal for wide-field imaging with reduced vignetting.
• Non-Amp-Glow: Eliminates amp glow for clean, noise-free backgrounds in long-exposure shots.
• 512MB DDR3 Cache: Ensures stable data transfer and prevents frame drops, even on USB 2.0 connections.
• STARVIS Technology: Back-illuminated pixel technology excels in low-light conditions, ideal for deep-sky imaging.

Product Specifications

• Sensor: Sony IMX455ALK-K full-frame monochrome
• Resolution: 9576x6388 (61MP)
• Cooling: 2-stage TEC cooling system for optimal temperature control

Experience Unmatched Deep-Sky Imaging with the Player One Zeus-M Pro

For astrophotographers seeking high performance and detailed, noise-free imaging, the Player One Zeus-M Pro is the perfect choice. Capture the cosmos with the clarity and depth that only Player One can provide.

Features of the Zeus-M Pro 

DSO cooled camera line is the most advanced product line in Player One history. We start the project from 2021, through a lot of modify and rebuild we made this final version. It brings our newest technology and design to everyone, we are very proud to introduce this camera line.

Power supply for the Zeus-M Pro is not include in camera package, high quality 12V 5A power supply link: https://player-one-astronomy.com/product/12v-5a-power-supply-dc5-5-x-2-1mm/

Drivers and softwares download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/software/

Manuals download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/

Zeus-M Pro  KIT setup tutorial (Demostrate with Poseidon-M PRO KIT):

Product Description

New Cutting-edge Design of the Zeus-M Pro 

Polygon like regular hexagon is very Player One, the DSO cooled cameras we want to make it more beautiful and practical. After a lot of trying,  we fix the final style, which uses a scientific and technological octagon to construct the main body line and 4 sides are cambered surface, supplemented by round chamfers to achieve both rigidity and flexibility. The front piece is round to avoid diffraction on RASA. The positive red, which is like a summer fire, is matched with the low-key and steady black, and the super-fine frosting process on the entire surface makes the camera look luxurious and cool, and keep Player One style.

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera is developed by Player One Astronomy, it’s design for advanced DSO imaging. it adopts Sony Industrial grade IMX455ALK-K full-frame format monochrome sensor making the Zeus-M Pro the best we can. The 3.76um pixel size accommodates a well depth of 71.6Ke with a total of 61MP  (the resolution is 9576*6388), and the diagonal is 44.3mm.

Rear Adjustment 4 Point Sensor Tilt Plate of the Zeus-M Pro 

When taking deepsky objects, using sensor tilt plate can get a much smaller field curvature of the telescope. We adopts rear Adjustment and 4 point tilt plate, it has a lot advantages in usage.

Zeus-M Pro 4 Point adjustment is easier to know which corner is needed to adjust. The built-in high-density sponge shading pad can block the light from the side slits without any side leakage.

For understand Zeus-M Pro 4 point adjustment method, we made a example for users:

Deep Cooling

Player One cooled camera series use 2 Stage TEC Cooling unit, after improved the structure design to reject the heat back to camera chamber, Zeus-M Pro Camera Delta-T can reach about 35℃.

512MB DDR3 Cache in the Zeus-M Pro 

As an improvement, DDR3 cache in cooled cameras are increased to 512MB. It helps stabilize and secure data transmission, it effectively avoids frame dropping and greatly reduces readout noise.

With the DDR3 cache, the Zeus-M Pro camera does not have high demands on computing needs any longer, it will still has excellent performance even if it is connected to a USB 2.0 port.

STARVIS Technology

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera based on Sony STARVIS technology, it is back-illuminated pixel technology used in CMOS image sensors.

Full-Frame Format

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera has full-frame format (36mm*24mm), it is very suitable for professional DSO imaging.

Native 16bit ADC

IMX455 has native 16-bit on-chip ADC. Native 16bit ADC (65536 levels) provide higher sample resolution than 12bit (4096 levels) or 14bit (16384 levels). When we do non-linear transformation, 16bit data can endure very strong transform and also could bring much better light and dark transition, furthermore 16bit can make the color more vivid.

Non-Amp-Glow from the Zeus-M Pro 

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera is a Non-Amp-Glow camera too!

300s, gain=0, offset=5, dark frame at -5℃ of ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera: DOWNLOAD

Preview of Dark frame: Exposure=300s, gain=0, offset=5, temp=-5℃   STF auto-Stretch in Pixinsight 1.86

Non-Amp-Glow can give us very clean background, much easier to get high quality images.

Zeus-M Pro Type-C Data port and Power port

Back piece of cooled camera has 2 Type-C data port and 12V DC 5.5×2.1mm power port.

Zeus-M Pro main data port support USB3.0 protocol, the camera can run 6.5fps under RAW8 mode. Type-C port is easier to plug in when assemble the imaging equipment in night.

When recording images, since the actual writing speed will be affected by the writing speed of the hard disk itself, when the hard disk writing speed is slow, the recording may not reach the theoretical speed. It is recommended that you use a high-quality solid state drive to record data to give full play to the performance of the camera.

The  Zeus-M Pro has 12V DC5.5*2.1mm port to provide enough power to TEC cooling system. If you don’t need to power up cooling, only need to connect the main Type-C port, the camera will works as a uncooled camera.

Standard Cable Usage

Zeus-M Pro Cooling System and Anti-Dew Heater

In ASCOM window, we provide 3 adjustable parameters: Target temperature, Fan Speed and Anti-Dew power.

Standard Delta-T: 35℃ (±2℃) , when ambient temp 30℃, fan speed 100%, dew heater 10%.

Recommend Delta-T settings: 30℃ below ambient, fan speed 70%, dew heater 10%, power consumption 40- 60%.

The rotation speed of cooling fan is also adjustable, the default value is 70% speed.

Dew problem is the biggest enemy in astro imaging, the camera integrated anti-dew heater in front of the camera. The heat power is adjustable.

Overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanism

Player One cameras produced by us ensures the safety of your camera and other equipment through overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanisms.

Zeus-M Pro Performance

Dual Sampling Mode

ZEUS series has dual sampling mode. Normal mode and Low Noise mode, they has different advantages in imaging.

Zeus-M Pro 

1. Normal mode has faster FPS, it is more suitable for planetary imaging.

2. Low Noise mode (LRN) mode has lower readout noise and higher dynamic range. it is more suitable for DSO imaging.

At gain=0, the camera has 14.2 stops dynamic range and 71.6Ke full well capacity, readout noise is 4.2e.

HCG open at gain=125, the camera has 13.5 stops dynamic range and 16.7Ke full well, readout noise drop to only 1.5e.

Frame rate

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera can run 6.5FPS under RAW8 mode, 3.2FPS under RAW16 mode.

Extended Full well of the Zeus-M Pro 

ZEUS 455M Pro cooled camera has 71.6Ke full well.

Readout Noise

Regarding readout noise, we solemnly promise that all values are obtained from actual tests.  And for users, you could use Sharpcap 4 for testing. SC4 has a function called Sensor Analysis, provide a very simple way to test readout noise.

We wrote a tutorial on our website: https://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/

If you are interested in readout noise testing, you may try it yourself, which is very simple.

Dark Current

The dark current is only 0.00014 e/s/pix at -20℃, and 0.00154e/s/pix at 0℃. In entire curve, dark current is almost like a straght a line, which can prove that ZEUS camera has very good quality.

QE Curve

Mechanical Drawing

BFL Solutions

Notice: Some BFL solution is 56mm (Compensate light path differences which caused by filters)

Package List

Highlight

SH2-115 by Univers-Astro

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Askar FRA600
Imaging Cameras: Player One Zeus-M Pro
Mounts: Pegasus Astro NYX-101

IC1396 by Univers-Astro

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Askar FRA600
Imaging Cameras: Player One Zeus-M Pro
Mounts: Pegasus Astro NYX-101

SH2-115 HOO by Le Mouellic Guillaume

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Askar FRA600
Imaging Cameras: Player One Zeus-M Pro
Mounts: Pegasus Astro NYX-101

NGC 2264 by Space Cadet Academy

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4
Imaging Cameras: Player One Zeus-M Pro
Mounts: ZWO AM5