The 2600MC Air is ZWO's latest camera, and one of the most unique they've ever released.  ZWO have taken the excellent 2600MC Duo camera and put an ASIAir inside of it.  That means you get a main camera sensor, autoguider sensor, and ASIAir all in one camera!  This significantly reduces the clutter associated with modern astrophotography.  There's no guide scope, no ASIAir unit, less cables, less clutter, and a more streamlined setup process.  While these are welcome changes, there are some other things to consider.  How is the Wi-Fi range?  Does the built-in ASIAir generate more heat?  What if you prefer monochrome sensors?  In this review we'll do a thorough analysis of the 2600 Air and determine if it's a smart investment or not.

 

Wi-Fi Range

Let's start with the Wi-Fi range, as this was my major concern when I first got the camera.  The 2600 Air does ship with an antenna which should help to boost the signal.  

Test #1 - For this first test I simply walked inside the house and looked out the window.  I was roughly 20 feet away from the 2600 Air.  From this distance I had no connection issues and the transfer speed was a solid 4 MB/s.  That means the photo will display on my phone in about 5 seconds.  

Test #2 - This time I headed downstairs, which put a significant amount of obstacles between myself and the Air.  I was roughly 40 feet away from the Air.  At this distance, with all the obstacles between me and the Air (dirt, rocks, walls, etc...) I was still able to maintain a connection.  However, the signal strength was a bit weak and the transfer speed dropped to 2 MB/s.  I must say, I was not expecting the Air to perform this well; I figured it would lose connection.

Test #3 - For the final test I walked around the back of the house.  I now had a full house, and probably 75-100 feet, between myself and the Air.  The WiFi signal was very weak, and I was on the verge of losing the connection.  The transfer speed was fluctuating between 25 KB/s and 200 KB/s.  Before the photo finished transmitting, I lost the WiFi signal and the phone had to re-connect.  

Based on these tests, the WiFi range on the 2600 Air is on-par with the ASIAir Mini and ASIAir Plus.  That's much better than expected, and I have no real complaints regarding the WiFi performance. 

To see more about the WiFi tests, check out my first video of the 2600 Air:

 

Heat

Dedicated astro cameras have numerous advantages over DSLRs, including their built-in cooling systems.  However, adding an ASIAir inside the camera body should generate more heat.  This extra heat will cause more grain and hot pixels to appear in the photos.  But just how much heat does the built-in ASIAir generate?  Let's find out!  For these tests I grabbed my 2600 Duo, which is basically the same camera, but without the internal ASIAir.  Then I setup the Duo and Air cameras in the same room at the same time.  This should provide a good testing environment.

Test #1 - Indoors, no cooling.  The ambient air temperature in the room was 74 F; this should replicate a warm summer's night.  I turned on both cameras, along with the ASIAir Mini for the Duo.  After 5 minutes of being turned on, without any cooling, the Duo sensor was 24.7 C and the 2600 Air sensor was 24.5 C.  The CPU temperature of the ASIAir Mini was 40.6 C and the CPU temperature of the 2600 Air was 38.3 C. 

Next, I took a 5 minute long photo with no cooling.  After the photo completed, the Duo sensor was 24.6 C and the 2600 Air sensor was 24.3 C.  The CPU temperature of the ASIAir Mini was 45.1 C and the 2600 Air's CPU temperature was 41 C.

I realize the CPU temperatures are irrelevant for astrophotography, but I wanted to show how the cooling system of the Air is working to cool both the camera sensor and CPU.

This screenshot shows the sensor temperature of the 2600MC Duo after a 5 minute exposure.  The 2600MC Air's sensor temperature was nearly identical at 24.3 C.  Even though the ASIAir is built into the camera body, it doesn't appear to be negatively affecting the sensor temperature.

 

Test #2 - Indoors, cooling.  The ambient room temperature was still 74 F, although the cameras had been turned on for at least 30 minutes at this point.  I turned on the built-in cooler for both cameras, and set the sensor temperature to -20 C.  Unfortunately, neither camera could reach this goal due to the warm ambient air temperature.  The 2600 Duo maxed out at -17.6 C, while the 2600 Air maxed out at -15.6 C.  It took both cameras about 12 minutes to cool down to these temperatures.    

Test #3 - Multiple Nights, Outdoors, Cooling.  For the final test, I took the Duo and Air cameras outside for some astrophotography.  The ambient air temperature was between 45F - 60F.  On each night, the Duo would reach -20 C within 10 minutes.  The Air would usually max out around -18 C.  Only when the ambient air temperature dropped below 50 F would the Air reach -20 C consistently.  In addition, the Air's cooling system usually had around 10% higher utilization than the Duo's cooling system.  

Based on these results, the 2600 Air does generate more heat than a regular Duo camera.  In almost every case the Air sensor was about 2 C warmer than the Duo sensor.  I don't think this will be a problem in the winter, of course, but for those shooting on warm summer nights the Air will have a slight disadvantage.      

The 2600MC Duo maxed out at -17.6 C, while the 2600MC Air maxed out at -15.6 C.  This was due to the warm ambient air temperature in the room, measured at 74 F.  

 

Power Considerations  

Throughout my testing process I powered the 2600MC Air through the power output port on the AM5N.  This seemed to work fine, but I kept encountering weird bugs during the autorun.  Sometimes the photos would fail to load and the autorun would get stuck.  I also saw strange corrupted photos fairly frequently.  There was even an instance where the exposure failed and the autorun just gave up and quit.  Since I was using the pre-release beta app and firmware, I figured this was the main culprit.  However, after further testing I began to suspect that power consumption was a major underlying issue.

With this in mind, I started using two Jackery batteries.  The first battery powered the AM5N with a 12V DC cable.  The second battery powered the 2600MC Air with a 12V DC cable.  If I still encountered weird ASIAir bugs in this configuration, then it was either the app / firmware or the Jackery batteries.  After 2 nights of shooting and 16+ hours of data capture, I did not encounter a single issue.  Therefore, I believe the main problem was that the power output on the AM5N was not sufficient for the 2600MC Air.

This makes sense, considering the 2600MC Air is a Duo camera and an ASIAir all in one.  Logically it would require more power than other ZWO cameras, and any power problems would be amplified.

If you end up purchasing a 2600MC Air, be sure to use a separate power source for the camera.  This will ensure it receives the necessary power and operates as expected.  If you encounter any strange issues, the first thing to check is your battery or power cables.  

      I encountered lots of strange bugs in the ASIAir app while testing the 2600MC Air.  I figured this was mainly due to the beta firmware until I saw this photo.  Those odd electrical patterns at the top of the image just look power-related, don't they?  Once I began using a separate battery for the 2600MC Air all of the problems stopped.
 

 

Smart Investment?

My initial impressions of the 2600MC Air were very positive.  I liked how this camera reduced the clutter associated with the ASIAir, and I only needed 3 cables to use the AM5N, 2600 Air, and SpaceCat telescope.  This makes it much safer when doing a Meridian Flip at night.  As you know, fewer cables mean less anxiety and less chance of an accident.

After spending a month with the camera though, I was getting frustrated by all the software glitches that were ruining the night.  I couldn't look away from the iPad for 20 minutes without something going wrong.  As I mentioned earlier, I thought this was due to the buggy beta firmware.  In early September, ZWO released the official firmware update and the problems still occurred.  At this point I realized that the power consumption could be an underlying issue.  Long story short, I now need two batteries to effectively use an AM5N and 2600MC Air.  I suppose I could just use one battery and power the AM5N with an AC/DC adapter though.  Either way, this complicates things and the 2600MC Air rig is not as streamlined as it was originally.

This review process also had me thinking "Why didn't ZWO put the ASIAir inside the AM5N instead?"  This would make more sense.  People change out cameras fairly regularly, and camera technology improves on a faster timescale than mount technology.  Therefore, a mount with a built-in ASIAir would be a better long-term investment for most people. 

Since astro is such an expensive hobby, most beginners start off with an old DSLR, then move up to an entry-level dedicated astro camera, like the 533MC or 585MC Pro.  Once they feel comfortable and begin enjoying the hobby, they will upgrade to a larger camera sensor.  Based on what I've seen on Astrobin, the 2600 sensor is the most popular.  A lot of people are also getting into monochrome cameras, which opens up a whole new world of narrowband possibilities.

For these reasons, I don't know how many people will be excited by the 2600MC Air.  Monochrome shooters won't buy it, beginner's looking for a bargain won't buy it, people who already have all the equipment won't necessarily buy it, and anyone who has an astro budget likely can't afford another new camera.  The only people who would be interested in the 2600MC Air are those who want to make their lives easier, those who have been saving up to buy the 2600MC Duo, and new astrophotographers looking to buy their first dedicated astro camera (who don't mind spending $2,000.)  The Air is a compelling choice in those scenarios.

This configuration seemed to work fine at first, but eventually I realized the AM5N was not providing enough power to the 2600MC Air.  Therefore, I would not recommend using the cable layout shown here.  You're better off powering the 2600MC Air directly from the battery with a 12V DC cable.  The mount can be powered with an AC/DC adapter from the same battery, or through a 12V DC connection on a second battery.  You could even use an extension cord from a wall outlet and power the AM5N through an AC/DC adapter cable.

 

Final Thoughts

My time with the 2600MC Air has left me with mixed feelings.  I like how the camera streamlines the setup process at night, and I only need 3 cables.  This relieves my general anxiety over cable snags, and I can rest assured there will be no accidents during the meridian flip.  On the other hand, I wasted lots of valuable clear skies dealing with exposure failures and other glitches.  This was not necessarily the camera's fault, as I should've been powering it separately from the get-go.  Still, it made for a frustrating testing experience.  Now that I've fixed the underlying issue, I'm looking forward to trying the 2600MC Air again.  It will be nice to "set it and forget it!"  That's really the main appeal, after all.  This camera, when paired with the AM5N, should allow for stress-free nights.   

If I need to take the gear on the road with me, it's no problem!  The 2600 Air can easily fit in my hardcase, along with the 3 cables, filter, antenna, and dew heater strip.  Although, the 2600MC Air does not come with a carrying case, which I find very odd.  Every other camera that I've purchased from ZWO included one, so why not the Air?  I can't say for sure, but it could be due to the antenna socket.  It's possible that ZWO was worried that it would be damaged inside a traditional carrying case, but this is just speculation on my part.  It could also be a cost-saving decision.  Either way, it does make transport more risky.  I suppose you could put everything back in the original box and foam, but that's a bit of a pain.  I'll likely just take my 2600's carrying case and use that for transporting the Air.

Will I be purchasing the 2600MC Air?  Well, I have at least 4 astro cameras already, including the 1600MM, 2600MC, 2600MC Duo, and 533MM.  Should I really spend another $2,000?  Considering how bad the economy is, the answer is a firm "NO!".  However, I could sell the 2600MC.  This would free up some space and pay for part of the 2600MC Air.  Or, I could save my money and wait for a possible 2600MM Air.  ZWO has not announced this camera, but I think it's a safe bet that there will eventually be a 2600MM Air.  For what it's worth, if I could only keep one of these cameras, it would be the 2600MC Air. 

If you're looking to purchase your first dedicated astro camera, and you don't have an autoguider, guide scope, or ASIAir, then I think the 2600MC Air is a great choice!  You'll have a much easier time at night, and you can actually enjoy the hobby!  You don't need to fiddle around with a guide scope, you don't need to deal with a bunch of cables, and you can control everything wirelessly through your smartphone or tablet.  This makes the 2600MC Air a fantastic choice.  However, if you already have a 2600MC Duo, or perhaps the 2600MC and an autoguider, then you likely won't see much point in getting the 2600MC Air.  While it will make things less stressful at night, it's probably not worth spending $2,000.

Looking ahead, I wonder if ZWO will put an ASIAir inside the next generation of the AM5?  If so, that would render the 2600MC Air obsolete.  In fact, it could actually cause problems.  As far as I'm aware, there's no way to turn off the ASIAir inside the camera.  Therefore, you'd have two ASIAir WiFi networks right next to each other, causing interference.  This is all hypothetical, of course!  If ZWO does release this new "AM5 Air", it likely won't be for another year or two.

If you'd like to purchase the 2600MC Air, you can use my AgenaAstro affiliate link here.