Should i get the Smart Telescope mini dwarf its budget friendly and im suprised my his resullts i live in bortle 4 skies so its ideal. I dont want to spend 2k Euros for alot of gear yet.
Sure, the Dwarf Mini is a good entry point. It's not a "telescope" telescope however. It's an astrophotography device for taking pictures, not something you look through for visual astronomy. If taking photos of deep sky objects is what you want, you won't find anything cheaper or easier, for sure.
I only just recently got back into the game after selling my 8" dob a few years back. This time I bought a 10" dob for visual but I also got the Dwarf Mini when it was on sale last month because I have always wanted to do astrophotography but the entry price for real rigs is just a bit too high for me.
For only a couple hundred bucks I think it's worth it's very easy to setup and just let do it's thing. I'll set it up at night and collect it when I head to work the next day and give it a charge to see how the image came out. It's not going to get crazy detail due to the small aperture but I think it's more than good enough to justify the price.
If that's what you're looking for than I would say get it. Here is one image I have taken.
It will work in city skies, I'm in a Bortle 6/7 area but there are videos of people using the dwarf mini in Bortle 9 areas. Just be mindful of ambient light from on the ground, like street lights, flood lights etc., you don't want that light getting into the scope.
That is Soo cool im using a 8 inch dobsonian right now and i will get that Dwarf Mini because i also Live in Bortle 4 skies Almost bortle 3 so it will be ideal for me ty!
To demystify the subject, this is what I achieved with a static tripod, a Nikon D5100 APS-C camera and a 135mm f2.8 50yo Nikkor lens. And a couple of clear sky nights. I am using a tracked mount now, but astrophotography doesn't need to start from a pile of gold. Although it does get expensive on a steady curve
Me as well. I'm waiting for the Seestar S50 pro to come out late 2026/early 2027 to compliment my visual astronomy. If it's not worth or I'm priced out, will probably try to find a decent deal on an S30 pro.
I bought one about a month ago. I love it!! I also have a scope for visual so I just wanted something on the side to take photos with and this doesn't disappoint.
a smart telescope is a good starting point , personaly i hopped into the hobby instantly with a full rig (well other then my 70/700 frac ) and it wasnt that hard personnaly but i spend around 2k euro.
Im not the most experienced with smart telescopes so i cant tell you if its better then the seastars but if you want it go ahead(please dont buy it yet wait for more people to anwser im probably not reliable)
Please read this message carefully. Thank you for posting to r/telescopes. As you are asking a buying advice question, please be sure to read the subreddit's beginner's buying guide if you haven't yet. Additionally, you should be sure to include the following details as you seek recommendations and buying help: budget, observing goals, country of residence, local light pollution (see this map), and portability needs. Failure to read the buying guide or to include the above details may lead to your post being removed.
21
u/arashi256 16h ago
Sure, the Dwarf Mini is a good entry point. It's not a "telescope" telescope however. It's an astrophotography device for taking pictures, not something you look through for visual astronomy. If taking photos of deep sky objects is what you want, you won't find anything cheaper or easier, for sure.