Seestar S50 vs Vespera II Smart Telescope Review

Hello everyone! In this video, I compare the well-known Seestar S50 by ZWO and the recently released Vespera II by Vaonis. I demonstrate my imaging process for the Sun, Moon, Deep Sky Objects, and Jupiter using both telescopes. Additionally, I provide a detailed review highlighting the advantages and drawbacks I experienced while utilizing these smart telescopes for advanced stargazing and astrophotography.

Clear skies!

Wido

Read the full comparison review on my website:

The ZWO Seestar S50 is available at:

The Vaonis Vespera II is available here*:

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0:00 Intro
0:28 Technical details Vaonis Vespera II and ZWO Seestar S50
03:01 The Sun: Seestar S50 vs Vespera II
8:24 The Moon: Seestar S50 vs Vespera II
11:25 Deep-Sky: Seestar S50 vs Vespera II
19:40 The Planets: Seestar S50 vs Vespera II
20:44 Conclusion

[Wgiarc]

I own both the S50 and first version of Vespera. Last night I used the Vespera with the Light Pollution filter. I beleive the image was better with the LP filter than the DB filter. I purchased these smart scopes for my wife to give her instant gratification of the night sky. There are plus and minus issues with each, but both are fun. These are not toys as many would argue. Anything that advances this educational hobby is fine with me.

[pdk]

I have the S50 and I'm very happy with it for the price. I have seen rumours online that a mosaic mode will be coming in a future firmware update which will make it even better value.

[mr.b]

Great review! The Seestar got me back into the hobby with it’s compact size/weight and ease of use. But it turned out to be a gateway drug for me and I now have a larger rig. So now the Seestar is useful to “go exploring” while taking long stacks with my larger scope. It is also useful as a grab and go scope when there is a break in the weather since I can be stacking in 5 minutes. I would love a $1, 000 to $1, 500 60-75 mm Seastar Pro with EQ mount or wedge capable, 12mp, filter drawer, and rotatable field. A bonus would be an upgradeable camera module.

[Mark-etvh]

I am so thrilled I found your channel. I’ve been a nature photographer for decades and have only had very limited success with Astro-photography.

I currently am recovering from spinal cancer and haven’t tried photography on my Celestron 8SE that was gifted to me. It’s very heavy and I haven’t purchased a kit to attach anything but a cellphone.

These two scopes seem perfect to get myself into the game. I appreciate your information and your enthusiasm. I look forward to exploring your channel more.

[luishecheverym]

I watch the video again and I like it more and more. In the comparison of both smart telescopes, the Vespera wins in the quality of the images, but for a beginner, things are definitely much easier with the Starfish and the menu is more enjoyable and the response is faster when it comes to finding the objectives. The Starfish behaves like a more expensive telescope. SENSEI, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE, MAY IT MULTIPLY. Greetings from Colombia, Armenia, Quindio.

[div]

Vespera 2 owner here. I think the next iteration of seestar with a better camera sensor and mosaic mode will throw vespera out of the park. Love the size, inbuilt filters, the app and above all, the price of seestar.

[mercury]

Very nice review and comparison, I own the vespera classic and a dwarf, the main thing that makes Vaonis scopes do wonderful is CovalENS, it’s such a great tool to not have to worry about field rotation and be able to frame and orient your target, that feature alone is worth the price premium regardless of whether it’s v1, v2 or the upcoming pro

[millenialfalcon]

Well, this confirms my previous thought. We need a Seestar S50 Pro with a 585 sensor, even if price went up a couple hundred.

[davidandre]

Finally a review of the Vaonis vespera 2. Thank you!

[MichaelZell-dt]

Great video. ZWO already confirmed, that they are working on the mosaic mode for the Seestar. The Vespera II is too expensive and you have to pay extra for all accessories. They don't even include a simple USB-C cable. The dual band filter costs 399 euros and if you want to use Vespera's internal dew heater ( there's already one integrated), you'll have to buy the moisture sensor for 119 euros, or it won't work. All this is not really customer friendly. With the Seestar, you'll get much more for only a third of the price.

[SherringtonBun]

I have a preorder for the Vespera Pro. I own a Seestar S50 also. I want to see a head-to-head between the Vespera Pro and the Celestron Origin.

[perry]

Hi Wido. Moon shot was toss up. I liked the Orion colors better on the s50, but I guess that can be dealt with in processing for the V2. Great options on the V2 but lack of storage space hurts it. All in all I think you get more bang for your buck on the s50 with everything included. I was going to say why not leave them plugged in to get a full night, but you answered that with the v2 Thanks Wido, always enjoy your vids.
Clear skies my friend.

[jl]

I've have a Seestar for 6 months. I added an adapter to install the filters of my choice. I use it for EAA while I'm doing visuals with another telescope. When I saw the pre-sale price I couldn't resist. The price is much lower than the sum of the parts purchased separately and one-quarter of Vespera price. These telescopes have attracted a lot of people to astronomy because you can easily get great result without any skills.

[simbyair]

Thanks for the video ❤ after watching i am now 100% certain i need both 😅

[peterboard]

Just a tip, the Vespera 2 25gb storage with the 8mpx sensor is probably better used without capturing Fits files, just use the final Tiff stack, unless you are really keen on manually stacking Fits files.

That way you won't run out of space quickly.

[ttp_]

Awesome video.
For the price Seestar is the winner without a doubt. A software update to the Seestar giving it the ability to do mosaic shots, will make a Vespera killer overnight.
But, if they good old market strategy remains the same, then ZWO will not do release that update, but instead reserve it for the next upcoming model, such as Seestar S50 Pro or maybe an S80 with bigger sensor with a slightly higher price tag. Regardless, I still hope ZWO releases an update to have the mosaic feature to the S50.

[RomanBershadsky]

ZWO confirmed in the forums that the S50 will get mosaic function in a firmware update very soon. There's no date, but their answer to the mosaic question was "We are developing the mosaic function and believe it will be available online soon."

[Mark-pnxy]

Great review! This is likely the start of a hardware and more importantly software race that will improve I suspect quite rapidly from here. A mosiac mode is reportedly being developed for the seestar as a firmware update.

No doubt there would be a another version of the seestar in development. As would the other manufacturers.

Its only going to grow the interest in the educational hobby.

[SciMajor]

The only glaring issue with the Seestar compared to the Vespera is the lack of a mosaic mode. If the Seestar adds that feature, which is rumoured to be in the works, then it's the clear winner at 1/3rd the price.

[gilessmithson]

Great video! I have just had the S50 but now it looks like I need the Vespera too!