Smart Scope BATTLE! SAME Night, SAME Targets! Can the Seestar S30 BEAT its big brother?

S30 or s50? its my first telescope

Alrighty! So, since I have the S50, I'm fine without the S30! And now I just got the svbony555 petzval, I am even more fine than ever! 😊🫡

can you use the s30 for photography like the dwarf ?

I think most folks are actually waiting for the S50 "pro " with better components and better optical array . What I don't understand is why none of the big ones ( celestron ,Vespera, ZWO and DWARF at this time ) have released an "all in one " solution , i.e. a smart telescope which is also suitable for visual observation with interchangeable eyepieces , filters etc.

Perhaps I missed it but I think that the reason for the S50 image having less noise than the S30 is because the 50mm lens is allowing much more light through than the S30's lens? Thanks for the comparison!

S30 is more fun more portable and cheaper, in for 1

How do things look if you use subframes from both telescopes to produce once image?

Cuiv, I remember when you took some time off. Man, you're back and killing it. I think maybe AI is generating these video while you sleep. 😂 Great work! Channels like yours make this hobby more enjoyable. Thanks!

The S50 was my introduction to astrophotography. It is very cool, but was simply a gateway into a much more expensive world in my case. I have since bough a Redcat 61, AM5, ASI2600, and a bunch of other stuff...all in time for the temperature to drop to -20 C. Ugh...at least my wife merely shrugged her shoulders.

Hey Cuiv, what would cause the different color balance between the S50 & S30? I love that bright red Ha data the S30 was capturing. Would using our own filters on the S50 be able to create a similar effect depending on the filter?

Thank you for this! I'm really curious about the difference in color balance straight out of the telescope app for the Pacman, if you ever have time to investigate why that might have happened.

[edit: what follows is at best confusingly phrased and at worst wrong. Sorry, I'm used to thinking about point sources.]

PS to me it would make sense if the formal SNR/arcsec^2 in a very large mosaic might theoretically be about the same between the S30 and the S50, because the S50 has 2.77x light-collecting aperture (50^2 / 30^2), while the S30 has 2.77x FOV area ((1.2*2.13)/(0.72*1.28)), so their advantages cancel each other out in the context of a large mosaic. That's assuming equally good tracking though, and probably lots of other assumptions.

I think the greater the mosaic the more missed frames on the S50. Hopefully ZWO can address this somehow. Thanks for the comparison.

There is only a $100 difference currently as the S50 is on sale.

Great comparison, Cuiv! I've been using both and since I do a ton of outreach, I've been enjoying the S30. Although I've only had one star party with the S30 vs a dozen with the S50, I could totally feel how easy the S30 is in comparison. And the public doesn't notice any resolution differences between the two so the S30 is the one I'll be taking to future star parties (along with one of my SCTs or shorter refractors for other objects in space).

I'm also working on a comparison with the DWARF 3. I'm gonna have to race you but I don't think the clouds will cooperate with me :)

Thanks Cuiv, you kind of proved what my suspicion was - but I could not test it as I have no S50.... There is something more - and that is the moon! Based on the low resolution I really dislike the moon on the S30 and I'm sure it will be much better on the S50!

They need a viewfinder so you can look at it with your actual eye, as soon as you get rid of that element then it just becomes like CGI, it ain't real.

Wonder why they don't have more involved stacking options to try and improve that side of it? ie: A dozen preset variations to try and offer a better outcome depending on the source image.

I`ve found mosiac mode to inefficient, you can collect far more data using panels and sticthing. The dwarf 3 will wipe the floor with the S30.

I believe that the SeeStar S30 should have been equipped with a better sensor, like the one used in the Dwar3, even if it meant a slightly higher price. While it is clearly a lower-tier product compared to the S50, it is hard to understand why it was released in this way, considering it is a "new product" being launched after an entire year. Furthermore, if the lower-tier, budget-friendly tripod contributed to reducing costs, I think it would have been more reasonable to invest in a better sensor, even at the expense of a slightly higher price.

I would be interested to see what you think of astro panel the add on for Photoshop for processing some of the photos.
Particularly from the ones on review.
Enjoy the channel keep it up.

I’m also looking forward to the release of the d3 vs s50 comparison, my own verdict formulated over the last couple of months was to get both 😂 , although I have a vespera classic instead of the s50, both of those are different enough from the d3 to easily justify adding the dwarf 3 to the arsenal. It does become a bit harder to recommend just one of them but I think I am leaning toward the D3 with the idea that it would still get used frequently when owners splurge for the next robot in the pipeline….it does seem likely to me both zwo and Vaonis will release a slightly larger 70-80mm bot in the next 18 months. If they do that, the d3 still remains relevant while the s50 and vespera classic will become redundant

I’d like to see a comparison of these two with the dwarf 3

For the same money as the S50 which other non- smart telescope would you recommend?

Could it be that the problem with the S30 rejecting so many images is because of the small tripod?

Once they build an S300, I’ll buy.

Question how portable are they , do they have a battery or need a plug ? Can they be charged with a power bank ? Sorry if you mentioned it

Dwarf 3. The magic appears with stacking 60 sec exposures. It beats the seestar 50 with limited time due to for axample clouds coming. Just do all necessary calculations yourself, us the "sqrt" on your calculator. On a nice comet, get the job done.

The S30 seems to be a great beginner scope, easy to carry and small. But the S50 is obviously better in nearly every way…

Thanks for the comparison Cuiv! I feel if the S30 had a slightly better camera it could have done a little better but I guess that is a part of the price cuts. Still both robotic scopes are really impressive in their own way! I really wish ZWO would come out with an SeeStar S50 Pro version that uses an IMX678 or IMX676 sensor! Clear Skies mate!

just got a new S50 from B & H for $450 with 2 day shipping and a free water bottle. For the extra $100, it was a no brainer.

So, unrelated to smart scopes, but just had to ask. Mini windows pc, or Stellarmate pro?

Thanks Cuiv. I will be looking forward to the S30 vs Dwarf 3 comparison. Dwarf 3 seems to have the better sensor, but I have not been impressed with the images coming out of it.

Tk you sir ! ,Well, now waiting for a big EQ mount like AM5 and easy to use like Seestar or Vespera's. Above all instruments, refractor, Mak, APN, only one button: On/off. May be the Origin, but what for planetary... Have a nice sky !

Great comparison as usual. Thanks so much!

Cuiv, you are by far the busiest lazy geek I know of.
The color correction and background rendition on the s50 is spot on.
The S30 looks too red, not enough blue, and blotchy.
If you take the S50 out of it's case, it packs quite easily in a standard sized suitcase along with your clothes for cushioning...

Were you able to use the AI processing that comes with the S30 to process the picture?

Hi, you've mentioned no leveling is required, but I suspect that you might get poorer tracking and more frame drops if leveling is not applied. Could it be that in your review the S30 was simply not leveled as good as the S50, and so this might caused it to loose more frames?

Isn’t the dwarf 3 better than both?

The S50 box takes my entire Natgeo canvas messenger bag. it's huge, wish there's an anti-shock box just for the scope and the tripod I can throw it anywhere

Complete noob, it’s the S30 for me, but will wait 3-4 months to purchase.

Can these be used remotely from another state? It's not very dark where I live and I could send it to a relative with darker skies.

Just checking back in for the new video, are you going to add it today?

Hi, is the lazy geek also a lazy paraglider ;-)

I have already invested in S30 pre-order back in early November '24 and simply can't curb my enthusiasm... so excited... love these videos... hope to receive my S30 soon... 🎉

Can someone use this for getting some photos of them ufo drones happening in the usa

Perfect! This comparison is exactly what I was looking for!

Would not the Seestar S30 shine with longer exposure time? or is noise still a factor?

Just tell us which one will give us the clearest image of the alien’s head poking out of the these darn orbs and we’ll buy it

In their official store in Jingdong online selling platform, their product description for S50 is "Seestar S50儿童智能天文望远镜", translated into English meant "Seestar S50 intelligent telescope for children". These telescopes are targeted for parents to buy for their kids and are not meant for astrophotographers. Affordable prices, portable, easy set up and user friendly APPs are important considerations. Price in China for S50 is US$393, and S30 is US$276, shipping cost within China included. They come with Chinese interface, and no international warranty.