My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/ Order the Dwarf III Smart Telescope: tinyurl.com/y8sbtdcc or bit.ly/3B7aA3v (High Point Scientific) Setting up this scope in equatorial mode is surprisingly easy and gives excellent results! Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01 Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R First Light Optics affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2 All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Astroshop eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8 3-hour PixInsight Course: ruclips.net/video/XCotRiUIWtg/видео.html
I'm not planning to buy a Dwarf 3 but a friend is so I watched this video (and I like your stuff). And you mentioned something in processing I'd never seen before... drizzling. That was a game changer! Thanks for that tidbit!
Thank you for another informative and insightful video! I bought a SeeStar in March and it utterly transformed my viewing of the bright suburban sky here, opening it up for me. When Dwarf 3 was announced, I knew I had to preorder it, so did at the end of May. Looking forward to when it arrives.
Wow. I mean seriously, wow. This is the first smart telescope that I can honestly say "Man, I really want one of those". Like I said on the last video about it, it would be a great bit of gear for those nights that I either want to do some live streaming or don't want to get out the whole rig, but with the EQ mode, if they add more features to the app or even allow control through NINA via the USB-C port this could seriously be used for some of my more serious imaging projects when I want to go a bit wider than I can with my newt. It's also the first smart-scope that I feel like I could actually recommend to someone who asks about buying a first telescope if all they are interested in is imaging.
Thanks Cuiv for this really cool video. It has encouraged me as I wait for my Dwarf III ordered back in May of this year. Delivery is due for this month for those who ordered then, but so far the tracking hasn’t moved at all.
I was hesitant about these smart scopes but with the ability to put it into EQ mode and take extended timed images was truly a game changer for me. I have other EQ rigs but for travel, this is perfect. Great video. Thanks!
Last week I chose the Dwarf 3 over Seestar because of its terrestrial application such as birdwatching, which I don't hear enough about. I'd like to see it in action!
Yes, I bought one about 10 days ago and it should arrive Oct/Nov. I was close to buying a SeeStar but the Dwarf 3, in my opinion, is better for me. I live under very light polluted skies, about 12 miles from downtown Washington, D.C.
Great suggestion i use the level app on the iPhone to set the elevation on mount once optical tube is set!! Works great and a lot more accurate compared to the written scale on mount. also i use the compass app too, with a caveat and reminder to set/calibrate app to true north rather than magnetic north which is the default setting
I can’t imagine how frustrating it might be to have such a passion and skill for astrophotography yet live in possibly the worst possible place on the planet to be an astrophotographer 😅. You are so amazing even when handicapping yourself to such an extent!
Ha I live in about the wettest part of the UK, by the time I’ve got polar aligned, focused, tracking on, the clouds usually cancel the night. Hopefully when my Dwarf arrives I’ll get an hour or 2 between cloud cover.
I'm quite happy they're still supporting the Dwarf 2. I don't plan to upgrade yet, as I still get a lot of enjoyment out of my current one. Still on the fence about getting the Dwarf 3, but things are looking good atm.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Could you do a video covering updates for the dwarf ii? Maybe good so people don't feel the need to rush and buy the upgrade. I've seen some people worrying about Dwarf labs dropping support for the dwarf 2. Maybe helpful to let these people know that they're supporting the dwarf 2 for a long time yet.
This is simply amazing from such a small portable device. And dithering too! Mind blown 🤯 I wonder if something like the Sky Watcher Latitude Base would help make a more accurate polar alignment. I look forward to more adventures with this Dwarf 3. Thanks and clear skies mate!
Wow! you get so excited,,,,,I trust your experience and this might be a decent scope for traveling. I appreciate your filter reviews too. Just became a Patreon.
Hi Cuiv! I was wondering how the Dwarf II with a narrowband filter like the ZWO duo band would fare against the Dwarf 3? I have the Dwarf II and I live in a Bortle 8/9 location like you. The Dwarf 3's built in narrowband filter is tempting me to get it, but I was wondering if I could get similar results if I just bought something like a ZWO duo band instead which will of course be much cheaper! Keep up the great content!
I’m really impressed at the quality especially given you’re in a city environment. I live in a city centre too so it’s good to see I might be able to get something without getting in the car first! Love your reviews, keep it up.
Hey Cuiv, Good video as always. I put together a travel setup a while back of the SW -AZ GTI, Askac ACL200, ASI533, ASIair plus. Unfortunately the AZ GTi tracking went to hell and would have needed new motor units. So I gave up on a travel pack. However this is teazing my interest as an all in one unit that gets good, usable results so I may get one. Lot less struggle for traveling with a ton of gear in a backpack aswell.
I'm so sorry to hear about the fate of the travel pack... And yes this Dwarf III looks like a good travel companion. Not as good as a proper rig, but should be able to gather some good data!
Great video! I’ve had the Dwarf 2 for one year and use it quite a lot from Madrid (Bortle 8). I’m so fond of it that I may upgrade to the 3. It’s so portable and easy to use!
I'm going to buy one for me and one for my son. This is incredible! I've been doing astrophotography for about eight years with a complex and very nice rig. I've always wanted a simple rig I could take in my car and set up quickly. My current rig takes so long to set up that it is more like work. This looks so easy. This is exactly what I want! Thanks for the great review and demonstration!
I pre-ordered the DWARF II after watching one of your early video reviews of it. I pre-ordered the DWARF 3 on launch day, based on the expectations of the new features. It is so great to see those features delivered, such that they impress you! Looking forward to delivery soon! 😊
Only Dwarf3 have the EQ feature, not Dwarf2 as far as I can see. But Dwarf3 is a very tempting purchase I think due to upgades and the wide camera possibilities. Thank you for another great video from you Cuiv!
presumably will add it to Dwarf2 as only a software feature and all it does is tell you how far out of alignment you are. If you are familiar with polar alignment you can get it close with Dwarf 2 with the live view of Polaris (for those in N). I use a phone app and pan and tilt head and mount the Dwarf2 with a Arca Swiss plate after aligned tripod.
@@tma2001 The EQ mode was working in the last beta and today it seems a new app version catering for Dwarf 2 & 3 is available which has it. I've downloaded but not used yet, lot's of cloud, rain and thunder here in UK the last few days.
@@StevieD68SF thanks for the heads up - I was expecting the app would notify an update was available but alas not. Only just got one of the last batch of D2's on sale in UK and found a major goto bug on my first night which should be fixed in this release after I reported it. and yeah I live in sunny Greater Manchester ;)
For the price and ease of use, the addition of this EQ mode is a killer feature. It reminds me when the AZ GTI went EQmode and now most photographers are using it as it works really well. The Dwarf III being so compact, cheap and now working on EQ mode seems to be the best offer on the market for people to actually wanting to discover astrophotography.. what i don't know however is... if the Dwarf III allows to switch filters. Not everything is Ha OIII. But still amazing for what it is.. may even be fun to buy as an astrophotographer to goof around and try new targets while taking photo with our equipments.. or just to do some light photo when hiking
Thank you sir. With your video Dwarf 3 is compelling and oh so tempting. Your Tokyo skies makes me less willing to complain about my suburban Minneapolis skies 🔭💡🤷🏻♂️
Thx for these reviews and tutorials ! Ive been tossing and turning between the Seestar and the Dwarf. My ETX has been sitting in its box for 10years due to the setup time and poor connectivity. These smartscopes are reigniting my interest. Deciding factors for me are ease of setup, portability, and app support for terrestrial, solar and DSO imaging. Im planning to order the Dwarf using your link. Looks like the Seestar has a better sensor but in portrait orientation and smaller field of view (I know these can be handled with some extra effort). My killer app would to create a landscape with the milky way enhanced (not happy with my efforts using Pentax DSLR with Astrotracer).
I personally love the Dwarf III equatorial mode, it really makes a large difference - I wouldn't say the sensor is better on the Seestar though, why do you say so? The D3 now supports wide lens astrophotography (i think) but I haven't tried yet!
Wow! very good results. I love your processing too. I didnt want to get the seestar due to lack of EQ mode. lets see if the Seestar adapts this down the road.
Watching this video again in anticipation of the arrival of my Dwarf 3. Definitely like your idea of the app assisting with the angle. I am curious. Once you have set the scope axis towards Polaris & set the correct angle for the scope relative to your location, couldn't you point the lens assembly straight up, 90° relative to the scope base, then center Polaris directly from the camera view? I do not know if the optical tube assembly on a Dwarf 3 has a 90° index mark like the base does, or if it uses encoders to know the precise positions of the alt/az motors? If not, it would be simple enough to carefully point the scope straight up & make a small mark with a Sharpie for quick alignment. If the motors are encoded, Dwarflab could set the optical tube to 90° during the equatorial alignment procedure to facilitate this process. They could even get fancy & provide simulated Polaris/Polaris B target reticles like an actual polar alignment scope.
Yep, that works! In fact it was one of the "standard" ways of doing PA on the Dwarf II (although it assumes Polaris is visible) - there's no mark on the Dwarf III but we can guesstimate it well enough :)
I'm impressed!!! Until now, I haven't bothered to do AP from anywhere but my driveway due to the size/weight/complexity of my current rig. Performance-wise, it won't replace the kilo$s I've already spent, but it will certainly free me to do AP elsewhere.
I love your tests on smart telescope under heavy light pollution in Japan. I live right next to you, Korea, so I get really good reference from your video. Just my curiosity, how good will the smart telescopes' result will be under really dark skies. Would you kindly make a comparison video in the future regarding smart telescopes' result difference with same deep sky object under bright city sky vs dark sky?
Hi Cuiv! The optics of the of the D3 are good, I think your Tracking was not that great probaly because your rough alignment of 5 degrees combined with that tripod you used. Without fine tuning options from eqmode to get better alignment needs some manual fine tuning. You should check my results at 1 degree deviation or 2 degrees, when you get round stars, you can see the images in my tutorial how to Master Polar Alignment with the Dwarf3 when i find tuned the alignment using a simple method
Hi Cuiv. Great video up to your usual standard. My son ordered one for my birthday, and I will be getting it in the second shipment. It really opens up astrophotography to so many more people that Dwarf should get an honorable mention for this anticipated increased interest. I have a William Optics Skyguider Pro VIxen style base that I am hoping to modify so that I should be able to use (perpendicular mount of Dwarf 3 I am hoping will work). It would be nice to have a video on how to take flats and dark flats which Dwarf tells me is possible.
Thanks for the feedback! It's going to be a great present from your son! You will probably need a Vixen dovetail to 1/4 inch tripod adapter to use it, although a standard tripod head should work well since the Dwarf is so small :)
Thank you for the excellent demonstration and processing run-through. I had tried the Eq mode the other night and just eyeballed it toward north and angled the tripod head at the right angle and it said I was within 2° so it was happy and worked well on M31 at the zenith. I was wondering what it would do for guidance if I had been far off the Pole. Now I know, thanks! 🙏
Great presentation. I can see this being a great first tool for someone who wants to start doing serious atrophotography but is concerned about the considerable learning curve involved.
Your reviews of the Dwarf2 got me to purchase one of those. And now your review of the Dwarf3 has done the same. I am debating if my Dwarf2 will find a new home with the local astronomy club or library telescope loan program. I also love the T-shirt, but prefer Ozone paragliders to Air Design.
Hi Cuiv, surely you could mount this on something like a Star Adventurer wedge or something similar to help getting even better polar alignment. I know you said it doesn't tell you which way to move the alt/az but you could figure it out without too much trouble. I must say I am liking the look of this.
Thanks for another great and informative video...I have it on pre-order which is fine as I'm still playing and learning with my Dwarf 2...Might be a couple of months until available...
Thanks for the review, specially the EQ mode setup which will be very handy for us Dwarf 2 owners too. We also got this killer feature and the UFO tracking :) with the latest FW upgrade.
once you have a few nights of using this , could you do a comparison between the S50 and this , ease of setup , ease of use (app and device) setup and accessories current/due and wish list , last value , Great video now a sub
wie immer von dir klasse erklärt,eq justierung auf polaris supergenau,das schaft noch nicht einmal meine teure astroausrüstung für zig tausend euro so schnell,bin schwer begeistert,kein stundenlanges herumgefummel mit guiding u.s.w.👌👌👌👌👌👌
I didn't know it had a temperature sensor as I use the sensor on my weather station and note it down as part of my observing log with the Dwarf2. Which reminds me would be nice if you could attach a text note to each session (I've no idea what the HD number of named stars like Polaris, Vega etc are!). I like you can now choose custom dark frames (with the ND filters as you mentioned). My #1 workflow annoyance on Dwarf2 is not restoring the shooting settings after every goto, autofocus, calibration (default of 1s, g80, IR Pass). Also confusing pitfall for beginners if you read the forums. Also didn't realise Tokyo is so far south at 36 degs! I'm flying to Crete next week with my Dwarf2 also at the same latitude! Will be experimenting with a pan and tilt head and using the Dwarf2 tele view as its own iPolar scope pointing at Polaris to see how close can get the alignment. Dawrflab need to add a cross hair in centre of frame overlay option.
Thanks for your videos, they are very clear and useful. I am looking into this type of telescope but I am a landscape photographer, I am fascinated by the night sky, and I have no astrophotography skills, Before understanding if I am actually attracted to this branch of photography, I thought about getting a smart telescope to test the waters. I was attracted to the S50 but looking at the features of the Dwarf 3 I found it more versatile for general daytime use, the object tracking mode, for the equatorial operation mode, for the 4K resolution and the better sensor. However, the shorter focal length of the telephoto lens creates some doubts, but in any case I could not hope to obtain images of planets or very small things with either of them. However, I saw that the smaller field of view of the S50 is contained within the field of the Dwarf in terms of number of pixels. Am I reasoning correctly?
Thank you very much for the video, this is amazing! I think the full built-in support of the equatorial mode is a real game changer. I thought the Seestar was nice, but was not considering buying it in the near future. After your latest couple of videos about the Dwarf III, I think I should start considering breaking the piggy bank... Waiting your for a full Seestar vs Dwarf III video ;)
I got disinterested in AP about 15 years ago when i moved from Arizona. My current location is not great and my setup was complex enough to cause some frustration..cpc-11, DSLR, Faststar, laptop, lots of wires, lots of software, lots of post processing and lots of weight 😂. This may get me interested again or maybe frustrated at how much I spent back then. I still have my old equipment, maybe i'll take a look around to see of there's any new tech to make that old equipment simplified.
It's great to have one of those smart telescopes as a sub-rig that can be used without frustration when there's only a couple hours of clear skies, etc.
I am curious as to what you think is the best tripod to use for the Dwarf 3. Weight is not a problem, but I think steadiness and a solid base is. Thank you for your insights...
Since the IMX678 sensor has STRAVIS2 technology, I wouldn’t expect there to be any amp glow. Are the dark calibration frames useful? Great video, thanks again 😊
Thank you for your smart telescope videos. I assume that you will soon have planetary and solar observations also to share. Thanks for giving me a new itch that I may have to scratch
That is a serious bit of kit. With some refinement of the app adding things us advanced users require I see this being a very popular family telescope. For 1 it opens the sky to beginners, and allows for a professional image just from the inbuilt processing, but also for advanced users being able to do darks, have the raw frames to do your own processing is a game changer in portability and ease of use. If the pricing is great, this could out sell every other brand. Keep on them about the features! Great work on the review mate!
Hello, I am planning to buy a smart telescope but I am still evaluating the Seestar versus Dwarflabs. I recognize the importance of equatorial mode. When you showed the Seestar in equatorial mode you point out you lose access to large areas of the sky since the base is at the equatorial angle. Doesn't the Dwarf suffer the same limitation? Thanks, Ron
Thank you very much for all the work you put into the channel. I currently have a mesu 200 mount,Atik 383L camera and a 10 inch f3.9 reflector for astro photography. I am looking to buy a smart scope for visual viewing with friends. I live in the Alps, So therefore have dark skies. Which scope would you chose between the Dwarf 3 and S50? Thanks.
It's a very difficult question, both have their advantages. Also I just saw there will be a new version of the Seestar, so I want to see what specs (and price) that will have!
Great ’short’ review Quiv 👍 Could you please explain to me how the temperature works when taking darks? Is it the temperature of the Dwarf 3 itself (since it can get warm when in use) or is it the outside temperature? And does it matter if you take the darks previous, during or after the shoot? Thanks for replying ✍️
Hey Cuiv great video as always and I cant wait to see what fun you have when on your trip, also cant wait for mine to arrive dwarflab have come along way I got my dwarf 2 due to your video thanks had great fun with it Hey Cuiv FYI your link to the dwarf is broken
I have the Dwarf 3. In PixInsight, blinking through my 60s exposures from eq mode imaging session at 1% eq mode accuracy, I am finding a third to a half of all frames have star trails in varying unified directions between frames. Stacking the best frames results in something similar to your stacked image for optical quality. It turns out my optics do have flaring on stars and coma, so Dwarflab is replacing the scope as soon as they have product to do so. My question is, have you seen trailing in the 60s exposures? 30s? I do not have star trailing with my Dwarf 2 unless there is wind. Thank you!
I have a question regarding the Tripod: for equatorial mode, does the Tripod need a ball-joint or however I should name it? Or could I use the Tripod of the Seestar as well?
I seriously consider buying the D3 thanks to your very usefull presentation of this product. The post processing of the images on the computer app is also amazing (but expensive). As I know python programming and aware of astropy packages, I wonder if I could do a similar processing. Anyway the internal D3 processing/ image stacking is already good even if it is not completely optimal. Do you think that a firmware will be updated to improve later the image processing performed inside the D3 ?
Great vid, thanks. Going to get a Dwarf 3. Started visual astronomy this year and only have experience of using a Dob. Any recommendations for a mount to get the best out of a Dwarf 3 in EQ mode?
Great video! With regards to PA for the EQ mode, looks like the axis from bottom to top needs to point towards Polaris/true north Should be easy for someone to 3D print a quick bracket that attaches to the side of the D3 in which one could slide a polar scope or laser (when allowed) Should make PA a breeze, especially when mounted on a stable tripod and geared head like the Benro I may splurge on this while building my larger kit… Very interesting and solid reviews on the D3 Safe travels to France !!
Blown away by this, it might be a way into this for me, can you show the Timelapse features on a video please? I presume it can do video. In photo mode can it cope with a foreground object/building? John
Excellent review! Very exciting what's happening with smart scopes. This upgrade will put pressure on ZWO to up their game. Maybe we Seestar users will get equatorial mode sooner.
Thankyou, very informative, quick question, for those of us that don’t process fits files, is there a stacked png or tiff provided and if so is it stretched or unstretched. I’m hopeful it provides one because obviously we don’t want to try to process a jpeg…...thanks, I do understand you get better results from fits, however lots of people will be trying to get best results they can from processing on their tablet or just using the basic starnet program to improve images with basic level and denoise programs
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My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek
My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/
Order the Dwarf III Smart Telescope: tinyurl.com/y8sbtdcc or bit.ly/3B7aA3v (High Point Scientific)
Setting up this scope in equatorial mode is surprisingly easy and gives excellent results!
Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01
Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG
High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R
First Light Optics affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2
All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV
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3-hour PixInsight Course: ruclips.net/video/XCotRiUIWtg/видео.html
Hey Cuiv FYI your link to the dwarf is broken
@@chuckshc376 fixed now! Thanks for the notification!
The Dwarf III looks really awesome. Can't wait to see the next stage of your review.
Your processing really improved the result and was very interesting. Cool.
I'm not planning to buy a Dwarf 3 but a friend is so I watched this video (and I like your stuff). And you mentioned something in processing I'd never seen before... drizzling. That was a game changer! Thanks for that tidbit!
Always my pleasure :)
Thank you for another informative and insightful video! I bought a SeeStar in March and it utterly transformed my viewing of the bright suburban sky here, opening it up for me. When Dwarf 3 was announced, I knew I had to preorder it, so did at the end of May. Looking forward to when it arrives.
Hope you get it soon!!
Amazing. Ordered a Dwarf 3 last week after watching your earlier video. I can hardly wait for it to arrive!
same here ... just ordered one 🎉
Hope you enjoy it!
That's why we have to wait now... too many orderd
@@blenderbuch You snooze you lose!
Im waiting too, i hope i love it
finally a first ACTUAL review of the Dwarf 3.. been eyeing on this for a while! Thanks alot..
Would love to heat your views on the Dwarf 3 v Seestar s50. I'm trying to decide between the two. Great video.
Will probably do a comparison video down the line, want to wait until both have their mosaic features in
Wow. I mean seriously, wow. This is the first smart telescope that I can honestly say "Man, I really want one of those". Like I said on the last video about it, it would be a great bit of gear for those nights that I either want to do some live streaming or don't want to get out the whole rig, but with the EQ mode, if they add more features to the app or even allow control through NINA via the USB-C port this could seriously be used for some of my more serious imaging projects when I want to go a bit wider than I can with my newt. It's also the first smart-scope that I feel like I could actually recommend to someone who asks about buying a first telescope if all they are interested in is imaging.
There's a third party plugin for stellarium to control the Dwarf II (and III) so I assume NINA control should be possible down the line!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek 👀👀👀
Thanks Cuiv for this really cool video. It has encouraged me as I wait for my Dwarf III ordered back in May of this year. Delivery is due for this month for those who ordered then, but so far the tracking hasn’t moved at all.
I have just bought a Dwarf 3, I may get it in February can’t wait. Thanks for the video very very interesting.
I was hesitant about these smart scopes but with the ability to put it into EQ mode and take extended timed images was truly a game changer for me. I have other EQ rigs but for travel, this is perfect. Great video. Thanks!
Using the Dwarf 3 in remote ares of Australia is going to be incredible.The night sky is truly spectacular down here
Last week I chose the Dwarf 3 over Seestar because of its terrestrial application such as birdwatching, which I don't hear enough about. I'd like to see it in action!
I'll need to try it out at some point :)
Yes, I bought one about 10 days ago and it should arrive Oct/Nov. I was close to buying a SeeStar but the Dwarf 3, in my opinion, is better for me. I live under very light polluted skies, about 12 miles from downtown Washington, D.C.
I’m about 12 miles from downtown Chicago and I’m enjoying my Seestar! I’m surprised at what it can do!
Enjoy it!
The wider angle of the dwarf is great for galaxy and nebula. Mosaic mode is coming as well.
Great suggestion i use the level app on the iPhone to set the elevation on mount once optical tube is set!! Works great and a lot more accurate compared to the written scale on mount. also i use the compass app too, with a caveat and reminder to set/calibrate app to true north rather than magnetic north which is the default setting
I can’t imagine how frustrating it might be to have such a passion and skill for astrophotography yet live in possibly the worst possible place on the planet to be an astrophotographer 😅. You are so amazing even when handicapping yourself to such an extent!
Hahaha yes I know!! I guess it's part of my "brand" now 😂
Ha
I live in about the wettest part of the UK, by the time I’ve got polar aligned, focused, tracking on, the clouds usually cancel the night. Hopefully when my Dwarf arrives I’ll get an hour or 2 between cloud cover.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek i legit look at it this way "if cuiv in the worst light polluted place can do it, then it's possible to do it anywhere on earth" 😂
Ordered mine on 30th May so hopefully it will arrive soon, you have got me excited Thanks
Hope it arrives soon!
Wow Cuiv, what you get from the dwarf3 is actually amazing
It's really good!
Great video Cuiv. I was on the fence for the Dwarf 3 but this just pushed me over it...Thanks..
Enjoy it :)
I'm quite happy they're still supporting the Dwarf 2. I don't plan to upgrade yet, as I still get a lot of enjoyment out of my current one. Still on the fence about getting the Dwarf 3, but things are looking good atm.
Yeah they really put some thought and effort into the Dwarf III for sure!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Could you do a video covering updates for the dwarf ii? Maybe good so people don't feel the need to rush and buy the upgrade. I've seen some people worrying about Dwarf labs dropping support for the dwarf 2. Maybe helpful to let these people know that they're supporting the dwarf 2 for a long time yet.
This is simply amazing from such a small portable device. And dithering too! Mind blown 🤯 I wonder if something like the Sky Watcher Latitude Base would help make a more accurate polar alignment. I look forward to more adventures with this Dwarf 3. Thanks and clear skies mate!
Exactly! It's really impressive!
Thanks! ordered with your link
Thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy the scope :)
Wow! you get so excited,,,,,I trust your experience and this might be a decent scope for traveling. I appreciate your filter reviews too. Just became a Patreon.
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the channel! And thank you for your support!]
Hi Cuiv! I was wondering how the Dwarf II with a narrowband filter like the ZWO duo band would fare against the Dwarf 3? I have the Dwarf II and I live in a Bortle 8/9 location like you. The Dwarf 3's built in narrowband filter is tempting me to get it, but I was wondering if I could get similar results if I just bought something like a ZWO duo band instead which will of course be much cheaper! Keep up the great content!
It's difficult to tell which would be better, but it would indeed work!
Fantastic update! I can’t wait for mine to arrive. Thanks so much for your clear and honest insights.
My pleasure!
This is awesome! I have a Seestar and I’m working on a larger setup, but I might have to get the Dwarf III too! It looks really fun to use like this.
It is a lot of fun :) Larger setup would be awesome too :p
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Great review, Cuiv. Impressive little scope. I've got one on order due at the end of September. Can't wait to give a go.
Excellent, only a couple more weeks of wait!
thanks... this video validates my previous order for Dwarf3!!
I’m really impressed at the quality especially given you’re in a city environment. I live in a city centre too so it’s good to see I might be able to get something without getting in the car first!
Love your reviews, keep it up.
Thanks Jack!
Hey Cuiv, Good video as always.
I put together a travel setup a while back of the SW -AZ GTI, Askac ACL200, ASI533, ASIair plus. Unfortunately the AZ GTi tracking went to hell and would have needed new motor units. So I gave up on a travel pack.
However this is teazing my interest as an all in one unit that gets good, usable results so I may get one. Lot less struggle for traveling with a ton of gear in a backpack aswell.
I'm so sorry to hear about the fate of the travel pack... And yes this Dwarf III looks like a good travel companion. Not as good as a proper rig, but should be able to gather some good data!
Thanks
Thanks so much for your support!
Great video! I’ve had the Dwarf 2 for one year and use it quite a lot from Madrid (Bortle 8). I’m so fond of it that I may upgrade to the 3. It’s so portable and easy to use!
It's a cool product and they've really worked hard on enhancing the app, the hardware, etc.!
I'm going to buy one for me and one for my son. This is incredible! I've been doing astrophotography for about eight years with a complex and very nice rig. I've always wanted a simple rig I could take in my car and set up quickly. My current rig takes so long to set up that it is more like work. This looks so easy. This is exactly what I want! Thanks for the great review and demonstration!
It's a lot of fun for sure!
Great vid. Thanks. I think the inbuilt EQ mode is the ultimate selling point. Enjoyed your presentation. 😊
Great video. Really looking forward to receiving mine!
Hope you enjoy it!
Enjoyed the presentation so much I ordered from High Point. Can't wait.
Hope you enjoy it!
I pre-ordered the DWARF II after watching one of your early video reviews of it.
I pre-ordered the DWARF 3 on launch day, based on the expectations of the new features.
It is so great to see those features delivered, such that they impress you!
Looking forward to delivery soon! 😊
Yess! It's going to be a lot of fun when you receive it :)
Only Dwarf3 have the EQ feature, not Dwarf2 as far as I can see.
But Dwarf3 is a very tempting purchase I think due to upgades and the wide camera possibilities. Thank you for another great video from you Cuiv!
presumably will add it to Dwarf2 as only a software feature and all it does is tell you how far out of alignment you are. If you are familiar with polar alignment you can get it close with Dwarf 2 with the live view of Polaris (for those in N). I use a phone app and pan and tilt head and mount the Dwarf2 with a Arca Swiss plate after aligned tripod.
@@tma2001 The EQ mode was working in the last beta and today it seems a new app version catering for Dwarf 2 & 3 is available which has it. I've downloaded but not used yet, lot's of cloud, rain and thunder here in UK the last few days.
@@StevieD68SF thanks for the heads up - I was expecting the app would notify an update was available but alas not. Only just got one of the last batch of D2's on sale in UK and found a major goto bug on my first night which should be fixed in this release after I reported it.
and yeah I live in sunny Greater Manchester ;)
For the price and ease of use, the addition of this EQ mode is a killer feature. It reminds me when the AZ GTI went EQmode and now most photographers are using it as it works really well. The Dwarf III being so compact, cheap and now working on EQ mode seems to be the best offer on the market for people to actually wanting to discover astrophotography.. what i don't know however is... if the Dwarf III allows to switch filters. Not everything is Ha OIII. But still amazing for what it is.. may even be fun to buy as an astrophotographer to goof around and try new targets while taking photo with our equipments.. or just to do some light photo when hiking
Yep, it has IR cut and HaOiii, but I'm sure we'll be able to use external 2 inch filters with some 3D printing wizardry!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek looks very fun to try indeed
I ordered it in august... it should be on its way soon 😊 I'm eager to test it under B2 and B3-4 skies...
Hope it will be good for you. I’ll follow your project with dwarf III. Cuz I wanna know how it perform under B4😊
That's some delicious skies you'll be testing it under!!
Thank you sir. With your video Dwarf 3 is compelling and oh so tempting. Your Tokyo skies makes me less willing to complain about my suburban Minneapolis skies 🔭💡🤷🏻♂️
Hahaha yeah your skies are luxury from my point of view :p
Thx for these reviews and tutorials ! Ive been tossing and turning between the Seestar and the Dwarf. My ETX has been sitting in its box for 10years due to the setup time and poor connectivity. These smartscopes are reigniting my interest. Deciding factors for me are ease of setup, portability, and app support for terrestrial, solar and DSO imaging. Im planning to order the Dwarf using your link. Looks like the Seestar has a better sensor but in portrait orientation and smaller field of view (I know these can be handled with some extra effort). My killer app would to create a landscape with the milky way enhanced (not happy with my efforts using Pentax DSLR with Astrotracer).
I personally love the Dwarf III equatorial mode, it really makes a large difference - I wouldn't say the sensor is better on the Seestar though, why do you say so?
The D3 now supports wide lens astrophotography (i think) but I haven't tried yet!
If it has Equatorial mode, then I’d definitely buy the Dwarf 3. I’d like to see Equatorial mode better supported on the SeeStar S50.
Yeah an eq mode on the seestar would be so nice, right now the workaround is too painful to really use
Wow! very good results. I love your processing too. I didnt want to get the seestar due to lack of EQ mode. lets see if the Seestar adapts this down the road.
I really hope they give us Eq mode!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek not holding my breath, but keep talking about it and they may take note. thanks!
Absolutely intend to buy when I scrape the cash together, brilliant work
Watching this video again in anticipation of the arrival of my Dwarf 3. Definitely like your idea of the app assisting with the angle. I am curious. Once you have set the scope axis towards Polaris & set the correct angle for the scope relative to your location, couldn't you point the lens assembly straight up, 90° relative to the scope base, then center Polaris directly from the camera view?
I do not know if the optical tube assembly on a Dwarf 3 has a 90° index mark like the base does, or if it uses encoders to know the precise positions of the alt/az motors? If not, it would be simple enough to carefully point the scope straight up & make a small mark with a Sharpie for quick alignment. If the motors are encoded, Dwarflab could set the optical tube to 90° during the equatorial alignment procedure to facilitate this process. They could even get fancy & provide simulated Polaris/Polaris B target reticles like an actual polar alignment scope.
That's pretty clever! First use the wide angle camera and then the telephoto.
Yep, that works! In fact it was one of the "standard" ways of doing PA on the Dwarf II (although it assumes Polaris is visible) - there's no mark on the Dwarf III but we can guesstimate it well enough :)
I'm impressed!!! Until now, I haven't bothered to do AP from anywhere but my driveway due to the size/weight/complexity of my current rig. Performance-wise, it won't replace the kilo$s I've already spent, but it will certainly free me to do AP elsewhere.
Exactly! It's a really cool portable imaging solution!
I love your tests on smart telescope under heavy light pollution in Japan. I live right next to you, Korea, so I get really good reference from your video. Just my curiosity, how good will the smart telescopes' result will be under really dark skies. Would you kindly make a comparison video in the future regarding smart telescopes' result difference with same deep sky object under bright city sky vs dark sky?
Not sure I'll make a comparison, but I'll take it to darker skies to see how it will perform!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thank you Cuiv
Hi Cuiv! The optics of the of the D3 are good, I think your Tracking was not that great probaly because your rough alignment of 5 degrees combined with that tripod you used. Without fine tuning options from eqmode to get better alignment needs some manual fine tuning. You should check my results at 1 degree deviation or 2 degrees, when you get round stars, you can see the images in my tutorial how to Master Polar Alignment with the Dwarf3 when i find tuned the alignment using a simple method
Hi Cuiv. Great video up to your usual standard. My son ordered one for my birthday, and I will be getting it in the second shipment. It really opens up astrophotography to so many more people that Dwarf should get an honorable mention for this anticipated increased interest. I have a William Optics Skyguider Pro VIxen style base that I am hoping to modify so that I should be able to use (perpendicular mount of Dwarf 3 I am hoping will work).
It would be nice to have a video on how to take flats and dark flats which Dwarf tells me is possible.
Thanks for the feedback! It's going to be a great present from your son! You will probably need a Vixen dovetail to 1/4 inch tripod adapter to use it, although a standard tripod head should work well since the Dwarf is so small :)
Thank you for the excellent demonstration and processing run-through. I had tried the Eq mode the other night and just eyeballed it toward north and angled the tripod head at the right angle and it said I was within 2° so it was happy and worked well on M31 at the zenith. I was wondering what it would do for guidance if I had been far off the Pole. Now I know, thanks! 🙏
Excellent capture and workflow Lazy Geek!
Thanks Ray!
Thank you for your video. It helped me understand a lot of instructions and operations about EQ mode. Thank you a lots~
Glad this was helpful!
Thank you very much for the great video again. I have watched lots of videos now about it and ordered yesterday :-)
Hi. Bro, your results are amazing, thanks for sharing
Thank you!
Thanks … good job, my III has just been ordered.
I'm sure you will enjoy it!
Great presentation. I can see this being a great first tool for someone who wants to start doing serious atrophotography but is concerned about the considerable learning curve involved.
Your reviews of the Dwarf2 got me to purchase one of those. And now your review of the Dwarf3 has done the same. I am debating if my Dwarf2 will find a new home with the local astronomy club or library telescope loan program. I also love the T-shirt, but prefer Ozone paragliders to Air Design.
Hahaha, I actually overall prefer Advance and BGD (the Lynx 2 is my main glider, XI my backup)
Hi Cuiv, surely you could mount this on something like a Star Adventurer wedge or something similar to help getting even better polar alignment. I know you said it doesn't tell you which way to move the alt/az but you could figure it out without too much trouble. I must say I am liking the look of this.
There is a polar wedge made by omegon that I use with the seestar and it will work perfectly with the dwarf.
Yes, any wedge would work! Oh it does tell us the direction, in this case it was saying clockwise for instance!
Thanks for another great and informative video...I have it on pre-order which is fine as I'm still playing and learning with my Dwarf 2...Might be a couple of months until available...
Excellent and very informative. Thank you Cuiv!
My pleasure!
Thanks for the video, I have had a Dwarf 3 on order for a month. May be a long wait for me. Not sure.
Cuiv do you think this little scope could be operated with NINA eventually ?
There's a third party plugin to use it from Stellarium, so I assume so yes
Thanks for the review, specially the EQ mode setup which will be very handy for us Dwarf 2 owners too. We also got this killer feature and the UFO tracking :) with the latest FW upgrade.
once you have a few nights of using this , could you do a comparison between the S50 and this , ease of setup , ease of use (app and device) setup and accessories current/due and wish list , last value , Great video now a sub
Will do at some point :)
Thank you so much, this is really inspiring for a beginner like me. Would you recommend to wait for the Dwarf III over going with the ZWO S50? Thanks!
Difficult question! I'd say first wait for the S50 mosaic mode to be released and check the reviews of that!
This marks the begging of the end for many market actors in the astronomy/astrophoto field
Thanks for the great video, waiting my D3 to arrive, ordered alresfy in May
wie immer von dir klasse erklärt,eq justierung auf polaris supergenau,das schaft noch nicht einmal meine teure astroausrüstung für zig tausend euro so schnell,bin schwer begeistert,kein stundenlanges herumgefummel mit guiding u.s.w.👌👌👌👌👌👌
So SeeStar? Or Dwarf 3? Which is the better buy? Also would like to see a side by side comparison of the 2 specs wise...fov, resolution, etc.
Will work on it at some point!
I didn't know it had a temperature sensor as I use the sensor on my weather station and note it down as part of my observing log with the Dwarf2. Which reminds me would be nice if you could attach a text note to each session (I've no idea what the HD number of named stars like Polaris, Vega etc are!).
I like you can now choose custom dark frames (with the ND filters as you mentioned).
My #1 workflow annoyance on Dwarf2 is not restoring the shooting settings after every goto, autofocus, calibration (default of 1s, g80, IR Pass). Also confusing pitfall for beginners if you read the forums.
Also didn't realise Tokyo is so far south at 36 degs! I'm flying to Crete next week with my Dwarf2 also at the same latitude! Will be experimenting with a pan and tilt head and using the Dwarf2 tele view as its own iPolar scope pointing at Polaris to see how close can get the alignment. Dawrflab need to add a cross hair in centre of frame overlay option.
All good suggestions!! And yes that workflow annoyance is still there.... :-(
Thanks for your videos, they are very clear and useful.
I am looking into this type of telescope but I am a landscape photographer, I am fascinated by the night sky, and I have no astrophotography skills,
Before understanding if I am actually attracted to this branch of photography, I thought about getting a smart telescope to test the waters.
I was attracted to the S50 but looking at the features of the Dwarf 3 I found it more versatile for general daytime use, the object tracking mode, for the equatorial operation mode, for the 4K resolution and the better sensor.
However, the shorter focal length of the telephoto lens creates some doubts, but in any case I could not hope to obtain images of planets or very small things with either of them.
However, I saw that the smaller field of view of the S50 is contained within the field of the Dwarf in terms of number of pixels.
Am I reasoning correctly?
Thank you very much for the video, this is amazing!
I think the full built-in support of the equatorial mode is a real game changer. I thought the Seestar was nice, but was not considering buying it in the near future. After your latest couple of videos about the Dwarf III, I think I should start considering breaking the piggy bank...
Waiting your for a full Seestar vs Dwarf III video ;)
I got disinterested in AP about 15 years ago when i moved from Arizona. My current location is not great and my setup was complex enough to cause some frustration..cpc-11, DSLR, Faststar, laptop, lots of wires, lots of software, lots of post processing and lots of weight 😂. This may get me interested again or maybe frustrated at how much I spent back then. I still have my old equipment, maybe i'll take a look around to see of there's any new tech to make that old equipment simplified.
It's great to have one of those smart telescopes as a sub-rig that can be used without frustration when there's only a couple hours of clear skies, etc.
Nice results. I suspect that the next iteration (Dwarf 4?) will have a 50mm aperture, a focal length near 1000mm equivalent, etc
Not sure if 50mm will be doable in this form factor, it would get quite big, but that would be very nice!
I am curious as to what you think is the best tripod to use for the Dwarf 3. Weight is not a problem, but I think steadiness and a solid base is. Thank you for your insights...
The evolution of the conventional big rig has started
Thanks for the video! I already ordered it using the links provided....while it arrives I will learn with your 3 hours pixinsight course 😅
Since the IMX678 sensor has STRAVIS2 technology, I wouldn’t expect there to be any amp glow. Are the dark calibration frames useful? Great video, thanks again 😊
Dark frames also help with thermal noise caused by a simple uncooled camera such as this
@@samwarfelphotos Thanks 🙏
If it was cooled, yes, but uncooled I so prefer to have dark frames!
I definitely want one. The price is very good for the features that you get. I wonder how it works in colder climates?
Thank you for your smart telescope videos. I assume that you will soon have planetary and solar observations also to share. Thanks for giving me a new itch that I may have to scratch
That is a serious bit of kit. With some refinement of the app adding things us advanced users require I see this being a very popular family telescope. For 1 it opens the sky to beginners, and allows for a professional image just from the inbuilt processing, but also for advanced users being able to do darks, have the raw frames to do your own processing is a game changer in portability and ease of use. If the pricing is great, this could out sell every other brand. Keep on them about the features! Great work on the review mate!
It's $500 so I think the price is as low as they can get it! Really impressive stuff for sure
WOW, its just going to get better.
Hello, I am planning to buy a smart telescope but I am still evaluating the Seestar versus Dwarflabs. I recognize the importance of equatorial mode. When you showed the Seestar in equatorial mode you point out you lose access to large areas of the sky since the base is at the equatorial angle. Doesn't the Dwarf suffer the same limitation? Thanks, Ron
Thank you very much for all the work you put into the channel.
I currently have a mesu 200 mount,Atik 383L camera and a 10 inch f3.9 reflector for astro photography.
I am looking to buy a smart scope for visual viewing with friends.
I live in the Alps, So therefore have dark skies.
Which scope would you chose between the Dwarf 3 and S50?
Thanks.
It's a very difficult question, both have their advantages. Also I just saw there will be a new version of the Seestar, so I want to see what specs (and price) that will have!
Great ’short’ review Quiv 👍 Could you please explain to me how the temperature works when taking darks? Is it the temperature of the Dwarf 3 itself (since it can get warm when in use) or is it the outside temperature? And does it matter if you take the darks previous, during or after the shoot? Thanks for replying ✍️
Hey Cuiv great video as always and I cant wait to see what fun you have when on your trip, also cant wait for mine to arrive dwarflab have come along way I got my dwarf 2 due to your video thanks had great fun with it
Hey Cuiv FYI your link to the dwarf is broken
yes, hijacked or something bad.
Thanks! Fixed now!
I have the Dwarf 3. In PixInsight, blinking through my 60s exposures from eq mode imaging session at 1% eq mode accuracy, I am finding a third to a half of all frames have star trails in varying unified directions between frames. Stacking the best frames results in something similar to your stacked image for optical quality. It turns out my optics do have flaring on stars and coma, so Dwarflab is replacing the scope as soon as they have product to do so. My question is, have you seen trailing in the 60s exposures? 30s? I do not have star trailing with my Dwarf 2 unless there is wind. Thank you!
I have a question regarding the Tripod: for equatorial mode, does the Tripod need a ball-joint or however I should name it? Or could I use the Tripod of the Seestar as well?
I'd like to see what wide field images it can take, or mosaic. I like milky way images
Looking for your future review of the S30 vs dwarf3!!
Will definitely work on it!
I seriously consider buying the D3 thanks to your very usefull presentation of this product. The post processing of the images on the computer app is also amazing (but expensive). As I know python programming and aware of astropy packages, I wonder if I could do a similar processing. Anyway the internal D3 processing/ image stacking is already good even if it is not completely optimal. Do you think that a firmware will be updated to improve later the image processing performed inside the D3 ?
There are plans by Dwarflab to have AI denoising in the app so yes I think the out of the box results will get better!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks to you I ordered it !
thank you all your videos are great, i seen them all :)
Glad you like them!
Great vid, thanks. Going to get a Dwarf 3. Started visual astronomy this year and only have experience of using a Dob. Any recommendations for a mount to get the best out of a Dwarf 3 in EQ mode?
Great video!
With regards to PA for the EQ mode, looks like the axis from bottom to top needs to point towards Polaris/true north
Should be easy for someone to 3D print a quick bracket that attaches to the side of the D3 in which one could slide a polar scope or laser (when allowed)
Should make PA a breeze, especially when mounted on a stable tripod and geared head like the Benro
I may splurge on this while building my larger kit…
Very interesting and solid reviews on the D3
Safe travels to France !!
Blown away by this, it might be a way into this for me, can you show the Timelapse features on a video please? I presume it can do video. In photo mode can it cope with a foreground object/building? John
I'll check those things later...
Excellent review! Very exciting what's happening with smart scopes. This upgrade will put pressure on ZWO to up their game. Maybe we Seestar users will get equatorial mode sooner.
Thankyou, very informative, quick question, for those of us that don’t process fits files, is there a stacked png or tiff provided and if so is it stretched or unstretched. I’m hopeful it provides one because obviously we don’t want to try to process a jpeg…...thanks, I do understand you get better results from fits, however lots of people will be trying to get best results they can from processing on their tablet or just using the basic starnet program to improve images with basic level and denoise programs
How good is the star guiding during imaging? Any estimate of the RMS arc-second guiding error?