A very honest & open review indeed. Image quality of the origin is not as good as I thought it would be. For now, I think i'll refrain from buying the origin especially if it keeps having errors. Thanks for this video.
I really like your reviews vs some others, good info without too much double talk / repeating of what you have already said. Please keep it up and I'll keep watching.
I was considering the Celestron Origin smart telescope, but I went with the Askar 71F and AM5N mount instead, and I’m really happy with this setup so far. The joys of equatorial mounting, like having no field rotation, make a big difference. While the Origin is a cool scope, a more custom build just works better for me. I spent around $4,600 for everything-mount, scope, filters, guide scope, and more.
This was my exact point around the end - I would make the same choice! Glad to hear you're happy with it! The Origin remains a valid alternative for people who don't want to polar align, but that route is not for me :)
@@the_space_koala tbh you probly dont need a am5n for what im packing on it I justed wanted some head room if I ever wanted to swap scopes up later lol also that new ZWO ASI2600MC AIR camera is kinda a game changer when it comes to astro I got the asi533mc pro but after seeing the asi26000mc air you can really lighten the amount of cables you need and weight that be my dream camera a all in one guide/main camera/asiair
@@the_space_koala for me polar alligning is a lost time. I also have a lot of light pollution from a parkingspace behind my garden where they installed big lights. I own a seestar S50, a Vespera II and a Vespera Pro.
It would be really nice if Celestron would introduce an EQ mode for the Origin along with an EQ wedge for the mount. Since this is essentially the same mount as the Celestron NexStar Evolution which does have an optional EQ wedge available, I'd expect it would be almost completely a software upgrade. Please, Celestron, consider it! Then this would be nearly ideal!
Enjoyed your review. I had pretty much eliminated the Origin from consideration. My use case is as a “corrupted” visual observer. I spent many years under the stars viewing with a variety of telescopes and eyepieces. I also spent some time with a few different EAA rigs. An issue with vision and another with lugging heavy gear around, and a low tolerance for fiddle factor caused me to very nearly leave the hobby. The Seestar very affordably allows me to overcome these issues. I generally spend a half hour or so in post-processing the raw fits files. The result is that I get to see images of any number of objects taken from my Bortle 6 deck. It’s clear that my standards for image quality are far exceeded by those of any serious astrophotographer, but the images are more than good enough for my purposes. Anyway, thanks for a very good review. Well done!
Thank you for sharing your experience! The Seestar is the one that offers the best bang-for-buck, even if the Origin delivers superior images. Have you seen the new Seestar S30? I just posted my test comparing it to the S50
@ So far I’ve seen reviews and a few photos. I actually have one on order. Its native FOV seems good enough for a number of wider-field objects. I’ve used the S50’s framing tool to grab a few objects but a larger native FOV is appealing. I’ll check out your S30 review.
Good video and well worth the watch. You called a "Spade a Spade" as it were and didn't sugar coat it at all. This type of scope/ video is not really up my alley as i use really big Dobs but i enjoyed the video. Thanks for the time spent putting this together. Knowing how long my videos take to put together, just this edit alone more than likely took most of the day just on its own. Thanks for the effort. Damo
Thanks much for this video and the significant effort you put into its production. The Seestar was my introduction to astrophotography. I’ve been processing the images myself and had been considering what to get next. I had been very interested in the Origin, but decided to get a Redcat 61 instead and will eventually pair it with an AM5N. I felt that was a better use of that budget, and your detailed analysis and incredible insight has helped resolve any concerns I had with that decision.
I think you made the absolute best decision! The AM5 will also give you room for further growth in the future should you want to go for larger focal length - it will serve you for a very long time!
Thank you! I have been doing AP for awhile and with my limited time and weather ( Oregon Coast-rain/fog) ive been looking at simplifying everything and looking seriously at either the Seestar or Origin. Based on your honest and straightforward review Im just going to wait for the industry to come out with an equatorial design and better software! Good job!
It was obvious to me many people would not be happy with Origin at $5000. That's a big jump in money. Like you stated a person can build a very nice telescope and wait on the smartscope products getting better and hopefully cheaper in the future. Thank you for being so Honest and informative in what you discovered.
I appreciate the feedback! It's important to consider all options before making a purchase. Surely many people will still go for the Origin which is great, the more products on the market the better!
Testing three smart telescopes was helpful. I'm interested in Origin.The 1:1 magnification of the test M33 easily captured images of magnitudes 17~18 and above, and I was amazed at how sharp the stars were. I'm looking forward to attaching it to an equatorial mount wedge in the future. Thank you for your report on the smart telescope.
I would wait until next year then, when the RASA6 is rumored to come out. Then you can do proper equatorial astrophotography with it! Or did you mean in a "smart scope" setup?
Great review. I'm saving to buy one. I've been an amateur astronomer for fifty years. My primary scope is the the 14" Edge HD for planetary. I also have a classic Vespera for DSO imaging.The new Origin has caught my attention. Portable, easy to operate, calibration frames, and effective aperture is perfect for astrophotography. I guarantee the software bugs will be eliminated. Thank you Space Koala.
I can only recommend that you don't "upgrade" the Vespera to the Pro version. I had the original Vespera as well and it was producing better images. Lower resolution and smaller FOV sure, but nice stars. I am also sure the bugs will be fixed, they should've just done that before the launch. Hope you get your Origin soon!
I have a Seestar S50 and a Celestron Origin. Other than the time I put the Origin on my Evolution mount, and my Evolution on my Origin mount, I have only seen the Origin application error you experienced once, otherwise I haven't experienced the software issues you did. I live with the images out of the box. Being able to get an image without going through the steep learning curves of Siril and/or PixInsight is worth it to me. I'm in awe of your ability to post process the raw images. If I was going to ask Celestron for an improvement, I'd ask them to provide support for running the Origin on their EQ mounts ... I have an AVX, I'd love to see it supported by the Origin.
if you're happy with the images it gives you it's the right scope for you! I figured a lot of people would like the processed images - otherwise they wouldn't be doing it this way :D If I'm not mistaken they'll come out with the RASA6 OTA only next year so that will be the option for an EQ mounted version
Great review! I have friends that have the Vespera and the SeeStar who come out to image with me. I went with the RedCat71, ASIAIR Plus and ASI2600MC Pro for my WF rig on a CGX mount. Came out to a bit more than $5K. I was excited to see an unbiased comparison using PI for the stacking and processing. My buddy who has the Vespera had to send it back to France for repairs due to the collimation issue you illustrated, which looks to have addressed his issues. My buddy with the SeeStar is very happy with his purchase as he uses it for outreach and live-view so it is a good solution for him. Looking forward to seeing your other videos. Thanks for your time and effort.
I really enjoyed your thorough review of Origin et al.-balanced, fair, and honest. It’s disappointing that the Celestron software still has bugs to work out, but like you mentioned, maybe another six months will bring improvements. Personally, I’d rather put $5K toward a RASA8 kit. Also, the beautiful, scenic sunset shots were a great touch. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to produce such captivating content!
Thank you so much for the kind words. IMO software bugs are the better scenario vs if the hardware had issues. I’m confident in 6 months it will be a nice piece of equipment. I agree with you on the rig choice but smart scopes are here to stay so I aim to find the best options among these as well! Ps “origin et al” made me giggle
Very good review, thank you. I could easily imagine your increasing frustration with both equipment and software as the promise of the early evening slowly transitioned into the cold reality of morning. It was interesting to see the comparison between all three, very much looking forward to something similar with the Dwarf 3 and SeeStar S30. Thanks for making these.
As soon as I get my hands on the S30 that is coming 😁 I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs both vs the S50 and the D3! I hope my frustration didn’t come across too much though, I tried to keep the evaluation factual 😁
Very nicely done Luca! I currently have both the SeeStar S50 and the Celestron Origin. I have had many of the same issues you had. The Origins focal length is 335mm not 355mm, and I paid $3995 not $5000. I was having many color issues after stacking in PixInsight, and Celestron told me not to use RGGB but BGGR for the de Bayer pattern. That helped a lot. My wife and I look forward to your videos each week.
Thanks so much for the pointer on the focal length I have to find a way to fix this in the video! In Europe it costs €5000+ I saw at the time I posted this that in the US you can get it cheaper, that’s great! It’s super annoying they don't put the bayer pattern in the FITS header, I found the BGGR info on an online forum! thank you for the kind words
@@the_space_koala possible you can buy it cheaper in the US but before you receive it in the EU with all the import taxes the price will become 5000 euro
I want to use the Celestron Origin in Bortle 1 skies. Between the $3000-$5000 for the Origin, I would rather assemble a full-blown astro-rig that I can keep under 20 pounds with the best utilized cable management. I guess I'll stick to my S50 for now because I can achieve the same results as the Origin on M33 with my S50, but the S50 requires more photon data gathering. Anyways, thanks for the video review and great work! I'm looking forward to your review on the new Seestar S30.
That's a great way to look at it - I agree you can get a similar image given enough time - the aperture is 3x as large so I would say you need to expose 9x as long? However the Seestar's sensor is more modern and more efficient so the difference is probably significantly less. Of course the larger aperture will still outperform in terms of possible resolution, but totally not worth it at the cost of having to haul all that around lol
Nice to see an honest review as a lot of you tubers give raving reviews in exchange for a freebie. Can you do a Dwarf3 review as I have one on pre order?
you're definitely not the only one - I see people ask for it all the time! I'm sure - much like a theoretical AM7 - it will come later. It makes sense that first they release the mid-size option (am5 / s50) which a lot of people will get as it's novelty. Then a smaller even more affordable option (am3 / s30) and then hopefully the large ones for people like us who really want them
The primary issue, I think, is that it would be much more expensive and difficult to simply scale up the Seestar than we might imagine. A much larger version would run into many more technical issues and a sharp increase in price/performance.
Impressive effort done Luca! The "old-school" companies like Celestron has a looong way regarding software. ZWO is by far the best in this respect. Here "we" want better hardware (please use another sensor ZWO) and EQ support. I feel your pain when you loose so much time due to software bugs. 😒
Thank you! TBH I see the Celestron software getting better before the SeeStar gets a better sensor. It’s already impressive how much hardware they manage to get in there at such a low cost - I don’t think they’d want to jeopardize their own traditional setup sales.
@@the_space_koala I agree with you, I am just a bit "greedy" I guess. The Celestron Origin is too expensive for my taste anyway. I just wished ZWO could put a square sensor in the Seestar (will help a lot with stacking). Same regarding the ASI585MC, much easier to frame targets with a more square sensor not wasting lot of FOV that you normally need to crop out anyway.
I currently have a Seestar S50, it was my first telescope and I have had it a year now. I am deep into the hobby and enjoy processing and stacking my own frames for the best results. I am extremely interested in the Origin, not just because of its current specs but also the potential for "new future specs" with an interchangeable camera, filter drawer and future wedge mount support. I was wondering if you think the (possible) customization aspect of the Origin is a good enough reason to save up for the upgrade? I would like genuine thoughts from people who have experience with at least one of the scopes. Thank you in advance!
Hey it really depends on your preferences. The Origin is the best of all smart scopes currently on the market when it comes to the optics, both due to the quality of the build and due to its size. If you’re already processing the photos yourself and you want to move on to the next level, have you considered a traditional setup? If not, the origin is clearly a winner not because of the upgradeability but also the current specs.
@@the_space_koala I am considering the idea of building my own "traditional" setup, my thing is I just am a big fan of the idea of EAA and the ability to control everything using an app, rather than needing to bring a laptop or something to control the camera and mount. My alternative idea instead of the Origin is the ZWO ASI2600MC Air camera with a "regular" telescope and go to mount. Thoughts on that idea / route? I greatly appreciate your quick and honest response.
Thank you it is great revision for this new smart scope, It's obviously needs some modifications like converting the AZ mount to EQ mount and replace the camera with a cooled one,good luck
I know! With this giant Evolution mount they were so close to getting it right! I wonder how long until someone puts it on a wedge. I know people do it with the Seestar, why would it be any different!
Lenyűgözően gyönyörű vagy, nagyon szép,hasznos videó, szívből gratulálok, csodálatos az a Celestron okos műszer, egészséggel szeretettel használd, gyönyörű a Hold és az ott a Vénusz a háttérben?Sok szép sikeres munkát jó egészségben szeretetben🙏☺️❤️
Great review. Not my thing and thanks for confirming Luca. I just cannot believe the price of the Celestron thing. The only upside is maybe we see a rasa 6 at some point.
Thanks for your excellent review. The celestron is the class leader. Maybe out out two versions of the review. The full review, and maybe a five-seven minute summary review for higher viewership. Thanks again.
I had a preorder for an Origin from the time it was first announced but cancelled it when the delays started to accumulate and went with a Vespera II. I am very happy with the V2's performance and image quality, so satisfied in fact that I purchased an almost new Stellina (it had been used five times). I normally run both scopes when the weather permits, quite often on the same target; the Vespera II for the wide field and the Stellina to pull out more of the detail, for example on M31. I did originally consider a Vespera Pro but after a bit of serious consideration decided the Vespera II was the best option based primarily on the sensor, i.e.: larger photosites yielding faster image capture and lower noise levels. I think reviews since my choice have proven me right!? I also have a Dwarf III on preorder; expecting to see it before the end of 2024, I hope. I view the Dwarf III as more of a photography tool as opposed to exclusively astrophotography. It looks like a fun 'toy'! I've been into Astronomy is some fashion since about 1966 and have had too many (at least according to my wife) Alt/Az and EQ, reflector/refractor configurations as well as an automated observatory. After lugging around heavy astrophotography equipment for decades it is really nice to be able to simply set a smart telescope (or two or three) on my picnic table and tell it to go to work. The 45 lb weight of the Origin was also a negative in my smart telescope decision; however, I realize a 6" f/2.2 RASA scope will pull out more detail and capture targets faster than any of the other smart telescopes on the market. Celestron could also have gone with a modern sensor in the Origin instead of the same 2018 sensor used in the Stellina. I enjoyed your comparison but I probably lean more towards Vespera than Seestar. I also think the Dwarf III will outshine the Seestar S50.
I also have one of the limited edition Vespera Passengers (I think quite comparable to the Vespera II) and it is much better than their "top of the line" Pro model. The V2 at a lower price point and better performance gets you a superior bang for buck and I could see myself choosing that over the Seestar. The Pro, however, is just not a well turned-out product, sadly.
@@the_space_koala as i already mentioned here the Vpro is still not compleley 100% OK. They will implement upgrades and correct some problems thru firmware upgrade. Also do not forget because the pixels of the cmos chip are so small you need to image 2x to 3x longer then the normal Vespera. Also The Vespera II is not teh ame as the Passenger they cmos Chip the Imx585c is much better.
Hi. I was impressed of the review, especially you showed the not so good sites of the products. The distorted stars of the origin is not due to the cable but is induced of the dew heater ring installed on the schmidt plate. I have the same prblem on my C8 where I installed the dew heater ring due to the convenience. I will try a regulator box to reduce the heat with the hope to get better results. If you have the possibility try again disabling the dew heater. CS and greetings from Vienna.
hey! I don't believe I enabled the dew heater though! If it's set to automatic it wouldn't have turned on (it was dry and also very warm above the dew point) - I was in a T-shirt even after sunset as you can see in the video. It is still possible it was on by default, of course, in that case that's a design flaw in my opinion.
Thanks for the great take on these 3 Smart Scopes! As a DWARF II and SeeStar S50 owner (with a DWARF 3 on the way!) I’m really interested in whether the devices at the top end of the market are worthy of the huge additional investment. I think you answered that for me! 😂😉
Question for the comments section: I’m getting ready to buy a telescope and I have pretty much settled on an Evolution 8 SCT along with a couple eyepiece upgrades (a panoptic 24mm, a Delos 12mm and a Delos 6mm, I’m an eyeglass wearer)…. But before I do…..why would anyone want to buy a telescope you cannot look through, only do photography with? Isn’t it cutting my options in half? Love to hear your thoughts before I go forward and also if you have any alternatives suggestion to what I am currently planning to purchase. Thanks….and I agree with everyone this is a very well done review video on the Origin.
some people just don't want to do visual astronomy! If you want to observe more than just planets and the 2-3 brightest DSOs visual astronomy requires a lot of knowledge, practice and most of all dark skies and larger optics. Photography is not so demanding unless you are set on achieving the highest quality possible - and this desire usually comes only later, or not at all. These smart scopes are a very convenient all-in-one solution for those who already know they only want to take pictures and they want to start having some success from day 1. The C8 is a very good visual scope, keeping a 20cm aperture very portable and compact. You will always compromise though - the Evolution mount is super convenient for visual astronomy but it's not good for astrophotography due to field rotation. These smart scopes are all compromising on that. If you planned to do photography in the future I'd get the EdgeHD version and you'd need to consider an equatorial mount. That in turn makes visual much less fun. There's just no one setup that's perfect for every use, everything is optimized for a certain niche.
I'm amaze by your dedication just to review this one Origin telescope. There's a point in the video I just felt pitty that you may not had enough sleep 😵. Anyway, I subscribed.
I love using my Seestar, but iv been considering the Origin. It's unfortunate about the bugs at the beginning, but I rather like the quality of the pics so far, but the price is a but steep. As for the upcoming Seestar s30, I have read that it could be very useful with aurora and milkyway photography. Thank you for the great review. Clear skys 😊
The S30 will be teh same ass the dwarf 3 except it will not have the EQ mode i think. Because if they implement it on the S30 they can implement it on the S50
Haha it’s not an astrophotography tool, but I actually have a video up showing a nice VR planetarium app in it. And a very niche use - when you do solar and you have no chance of seeing an actual computer screen from the glare it helps a lot to focus 😁
First, excellent job on the Origin evaluation then compare. I'm a S50 user, my first and only. Started this hobby in January. As with any hobby it doesn’t take long where you start thinking, what's next. Limitations. Money, bang for the buck. Lugable. Is the origin 10 times better than S50? Don't think so. Plus, it's so much heavier. I'm an old guy, weight is an issue. I watched you deal with your 14. Ugh. I think I'll hold out for the future S70/S100 from ZWO. I plan to order the S30 next week just to see. Looking forward to your review.
Yeah above a certain size - especially if you want to get better results - a modular traditional setup might just be worth it more! Of course if the S70 somehow will cost like $700 only that will be another unbeatable offer
@@the_space_koala My guess, ZWO nextgen S50 will be around $1K, probably $995. Better sensor, eq mount(incorporating AM3), external filters (maybe), longer focal length and I'm sure more SW toys. Maybe next year.
The resistance is from all those people not wanting to polar align! In any case I hope your words are prophecy 😁 keeping the prices low and the competition up!
@@the_space_koala Before I found and bought the S50 my HW shopping list included Celestrons 9.25 edge plus all the ZWO add-on goodies. I have recently discovered those home version observation enclosures. Set up once and leave it. That would be a commitment.
If I had the opportunity (and lived in a place where it makes sense) I’d have a dome too, it’s the ultimate dream! On my Bortle 7 rental balcony it makes no sense though, sadly.
great review! looks like previous version of vespera are better due to QC issues on this, also origin has ton of potential! it seems to me, the limits of S50 has been reached, now they have added mosaic mode, which is nice, but... it is what it is. ( which is very impressive )
Who knows they may implement EQ mode on popular request! That said for them it would be a better business decision to come out with a pro version with EQ mode or a rotator and a larger sensor.
@@the_space_koala yeah i do agree. S50 PRO or S50 mkII with those features would be interesting. A larger FOV while keeping the resolution is almost a must, it would be great if they include a way rotate the frame at least a bit to compose better. EQ also. It would be also great if they make it more sealed.
thanks. it depends on the scope (ha-ha) of application. If someone wanted the easiest possible setup to start astrophotography I'd recommend the ASI2600 Air with a ZWO AM3 and the nicest refractor that fits inside the remaining budget. As for myself, I'd go for an APSC mono camera with 36mm filters ($2500), some Nema17 harmonic motor based onstep mount ($1300?), the simplest control system I can get (ASIAIR Mini) and the largest tube I can get with the remainder - I like both aperture and focal length so I'd go for an EdgeHD8. I would also probably be able to stretch the budget further as I am very comfortable buying used gear, in fact most of my nicer equipment was bought used.
@@the_space_koala I think about to AM3 too :) Also that new double saddle SW 100i looks interesting ;) Currently I have Mak127 on AZ GTIX with apsc dslr so its not a best combo for deep space astro😅 Still I manage to capture some Messier objects. But yes C8 on eq mount would be a game changer for my pics;)
there are a set of screws at the front to adjust collimation, but in general you shouldn't need to touch them unless you drop it or something, it's quite stable. At least that's my experience with my RASA
I could - I can (you can cast the screen of the Mac so you can also use PixInsight on a virtual screen the size of your room)! But it would make a funny video if I just sit there with the giant headset 😁
Seems like Celestron has a way to go with the Origin. The RASA design should be yielding higher quality images than what you were able to get. Can you switch out the camera? Thanks.
You will be able to switch out the camera in the future when they come out with more options. I definitely get better images with my RASA8, then again I don't just shoot for 2 hours at a time so it's hard to tell
Thank you for the honest review. What a dissapointment for such an expensive telescope. Critical error is also the best and most uninformative message you can get. I also don't like the overprocessed hard images that come out of the software part but when things come together it's pretty amazing, especially with some editing. The halos are the result of the optical design, not the filter specifically and can't be avoided on brighter stars. On even brighter stars it gets really ugly. Let's wait a bit until the software is mature and try again.
I have a RASA 8 and don't get any such halos with good filters or without a filter - not even on the brightest of stars. I remember, however, when I used the f/2 Oiii filter of Baader I used to get those halos. The overprocessed images are a pet peeve for me, but based on the average processing seen on smart scope forumns, I think it will be appreciated by quite a few users.
This is a very nice telescope. But for me, it is just too costly. What I also like, is it being the only smart telescope where you can change components. Mount, OTA, camera and so forth.
That is so awesome! I just subscribed to your channel. Keep up the cool videos! I love the idea of an astronomy vacation. I was trying to find airbnbs in dark skies, but it was challenging. I wish there was a tool to search airbnb by bortles level.
Thank you! I found such a website a long time ago, where hotels could register as dark-sky friendly places, but I can't remember the name of it. That said I found Athos and also a few other places I've stayed at since literally googling things like "astronomy hotel" :)
sehr informatives video,,habe dwarf2 im eq modus getestet,seestar s50 ebebfalls, bin mit beiden geräten sehr zufrieden,zumal das s50 jetzt auch im eq modus funktioniert und mosaikfunktion hat ,und dwarf2 auch den eq modus.sehe von einem kauf eines celestron origin und vespera ab, da mein beiden geräte das ergebniss bringen das ich haben will,dazu noch der unwahrscheinlich hohe preisunterschied.
Very interesting test. Now I conclude. None of them are good enough for my taste. Little off-topic, I think Dwarf 3 in equatorial mode will beat all of them because of its superior optics, even it has only 35mm aperture. I have an old Meade 10" and an old Celestron 14". Time to upgrade to DWARF 3 😂
I have a Dwarf 3 here waiting to be tested - it came with weeks of clouds included in the price. I'm also excited to see how the EQ mode works. To be fair, if I stacked and processed the images myself, all of these scopes would produce better images than the ones shown here.
it's crazy to me that they can't implement such a simple concept. I do not believe darks are so important on modern sensors especially at a 10 second exposure, but the option should be there. Since it's a closed system they could also ship it with a factory master flat which would infinitely improve the experience.
I have a 6SE with all the fixings and a S50. I would love to get the Origin but i think it is way over priced for what you get. So i will just say no to this.
I wonder if all that is just a program inside the telescope, preload images , can some one try to put their hands in front of any of thise AI telescopes to see what happens
the telescope is not AI - AI is only used for the automatic processing of the images and you can turn it off. It is very easy to test if it's real: cloudy sky==> no deepsky image. You can also point it at anything like a mountain around you and see the live view
Excellent telescope, Excellent concept, rubbish mount, what a pity it isn't an equatorial mount, rubbish camera, hopefully they can upgrade it easily, rubbish software. Pictures I have seen are pretty average considering the cost. This setup in Australia is nearly $7000 which is not beginner scope territory. I would not spend that money on this, they really need to halve the cost for this. the only quality component is the actual Rasa.
I agree the price is steep - I put 5000 in the title then I was told in the US it's "only" 4000. Still a lot for a "first scope". I think the altaz mount is here to stay on all these smart scopes because people just don't want to polar align :( I think there's an irrational fear thinking it's a complex thing to do.
it exists already - Avalon mounts do it (search for "avalon motorized polar alignment"). Also they don't need to do a meridian flip either. Quite an interesting concept
I personally prefer a traditional setup as well, but these gadgets also have a place. The seestar with its ease of use and portability has gotten so many people into astronomy! Anything that gets people interested in space is awesome! Then some will graduate to a trad rig and maybe astrophotography but many are content with what they get.
Let’s hope that some will graduate to traditional rigs. In my opinion, only tiny percentage will graduate. Moreover, those who started from traditional rigs, they more likely stick around and gradually improve (spend money as well).
@@anata5127 Actually I've used traditional configuration for decades and have now gone the smart telescope route. Ease of use. Weight. Fast setup/take down.
Anata, they are for tired old astrophotographers like me that started with film 50 years ago that don't have the mental or physical energy to drag a C8 out of the garage and get it going, then get immersed in all sorts of software stuff.
You make the best reviews, no hype, no weird tangents, no attempts at juvenile humor. And they're really informative.👍
thank you so much for saying that, I appreciate it!
A very honest & open review indeed. Image quality of the origin is not as good as I thought it would be. For now, I think i'll refrain from buying the origin especially if it keeps having errors. Thanks for this video.
Thanks for the feedback, glad you found it useful!
I really like your reviews vs some others, good info without too much double talk / repeating of what you have already said. Please keep it up and I'll keep watching.
Appreciate the feedback, I’ll make sure to do my best in future videos too!
I was considering the Celestron Origin smart telescope, but I went with the Askar 71F and AM5N mount instead, and I’m really happy with this setup so far. The joys of equatorial mounting, like having no field rotation, make a big difference. While the Origin is a cool scope, a more custom build just works better for me. I spent around $4,600 for everything-mount, scope, filters, guide scope, and more.
This was my exact point around the end - I would make the same choice! Glad to hear you're happy with it! The Origin remains a valid alternative for people who don't want to polar align, but that route is not for me :)
@@the_space_koala tbh you probly dont need a am5n for what im packing on it I justed wanted some head room if I ever wanted to swap scopes up later lol also that new ZWO ASI2600MC AIR camera is kinda a game changer when it comes to astro I got the asi533mc pro but after seeing the asi26000mc air you can really lighten the amount of cables you need and weight that be my dream camera a all in one guide/main camera/asiair
@@the_space_koala for me polar alligning is a lost time. I also have a lot of light pollution from a parkingspace behind my garden where they installed big lights. I own a seestar S50, a Vespera II and a Vespera Pro.
It would be really nice if Celestron would introduce an EQ mode for the Origin along with an EQ wedge for the mount. Since this is essentially the same mount as the Celestron NexStar Evolution which does have an optional EQ wedge available, I'd expect it would be almost completely a software upgrade. Please, Celestron, consider it! Then this would be nearly ideal!
Enjoyed your review. I had pretty much eliminated the Origin from consideration. My use case is as a “corrupted” visual observer. I spent many years under the stars viewing with a variety of telescopes and eyepieces. I also spent some time with a few different EAA rigs. An issue with vision and another with lugging heavy gear around, and a low tolerance for fiddle factor caused me to very nearly leave the hobby. The Seestar very affordably allows me to overcome these issues. I generally spend a half hour or so in post-processing the raw fits files. The result is that I get to see images of any number of objects taken from my Bortle 6 deck. It’s clear that my standards for image quality are far exceeded by those of any serious astrophotographer, but the images are more than good enough for my purposes. Anyway, thanks for a very good review. Well done!
Thank you for sharing your experience! The Seestar is the one that offers the best bang-for-buck, even if the Origin delivers superior images. Have you seen the new Seestar S30? I just posted my test comparing it to the S50
@ So far I’ve seen reviews and a few photos. I actually have one on order. Its native FOV seems good enough for a number of wider-field objects. I’ve used the S50’s framing tool to grab a few objects but a larger native FOV is appealing. I’ll check out your S30 review.
Good video and well worth the watch. You called a "Spade a Spade" as it were and didn't sugar coat it at all. This type of scope/ video is not really up my alley as i use really big Dobs but i enjoyed the video. Thanks for the time spent putting this together. Knowing how long my videos take to put together, just this edit alone more than likely took most of the day just on its own. Thanks for the effort.
Damo
Thank you Damo and absolutely these videos take forever 😂
Thanks much for this video and the significant effort you put into its production. The Seestar was my introduction to astrophotography. I’ve been processing the images myself and had been considering what to get next. I had been very interested in the Origin, but decided to get a Redcat 61 instead and will eventually pair it with an AM5N. I felt that was a better use of that budget, and your detailed analysis and incredible insight has helped resolve any concerns I had with that decision.
I think you made the absolute best decision! The AM5 will also give you room for further growth in the future should you want to go for larger focal length - it will serve you for a very long time!
I can't believe I get to watch this for free. Thank you for your effort and time Luca!
that's very nice of you to say, thanks
Thank you so much Luca! This is very instructional AND helpful! You really know your stuff and take the time to make it clear for everyone. THANKS!
I appreciate you watching!
Thank you! I have been doing AP for awhile and with my limited time and weather ( Oregon Coast-rain/fog) ive been looking at simplifying everything and looking seriously at either the Seestar or Origin. Based on your honest and straightforward review Im just going to wait for the industry to come out with an equatorial design and better software! Good job!
I'm sorry to hear the weather is limiting you to this extent :(
It was obvious to me many people would not be happy with Origin at $5000. That's a big jump in money. Like you stated a person can build a very nice telescope and wait on the smartscope products getting better and hopefully cheaper in the future. Thank you for being so Honest and informative in what you discovered.
I appreciate the feedback! It's important to consider all options before making a purchase. Surely many people will still go for the Origin which is great, the more products on the market the better!
Testing three smart telescopes was helpful. I'm interested in Origin.The 1:1 magnification of the test M33 easily captured images of magnitudes 17~18 and above, and I was amazed at how sharp the stars were. I'm looking forward to attaching it to an equatorial mount wedge in the future. Thank you for your report on the smart telescope.
I would wait until next year then, when the RASA6 is rumored to come out. Then you can do proper equatorial astrophotography with it! Or did you mean in a "smart scope" setup?
@@the_space_koala Thank you for taking your valuable time. It was helpful !!
Great review. I'm saving to buy one. I've been an amateur astronomer for fifty years. My primary scope is the the 14" Edge HD for planetary. I also have a classic Vespera for DSO imaging.The new Origin has caught my attention. Portable, easy to operate, calibration frames, and effective aperture is perfect for astrophotography. I guarantee the software bugs will be eliminated. Thank you Space Koala.
I can only recommend that you don't "upgrade" the Vespera to the Pro version. I had the original Vespera as well and it was producing better images. Lower resolution and smaller FOV sure, but nice stars. I am also sure the bugs will be fixed, they should've just done that before the launch. Hope you get your Origin soon!
Your reviews are great! Just the straight impressions and opinions. So refreshing.
thank you! I try to give my opinions without being too critical :D
I have a Seestar S50 and a Celestron Origin. Other than the time I put the Origin on my Evolution mount, and my Evolution on my Origin mount, I have only seen the Origin application error you experienced once, otherwise I haven't experienced the software issues you did. I live with the images out of the box. Being able to get an image without going through the steep learning curves of Siril and/or PixInsight is worth it to me. I'm in awe of your ability to post process the raw images.
If I was going to ask Celestron for an improvement, I'd ask them to provide support for running the Origin on their EQ mounts ... I have an AVX, I'd love to see it supported by the Origin.
if you're happy with the images it gives you it's the right scope for you! I figured a lot of people would like the processed images - otherwise they wouldn't be doing it this way :D If I'm not mistaken they'll come out with the RASA6 OTA only next year so that will be the option for an EQ mounted version
@@the_space_koala Thanks for the heads up!
Great review! I have friends that have the Vespera and the SeeStar who come out to image with me. I went with the RedCat71, ASIAIR Plus and ASI2600MC Pro for my WF rig on a CGX mount. Came out to a bit more than $5K. I was excited to see an unbiased comparison using PI for the stacking and processing. My buddy who has the Vespera had to send it back to France for repairs due to the collimation issue you illustrated, which looks to have addressed his issues. My buddy with the SeeStar is very happy with his purchase as he uses it for outreach and live-view so it is a good solution for him. Looking forward to seeing your other videos. Thanks for your time and effort.
Glad I could be of help and thanks for the feedback!
I really enjoyed your thorough review of Origin et al.-balanced, fair, and honest. It’s disappointing that the Celestron software still has bugs to work out, but like you mentioned, maybe another six months will bring improvements. Personally, I’d rather put $5K toward a RASA8 kit. Also, the beautiful, scenic sunset shots were a great touch. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to produce such captivating content!
Thank you so much for the kind words. IMO software bugs are the better scenario vs if the hardware had issues. I’m confident in 6 months it will be a nice piece of equipment. I agree with you on the rig choice but smart scopes are here to stay so I aim to find the best options among these as well! Ps “origin et al” made me giggle
@@the_space_koala Its the same for the Vespera pro will needs still some firmware upadtes to solve all the resting problems
excellent reviews, I think you managed to show the best of each scope and pointed out the shortcomings with fairness. Well done thank you
Thanks I’m glad you appreciated it
Great job I have both Seestar and Origin and love them both for what they are still use my dob and Maksutov
Thank you for spending your precious time while testing them!
Very good review, thank you. I could easily imagine your increasing frustration with both equipment and software as the promise of the early evening slowly transitioned into the cold reality of morning. It was interesting to see the comparison between all three, very much looking forward to something similar with the Dwarf 3 and SeeStar S30. Thanks for making these.
As soon as I get my hands on the S30 that is coming 😁 I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs both vs the S50 and the D3!
I hope my frustration didn’t come across too much though, I tried to keep the evaluation factual 😁
@@the_space_koala Don't worry, the frustration was imagined, having been through similar myself in the past.
Very nicely done Luca! I currently have both the SeeStar S50 and the Celestron Origin. I have had many of the same issues you had. The Origins focal length is 335mm not 355mm, and I paid $3995 not $5000. I was having many color issues after stacking in PixInsight, and Celestron told me not to use RGGB but BGGR for the de Bayer pattern. That helped a lot. My wife and I look forward to your videos each week.
Thanks so much for the pointer on the focal length I have to find a way to fix this in the video! In Europe it costs €5000+ I saw at the time I posted this that in the US you can get it cheaper, that’s great! It’s super annoying they don't put the bayer pattern in the FITS header, I found the BGGR info on an online forum! thank you for the kind words
I fixed the video (I just cut out that part about the FL) - thanks again!
@@the_space_koala possible you can buy it cheaper in the US but before you receive it in the EU with all the import taxes the price will become 5000 euro
Very informative. Thanks. I think I'll stick with my S50 for now.
I don't blame you!
Excellent video. I appreciate the time you took to compare the 3. Very informative. Thank you!
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I want to use the Celestron Origin in Bortle 1 skies. Between the $3000-$5000 for the Origin, I would rather assemble a full-blown astro-rig that I can keep under 20 pounds with the best utilized cable management. I guess I'll stick to my S50 for now because I can achieve the same results as the Origin on M33 with my S50, but the S50 requires more photon data gathering. Anyways, thanks for the video review and great work! I'm looking forward to your review on the new Seestar S30.
That's a great way to look at it - I agree you can get a similar image given enough time - the aperture is 3x as large so I would say you need to expose 9x as long? However the Seestar's sensor is more modern and more efficient so the difference is probably significantly less. Of course the larger aperture will still outperform in terms of possible resolution, but totally not worth it at the cost of having to haul all that around lol
Dit you tried already the mosaic mode its very good.
The comparison I’ve been waiting for
Nice to see an honest review as a lot of you tubers give raving reviews in exchange for a freebie.
Can you do a Dwarf3 review as I have one on pre order?
thanks! It's coming, I started testing it last night - so far quite happy!
Am I the only one that would like to see a bigger seestar. If they added more aperture and changeable camera. I would likely buy it.
you're definitely not the only one - I see people ask for it all the time! I'm sure - much like a theoretical AM7 - it will come later. It makes sense that first they release the mid-size option (am5 / s50) which a lot of people will get as it's novelty. Then a smaller even more affordable option (am3 / s30) and then hopefully the large ones for people like us who really want them
@@the_space_koala theer are rumours that the seestar S30 will cost around 500-450 USD
The primary issue, I think, is that it would be much more expensive and difficult to simply scale up the Seestar than we might imagine. A much larger version would run into many more technical issues and a sharp increase in price/performance.
Impressive effort done Luca! The "old-school" companies like Celestron has a looong way regarding software. ZWO is by far the best in this respect. Here "we" want better hardware (please use another sensor ZWO) and EQ support. I feel your pain when you loose so much time due to software bugs. 😒
Thank you! TBH I see the Celestron software getting better before the SeeStar gets a better sensor. It’s already impressive how much hardware they manage to get in there at such a low cost - I don’t think they’d want to jeopardize their own traditional setup sales.
@@the_space_koala I agree with you, I am just a bit "greedy" I guess. The Celestron Origin is too expensive for my taste anyway. I just wished ZWO could put a square sensor in the Seestar (will help a lot with stacking). Same regarding the ASI585MC, much easier to frame targets with a more square sensor not wasting lot of FOV that you normally need to crop out anyway.
I currently have a Seestar S50, it was my first telescope and I have had it a year now. I am deep into the hobby and enjoy processing and stacking my own frames for the best results. I am extremely interested in the Origin, not just because of its current specs but also the potential for "new future specs" with an interchangeable camera, filter drawer and future wedge mount support. I was wondering if you think the (possible) customization aspect of the Origin is a good enough reason to save up for the upgrade? I would like genuine thoughts from people who have experience with at least one of the scopes. Thank you in advance!
Hey it really depends on your preferences. The Origin is the best of all smart scopes currently on the market when it comes to the optics, both due to the quality of the build and due to its size. If you’re already processing the photos yourself and you want to move on to the next level, have you considered a traditional setup? If not, the origin is clearly a winner not because of the upgradeability but also the current specs.
@@the_space_koala I am considering the idea of building my own "traditional" setup, my thing is I just am a big fan of the idea of EAA and the ability to control everything using an app, rather than needing to bring a laptop or something to control the camera and mount. My alternative idea instead of the Origin is the ZWO ASI2600MC Air camera with a "regular" telescope and go to mount. Thoughts on that idea / route? I greatly appreciate your quick and honest response.
Thank you it is great revision for this new smart scope, It's obviously needs some modifications like converting the AZ mount to EQ mount and replace the camera with a cooled one,good luck
I know! With this giant Evolution mount they were so close to getting it right! I wonder how long until someone puts it on a wedge. I know people do it with the Seestar, why would it be any different!
Lenyűgözően gyönyörű vagy, nagyon szép,hasznos videó, szívből gratulálok, csodálatos az a Celestron okos műszer, egészséggel szeretettel használd, gyönyörű a Hold és az ott a Vénusz a háttérben?Sok szép sikeres munkát jó egészségben szeretetben🙏☺️❤️
koszonom a kedves szaakat igen az a Venusz volt!
Great review. Not my thing and thanks for confirming Luca. I just cannot believe the price of the Celestron thing. The only upside is maybe we see a rasa 6 at some point.
RASA6 is rumored to come next year 😍
Thanks for doing this comparison and breakdown. Very in depth and helpful!
thanks, happy to hear that!
An enjoyable & thorough review & comparison. Thank you!
thank you for saying that!
Thanks for your excellent review. The celestron is the class leader. Maybe out out two versions of the review. The full review, and maybe a five-seven minute summary review for higher viewership. Thanks again.
Like a TL;DR 😁 that’s a good idea
Thanks for the Video. Do you have a Video for the post process with the origin pics?
Greetings from Germany
thank you, sadly not yet!
@ but there is a chance that you will post an instruction? 🙃
@@guco2354 not specifically for the Origin but image processing in general, yes one is already in progress!
I had a preorder for an Origin from the time it was first announced but cancelled it when the delays started to accumulate and went with a Vespera II. I am very happy with the V2's performance and image quality, so satisfied in fact that I purchased an almost new Stellina (it had been used five times). I normally run both scopes when the weather permits, quite often on the same target; the Vespera II for the wide field and the Stellina to pull out more of the detail, for example on M31.
I did originally consider a Vespera Pro but after a bit of serious consideration decided the Vespera II was the best option based primarily on the sensor, i.e.: larger photosites yielding faster image capture and lower noise levels. I think reviews since my choice have proven me right!?
I also have a Dwarf III on preorder; expecting to see it before the end of 2024, I hope. I view the Dwarf III as more of a photography tool as opposed to exclusively astrophotography. It looks like a fun 'toy'!
I've been into Astronomy is some fashion since about 1966 and have had too many (at least according to my wife) Alt/Az and EQ, reflector/refractor configurations as well as an automated observatory. After lugging around heavy astrophotography equipment for decades it is really nice to be able to simply set a smart telescope (or two or three) on my picnic table and tell it to go to work. The 45 lb weight of the Origin was also a negative in my smart telescope decision; however, I realize a 6" f/2.2 RASA scope will pull out more detail and capture targets faster than any of the other smart telescopes on the market. Celestron could also have gone with a modern sensor in the Origin instead of the same 2018 sensor used in the Stellina.
I enjoyed your comparison but I probably lean more towards Vespera than Seestar. I also think the Dwarf III will outshine the Seestar S50.
I also have one of the limited edition Vespera Passengers (I think quite comparable to the Vespera II) and it is much better than their "top of the line" Pro model. The V2 at a lower price point and better performance gets you a superior bang for buck and I could see myself choosing that over the Seestar. The Pro, however, is just not a well turned-out product, sadly.
@@the_space_koala as i already mentioned here the Vpro is still not compleley 100% OK. They will implement upgrades and correct some problems thru firmware upgrade. Also do not forget because the pixels of the cmos chip are so small you need to image 2x to 3x longer then the normal Vespera. Also The Vespera II is not teh ame as the Passenger they cmos Chip the Imx585c is much better.
Hi. I was impressed of the review, especially you showed the not so good sites of the products. The distorted stars of the origin is not due to the cable but is induced of the dew heater ring installed on the schmidt plate. I have the same prblem on my C8 where I installed the dew heater ring due to the convenience. I will try a regulator box to reduce the heat with the hope to get better results. If you have the possibility try again disabling the dew heater. CS and greetings from Vienna.
hey! I don't believe I enabled the dew heater though! If it's set to automatic it wouldn't have turned on (it was dry and also very warm above the dew point) - I was in a T-shirt even after sunset as you can see in the video. It is still possible it was on by default, of course, in that case that's a design flaw in my opinion.
Thanks for the great take on these 3 Smart Scopes! As a DWARF II and SeeStar S50 owner (with a DWARF 3 on the way!) I’m really interested in whether the devices at the top end of the market are worthy of the huge additional investment.
I think you answered that for me! 😂😉
Question for the comments section: I’m getting ready to buy a telescope and I have pretty much settled on an Evolution 8 SCT along with a couple eyepiece upgrades (a panoptic 24mm, a Delos 12mm and a Delos 6mm, I’m an eyeglass wearer)…. But before I do…..why would anyone want to buy a telescope you cannot look through, only do photography with? Isn’t it cutting my options in half? Love to hear your thoughts before I go forward and also if you have any alternatives suggestion to what I am currently planning to purchase. Thanks….and I agree with everyone this is a very well done review video on the Origin.
some people just don't want to do visual astronomy! If you want to observe more than just planets and the 2-3 brightest DSOs visual astronomy requires a lot of knowledge, practice and most of all dark skies and larger optics. Photography is not so demanding unless you are set on achieving the highest quality possible - and this desire usually comes only later, or not at all. These smart scopes are a very convenient all-in-one solution for those who already know they only want to take pictures and they want to start having some success from day 1.
The C8 is a very good visual scope, keeping a 20cm aperture very portable and compact. You will always compromise though - the Evolution mount is super convenient for visual astronomy but it's not good for astrophotography due to field rotation. These smart scopes are all compromising on that. If you planned to do photography in the future I'd get the EdgeHD version and you'd need to consider an equatorial mount. That in turn makes visual much less fun. There's just no one setup that's perfect for every use, everything is optimized for a certain niche.
@ Thanks for your answer! Very helpful. Subbed😃👍🥂
I'm amaze by your dedication just to review this one Origin telescope. There's a point in the video I just felt pitty that you may not had enough sleep 😵. Anyway, I subscribed.
Haha astronomers follow a monthly sleep cycle (full moon) 😁
I love using my Seestar, but iv been considering the Origin. It's unfortunate about the bugs at the beginning, but I rather like the quality of the pics so far, but the price is a but steep. As for the upcoming Seestar s30, I have read that it could be very useful with aurora and milkyway photography. Thank you for the great review. Clear skys 😊
excited to see how that wide angle camera is. Just a few weeks now!
The S30 will be teh same ass the dwarf 3 except it will not have the EQ mode i think. Because if they implement it on the S30 they can implement it on the S50
Interesting comparison! I wonder - does the Apple Vision Pro behind you actually help in any way with your astrophotography?
Haha it’s not an astrophotography tool, but I actually have a video up showing a nice VR planetarium app in it. And a very niche use - when you do solar and you have no chance of seeing an actual computer screen from the glare it helps a lot to focus 😁
Thanks a lot for this analysis. Helps me to stay with my conventional rig
Haha while this was not my goal with the video, I see your point 😁
First, excellent job on the Origin evaluation then compare. I'm a S50 user, my first and only. Started this hobby in January. As with any hobby it doesn’t take long where you start thinking, what's next. Limitations. Money, bang for the buck. Lugable. Is the origin 10 times better than S50? Don't think so. Plus, it's so much heavier. I'm an old guy, weight is an issue. I watched you deal with your 14. Ugh. I think I'll hold out for the future S70/S100 from ZWO. I plan to order the S30 next week just to see. Looking forward to your review.
Yeah above a certain size - especially if you want to get better results - a modular traditional setup might just be worth it more! Of course if the S70 somehow will cost like $700 only that will be another unbeatable offer
@@the_space_koala My guess, ZWO nextgen S50 will be around $1K, probably $995. Better sensor, eq mount(incorporating AM3), external filters (maybe), longer focal length and I'm sure more SW toys. Maybe next year.
The resistance is from all those people not wanting to polar align! In any case I hope your words are prophecy 😁 keeping the prices low and the competition up!
@@the_space_koala Before I found and bought the S50 my HW shopping list included Celestrons 9.25 edge plus all the ZWO add-on goodies. I have recently discovered those home version observation enclosures. Set up once and leave it. That would be a commitment.
If I had the opportunity (and lived in a place where it makes sense) I’d have a dome too, it’s the ultimate dream! On my Bortle 7 rental balcony it makes no sense though, sadly.
great review!
looks like previous version of vespera are better due to QC issues on this,
also origin has ton of potential!
it seems to me, the limits of S50 has been reached, now they have added mosaic mode, which is nice, but... it is what it is. ( which is very impressive )
Who knows they may implement EQ mode on popular request! That said for them it would be a better business decision to come out with a pro version with EQ mode or a rotator and a larger sensor.
@@the_space_koala yeah i do agree. S50 PRO or S50 mkII with those features would be interesting. A larger FOV while keeping the resolution is almost a must, it would be great if they include a way rotate the frame at least a bit to compose better. EQ also. It would be also great if they make it more sealed.
Cool review Luca :) BTW 37:40 - So if you have now 5000 USD what rig would you built from scratch?
thanks. it depends on the scope (ha-ha) of application. If someone wanted the easiest possible setup to start astrophotography I'd recommend the ASI2600 Air with a ZWO AM3 and the nicest refractor that fits inside the remaining budget. As for myself, I'd go for an APSC mono camera with 36mm filters ($2500), some Nema17 harmonic motor based onstep mount ($1300?), the simplest control system I can get (ASIAIR Mini) and the largest tube I can get with the remainder - I like both aperture and focal length so I'd go for an EdgeHD8. I would also probably be able to stretch the budget further as I am very comfortable buying used gear, in fact most of my nicer equipment was bought used.
@@the_space_koala I think about to AM3 too :) Also that new double saddle SW 100i looks interesting ;) Currently I have Mak127 on AZ GTIX with apsc dslr so its not a best combo for deep space astro😅 Still I manage to capture some Messier objects. But yes C8 on eq mount would be a game changer for my pics;)
You are not the only one suffering with Origin errors. Mine has had several, Celestron tells me the Aux connection may be coming loose!
oh no, that's a new one! Hope they fix that for you very soon
How do you collimate it?
there are a set of screws at the front to adjust collimation, but in general you shouldn't need to touch them unless you drop it or something, it's quite stable. At least that's my experience with my RASA
Don't you wish you could go full immersive mode to view these pics on the Apple Vision Pro?
I could - I can (you can cast the screen of the Mac so you can also use PixInsight on a virtual screen the size of your room)! But it would make a funny video if I just sit there with the giant headset 😁
perhaps its interesting to explain in a video your methode of post processing your images
I did mention the steps, but I didn't think it was interesting to see the specific settings, because the images were not so nice anyway :D
Seems like Celestron has a way to go with the Origin. The RASA design should be yielding higher quality images than what you were able to get. Can you switch out the camera? Thanks.
You will be able to switch out the camera in the future when they come out with more options. I definitely get better images with my RASA8, then again I don't just shoot for 2 hours at a time so it's hard to tell
Thank you for the honest review.
What a dissapointment for such an expensive telescope. Critical error is also the best and most uninformative message you can get. I also don't like the overprocessed hard images that come out of the software part but when things come together it's pretty amazing, especially with some editing.
The halos are the result of the optical design, not the filter specifically and can't be avoided on brighter stars. On even brighter stars it gets really ugly.
Let's wait a bit until the software is mature and try again.
I have a RASA 8 and don't get any such halos with good filters or without a filter - not even on the brightest of stars. I remember, however, when I used the f/2 Oiii filter of Baader I used to get those halos. The overprocessed images are a pet peeve for me, but based on the average processing seen on smart scope forumns, I think it will be appreciated by quite a few users.
This is a very nice telescope. But for me, it is just too costly. What I also like, is it being the only smart telescope where you can change components. Mount, OTA, camera and so forth.
Yeah upgradeability is a must at this price range!
Could you do a video about the athos star campus? That sounds really cool!!
your wish is my command! (I already did it a few weeks ago :)) ruclips.net/video/Kq1cOx7BeI8/видео.html
That is so awesome! I just subscribed to your channel. Keep up the cool videos! I love the idea of an astronomy vacation. I was trying to find airbnbs in dark skies, but it was challenging. I wish there was a tool to search airbnb by bortles level.
Thank you! I found such a website a long time ago, where hotels could register as dark-sky friendly places, but I can't remember the name of it. That said I found Athos and also a few other places I've stayed at since literally googling things like "astronomy hotel" :)
sehr informatives video,,habe dwarf2 im eq modus getestet,seestar s50 ebebfalls, bin mit beiden geräten sehr zufrieden,zumal das s50 jetzt auch im eq modus funktioniert und mosaikfunktion hat ,und dwarf2 auch den eq modus.sehe von einem kauf eines celestron origin und vespera ab, da mein beiden geräte das ergebniss bringen das ich haben will,dazu noch der unwahrscheinlich hohe preisunterschied.
I have yet to test the Dwarf 3 - the eq mode intrigues me a lot!
Very interesting test. Now I conclude. None of them are good enough for my taste.
Little off-topic, I think Dwarf 3 in equatorial mode will beat all of them because of its superior optics, even it has only 35mm aperture.
I have an old Meade 10" and an old Celestron 14". Time to upgrade to DWARF 3 😂
I have a Dwarf 3 here waiting to be tested - it came with weeks of clouds included in the price. I'm also excited to see how the EQ mode works. To be fair, if I stacked and processed the images myself, all of these scopes would produce better images than the ones shown here.
The Vpro has still no dark substraction
it's crazy to me that they can't implement such a simple concept. I do not believe darks are so important on modern sensors especially at a 10 second exposure, but the option should be there. Since it's a closed system they could also ship it with a factory master flat which would infinitely improve the experience.
Its planned for the next firmware upgrade
the probem is if they make a new firmware it needs to be compatible with all the other Vespera scopes and the Stelina
Well done
Thank you
The vespera pro needs te be send back to vaonis, teh optics needs to be checked
Yes I will definitely do that. It is such a pain though, you have to send it to France and deal with customs both ways....
❤
I have a 6SE with all the fixings and a S50. I would love to get the Origin but i think it is way over priced for what you get. So i will just say no to this.
you can just put a hyperstar on your 6SE if you really want to and get the same :D
@@the_space_koala I have thought about that and something I have looked into. Maybe I should revisit looking at doing that again.
I wonder if all that is just a program inside the telescope, preload images , can some one try to put their hands in front of any of thise AI telescopes to see what happens
the telescope is not AI - AI is only used for the automatic processing of the images and you can turn it off. It is very easy to test if it's real: cloudy sky==> no deepsky image. You can also point it at anything like a mountain around you and see the live view
@@the_space_koala thank you, I have had ask this question many times before and no one answer, you are the first to answer it thank you 👍👍👍👍🤗
Excellent telescope, Excellent concept, rubbish mount, what a pity it isn't an equatorial mount, rubbish camera, hopefully they can upgrade it easily, rubbish software. Pictures I have seen are pretty average considering the cost. This setup in Australia is nearly $7000 which is not beginner scope territory. I would not spend that money on this, they really need to halve the cost for this. the only quality component is the actual Rasa.
I agree the price is steep - I put 5000 in the title then I was told in the US it's "only" 4000. Still a lot for a "first scope". I think the altaz mount is here to stay on all these smart scopes because people just don't want to polar align :( I think there's an irrational fear thinking it's a complex thing to do.
@@the_space_koala Eventually they will have a mount that will auto align on its own, that will be a game changer
it exists already - Avalon mounts do it (search for "avalon motorized polar alignment"). Also they don't need to do a meridian flip either. Quite an interesting concept
It just seems too much money to have to pay for what you get.
Yes I agree, it's great quality but at a steep price
One worser than another. I still don’t understand the purpose of these smart scopes. Isn’t small proper set up better?
I personally prefer a traditional setup as well, but these gadgets also have a place. The seestar with its ease of use and portability has gotten so many people into astronomy! Anything that gets people interested in space is awesome! Then some will graduate to a trad rig and maybe astrophotography but many are content with what they get.
Let’s hope that some will graduate to traditional rigs. In my opinion, only tiny percentage will graduate. Moreover, those who started from traditional rigs, they more likely stick around and gradually improve (spend money as well).
@@anata5127 Actually I've used traditional configuration for decades and have now gone the smart telescope route. Ease of use. Weight. Fast setup/take down.
Same to me, got the origin yesterday. Plug and play. In central Europe, we have seldom good nights, so I can put it out, even i have some hours.
Anata, they are for tired old astrophotographers like me that started with film 50 years ago that don't have the mental or physical energy to drag a C8 out of the garage and get it going, then get immersed in all sorts of software stuff.
Shame on Celestron. No excuse for such a crappy software. A no-go.