Hello Luke my friend. Although today it may seem like a nice toy with many capabilities, I can't stop imagining what it would have felt like in 1986 having access to this wonderful technology that we have today. For me, being a young university student, being able to photograph Halley's Comet with a simple SLR camera and 20 or 30 s of exposure was a wonderful thing. I first captured Halley's Comet in November 1985 as a small speck in Taurus and the excitement of seeing it when I developed my black and white negative film was enormous. I will never forget those moments. I can only imagine the things he would have done with this current technology. A hug my friend.
Thank you so much for offering a new perspective on this my friend!! I'm genuinely glad to have read your comment as it really did make me think about that side of things more 🙏 As always, your friendship and support is greatly valued!! Big hugs :-)
Thanks for taking us back outside. This video has shades of your very first videos out on the patio (now buried under the observatory)…especially reminiscent of you fighting the dawn. It’s always great to explore the different innovations available in this hobby. Thanks for the tour (not to mention your Rocky impersonation) 😂
Thanks Joe!! :-D it did feel good to be back outside imaging, I've missed that a lot actually 🙏 I'm thankful to the Dwarf for that! Can't wait to see what else comes along 👍
I usually don't care much for Smartscopes (EVScope, Stellina, etc), but i have to admit that out of all of those, the DwarfLab is looking to be most value for money. The others cost (or at least they used to) upwards of that of a really nice imaging rig, this one seems to be coming in at a more affordable range. I still consider it to be a fun toy, and I can definitely see it as something that can spark an interest in astronomy. Great, honest review and I think you touched on many points that many hadn't even thought about (like autofocus on smaller stars in a large field of view for example).
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment my friend 🙏 I agree, some of those other options on the market are a bit high priced for my taste! It'll be interesting to see what comes next, if we're at this point already then the future looks bright! :-) Thank you for watching!
That really looks like you had some fun with that Luke! Great video mate, good to see you outside again! That’s nice to be able to share the daytime experience with your mum & dad, bet they enjoyed it😎 A capable tool for beginners for sure! Clear skies mate👍
Ah mate it was a lot of fun!! Definitely my fave parts of the Dwarf experience were the daytime stuff :-D I'm glad it got me outside a bit too in all honesty, I've somewhat missed the night skies like that! Hope you have a super day mate, as always thank you for your support 🙏
I'm a total neophyte in ASTRO photography, although advanced in regular photography. I just got one of these, and I'm hoping to get some great photos. I have a technical learning curve. But I'm trying to learn by watching videos like yours. Thank you.
That's awesome to hear!! I think the dwarf is a really good device, especially so for someone new to astrophotography! :-) Congratulations on your new purchase and on taking steps to get into astronomy, I'm really wishing you all the best! :-) Clear skies! 👍👍
Wonderful review, Luke! Happy to hear your take on this little gadget. You covered everything and I love that you imaged the Cygnus wall and the Ring Nebula! You also did a great job highlighting how convenient it is to use, especially when you may only have a small window of time to get out and do some imaging/ observing. Hope all is well!
Thanks so much Sarah! I'm doing really good thank you, I hope you are too!! :-D It was a lot of fun playing around with the Dwarf and getting out under the stars, that said - the daytime stuff kept me interested most! Hope you have a great rest of the weekend 👍👍
What a fun video Luke. Welcome to the future of astronomy I suppose as these smart telescope systems continue to get cheaper and with bigger optics. Automation started in the 1990s with goto mounts followed by an explosion in technology yielding dedicated astro cameras, ASIAIR, Primalucelab Eagles, dew heaters, tablet functionality, etc. I've been an amateur astronomer for 50+ years and I really appreciate what technology is doing for astronomy. On the software side, PixInsight wow!!!! Thanks for the great review.
Thank you Craig!! I agree mate, we're probably going to see more and more of these things in various sizes! That can only be a good thing 👍 Thank you for watching and giving your support!
Great review and demo Luke! This looks like a great "serious toy" to have fun with while the main rig does it's thing 🙂 Thanks for the video and clear skies mate!
Excellent review Luke! The DwarfII is an amazing little beast, and the App has come a long way since first launched. I'm sure Dwarflab will keep on making tweaks and improving things as well. Like you say they are very pro active like that. This is the first time I've seen the added autofocus in action; I think I'll have 2-3 updates to take care off once I get back to using mine. Have yourself a great weekend!
Thanks so much Chris mate!! It's a great little bit of kit for sure - it'll be interesting to see what else gets added over time, and also what is coming over the horizon next! :-) Hope you have a super weekend too mate and sorry about the late reply! 👍👍
Hi Luke, just come across your channel, thank you for taking the time to review the D2 which ive had since taking delivery in April. They have problbly watched your review, however, please give your feed back to D.Lab just in case as they do listen . On your point on the Catalogue of items to view, they are just in the process of bringing out a new app and there are supposed to be 500+ targets in the catalogue. In the interim you can put in co-ordinates manually as I have done many times.
Hey there mate! Thanks ever so much for your lovely comment, it's appreciated! :-D D.Lab do indeed know about the video thankfully! - they were extremely gracious in their communications, great to see that. Looking forwards to seeing future updates! - Thanks for watching and clear skies :-)
Nice. I ordered mine a few days ago and am now waiting delivery. I did dabble in some very amateur astrophotography a few years ago but with a limited budget I struggled to get any really decent results and so dropped it again for regular landscape photography. Then COVID hit and I lost all my enthusiasm and motivation to go out and take photos. Saw this camera reviewed on another channel a couple of weeks ago and thought it might be the thing to kick my *rse back into gear and get back out there. Bit disappointed that we don't get the spare battery in the UK though, when it specifically states in the order that you get one in the camera and one in the bag with the deluxe version.
Congratulations on the gear mate!! :-D I'm sure you'll enjoy the dwarf II a great deal! Re: the spare battery, it's a bit of an annoyance isn't it! Probably due to shipping regulations but still, perhaps the price should be adjusted a little to allow for the missing equipment in the UK spec models? Either way though, it's still great value and a lovely device! :-)
@@lukomatico Thanks. Mine arrived yesterday, and it *did* have a spare battery included! Haven't had a chance to try it out yet (other than a quick test in the garden) as, of course, it's now gone completely cloudy! Hoping for some clear skies on Saturday night to give it a proper test.
Hi Luke, i have seen a few of these now being reviewed i was tempted then ZWO have brought out the ZWO SeeStar S50 again a simple small "smart" scope purely for a light grab and go rig for fun up high hills in Mid/North wales, maybe they will progress/develope from "Dwarf" to medium and large :) Nice to see the Chicken run again :) I will sit on the fence for now until i see similar ZWO S50 Reviews.. Another great Video from yourself, stay spacey and clear skies.
Hey there mate!! I think the zwo offering does look interesting for sure - I'll be looking closely at it myself too! Thanks ever so much for your support 👍👍
Interesting concept as yet in its infancy I will be interested for educational purposes and outreach when the technology and cost improves. thanks for the video Luke
Hey Diana! - It's good to see you again! :-D Hope you've been well! The Dwarf II is a lot of fun! I think you'll be happy with it :-) The upcoming Seestar S50 from ZWO is also a very nice device to look at too if you needed any other options! Thanks so much for your continued support, it means a lot!
I really like the Dwarf II as it's an ideal device to use at outreach events something I used to do a few years back mainly solar, talking of which I've got 100's of solar glasses to give away still so I must get back into it again at some point. I like portability of the Dwarf II as well as it's simply a case of put it in a bag & off you go, when I did outreach the car used to be full of cases scopes tripods cameras & all sorts of stuff. The dwarf would make things so much easier lol. Clear skies!!
That could be interesting mate! That said, if you're seriously considering something like that it's probably worth looking at the seestar s50 also when it releases too! Clear skies buddy 🙏
@@lukomatico ok, yeah, I’ll wait and check that out for sure. This was a really great video. I’m really surprised at how well the software worked. I don’t know.. I think I expected the whole lot to be cheap and cheesy and it’s surprisingly not.
I really appreciate that mate!! I'd worried about the same thing too btw mate before it arrived, but now it's here it really feels like a mature little bit of kit 👍 Hope you have a wonderful day bud!
Great review 👍 Did you have the Dwarf II polar aligned? And have you had the chance to do a bigger stack? Seen some incredible results with some 'lucky stacking', subtracting dedicated black frames and a bit of processing. 😊
Hey mate! Thanks so much for the kind words :-) I used the dwarf in alt-az mode for my tests, I found it still worked wonderfully! EQ/polar aligned mode would be preferable though, you're quite right!
I’m seriously debating buying this. I’ve only ever used cheapo telescopes that are essentially toys. Is it possible to auto track satellites? Or I suppose have you tried auto tracking anything at night? I’m also within the path of totality for next years total solar eclipse.. I’d be pretty damn cool to film that.
Hey mate! I haven't personaly tried active-tracking at night, just the normal astronomical tracking feature. It's worth looking at the ZWO seestar S50 as an alternative to this also, both have their pros & cons though. I would advise though that if you are buying one of these smart telescopes to track a satellite then you may find the results underwhelming - if successful you'll be able to see a bright moving point of light and nothing more really - to see a satellite well from earth with amateur equipment you need a far larger telescope than either of these 👍 Hope that helps!
Either there was a shipping mistake or perhaps the UK spec Dwarf II is unable to be shipped with a spare battery? it's hard to tell haha! Sorry I can't offer more info on this one mate.
I like it. There’s a lot of these types of devices coming out. ZWO has one on the way that’s going to own the market. Unfortunately these little guys are going to be toast soon. Adrain!!!!!!
Yo Adrian!! :-D I think the seestar looks promising for sure, and definitely a better fit for astrophotography work! But the daytime capabilities of the dwarf are still tons of fun I'd say! :-D It'll be fun to see people put them side by side and compare! 👍👍 Thank you for watching mate!
Hello Luke my friend. Although today it may seem like a nice toy with many capabilities, I can't stop imagining what it would have felt like in 1986 having access to this wonderful technology that we have today. For me, being a young university student, being able to photograph Halley's Comet with a simple SLR camera and 20 or 30 s of exposure was a wonderful thing. I first captured Halley's Comet in November 1985 as a small speck in Taurus and the excitement of seeing it when I developed my black and white negative film was enormous. I will never forget those moments. I can only imagine the things he would have done with this current technology. A hug my friend.
Thank you so much for offering a new perspective on this my friend!! I'm genuinely glad to have read your comment as it really did make me think about that side of things more 🙏
As always, your friendship and support is greatly valued!!
Big hugs :-)
Thanks for taking us back outside. This video has shades of your very first videos out on the patio (now buried under the observatory)…especially reminiscent of you fighting the dawn. It’s always great to explore the different innovations available in this hobby. Thanks for the tour (not to mention your Rocky impersonation) 😂
Thanks Joe!! :-D it did feel good to be back outside imaging, I've missed that a lot actually 🙏
I'm thankful to the Dwarf for that!
Can't wait to see what else comes along 👍
I usually don't care much for Smartscopes (EVScope, Stellina, etc), but i have to admit that out of all of those, the DwarfLab is looking to be most value for money. The others cost (or at least they used to) upwards of that of a really nice imaging rig, this one seems to be coming in at a more affordable range. I still consider it to be a fun toy, and I can definitely see it as something that can spark an interest in astronomy.
Great, honest review and I think you touched on many points that many hadn't even thought about (like autofocus on smaller stars in a large field of view for example).
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment my friend 🙏 I agree, some of those other options on the market are a bit high priced for my taste! It'll be interesting to see what comes next, if we're at this point already then the future looks bright! :-)
Thank you for watching!
That really looks like you had some fun with that Luke! Great video mate, good to see you outside again! That’s nice to be able to share the daytime experience with your mum & dad, bet they enjoyed it😎 A capable tool for beginners for sure! Clear skies mate👍
Ah mate it was a lot of fun!! Definitely my fave parts of the Dwarf experience were the daytime stuff :-D I'm glad it got me outside a bit too in all honesty, I've somewhat missed the night skies like that!
Hope you have a super day mate, as always thank you for your support 🙏
I'm a total neophyte in ASTRO photography, although advanced in regular photography. I just got one of these, and I'm hoping to get some great photos. I have a technical learning curve. But I'm trying to learn by watching videos like yours. Thank you.
That's awesome to hear!! I think the dwarf is a really good device, especially so for someone new to astrophotography! :-)
Congratulations on your new purchase and on taking steps to get into astronomy, I'm really wishing you all the best! :-)
Clear skies! 👍👍
Wonderful review, Luke! Happy to hear your take on this little gadget. You covered everything and I love that you imaged the Cygnus wall and the Ring Nebula! You also did a great job highlighting how convenient it is to use, especially when you may only have a small window of time to get out and do some imaging/ observing. Hope all is well!
Thanks so much Sarah! I'm doing really good thank you, I hope you are too!! :-D
It was a lot of fun playing around with the Dwarf and getting out under the stars, that said - the daytime stuff kept me interested most!
Hope you have a great rest of the weekend 👍👍
What a fun video Luke. Welcome to the future of astronomy I suppose as these smart telescope systems continue to get cheaper and with bigger optics. Automation started in the 1990s with goto mounts followed by an explosion in technology yielding dedicated astro cameras, ASIAIR, Primalucelab Eagles, dew heaters, tablet functionality, etc. I've been an amateur astronomer for 50+ years and I really appreciate what technology is doing for astronomy. On the software side, PixInsight wow!!!! Thanks for the great review.
Thank you Craig!! I agree mate, we're probably going to see more and more of these things in various sizes! That can only be a good thing 👍
Thank you for watching and giving your support!
Great review and demo Luke! This looks like a great "serious toy" to have fun with while the main rig does it's thing 🙂 Thanks for the video and clear skies mate!
Thank you so much Dave mate!!! Hope you have a great weekend 👍👍
Excellent review Luke! The DwarfII is an amazing little beast, and the App has come a long way since first launched. I'm sure Dwarflab will keep on making tweaks and improving things as well. Like you say they are very pro active like that. This is the first time I've seen the added autofocus in action; I think I'll have 2-3 updates to take care off once I get back to using mine. Have yourself a great weekend!
Thanks so much Chris mate!! It's a great little bit of kit for sure - it'll be interesting to see what else gets added over time, and also what is coming over the horizon next! :-)
Hope you have a super weekend too mate and sorry about the late reply! 👍👍
@@lukomatico All good mate, I know what it's like ;)
Hi Luke, just come across your channel, thank you for taking the time to review the D2 which ive had since taking delivery in April. They have problbly watched your review, however, please give your feed back to D.Lab just in case as they do listen . On your point on the Catalogue of items to view, they are just in the process of bringing out a new app and there are supposed to be 500+ targets in the catalogue. In the interim you can put in co-ordinates manually as I have done many times.
Hey there mate! Thanks ever so much for your lovely comment, it's appreciated! :-D
D.Lab do indeed know about the video thankfully! - they were extremely gracious in their communications, great to see that.
Looking forwards to seeing future updates! - Thanks for watching and clear skies :-)
Nice. I ordered mine a few days ago and am now waiting delivery. I did dabble in some very amateur astrophotography a few years ago but with a limited budget I struggled to get any really decent results and so dropped it again for regular landscape photography. Then COVID hit and I lost all my enthusiasm and motivation to go out and take photos. Saw this camera reviewed on another channel a couple of weeks ago and thought it might be the thing to kick my *rse back into gear and get back out there.
Bit disappointed that we don't get the spare battery in the UK though, when it specifically states in the order that you get one in the camera and one in the bag with the deluxe version.
Congratulations on the gear mate!! :-D I'm sure you'll enjoy the dwarf II a great deal!
Re: the spare battery, it's a bit of an annoyance isn't it! Probably due to shipping regulations but still, perhaps the price should be adjusted a little to allow for the missing equipment in the UK spec models? Either way though, it's still great value and a lovely device! :-)
@@lukomatico Thanks. Mine arrived yesterday, and it *did* have a spare battery included! Haven't had a chance to try it out yet (other than a quick test in the garden) as, of course, it's now gone completely cloudy! Hoping for some clear skies on Saturday night to give it a proper test.
@@bujin1977 Well that's a result at least mate!! :-D I'm glad for you!
Clear skies 👍
Hi Luke, i have seen a few of these now being reviewed i was tempted then ZWO have brought out the ZWO SeeStar S50 again a simple small "smart" scope purely for a light grab and go rig for fun up high hills in Mid/North wales, maybe they will progress/develope from "Dwarf" to medium and large :) Nice to see the Chicken run again :) I will sit on the fence for now until i see similar ZWO S50 Reviews.. Another great Video from yourself, stay spacey and clear skies.
Hey there mate!! I think the zwo offering does look interesting for sure - I'll be looking closely at it myself too!
Thanks ever so much for your support 👍👍
Enjoyable review. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching :-)
Interesting concept as yet in its infancy I will be interested for educational purposes and outreach when the technology and cost improves. thanks for the video Luke
Thank you Nik! I guess over time both the cost & capability will go in the right direction, can't wait to see what's out in 10 years or so! 👍👍
Nice review Luke this small compact telescope will be great for schools
Agreed Tony!! It'd be great for that kind of thing 👍👍
You are very good at this❤
Thank you so much!! :-D
You just made me spend money😂 Nice to see you Luke!
Hey Diana! - It's good to see you again! :-D Hope you've been well!
The Dwarf II is a lot of fun! I think you'll be happy with it :-) The upcoming Seestar S50 from ZWO is also a very nice device to look at too if you needed any other options!
Thanks so much for your continued support, it means a lot!
I really like the Dwarf II as it's an ideal device to use at outreach events something I used to do a few years back mainly solar, talking of which I've got 100's of solar glasses to give away still so I must get back into it again at some point. I like portability of the Dwarf II as well as it's simply a case of put it in a bag & off you go, when I did outreach the car used to be full of cases scopes tripods cameras & all sorts of stuff. The dwarf would make things so much easier lol.
Clear skies!!
Thanks Tich!! Yeah mate it'd be super for some easy outreach work 👍 the portability & ease are strong points 100%!
Thanks for watching mate :-D
Great review
Thanks so much mate! :-)
I got one and am happy with it. Uploaded M81 and M82 yesterday.
Awesome to hear that!! So glad you're enjoying the Dwarf II mate :-) Clear skies!
Great review Luke. You can’t beat the portability that’s for sure. Maybe I should try one of these out on the GS?
That could be interesting mate! That said, if you're seriously considering something like that it's probably worth looking at the seestar s50 also when it releases too!
Clear skies buddy 🙏
@@lukomatico ok, yeah, I’ll wait and check that out for sure.
This was a really great video. I’m really surprised at how well the software worked. I don’t know.. I think I expected the whole lot to be cheap and cheesy and it’s surprisingly not.
I really appreciate that mate!! I'd worried about the same thing too btw mate before it arrived, but now it's here it really feels like a mature little bit of kit 👍
Hope you have a wonderful day bud!
nice review Luke
Thank you Sean!! It's a lovely little telescope, loads of fun :-)
nice quick review sir.. im tempted to look at the seestar 250mm with IMX462 💿
Definitely looks interesting doesn't it mate!! Should be good to see how they all stack up when comparisons in the field can be made 👍👍
@@lukomatico Tell Adrian not to much bag sniffing due to Microplastics infestation
@@CDigata instructions unclear, I've inhaled an entire bag
Thanks Luke!
Thanks for watching!! :-)
Great review 👍
Did you have the Dwarf II polar aligned? And have you had the chance to do a bigger stack?
Seen some incredible results with some 'lucky stacking', subtracting dedicated black frames and a bit of processing. 😊
Hey mate! Thanks so much for the kind words :-)
I used the dwarf in alt-az mode for my tests, I found it still worked wonderfully! EQ/polar aligned mode would be preferable though, you're quite right!
I’m seriously debating buying this. I’ve only ever used cheapo telescopes that are essentially toys. Is it possible to auto track satellites? Or I suppose have you tried auto tracking anything at night? I’m also within the path of totality for next years total solar eclipse.. I’d be pretty damn cool to film that.
Hey mate! I haven't personaly tried active-tracking at night, just the normal astronomical tracking feature. It's worth looking at the ZWO seestar S50 as an alternative to this also, both have their pros & cons though.
I would advise though that if you are buying one of these smart telescopes to track a satellite then you may find the results underwhelming - if successful you'll be able to see a bright moving point of light and nothing more really - to see a satellite well from earth with amateur equipment you need a far larger telescope than either of these 👍
Hope that helps!
You got the deluxe dwarf 11? The classic is a 100 pounds cheaper and doesn’t have a spare battery and solar filters
Either there was a shipping mistake or perhaps the UK spec Dwarf II is unable to be shipped with a spare battery? it's hard to tell haha! Sorry I can't offer more info on this one mate.
Yo Adrian!
Haha :-D brilliant films, I love 'em!
I like it. There’s a lot of these types of devices coming out. ZWO has one on the way that’s going to own the market. Unfortunately these little guys are going to be toast soon. Adrain!!!!!!
Yo Adrian!! :-D
I think the seestar looks promising for sure, and definitely a better fit for astrophotography work! But the daytime capabilities of the dwarf are still tons of fun I'd say! :-D
It'll be fun to see people put them side by side and compare! 👍👍
Thank you for watching mate!
What is the light pollution in the area you recorded this
Bortle 7 mate :-)
buenos días ,gracia por ese gran vídeo. Porque hablas bajito,😂😂
Thanks so much mate!! :-D