The ROLLS-ROYCE of Smart Telescopes is coming! Let's look at the specs
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
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I am more interested at a Rasa 6 at a $1500 price point. 5k euro on European astro shops is big money for this smart telescope.
Yes, a RASA6 OTA would be amazing!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek I got interested in astrophotography because of my seestar s50 and then you get down the inevitable rabit hole of more and better :). For 5k euro you can put something together with for example an am3 mount, a redcat 51 and an entry level cooled camera which will give you better results. I think this is the main problem with these more expensive smart telescopes. In the $500 category there is no competition for seestar s50 and Dwarf 2 because it is practically impossible to put something togeter at that price yourself while at the 5k euro price point there are many options that will give you more flexibility and better results then something like this Celestron (albeit with steeper learning curve). That is why i think that these expensive smart telescopes will be more of a niche product. Someone willing to spend 4k or 5k is probably motivated to learn how to operate a classic rig, just my 0.2 eurocents opinion :)
RASA6 with a small equatorial (harmonic drive) mount and imx585 (maybe even imx533) camera would be a great travel setup! Don't even need the camera to be cooled with modern sensors being so low noise anyway (well it's always cold where I image so that might have spoiled me a little bit).
@CuivTheLazyGeek your merch links are broken.
@@ThEFurYAsidE Which links? It seems to be working for me!
It would be awesome if they made just the 6-inch OTA itself, so people can customize their particular setup and with more options on like an EQ mount!
The lack of an EQ mount baffles me. If you're going to do a $4k electronic scope, make it capable of doing longer duration exposures. Even if it's fast, there are limits to what you can get with 10 or 15 second images - the fine, faint details just never come out and rotation issues cut the image down to nothing. Trying to figure out who this is for - wealthy amateurs who don't care about the price and don't want to spend the time doing astrophotography?
At least we'll have the ability to put it on a wedge!
@@jasonpatterson8091 they state users can add a wedge in the future, so I think they’re planning on working in the ability to perform long exposures in the future.
@@jasonpatterson8091 You don't have to be wealthy in not wanting to spend time polar aligning etc . I can be imaging in few minutes or grab the odd hole in the clouds on an overcast night on a whim . I am more than happy to accept the downsides of field rotation etc for the speed and convenience.
I can't wait for all gatekeeping elitist astrophotographers to loose their mind over this. They are already crying because of Seestar and Dwarf, so I can't imagine what will this do to them.
Of course that will happen a bit, but I think there's also legitimate criticism to have about this, at least on paper and at that price
I'm not a gatekeeper or elite, but I do have a lot of equipment, and also have and like a SeeStar50. So far not losing my mind more than I routinely do day to day.
It will be interesting to see how the images compare to my SeeStar. I doubt they will be $3,500 better.
I'm not surprised they chose the 178.
First, if you look at the specs for the 178 and the designed purpose of short imaging at 335mm at F/2.2 at a reasonable end-cost it's actually the correct choice. Yes there are >larger< sensors but they don't work with an Alt-Az methodology of short exposures and very real world field rotation. There are >newer< sensors of similar chip size, but larger pixels, or much larger well depth, or less bit depth. I'm sure these chips were considered and likely prototyped, but for one reason or another none matches the consistency of output as the 178. Star bloat, lower S-N-R, lower dynamic range come to mind.
The 150mm aperture and short FL are serious specs which can't be treated as poor technical choices against the stiff competition. Nor can a company like Celestron create such a device 'on the cheap' because they do have both a reputation to uphold, but also a much larger corporation to sustain than the others. Compared to the Stellina and EVScope and Unistellar which are it's direct competitors it immediately stakes a more serious claim to a stand-alone astrograph. Even more serious, they do plan for and to allow upgrade of the camera and use on an equatorial wedge.
Now, considering their approach was to start with a RASA design, that immediatly places the cost of just the optics development more than a simple C6+Hyperstar. Redesigning the OTA to house the brains of the system too is totally new... it's not just pluggin in a module, it's a revisiting of the OTA's full purpose even while utilizing existing concept platforms.
I honestly expect initial testing to be above the standard fare we saw from other all-in-one astrographs.
BTW, I looked around at different images posted and given the image specs (15s exposures stacked) I believe it's actually pretty good compared to many C6 Hyperstar V4 images. I think that's where you'd have to start comparing. Remember too, all the images on the website are from one user using one unit at one location. I'll remind everyone to go and check out early images from all the competition. Lets be more genuine than looking at PR JPEG photos!
All I have to say is excellent idea but bad execution 😞 First of all, with the advancement in strain wave technology, why not a pre-balanced strain wave based EQ mount? Az would be best for visual and if used for astrophotography would require either a wedge or camera rotator. The second fail is an uncooled IMX178 sensor which has bad ampglow made even worse when it isn't cooled! If they used one of the newer IMX585 or even IMX678, no cooling is needed as these camera have no amp glow and very low dark current especially with fast exposures at F2 to F3. And finally the worst one, a closed ecosystem as the camera mount is proprietary and just like a lot of other Celestron "smart" gear, only works with Celestron. I mean come on the super expensive dew heater controller still does NOT have an ASCOM driver or the Starsense that only works with Celestron mounts🤬. One good innovation is the filter drawer but does it take standard filters??? Sorry if this seems like a rant but this thing is really disappointing and it hasn't even come out yet!
Yep, I agree on your points! At least the filter drawer apparently does take standard filters ... But I really want a RASA6 OTA :-)
The camera sensor killed it for me at that price. Excellent review, they should have asked you before putting that system out. Thanks Cuiv!
I think they're banking on the fact that the target market wouldn't necessarily know about or care about the sensors
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes but still the price point is way too high even for that kind of target market
@@rifleman542 The target wasn't cheap entry level, it is squarely aimed to shut out Stellina, EVScope, Unistellar. Balking at the price is just sour grapes when realisticly this is more focused in hardware than any competitor to date.
As someone who transitioned from using the ASI78MC for imaging to using it as a guide camera, I'm really surprised this unit uses the IMX178 sensor. It's nice that they allow camera upgrades, but they're really sandbagging right out the gate. I can see them offering a slightly less outdated sensor a year from now for a lot more money than the sensor is worth.
Think Ill wait for 6 months or so as Im sure they will address this
SELL THE RASA6, ONLY OTA. I AM WILLING TO PAY FOR IT
The pictures were disappointing. Also a cooled 585 would have justified the price to me
Yep, agreed
More interested where ZWO are going rumours are strong in respect of a Seestar S70 and possibly a S100 as long as they have better sensors .a Equatorial option, better outreach etc...
Yesss. I'd love to see what ZWO is up to!
Make sure ZWO know you will be keen to review them as they arrive, also ask what they are doing about an "equatorial mode for the current model alongside improved "Outreach (the lack of which is probably the most disappointing aspect of the device,,,)@@CuivTheLazyGeek
Definitely won't be getting this product (not at this price tag) but indeed OTA only I'd grab in a sec, option without the mount so I can use my own is potentially a viable option (depending on the price).
Replacing the RPi4 is also one of the options should Celestron really be looking to lock down the hardware access (walled garden approach).
Yep, a RASA6 OTA would be amazing!!
This is the point of a tech. Hobby when a company like ZWO comes out with a hot selling technology, like the Seestar S50 and everyone wants to jump onboard. I’ve been through this with smart phones and VR. I’d give it a couple of years.
I’ve have gotten away from Celestron in the last year, so I’ll be staying away from this one for sure lol
Hi Cuiv, thanks for yet another nice video! Still I think you are not looking into this with open mind - the “Smart telescopes” as an idea are essentially meant to be a closed, ready-to-use system. The intend behind them was to be used “as is”, so your desire to use the separate parts for other configurations goes directly against that. To be honest this is the first smart-scope that actually is designed with upgrades been possible in mind. Not a single one of the other 10+ models of smart telescopes can do that, so even having the option to upgrade the camera or the tube even in the future is a great plus for this new beast. There is also a major minus that you didn’t mention in the video and that is the weight and portability of the scope, which far exceeds all the models currently on the market.
Will be interested to hear your opinion on the Vaonis’ products, especially the company’s choices and actions.
Good points! Still, even from a pure smart scope standard, their sample images are really mediocre... I hope they get some better images soon :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yeah the sample images are not good at all. They should be much better coming from such specs. But to be honest I think showing such images is better since it's closer to what will appear straight out of the scope. In comparison other companies (Vaonis for one) show some pretty edited results in place of a sample inages, just to sell more. And I don't feel this is a right aproach toward customers. Sure you can learn to edit those images or even pull out raws and edit too, but it is still misleading total beginners as to what to expect as a final image coming directly from the telescope. So in this case I would prefer the bad sample images if they are more realistic in this aspect.
Also, I do think those were shot with beta software and what the final product will deliver will be better once released.(that was also the case with S50 - prior to the release there were sample images shared and most were just bad, but this was improved a lot in the final software upon release)
Great summary! My primary thought is, that Celestron shoud fire whoever provided the pictures this scope presumably takes. Because as you correctly state, these pics - and especially the stars - are total 💩💩💩. So either their „AI“ is destroying the pics, or the marketing department was messing with them….
Exactly right Sascha! Things would have been very different if I had been wowed by the sample pictures!
Thanks! Not just for this video but for all the things you’ve taught me over the past few years. Keep ‘em coming! To answer your question: yes, I pre-ordered one. True that it’s pricey but after using a Vespera 2 I really like being able to get shooting in minutes-without assembly, alignment, focusing, tracking. And I trust Celestron to give us the upgrades or updates we want, like a better camera.
Congrats on your purchase and thanks for the support! Please let us know once you receive it!
What do you think this can do that the Vespa 2 cannot?
@@davidalbert9387Speed. After shooting with a RASA8 at f/2 I don't like shooting with my refractor at f/5.4 or my SCT at f/7. In my coastal climate I just never get multiple clear nights, and a RASA makes all the difference. Yes, this one needs a better sensor but that will come. On the other hand, I hope they come out with a mosaic mode like Vaonis has. Great concept.
A curious mix of old and new technology. It’s like they have been working on parts of it for years, and didn’t update the technology. For me, the choice of the sensor is a non starter. So much better available, and at 4000.00, should be included .
Being in a walled garden for a five hundred dollar scope is one thing, but at this price, it’s just not good option.
All my scopes are sort of on a constant upgrade cycle. Better cameras become available? Slap one on my scope. New autofocus becomes available, I can use that. Nice new mount becomes available? That’s an easy upgrade. But with scopes like this, you’re pretty much stuck with what it ships with. In ten years are you going to be happy with your now 20 year old sensor design? Probably not. But maybe I’m missing the point. There may be enough people out there who don’t care about the planned obsolescence of this unit. After all a ton of people (myself included) where willing to do it for a 500.00 scope.
At least the camera can be changed... At a cost I'm sure
@ an 8 SeeStar price, I really hope Celestron does look at providing this scope as a standalone scope, say a RASA 6 with some of the bells and whistles of this system. I like the filter drawer, the built in auto focus idea (as long as it can be controlled by INDI drivers etc), and smaller form factor cameras, as long as we can get cooled cameras. All that for say around a three SeeStar price.
Great video, Cuiv! As a fellow C6/Hyperstar user (who got his start on an Evolution 6), I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the new 6" RASA and the seed of what may become a Celestron competitor to the ASIAir. The price of this smart scope system is prohibitively high for most (especially if we've already sprung for a Seestar or Dwarf), but this is such an interesting development because of what it portends for Celestron and its ecosystem in the years to come! That competition is desperately needed in the astrophotography world, even if it is competition between (frustratingly walled-in) ecosystems, and I'm looking forward to it!
I agree! I'll look forward to where this goes!
Smart telescope technology is quickly evolving, and prices are dropping. It won't be long before the smart telescopes replace conventional astrophotography.
Maybe not replace, but simplify for sure! A smart scope with automated Polar Alignment and interchangeable camera and filters.... would effectively be an astrophoto rig!
Thanks for another great pre-review. The speed of the optics along with the live stacking and dew protection make the system tempting. But the killers for me are the 178 sensor and alt-az mount. The 178 was my first sensor, I used it for planetary, and I found it really noisy. The alt-az mount limits the quality of the exposures given the field rotation. Why drop 4K on it when I’d have to spend more to swap out the sensor and mount? Why not invest that money into a real rig? For now, my smart telescope needs are being met for 500. Thanks again!
Yeah exactly, the sensor is swappable (good!) but starting out with the IMX178 is a bummer
Nice video and I agree with your assessment of the overall package. I too would be interested in the Rasa 6" stand alone. Also, they seriously need to have several camera options if they keep it proprietary.
Cuiv excellent video. I too would like to see a RASA 6 standalone OTA. That would be great and affordable. I have the rASA 8 as well as hyperstar on my edge 8 and C9.25 and love the systems. However one thing that I question would be how to collinate this thing should it need it. Do we need to send it back to Celestron for that? Or can we do it ourselves? Is there even a way to do it? I think they are on to something with a RAsA 6 but I would only be interested in just the OtA without the computerized “AI” part to it so I could use it as a standard RASA OTA on any mount and with any camera. I would even like to use an external auto focused such as the EAF. As someone on The Tv show dragnet would say “just the OTA please, Just the OTA!”
Bon Soir mon Ami
Luis from NY
I’ll stick to my cheap dwarf 2….and if ever the Vespera Pro could be the next upgrade. Anyway the EEA market has been stirred up with D2 and Seestar…..
Yep, those two scopes have really changed the niche for smart scopes!
Thank you for you review and for helping me to feel better about not being able to afford this scope 😊
At that price I'd expect an EQ mount from the start.
It also looks like there is a huge shift in Ha because of the RASAs speed. I wonder what filters they use and if they even took the OTAs speed into consideration when selecting them.
They'll probably go with fairly large band passes like they do with their current filter offering for RASA
One day someone will make a proper fully automated system on an EQ mount that polar aligns itself too
That would be incredible indeed!
I applaud manufacturers introducing new products, but a $4K telescope with a 178 sensor is not going to appeal to many people. ZWO is much better positioned to capitalize on the smart telescopes market.
It should be noted though that the target market may not be aware of sensor generations or quality...
I was kind of excited when i first heard of it via e-mail. But the pricetag and, as you mentioned in your video, the features are kind of not reeaaally worth it... i mean, for less money, i got an 6" Newotonian, guiding cam+scope, an EQ6-R, Dew/Heating strips etc, an MFOC motorfocuser and a "used" DSLR.... etc. Yes, i already owned a notebook for NINA. And YES, my setup is for sure not that easy to setup as the Origin. So if someone has the money/will to make nice pictures without all the need to learn "proper" astrophotography, why not?
I wish I had been blown away by the sample images...
It's way out of my price range so it looks nice and I'm glad to see the tech progress.
How robust will a RASA be for a beginner? I'm thinking of collimation etc.
I think collimation won't be user accessible since it's made to be a smart scope...
Too much money for what you get, IMO. You could build a much better imaging rig for those same dollars. If this was $500 like the SeeStar, I can see it as a gateway drug to wanting better. $500 isn’t a lot to invest to see if want to pursue this hobby. This certainly isn’t for someone like me but if you have the cash to burn, enjoy it for what it is. It’ll be a nice yard sale item someday.
I think they’d be better off offering an entry level imaging kit. Here’s a basic EQ mount, scope, camera… easy to setup all in one box to get you started. 🤷♂️ I’m sure they’ve done their market research so they have an idea where they’re going with this.
I WANT RASA6!!!
ONLY OTA!!!
Agreed :)
Celestron will NOT let you use other cameras, or even a EQ mounts! That's not their advantage, like ZWO taking a free OS then locking it down to support only there products! This is the way the world is become, do I like it or agree NO! But if someone wants or needs a closed system this is very interesting. If it was $1999 I would get it, but my focus is not dropping my C6 Cuiv sadly did. I hope you did a video or will....
For the price it seems to be missing the sweet spot of value for features, The Rasa isn't truly unlocked without PA and how much would it cost to add guiding and a new camera to this?
So it's 4k out of the gate maybe another 2-4K for upgrades?
Yeah I tend to agree
Does this mean it will spend more time at the repair shop then in the field like a Rolls Royce
Mwahaha :) Having your stuff at the repair shop all the time yet not be inconvenienced is the one true sign of wealth!
A bit less of an impulse buy. 😂😂😂😂 Budget smart telescopes have a good spot in Astro. Expensive ones I’m not so sure about.
Well, we really won’t know what’s what until someone has the scope in hand and tests it.
Given that they must have started the engineering for this at least two years ago (whole new scope here RASA6) I’m sure they needed to have a usable base camera to make the whole thing work and get it out the door to market. At some point you have to lock everything down in the design to actually make it out the door, or it will never get there.
Within a year there will most likely be a camera upgrade to keep it current.
I can see where Celestron would use a proprietary thread on the camera to corrector plate system in order to lock in their cameras.
The camera software is the key here because it has to do so much. GOTO, plate solve, adjust position, adjust focus, take photos, download photos. And then do it all again for your next object.
My other thought is that Celestron may come out with their own strain wave mount line in the future.
my .02 cents worth.
At $4000 I just don't see it. Overpriced. $2500 would be more appropriate.
I'm going to take a hard pass on this. I can put together a perfectly serviceable telescope, mount and camera for 2/3 this cost, and a GEM mount will be much better than those horrible one-armed monsters from the 80's that Celestron is still hawking. Their telescopes are great, but if someone gave me one of their mounts for free, I'd still feel ripped off.
As others have said, If Celestron had put out a RASA 6", they would have sold a lot by now. It would be unavailable everywhere, backordered. Maybe a RASA 6"with focusing motor incorporated would have been nice. It would have flown off the shelves! Aside this, I think this products are the future, we are only seen the first steps, but astrophotography is going to become less complicated due to this new products. Not at the price of his one, but it's a start.
That's a good and forward looking summary, thank you!
Im getting news from Celestron by email so it was something that peeked my interest but then I saw the price :/ :D ... and the plastic parts look kinda cheap for it ... I guess it will be like always - overpriced and cut corners + as you say walled garden ... I wonder who is the target audience - beginers will not buy it because of the price and professionals/tinkerers have probably better and/or cheaper options already. I do still hope Dwarflab ppl will do some higher tier version one day as I do believe them way more it will be open and best value for the money than celestron.
I do like the modular design the Celestron took, it was surprising (but I do also believe they will kill it with limit only to their products).
besides the price tag and the old sensor and so much emphasis on AI this and AI that, it looks nice but why build a smart telescope that is still in the alt-az era?. I don't want to imagine what the price tag will be for an updated upgrade.
I would be interested in the Origin for EAA. However I looked at the total integration times for a number of the sample images. For an F2 system, I’m surprised and somewhat disappointed. I would have thought acquisition of a decent image would take far less time. And at $5600 here in Canada, the price/performance ratio just isn’t where I would want it to be. My Seestar, on the other hand, is producing acceptable images in similar timeframes albeit with a bare minimum of post-processing. Has anyone coined the term “EAA Plus?”
FRANK WHITE I have been in the hobby for about 60 years. Why don't telescope manufactures do the obvious thing. Talk to amateur astronomers and ask what is needed to make a good all round set up? Keep the cost to a minimum. Or are they thinking about money margins. We know what we want, give it to us! Cheers
I think Celestron made a typo regarding the Wedge . The Evolution Mount requires the smaller (cheaper) Wedge Model # 93665 not the HD Wedge which supports their 11" Fork Mounts . Save a few bucks there . Also , people are talking about the StarSense Align feature . This won't be the usual add-on piece of hardware but instead the entire 6" RASA and camera become the StarSense Calibration Tool . This is quite cool . The StarSense Autoguider will be an external add-on but I don't see any obvious mounting points . I hope you get one to review !
Would be awesome to get one to review for sure!
I had been thinking about this telescope and waiting to see it compared to other options like Stellina, and EVscope 2.
I have a 90mm Diam FD APO 621mm focal length refractor that I could not use because it was just too much to set up the EQ mount, counter weights, Star sense while driving hours to decent sky , then dragging it in and out of the car only for the sky to turn cloudy, not including doing all the imaging myself and processing.
So at first these automated scopes seemed like a godsend for people that just want to jump into generating data and nice images.
But if you have ANYTHING similar to the optical tube i mentioned or BETTER than what's offered in these automated packages (about more than 400mm focal length), just go with ALL ZWO gear, ASIair, its guidescope and guide camera, and a 585 astro camera along with the harmonic EQ mount. you will be $600 LESS than what celestron is trying to sell you (about 400mm, a few years old censor , and Alt Az Limitations on something that IS STRICTLY image based. )
Its not even a contest if you have any type of optical tube between 3kg and 9kg (ish).
For celestron to come to the automated all in one package competition this late in the game with their offering it is a scam.
They should have waited until they could have offered something that came with its own harmonic drive , because I can probably bet that automated hypothetical ZWO rig with my existing optical tube will make a better image than what the Celestron origin can make , because mine will already have a better sensor AND the ability to track Longer than the Celstron system.
The price of the smart telescopes is too high. The embedded IT technologies (a small image processing computer, a Wifi connection with the smart phone, plus the software controlling the telescope) do not justify to double the price of the telescope in comparison with a a telescope without IT. The price of this telescope here in Europe is around 5 K€. Despite the undeniable quality of this telescope the price is too high. As a computer scientist, I consider that the price part of the IT embedded technologies on such type of device should not exceed 20% in comparison with a classical configuration with basic embedded IT. We have the same situation with the smart autonomous cars in comparison with non autonomous technologies. The smart autonomous car are not sold two times more expensive than non autonomous.
Nice review, Cuiv... I wasn't too excited when I first heard about this system.... it's too expensive. 😢
Yeah exactly...
@CuivTheLazyGeek ... I think you are right... it would be nice to just get a 6" RASA available to do with what you want.I love the integrated autofocuser and dew heater system...👍 The camera is a bit to be desired also.
It’s a wonderful piece of technology-however, if you’re excited like me at just observing various astro objects through a great scope/eyepiece, a screen just doesn’t cut it? As for the photos, that’s exciting, but I can browse online to see brilliant astrophotography of most objects.
I'm so damned cheap. A $4K price point means that they aren't aiming to sell to us at first. They expect to use their global channels to hit the general consumer market first and at least recover their investment from that group BEFORE we get to see (if ever) a modifiable version (INDI? EKOS?) for the rest of us. At least $2k of this price is banking on the Celestron name.
For that price, I really expect much, much more. $2k for the Unistellar product was a choker for me but I did purchase it for my wife so she could enjoy a more casual approach to astronomy. For $4k, I'd have put a down payment on a new vehicle for her instead. ;-)
I hope I'm wrong but this thing is dreadfully, blatantly and almost offensively overpriced.
Pass, for that amount I wood start with ZWO AM3 which leaves $2,500 for scope, hardware and software, which leaves a lot off room for upgrades at a later date.
Does it even matter though? This is like a recreational glider pilot talking about the cost savings and fancy enterprise features of the new Airbus A380 model.
We just need a affordable mount for the scopes we have not a fancy AI enabled smart appliance.
Steaming pile of crap. Celestron is the worst. Wait until something goes wrong, customer service will tell you to reinstall drivers…….over………and………over………again. 🖕
not an expert, but for 5k Euros I would NOT expect to get last gen tech. That cable routing in front of optics could be done way better, it might not affect optical quality much or at all (again, I am not an expert) but its just ugly cable routing. Second, the power supply should be handled via USB-C power delivery, custom power supplies are not even last gen, they are long gone.
All I hear and watch is it costs too much. Okay make your own , sell it and support it. then you will find out what it costs all in. Right now there are two lower price and lower feature telescope on the market I have one. We have tried in the past to make a working system like the new celectron and the overall abondance of parts was lacking. Now celeston has put it all together. I have pre ordered one. I hope that it works as well as they advertise untill then we will wait.
A Rasa 6 in an alt Az? The camera? Its really expensive for such a miss match As an OTA wow cool, but other wise I will save my money.
Good to see all these new setups.
I love the RASA, but for a portable system, for the price, I'd rather have my AZ-GTi, controlled with stellarmate, like the video you made.
It Works well for a little EAA setup with a 50mm SW scope.
And its got EQ mode.
For UK weather, you can't beat an F:2 scope though. But £4k, na..
Would I like to fork out 4k for a convenience of an app and inferior imaging chip to every camera I own? No
If I can't put a zwo or other camera on it, it's DOA. The choice of the 178 is a joke. The scope itself is the only interesting thing here.... if it's compatible with other cameras.
Would be great if you could lift and shift the OTA to an existing EQ mount,
Yep - my guess is they'll support other Celestron mounts down the road
Great review. I agree with everything you said. It seems to have been delayed in shipping and is now expected July timeframe. I want to see real world results before making up my mind and certainly wont be pre ordering.
See it uses algorithms ? My understanding is that the EQ is for long exposure times. So don't see any use for this gadget especially at the price. Can get a fine EQ mount for 2 grand and telescope. Use the other 2 grand for accessories of my choice. Does make for lazy astronomy thou until it breaks. Their pictures are the best they can provide, not impressed.
nowhere near worth 4k. If they just made a normal 6" RASA OTA you could see the money fly into their pockets. For 4k youd expect a better tripod as well, but no, you get the same wobbly one that ES also loves to include even into their EQ mounts.
Feels like a Dell/Alienware desktop equivalent, upgrades are not impressive and you can't use anything but Celestron software/equipment. $4000+ tax is an insult and embarrassing they want to charge you that much.
I would not pay more than $3000.
And I would wait until I can see some real results!
I have a bigger rig and a Seestar . Putting out a RASA smart scope that will be able to upgrade the camera and put it on a wedge , they have totally nailed it . Even at that price they will sell like hotcakes .
It is the Tesla profit strategy. Start with high cost, low volume scope with computer, focuser, camera, and mount. Once they squeeze all the profit from that high price point, they will release the 6 inch RASA for $1599.
This is a common pattern for technology product generally--think PCs and cellphones in the 1980s. High cost, low volume--and once the wealthier customers purchase and test-drive the technology, the manufacturer will make it better and cheaper for the rest of us! Let's hope it happens here quickly, because I want my RASA 6! Clear skies!
Yes I want my RASA6!!
I am new to the hobby and have a Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT with Starsense autoalign. I am amazed at how bad these systems work. It seems simple to add a compass to the tube to know where north is, and a level to determine azimuth. Instead you have to rely on phone apps... Even with alignment and calibration I have never had the telescope goto the target I select the first time. I always have to add more targets to the alignment to get any accuracy. So instead of the few minutes they advertise, it takes me closer to 30 minutes to get a good alignment.
I want one really bad. But here in Canada this thing is almost 6k. Just way to much money.
$3000+ telescope with a dated uncooled IMX178. Bold choice, Celestron!
Good luck if anything breaks on it. You can't even buy a replacement corrector plate for their scopes unless you live in the UK.
Im very interested in it but it seems like the camera and mount choice were sub-optimal so I will probably just wait and see what future improvements they make.
I was tempted but at $4,000 the sensor (Sony IMX178) is a deal killer for me.
I do think that smart scopes like the Unistellar EVScope and eQuinox are way too overpriced when the Seestar at so much less cost does 99% of what the Unistellar does. I know they were in the market early but they need to drop their price point
Too expensive especially here in Aus about $7K (you can get a lot for that) and still alt az, as someone said a rasa 6 and a decent camera a 533 maybe for less would be a better idea
Not interested in this scope, too expensive. Doubt its interchangeability.
Thanks!
Originally I wasn't sold on this. Celestron calls it an Observatory which means a fixed location or building by definition. If they want you to use it in an observatory and not move it why isn't is equatorial? You set it up and polar align once and then never need to do it again so not being equatorial made no sense to me. Seeing that a future upgrade will be the ability to use a wedge it is a least a little easier to accept that term.
HaHa
I just saw it today and had about the same reactions: RASA 6 ?!? do they sell it stand alone??? IMX178 ???
Re the price, I just looked at other smart scopes at that price range:
Vaonis Stelina - 80 ED (Doublet 400 mm FL F/5) 3999$ and uses a ... (drums) IMX178 sensor ?!?
Unistellar eVscope 2 - 114 Newtonian (450 mm FL) 4899$ and uses an IMX347 ??? (not sure what that is)
Unistellar have now released the Vespera Pro which is 50mm Quadruplet (250 mm FL F/5) and it uses the new IMX676 (which is the 12MP version of the IMX678 with 2mu pixels)
So this looks like a good scope, just not for the masses (to say the least) and probably the best that we could get is the RASA 6
Daaaang, I didn't realize the Stellina and eVscope 2 were so darn expensive!! The BOM must be quite cheap on both, the margins must be insane!
Beautiful Smart telescope, too bad it's too heavy to carry on your shoulders
Great review, Cuiv. I have some $5,500 invested in a WO 81 with mount, guide scope and camera, no auto focus. The 4k doesn’t seem so bad for a RASA scope. I would have to agree the camera sensor is a bust. If you could easily swap out the camera for my ASI294MC or any other camera, I think there might be be many others on board. Selling the scope separately would be a plus too, so we could put in on our eguatorial mounts.
Keep up the great work you do!
Absolutely right! And thanks for your support!!
Agree with this review; so much good and yet some crippling decisions, such as the sensor. Fix it, Celestron!
Looking forward to your review if this scope.
For that kind of money you can nearly buy a real telescope, it's not even equatorial...
Id buy the Rasa 6 Tube. ive owned the evo mount and it was good until the battery failed in it
You laughing at the price tag says it all... good idea but not at that price tag. Too expensive for a beginner that wants something easy to use and self contained and if you are not a beginner, then you can get a better setup for around that price.
The only way I would even consider spending 4000k in this woud be if the mount was an alt-az/eq mount (something similar to the AM3 perhaps). That would give the option to anyone to start simple and grow into eq mode.
Having said that, if they start selling the 6" RASA as a standalone product, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
Exactly my feelings!!!
I'm more excited for the chance of getting a rasa 6 than the smar telescope itself. At that price point I would have opted for an eq mount at least, I hope they have a wedge for it and a pa process like the asiair. The whole point of smart telescopes is to get a cheap-ish grab and go telescope, this is quite the opposite
Celestron is indeed missing the opportunity to sell the separate OTA as you describe.
Celestron please release a RASA 6" as a separate OTA and we will make our own smart telescopes!!
I was seriously considering this scope, but the camera restrictions make it a deal breaker.
Cuiv, Quick story. About 15 years ago I got the Astronomy bug. Mostly viewing little photography. I spent a small fortune.I was fortunate to have unlimited budgets and I was buying scopes and chasing that better look for a few years. Most nights I didn't see much. I live 5 miles from Philadelphia so heavy light pollution. After a couple of years I gave up and sold all my gear at big losses and moved on. Then a month ago I run into a Seestar 50 video on YT and was amazed technology had come that far. I immediately ordered from High Point and had it a few days later. Total investment $500. Throw in the leveling device you recommend and the caps I have maybe $540 tops. I set this scope on my apartment balcony (again, 11 stories up facing Philly) and have seen and photographed more things in a few nights then I saw over a few years spending probably $50K on gear. For me the Seestar is perfect. Would I upgrade if something much better and fairly priced came along? Sure why not. But to make a jump to $4,000 and not being sure I'd get that much better then I'm getting now I think not. Thanks for all your videos on the Seestar and other gear love the channel.
4:30 The AI hype is unfortunately everywhere rn, everything that's automated is "AI" now, despite often not having any "AI" things (though this might - even though machine learning doesn't have much to do with AI either, but anyways). It shouldn't take too long until that hype dies down fortunately. Other than that, for the price, the sample images look awful. It looks like the stars are out of focus. And yea, for the price, they should've included a newer sensor. I agree with your conclusion, it's interesting, but ultimately, likely too expensive
Yep, those sample images are really terrible... If I had been wowed by the sample images it would have been a different story
Eh doesn't the Vespera Pro have better hardware than the Celestron one? For half the price?
I don't like smart telescopes, but if I did, I would like this one.
Yeah I saw it advertised on highpoint scientific one day and was like "ooo that's cool let me take a look" then saw the price. Was turned off, then back on again when I looked at some of the hardware, then back off again when I saw their sample images, then back on again when I realized we could get a standalone RASA 6 in the future. So basically the same reaction, but I just don't know who the market for this thing is. I find that generally people who are willing to spend $4k on an astronomy setup already know what they want and they're going to build it themselves. If I ever buy a smart telescope to play with it'll be a Seestar but I'll never spend $4k on one
Exactly, a roller coaster... Things would have been different if the sample images blew me away!
I am curious why there are three price points. First is the approximately $4000.00 US Dollar the second is about $ 2500.00 US dollars and then the $500.00 US Dollar point. I was excited when the Vaonis Stellina came out. I know they have different pros and cons, but only the Dwarf and Seestar are portable. I mean pack it as carry on for your flight. I would want them all to be upgradable, especially if it is over the $1000.00 price point.
But, I don’t have a major in marketing.
Multiple models of Vaonis Vespera are portable, too. And they support mosaic to cover wider field.
This concept is way too expensive for all of the reasons you point out, Additionally, down the road this system may become a brick for lack of future support. I can only point out the Celestron Sky scout which they abandoned and left my $350 investment an ornament of non-use for lack of software to update the calendar.
That's a worry as well - what happens if it isn't successful and Celestron stops selling/supporting it?