One more. I know these scopes were never intended to be planetary. I realize the planets end up for the most part just dots. However, there is a sense of accomplishment. When I captured Pluto for the first time, the feeling of excitement was almost overwhelming. Even though it was just a dot, I said to myself, I did that. And I can share it with friends and family. Learning new stuff every day. Some of it from you. Stay warm. Thank you.
well, poor little Pluto would be just a dot with any commercially available amateur telescope, so actually there's little difference and you can just as well image it with the Seestar!
Good comment! And when I first started out just using a canon DSLR 50 mm lens on a basic sky tracker I was exited to see how many stars alone came out in the image since I can't see that many under a light polluted bortle 7 sky and I just took baby steps in learning everything to where each step became automatic ..And that comfort zone 😊
Despite the limitations, its great for new users to see the planets for themselves, and share with friends. This is our first telescope, and showing Jupiter has amazing and interested others.
Great video! Excellent that you put together such a nice video to highlight the capabilities of these devices. I think the main issue with these devices is the focal length rather than aperture. The planets just don't cover enough pixels on the sensor in the S30 to resolve much detail. No doubt that aperture helps too though!
the main factor that decides the details you can resolve is the aperture. Sure you need focal length to magnify, but if you had a 50/500 (f/10) seestar instead of the 50/250 (f/5) we have today, you would still not be able to see much more detail. Planetary photographers tend to use very long focal lengths, of course (think 10,000mm+) but those tubes have MUCH larger diameters. One reason of course is the amount of light gathered, but more importantly, that's the limit of the resolving power. Otherwise you could get infinitely good images with small refractors by simply adding focal extenders (barlow lenses)
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I really like your videos. I am waiting for good weather to continue testing my S50. I managed to get a very beautiful shot of the Orion Nebula and improved it with a few steps in PixInsight with the basic stretch. I tried it on December 24th with Saturn and it was a disaster. Please continue sharing your knowledge.
thanks so much and I hope you'll get some good skies soon! These little scopes are really not for planets! Deep sky is a better use of your time unless you have loads of good weather :D
I now have both and as you suggested I use th S30 when light travel is necessary. First images on the S30 came out very well. S50 has better aperture however, the biggest difference is the FOV. Thanks for the compare and answers.
the s50 is superior due to the large optics. The main advantage of the D3 (EQ mode) will be gone once ZWO releases theirs. At that point you can choose if you want a better sensor (D3) or larger optics (S50) - I would personally pick the latter.
Very nice video. Would you please consider performing an instructional video how you processed your videos to the images you obtained. Thank you in advance.
I have been watching your videos and I’m very impressed. I haven’t purchased or used a telescope. Since watching your video I’m interested in a smart telescope for beginners. Which telescope would you recommend that won’t break the bank but still give really good images. I don’t want to spend more than a $1,000. I’m located in the US about an hour east of Philadelphia and I do have light pollution. Also which astrophotography software should I start out with? Something that will give me good results with minimal initial use. Obviously I will learn more to get better over time. Thank you for your time
the more obvious beginner choices (seestar, dwarf) are all well below $1000. As for software, I'm a strong believe that PixInsight is by far the best. However, it has a very steep learning curve and if I were you I would go for available freeware, especially Siril, which is also very powerful and is being continuously updated. Light pollution is the absolute enemy, but it will impact you with whatever telescope you choose! I think if you really get into astro, perhaps after a few years you'll consider traveling to dark sky sites but it's realistically not what people start with. Good luck & clear skies
@the_space_koala Of the 2 cameras which do you prefer? I have no idea which. I have watched a bunch of videos here and from others and I just get confused. I’m a 68 year old grandfather with 3 grandchildren. I wanted to get started on this so I can then introduce my grandchildren to astrophotography.
I am still waiting for a new version with bigger aperture although I already had S50. I think a 80mm would be the max for a portable smart telescope since the machine size may be too big if 100mm +
Vaonis had the OG smart scope, the Stellina which was an 80mm one and I can tell you it was not portable :D but surely they would be able to make it a little lighter
I'm actually surprised either was able to capture any planetary detail at all. If the S50 was just a little smaller and cheaper I'd probably consider getting it over the S30, but since both do deep space pretty well, I'd probably still go for the cheaper and much more portable option.
@@the_space_koala I'm still waiting for a few more comparisons between the Dwarf 3 and the S30, since I can only seem to find videos comparing the Dwarf 3 and the S50. If there's a big enough difference between the 3 and S30, I'll probably spend the extra money and go for the 3.
I recorded Jupiter with Seestar S50 for one minute raw, and used the stacking feature inside of Seestar itself. It took like 5 minutes and the details were slightly better than your processing. Perhaps you didnt focus it perfectly.
I have both Dwarf 2 and Dwarf 3. On planets like Jupiter and Saturn the results are more or less similar. I managed to photograph Saturn and you can glimpse the ring, but it is so tiny that it needs to be magnified as much as possible. Better to dedicate yourself to the deep sky... 😁
@@the_space_koala It's from the Marvel movies, Dr. Strange wears it around his neck (glows green like whatever you are wearing in the night shots). Apologies, it was my attempt at humor, but if you don't know the reference, it probably just comes across as weird. On a serious note, I very much appreciated this video - well done!
My S50 is on its way after a few weeks of waiting I will not even bother taking photos of the planets with this device it’s just not worth the hassle Can’t wait to get photos of the nebulas, star clusters, galaxies
Hi. I'm watching and have been imaging Saturn and the moon with my Seestar S50. I've already failed as I've done ten minute videos. I'm 5 minutes 50 seconds in when commenting sorry I should just wait.
@the_space_koala I've got six or seven RAW but I have made the mistake of not going RAW. If yout video goes above ten minutes, you know you have made a mistake as I have now twice. I'm trying to learn from people like yourself the post processing . I have scopes and cameras but life well is life .
Love your videos. Everything is explained in a clear and understanding way. Thank you x
thank you for saying that
Another fine video by the Space Koala! Thank you so much Luca!
One more. I know these scopes were never intended to be planetary. I realize the planets end up for the most part just dots. However, there is a sense of accomplishment. When I captured Pluto for the first time, the feeling of excitement was almost overwhelming. Even though it was just a dot, I said to myself, I did that. And I can share it with friends and family. Learning new stuff every day. Some of it from you. Stay warm. Thank you.
well, poor little Pluto would be just a dot with any commercially available amateur telescope, so actually there's little difference and you can just as well image it with the Seestar!
Good comment! And when I first started out just using a canon DSLR 50 mm lens on a basic sky tracker I was exited to see how many stars alone came out in the image since I can't see that many under a light polluted bortle 7 sky and I just took baby steps in learning everything to where each step became automatic
..And that comfort zone 😊
Thank you for that comparison. They actually perform pretty close and easy better than I would've thought at first. Happy new year! 👍👍🎶🎉🎊
happy new year!
Despite the limitations, its great for new users to see the planets for themselves, and share with friends. This is our first telescope, and showing Jupiter has amazing and interested others.
exactly! If you already have this scope why not try the planets, but nobody should buy it wanting to image them
Great video! Excellent that you put together such a nice video to highlight the capabilities of these devices. I think the main issue with these devices is the focal length rather than aperture. The planets just don't cover enough pixels on the sensor in the S30 to resolve much detail. No doubt that aperture helps too though!
the main factor that decides the details you can resolve is the aperture. Sure you need focal length to magnify, but if you had a 50/500 (f/10) seestar instead of the 50/250 (f/5) we have today, you would still not be able to see much more detail. Planetary photographers tend to use very long focal lengths, of course (think 10,000mm+) but those tubes have MUCH larger diameters. One reason of course is the amount of light gathered, but more importantly, that's the limit of the resolving power. Otherwise you could get infinitely good images with small refractors by simply adding focal extenders (barlow lenses)
Excellent video !
Last year Saturn showed more of the rings. Your Jupiter capture is better than anything I've been able to get. Good job.
thank you!
@the_space_koala Your post is way more advanced than mine. I'm into this only a year. I'll get there.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I really like your videos. I am waiting for good weather to continue testing my S50. I managed to get a very beautiful shot of the Orion Nebula and improved it with a few steps in PixInsight with the basic stretch. I tried it on December 24th with Saturn and it was a disaster. Please continue sharing your knowledge.
thanks so much and I hope you'll get some good skies soon! These little scopes are really not for planets! Deep sky is a better use of your time unless you have loads of good weather :D
I now have both and as you suggested I use th S30 when light travel is necessary. First images on the S30 came out very well. S50 has better aperture however, the biggest difference is the FOV. Thanks for the compare and answers.
oh, congrats! If you're anything like me you'll end up bringing both with you on your travels ;)
can you post a comparison between s50 and d3?planning to get one but having difficulties in choosing one?
the s50 is superior due to the large optics. The main advantage of the D3 (EQ mode) will be gone once ZWO releases theirs. At that point you can choose if you want a better sensor (D3) or larger optics (S50) - I would personally pick the latter.
Had the same issue and went for the D3 mainly for its travel size…
Very nice video. Would you please consider performing an instructional video how you processed your videos to the images you obtained. Thank you in advance.
I have been watching your videos and I’m very impressed.
I haven’t purchased or used a telescope. Since watching your video I’m interested in a smart telescope for beginners.
Which telescope would you recommend that won’t break the bank but still give really good images. I don’t want to spend more than a $1,000.
I’m located in the US about an hour east of Philadelphia and I do have light pollution.
Also which astrophotography software should I start out with? Something that will give me good results with minimal initial use. Obviously I will learn more to get better over time.
Thank you for your time
the more obvious beginner choices (seestar, dwarf) are all well below $1000. As for software, I'm a strong believe that PixInsight is by far the best. However, it has a very steep learning curve and if I were you I would go for available freeware, especially Siril, which is also very powerful and is being continuously updated. Light pollution is the absolute enemy, but it will impact you with whatever telescope you choose! I think if you really get into astro, perhaps after a few years you'll consider traveling to dark sky sites but it's realistically not what people start with. Good luck & clear skies
@the_space_koala
Of the 2 cameras which do you prefer? I have no idea which. I have watched a bunch of videos here and from others and I just get confused.
I’m a 68 year old grandfather with 3 grandchildren. I wanted to get started on this so I can then introduce my grandchildren to astrophotography.
Tried 20 sec for the first time on the S30. It worked fine. I've read some people have had issues when using other than 10.
you mean for deep sky, right?
@the_space_koala yes. Tried to keep comments brief and to the point. Left off the DS part.
I am still waiting for a new version with bigger aperture although I already had S50. I think a 80mm would be the max for a portable smart telescope since the machine size may be too big if 100mm +
Vaonis had the OG smart scope, the Stellina which was an 80mm one and I can tell you it was not portable :D but surely they would be able to make it a little lighter
@@the_space_koala 😅
I think you could see more detail on planets visually with a good 50mm long focus refractor.
I was expecting to see better details in the stacks from the S50 given the live view, too
S50
what about edu snap smart telescope, are you going to do something new?
the company told me months ago they were doing a lot of updates/fixes and I'm waiting for their feedback to retest
@@the_space_koala Thanks so much for yout time to answer me!
Would it be worth it to use a mask to sharpen the focus first?
bahtinov masks don't work well on non-point light sources (think planets vs stars)
@@the_space_koala thank you. I am new to this.
I'm actually surprised either was able to capture any planetary detail at all. If the S50 was just a little smaller and cheaper I'd probably consider getting it over the S30, but since both do deep space pretty well, I'd probably still go for the cheaper and much more portable option.
if you want portable the S30 is definitely the right option!
@@the_space_koala I'm still waiting for a few more comparisons between the Dwarf 3 and the S30, since I can only seem to find videos comparing the Dwarf 3 and the S50. If there's a big enough difference between the 3 and S30, I'll probably spend the extra money and go for the 3.
I recorded Jupiter with Seestar S50 for one minute raw, and used the stacking feature inside of Seestar itself. It took like 5 minutes and the details were slightly better than your processing. Perhaps you didnt focus it perfectly.
Interesting, I should try the internal stacking feature!
I have both Dwarf 2 and Dwarf 3. On planets like Jupiter and Saturn the results are more or less similar. I managed to photograph Saturn and you can glimpse the ring, but it is so tiny that it needs to be magnified as much as possible. Better to dedicate yourself to the deep sky... 😁
I agree these little gadgets are not suitable for planets
Is that the Time Stone?
I don't know what a Time Stone is so probably not :) (Not sure what you're referring to)
@@the_space_koala It's from the Marvel movies, Dr. Strange wears it around his neck (glows green like whatever you are wearing in the night shots). Apologies, it was my attempt at humor, but if you don't know the reference, it probably just comes across as weird. On a serious note, I very much appreciated this video - well done!
@@CMDROldDuck no I googled it but I still couldn't figure out what you referred to lol - I get it now :D clear skies!
My S50 is on its way after a few weeks of waiting I will not even bother taking photos of the planets with this device it’s just not worth the hassle
Can’t wait to get photos of the nebulas, star clusters, galaxies
sounds about the right thing to do! clear skies for your new toy!
Hi. I'm watching and have been imaging Saturn and the moon with my Seestar S50.
I've already failed as I've done ten minute videos. I'm 5 minutes 50 seconds in when commenting sorry I should just wait.
you're fine with the 10 minute videos! - make sure they're raw (AVI) not just mp4
@the_space_koala I've got six or seven RAW but I have made the mistake of not going RAW. If yout video goes above ten minutes, you know you have made a mistake as I have now twice.
I'm trying to learn from people like yourself the post processing . I have scopes and cameras but life well is life .
Excellent Video No. 1 of 2025... Thanks again !
it's my best video of this year, yet :P thank you!
@@the_space_koala 100%....🪐
Today saturn meets the moon ... and bad weather 🙁
same! it's been in my calendar for like a year and all I can hope for is a hole between the clouds!
@the_space_koala Here no luck, moon behind clouds.
@@allffrommars6019 I did it through the clouds... I got a super low quality video :D