NGC 7023
Comparing two devices
DWARF 3 or eQuinox 2: which to choose in 2026
Both devices on this page have been used to make images published here. 34 shots, 23 objects and 98h 04m with the DwarfLab DWARF 3. 17 shots, 14 objects and 4h 08m with the Unistellar eQuinox 2. It is the only head to head on the site where both sides carry hours actually spent. Elsewhere, I am putting two manufacturer datasheets face to face.
recorded first hand DwarfLab DWARF 3
98h 04m
0 towards 165h · hours I have logged with this device, this is not a rating
recorded first hand Unistellar eQuinox 2
4h 08m
0 towards 165h · hours I have logged with this device, this is not a rating
Line by line
What the two datasheets do not say the same way
Every value comes from the entry for that device, where it carries its source. The difference column is worked out here, from those two values. It gives the size of the gap, never its direction: the two columns before it already say that. It stays empty on lines with no number. It stays empty too wherever a percentage would mean nothing.
Rapport d'ouverture : the focal length divided by the diameter, written f/, and the smaller that number, the faster the image forms. Monture azimutale : it moves in altitude and in rotation, but the field turns during the night.
| Specification | DwarfLab DWARF 3 | Unistellar eQuinox 2 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture | 35 mm (telephoto) · 3.4 mm (wide angle) | 114 mm | facteur 3,3 |
| Focal length | 150 mm (telephoto) · 6.7 mm (wide angle) | 450 mm | facteur 3 |
| Focal ratio | f/4.3 | f/3.9 | |
| Sensor | Sony IMX678 STARVIS 2 | Sony IMX347 (4.1 Mpx native) | |
| Resolution | 3,840 × 2,160 px | 2,880 × 2,160 px output (6.2 Mpx) | |
| Built-in filters | Three, switchable: VIS, Astro, dual-band Hα + O III | None | |
| Mount | Altazimuth and equatorial | Motorised altazimuth | |
| Weight | 1.3 kg | 9 kg | facteur 6,9 |
| Software | DWARFLAB (iOS, Android) | Unistellar (iOS, Android) | |
| Indicative price | ≈ €529 | ≈ €2,599 | facteur 4,9 |
Prices recorded in 2026, excluding promotions and accessories. The DwarfLab DWARF 3 and Unistellar eQuinox 2 entries each carry their own sources, one per specification.
What the data settles
Four differences, and nothing more
-
01
The price. The cheaper is the DwarfLab DWARF 3, at ≈ €529. The Unistellar eQuinox 2 asks ≈ €2,599, which is facteur 4,9 more. These are market prices, recorded in 2026 from the sources cited at the foot of the page. They are not my selling prices.
-
02
The diameter. The DwarfLab DWARF 3 opens at 35 mm. The Unistellar eQuinox 2 opens at 114 mm, which is facteur 3,3 more. Diameter commands resolution, the finest detail that can come out of the exposure, whatever its length.
-
03
The time it takes. Unistellar eQuinox 2 is the faster of the two, f/3,9 against f/4,3. L'eQuinox 2 makes in 1h an image that takes 1h 13m au DWARF 3.
-
04
The weight. The DwarfLab DWARF 3 weighs 1,3 kg. The Unistellar eQuinox 2 weighs 9 kg, which is facteur 6,9 more. Weight says nothing about image quality: it says what you can carry.
These lines read published specifications and hours actually logged. They do not rank the two devices and do not rate their quality. An empty track is a device that was not tested, not a bad device. The exposure equivalence compares nothing but the published focal ratios, with sensor, sky and target held identical. It says nothing about resolution, about the field, or about optical quality.
The two devices
Their strong points, and their weak points
DwarfLab · ≈ €529
DwarfLab DWARF 3
35 mm of aperture, a STARVIS 2 sensor, a built-in dual-band filter, an equatorial mode. It is the best result per euro of the devices compared here.
Strong points
- Built-in hydrogen and oxygen dual-band filter. The nebulae come out in one night.
- Equatorial mode and 60 s exposures, rare at this price.
- The field is wide: the North America or the Heart fit whole in the frame.
- 1.3 kg: it goes hiking without a second thought.
Weak points
- 35 mm only: small galaxies stay tiny.
- The software moves fast. It remains less accomplished than Vaonis's.
- The battery drops quickly in cold weather.
- Polar alignment, setting the axis on that of the Earth, takes real learning.
Unistellar · ≈ €2,599
Unistellar eQuinox 2
A 114 mm Newtonian with enhanced vision: a mirror telescope, with no eyepiece. The image builds on the phone, minute after minute.
Strong points
- The largest diameter after Celestron's Origin: the detail follows.
- It clears light pollution well, the halo of towns, through image processing and not through a filter: Unistellar calls it Deep Dark Technology. It is the brand's founding argument.
- The observing network: the data feeds genuine scientific campaigns.
- The software has been supported without a break since the first delivery, in December 2019.
Weak points
- No filter inside, not even a UV/IR filter: Unistellar says so itself. A third-party filter can be fitted, at your own risk: it upsets the collimation, and in case of damage the warranty no longer covers the unit.
- Nine kilos, plus a dedicated tripod. This is no longer a rucksack device.
- It costs more than four and a half times the price of a DWARF 3. The use, though, is much the same.
- The field is narrow, which means what you see at one go. The large nebulae do not fit in the frame.
The images, from each side
What each one has really produced here
No manufacturer image, no stock image. Each thumbnail keeps the aspect ratio of its sensor, and carries the exposure time read off the caption the device burns in.
DwarfLab DWARF 3
Unistellar eQuinox 2
Getting hold of one
These two devices, you can order them here
There is no basket and no online payment. You say which one interests you. You can also describe what you want to photograph, and from what sky. The answer comes in writing: a price, a lead time, and what the device can and cannot do. If neither of the two suits, it will say so, and it will say which one suits better.
The prices shown on this page are market prices recorded in 2026 from the sources below. They are not selling prices, and they do not constitute an offer. Your price, your lead time and availability appear in the written reply.
Sources
Where these figures come from
- Astronomy.com, review du DWARF 3 · DwarfLab DWARF 3
- BBC Sky at Night Magazine · DwarfLab DWARF 3
- DWARFLAB, fiche technique DWARF 3 · DwarfLab DWARF 3
- DWARFLAB, tableau de caractéristiques comparées de la gamme · DwarfLab DWARF 3
- Planète Télescope, test eQuinox 2 · Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Unistellar, boutique européenne, fiche eQuinox 2 · Unistellar eQuinox 2
- La Clef des Étoiles, fiche produit · Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Digital Camera World, annonce de l'eQuinox 2 au CES 2023 · Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Unistellar, centre d'aide : ajouter un filtre devant le capteur · Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Unistellar, gamme Expert (eVscope 2 et eQuinox 2) : Deep Dark Technology · Unistellar eQuinox 2
No value on this page is estimated. The differences are worked out from the values above. The focal ratio, for its part, is recalculated from the published aperture and focal length. A specification wrong or out of date? Report it.