NGC 7023
Comparing two devices
Seestar S50 Pro or DWARF 3: which to choose in 2026
Let it be said before anything is compared: the evidence here exists on one side only. 34 shots, 23 objects and 98h 04m with the DwarfLab DWARF 3. Nothing with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro, which has never been in my hands. Everything that follows about the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro comes from published sources, listed at the foot of the page.
not tested ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
0 · aucune donnée de première main
0 towards 165h · hours I have logged with this device, this is not a rating
recorded first hand DwarfLab DWARF 3
98h 04m
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 | ZWO Seestar S50 Pro | DwarfLab DWARF 3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture | 50 mm (telephoto) · 3.4 mm (wide angle) | 35 mm (telephoto) · 3.4 mm (wide angle) | 43 % |
| Focal length | 260 mm (telephoto) · 6 mm (wide angle) | 150 mm (telephoto) · 6.7 mm (wide angle) | 73 % |
| Focal ratio | f/5.2 | f/4.3 | |
| Sensor | OmniVision OS08B10 (telephoto, 1/1.2 inch, 2.9 µm photosites) · Sony IMX586 (wide angle) | Sony IMX678 STARVIS 2 | |
| Resolution | 2,160 × 3,840 px on the telephoto (8.3 Mpx) | 3,840 × 2,160 px | |
| Built-in filters | Three: UV/IR cut on both cameras, dual-band O III 30 nm and Hα 20 nm and dark filter on the telephoto | Three, switchable: VIS, Astro, dual-band Hα + O III | |
| Mount | Motorised altazimuth, equatorial mode supported | Altazimuth and equatorial | |
| Weight | 2.8 kg (main unit) | 1.3 kg | facteur 2,2 |
| Software | Seestar (iOS, Android) | DWARFLAB (iOS, Android) | |
| Indicative price | ≈ €999 (≈ €899 as a launch offer until 15 September 2026 at 9:00, Central European Summer Time) | ≈ €529 | 89 % |
Prices recorded in 2026, excluding promotions and accessories. The ZWO Seestar S50 Pro and DwarfLab DWARF 3 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 ZWO Seestar S50 Pro asks ≈ €999, which is 89 % 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 ZWO Seestar S50 Pro opens at 50 mm, which is 43 % more. Diameter commands resolution, the finest detail that can come out of the exposure, whatever its length.
-
03
The time it takes. DwarfLab DWARF 3 is the faster of the two, f/4,3 against f/5,2. Le DWARF 3 makes in 1h an image that takes 1h 28m au Seestar S50 Pro.
-
04
The weight. The DwarfLab DWARF 3 weighs 1,3 kg. The ZWO Seestar S50 Pro weighs 2,8 kg, which is facteur 2,2 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
ZWO · ≈ €999
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
The heaviest overhaul in the Seestar range. The dual-band and the equatorial mode were already there; what changes is the sensor, the optics, the battery and the price.
Strong points
- The telephoto sensor goes from 1/2.8 inch to 1/1.2 inch, and the resolution from 2.1 to 8.3 Mpx.
- Apochromatic four element lens with ED glass, against three on the S50.
- A 3.4 mm wide angle lens at f/1.75, absent from the original S50, which frames 63° at one go.
- 10,000 mAh battery quoted at nine hours, against 6,000 mAh and six hours on the S50.
- 128 GB of onboard storage, twice the S50. ZWO writes that a hundred or so gigabytes are really available.
- It speaks the open ASCOM Alpaca protocol and plugs into N.I.N.A. No other device in the panel does.
- Dual-band filter as standard and solar filter supplied, as on the original S50.
Weak points
- The price doubles: about €999 at the recommended rate, against €499 for the original S50 from the same manufacturer.
- 50 mm of aperture, unchanged. The diameter does not move.
- 2.8 kg for the main body, against 2.5 kg on the S50. It is getting heavier.
- The launch price has a date on it: it drops on 15/09/2026 at 9h, and the manufacturer's recommended rate is €999.
- It is sold on pre-order. ZWO quotes shipping in about three to four weeks.
- Nothing can be changed and nothing added: neither optics, nor sensor, nor mount.
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.
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.
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
None of my images was made with this device. Nothing is borrowed from a stock library or a press release to fill the space. Its entry rests on the published sources, listed at the foot of this page. Its scale stays at zero.
DwarfLab DWARF 3
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.
Ask for a price for the Seestar S50 Pro
Ask for a price for the DWARF 3
I do not know yet, advise me
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
- ZWO Seestar, fiche officielle du Seestar S50 Pro · ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- ZWO Seestar, boutique européenne, prix en euros TTC et date de fin de l'offre · ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- ZWO Seestar, fiche du Seestar S50 d'origine, pour la comparaison · ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- 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
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.