The finest sensible telescopes make viewing the evening sky tremendous straightforward and, in the event you’ve ever wished for a compact telescope you might slot in your backpack with out sacrificing skywatching energy, the DWARF 3 may be the one for you. However don’t let its small measurement idiot you — it’s filled with AI-powered monitoring, twin cameras and totally automated astrophotography options for a simple stargazing expertise on the push of a button. Ideally suited as one of many finest telescopes for novices, it’s designed for informal stargazers who need beautiful photos of the moon, galaxies and extra however with out all of the fiddling of an observational telescope. We’ve put the DWARF 3 by means of its paces to {photograph} the moon, nebulae and even a partial photo voltaic eclipse — to see if it’s value spending your cash on.
DWARF 3 sensible telescope evaluation
DWARFLAB DWARF 3 sensible telescope: Design
- Compact and transportable
- Minimalist design with only one energy button
- Comes with a padded carry bag and photo voltaic filters
DWARFLAB DWARF 3 Specs
Aperture Diameter: 35 mm (tele), 3.4 mm (vast)
Focal size: 150 mm (tele), 6.7 mm (vast)
Sensor: Sony IMX 678, Stravis 2
Constructed-in filters: Tele: VIS/Astro/Twin-band, Extensive: Astro (for day and evening use)
Battery: Constructed-in 10000 mAh
Storage: 128GB
Measurement: 8.75 x 5.6 x 2.56-inches / 222 x 142 x 65 mm
Weight: 2.9 lbs / 1.3 kg
What actually impressed us concerning the DWARFLAB 3 is simply how compact and transportable it’s. We’ve examined loads of sensible telescopes right here at Area.com however few are as travel-friendly as this one. It weighs lower than 1.5 kg and would simply slot in your backpack (though it does include its personal case), making it straightforward to hold to a darkish sky website. If you happen to’re used to lugging round a heavy tripod and mount, the DWARF 3 seems like a breath of recent air.
We appreciated the minimalist, fashionable design. The matte plastic physique feels nicely put collectively — sturdy sufficient to deal with an evening within the subject, but mild sufficient that you simply by no means actually discover the load. The rotating lens part is a pleasant contact too, providing safety for the optics without having an additional case or cap.
There are barely any cables or buttons to fret about, which helps lower down on setup time and retains the method user-friendly, particularly for novices. We had the scope up and working in minutes.
DWARF 3 sensible telescope: Efficiency
- Automated stacking makes for straightforward astrophotography
- Works nicely in light-polluted areas
- Higher for deep area than planetary viewing
We had been actually impressed by how a lot the DWARF 3 delivers for its measurement. Regardless of its compact body, it punches above its weight on the subject of capturing photos of deep-sky objects. Throughout our checks, we used it to {photograph} the moon, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula. The outcomes had been surprisingly sharp and detailed for a telescope this small and inexpensive. In fact, it’s not going to match to a few of the large hitters that value many hundreds of {dollars} however we expect it carried out nicely given its value level. Among the photos had been fairly noisy however this was seemingly as a result of our settings. There was some trial and error as a result of lack of a correct instruction guide.
We appreciated how the stacking course of is totally automated. As soon as aligned and locked on, the DWARF 3 quietly went to work capturing quite a few exposures, which it then processed right into a closing picture. It dealt with mild air pollution moderately nicely, too — we examined it near a light-polluted metropolis and acquired pleasing photos. We additionally like that you’ve the choice to switch all the person FITS information on to your laptop computer so you’ll be able to stack and course of them your self, in the event you’d desire. And with the latest firmware, there’s additionally now the power to course of your picture within the Stellar Studio, the place you’ll be able to take away noise and make any star corrections to your picture. Though annoyingly, that is solely suitable with photos taken with the up to date firmware.
The monitoring accuracy was one other spotlight. The built-in mount isn’t one thing you’d anticipate finding on a standard scope this measurement however we thought it carried out nicely, preserving targets regular throughout exposures. Nevertheless, it’s extra of a wide-field instrument so in the event you’re hoping to get crisp planetary pictures, you would possibly wish to think about one other telescope. That mentioned, we used it to trace and seize the partial photo voltaic eclipse within the UK on March 29, 2025, utilizing the included photo voltaic filters and we encountered no issues in any respect — apart from the standard cloudy Welsh skies.
DWARF 3 sensible telescope: Performance
- Fast and easy setup
- Twin-mode functionality permits daytime terrestrial viewing
- Identifies and robotically slews and tracks to seen objects by way of the app
The DWARF 3 is clearly designed to make astrophotography as easy and accessible as attainable, and for probably the most half, we expect it succeeds. Setup is fast and intuitive — you flip it on, join by way of the accompanying app and also you’re prepared to begin observing or imaging inside minutes. There have been a few events, notably at first, the place we had hassle connecting however general, we appreciated how little effort it took to get going, particularly in comparison with conventional telescopes that require alignment and calibration. There are transient directions obtainable to view from the app however we’d have appreciated a extra in-depth printed guide included. When you’re related, the app shows all of the seen topics to your real-time location so that you simply have to click on in your chosen object and the DWARF 3 will robotically slew to that object. It additionally options an EQ mode that permits exposures of as much as 60 seconds.
One characteristic we notably appreciated was the dual-mode functionality — it could shoot wide-field astro at evening and close-up terrestrial pictures in the course of the day. The auto-tracking and GoTo performance labored nicely in our checks. As soon as aligned, the scope shortly and quietly positioned and tracked targets throughout the evening sky. We appreciated the article database, though it typically grew to become somewhat complicated to find out which objects had been really seen.
We’d just like the connection vary to be elevated somewhat — we discovered that after we set the telescope up in an appropriate spot in our again backyard, it might be out of connection vary and subsequently disconnect after we then went again inside the home whereas the DWARF 3 was taking photos.
Ought to I purchase the DWARF 3 sensible telescope?
If you happen to’re a newbie on the lookout for a conveyable and inexpensive approach to view and {photograph} the evening sky, we expect the DWARF 3 can be excellent. Whereas it doesn’t have the viewing energy of a few of the greater, costlier sensible telescopes, we wouldn’t count on it to for the value. Its automated picture stacking makes the entire course of user-friendly and hassle-free, notably when you have no prior astrophotography expertise. It additionally has the choice to course of the pictures your self if you’re a bit extra superior.
If, nevertheless, you’re prepared for a severely highly effective telescope for evening sky imaging or would fairly observe the cosmos by means of an eyepiece, the DWARF 3 won’t be the telescope for you. Whereas its benefit is that it’s a wise telescope, that can be its downfall. It’s nice in the event you simply wish to {photograph} the cosmos however the preliminary views can sometimes be somewhat underwhelming, notably in the event you’re imaging a deep area object — the element will solely be seen within the closing picture.
If the DWARF 3 sensible telescope is not for you
If you wish to skip the newbie fashions and go straight for the finest sensible telescope in the marketplace, the Unistellar eQuinox 2 will astound you — nevertheless it doesn’t come low cost. Alternatively, in the event you desire conventional observational astronomy utilizing an eyepiece, the Unistellar Odyssey Professional has an eyepiece co-developed by Nikon, providing you with the choice to make use of both viewing methodology.
You may additionally wish to think about the ZWO Seestar S50. It has many similarities to the DWARF 3 and the 2 are sometimes in contrast towards each other. At a really comparable value, the choice will come down to private desire.
How we examined the DWARF 3
We examined the DWARF 3 in varied areas with differing mild air pollution ranges — from an city yard near a metropolis in Bortle class 5 to an Worldwide Darkish Sky reserve within the Bannau Brecheiniog Nationwide Park. We had the DWARF 3 over the course of some months and examined its efficiency on the moon, the Orion nebula and a partial photo voltaic eclipse, amongst others.
