The Dwarf II is now available at First Light Optics! www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/dwarf-ii-smart-telescope-deluxe-bundle/ref/astrolavista/ (affiliate)
Appreciate that you are one of few astro TH-camrs explaining to ppl like me who have undelivered order and looking to get familiar and the fact you are helping improve the product - thanks!
Cheers Steve! it's a lot of fun exploring and learning how to use and get the most out of the Dwarf II. The fact that Dwarflab are actively implementing based on feedback makes me more than happy to help :)
Chris, how are you? Great educational video! Always love to see someone using this amazing small telescope. You taught me something new! I see you are in contact with Dwarf Lab. Me too. They are a great team and they are very supportive in the Dwarf community. Thanks so much! Ron & Maryellen 👥
The ease of use in how you safely centered our Sun there was wonderful and something to behold.A large instrument has the potential to become obsolete,not get used much if at at all due to the logistics involved,well this is more interesting than I thought.
Hey James, on and off I'd say I've done a fair bit of solar in my time but I think this was the quickest I've centred the Sun on a sensor thanks to those dual cameras, and all shot from inside my garage with the Dwarf II just plonked on the desk, easy :)
@@Astrolavista It will be very interesting to see how much more you can eek out of this little guy with all your expertise.Thanks for the great content and all the best to you and your family and everyone else in the universe..for the New Year.
Sincere kudos and thanks to you, Cuiv, and the extremely talented and creative DwarfLab engineering team for all of your outstanding collaboration to achieve brilliant incremental improvements to the already incredible Dwarf II. DwarfLab's obvious commitment to continue to push the quality of this fantastic product higher to its fullest potential based on such expert user input is most commendable and exceptional. I plan to order the Deluxe package very soon, based largely on that strong commitment repeatedly demonstrated by DwarfLab. It will be one of the easiest purchase decisions I will ever make. Happy New Year!
I want to thank you and Cuiv for these updates, I have ordered one of these and can't wait to use it. I have been doing small sensor astrophotos for a few years and look forward to my dwarf II. Keep up the good work.
The phone app interface, with the view of the "finder" and the main view, looks like a cool way to aim the scope properly. As for focusing, I guess it will depend on the step size, but in general I like it as you can do all of that without touching the scope. Nice review. Definitely looks like a good product with plenty of potential. Clear skies, all the best in 2023!
Very cool sunspots, Chris nicely presented. also good to see the software people are responding to feed back as well its looking like this is will grow in to a fantastic device. All the best Ryan
Thanks Ryan! it's been a while since I've captured Sun spots, good to see such a nice grouping all in a line there :) At the rate they're developing the Dwarf II it's exciting being part of it all :D
I noticed you had gloves on so must be the British winter! S😊o you did amazing to photograph the sun in winter when it is so much colder and less bright....
Hey thanks! You're right, this was back in January half way through the British winter and the Sun was low in the sky. I was surprised how well the Dwarf II did.
Thanks Vineeth! and it's just got even better with the latest firmware update! It's now tracking better and producing deeper DSO images. I'm looking forward to sharing some better images soon! Take care and thanks for watching :)
@@Astrolavista That is awesome. I think in Cuiv's video or somewhere I got the idea that there is a limitation on the exposure time.. what is the limit on exposure length?
If ever I start doing outreach events again then this bit of kit would be top of the list, I've seen a few smart telescopes around now & they're really expensive, I saw this come up & I hadn't a lot of hope for it to begin with but it has surprised me a hell of a lot. It's great that they're listening & updating quickly to.
Hey Tich, congrats on your first milestone of 100 Subs :) I've been so impressed with Dwarflab's willingness to listen to feedback and their rate of updates! As a device for dabbling in astronomy and nature imaging I think it's promising, especially considering the price.
7:59 Is that the Sky-Watcher Mak 127 on the EQ5 mount, in the background. Sounds like this piece of kit is going to be a game changer! Ps: I'm glad you managed to get those clouds to sod off, when doing solar imaging. 👍🤣
I’m getting more and more interested in this device. With immediacy I question why they chose to orientate the body on the way they did. A vixen rail attachment would be far more practical had they mounted the lenses pointing lengthwise. It looks like you could potentially add a Baader Solar Continuum filter but it’s doubtful wether there’s enough aperture to resolve from it. It would pay them to advertise this device for the upcoming North American solar eclipse. It seems very practical for the job. There’s a handful of folks working on this project now. I’ve been speaking with Ioan regularly from Galaxy Art Media about it. I don’t think anyone can beat the price for a smart telescope package given all the ins and outs of it. Thanks for the information. I look forward to more from your channel. I would definitely push for a pc interface cable and Sharpcap friendly software.
Hi Garnett :) I agree the Solar Continuum filter might be overkill - it shows Sun spots well however the resolution is 6 arcseconds per pixel with the current 2x2 binning as the only option. If they can add a 1x1 binning for 3 arcseconds resolution I think this will help with Solar and Lunar detail, however probably still not enough to warrant a solar continuum filter but there maybe only one way to find out. For the price it's almost worth it for quick looks at Sun spots alone! so you may be right about pitching it to towards solar events. I suspect Dwarflabwill read your comment with how pro active they are. loan mentioned he was going to review the Dwarf II, I'm looking forward to hearing what he thinks about it all :) Cheers!
@@Astrolavista Hi Chris, the 2x2 binning is curently applyed only for deepsky mod, so if you capture the moon and the sun in a 4k video you will have binning 1x1 that means 3 arsec per pixel for lunar and solar
I was thinking of a 3D printed clip that attaches to the side of the Dwarf 2 and gives a polar alignment scope that can be removed after alignment. or the plate solve option.
I can certainly ask them, however with 24mm of aperture it's going to be limited in terms of resolution. I think a £120 70mm refractor will show you a lot more.
@@Astrolavista awesome! I know literally nothing about astrophotography but love the look of this product. If I knew there was some way it could be modified to also see planets, I would buy it today.
Nice info Chris and solar results! I had tested a few nights with humidity and indeed the lenses were clean however the uhc filter was covered by dew so probably in such cases making breaks and taking filter inside would be a temporary solution to the problem if yow want to image more. i had the same problem in dss, ended up with monochrome stacks, but they can be converted in rgb colored image using Photoshop, this is how i have done with my Pleiades stack
Hi loan! I'm pleased I could see Sun spots considering I was literally doing it the most simple way and grabbing quick snaps, pretty cool that this little device can do a little bit of everything almost (well not the planets very well but it does show up the Jovian Moons either side of Jupiters disc) I did have one night that was particularly damp where the UHC developed a light covering of dew but generally I've been lucky so far. I'm so pleased Dwarflab are going to add FITS so we don't need to convert files. I need to check out your M45 Pleiades, did it show the blue reflection nebula at all?
@@Astrolavista Hello Chris and Happy New year ! M45 did show a lot of the reflection Nebulosity after stacking the fits files. 180x15s 45 min integration. Check the video on my channel how to convert tif into fits very fast and free using Siril. In 2 seconds it converted 250 images. This can be helpful until Dwarflab will make fits available. I will post my Pleiades image on my community page and i sent you now the image on instagram
Would love to hear your comments on tracking…. Have a theory that it’s actually using some kind of continuous plate solving and that’s the reason it works in eq without actually changing modes… but if right then it should work with the camera placed at any angle off of level. Your thoughts would be appreciated, the only other thing is, I did order a light weight 2x teleconverter to try in eq because that motor should be stationary if polar aligned…. But the question is, how strong is the magnet, is it just barely hanging on or should it be ok with a little weight tugging on it. Thanks in advance, Scott
Hey Scott! I'm glad it's not just me then, I had that thought as soon as they mentioned the wide angle camera helping with PA! Particularly when they said PA doesn't need to be accurate! This implies you're right about it working over a range of latitudes :) I don't want to mention this in video just yet until confirmed but I'm on it. The magnet is quite strong, you can feel it pulling on the adapter from 8-10mm away so I suspect it will be ok but hard to say for sure. Do you have a link for the teleconverter? I'm tempted to test it out if it's not too expensive? I'm guessing you have this in mind to help out with planetary, Lunar and Solar? Cheers.
@@Astrolavista so the teleconverter with the best reputation for very sharp optics is the Nikon TC-E2, it was originally made for the cool pix cams and although discontinued now , like new ones are readily available on eBay for around 30.00, so for it to work you need a ice 1.25 to 49mm adapter on Amazon,and a 49 to 28mm step down ring, so grand total for everything is under 50. Mostly this is just going to make your fov more similar to what you get with vespera, planets will still be out of reach but smaller galaxies and nebula should look much better from an eaa perspective. For example if you were photographing Orion it should take up most of the frame with the 2x teleconverter installed. Another reason that 1.25 to 49mm adapter comes in handy is because I also got a 49-48 step down ring so that all my 2” filters will fit dwarf. I’m excited to try it. Thanks for giving me peace of mind on the magnet and looking forward to your tracking test…. It’s pretty cool if it really is guiding then that’s kind of a breakthrough all on its own
@@Astrolavista one more thing… just so you know, dwarf labs has already said they gave up adding there own teleconverter because that motor would not track right with the extra weight…. Sooo it’s critical if we are going to use one that we are in very good polar alignment. That way we don’t have to worry about stressing that motor because it won’t be actively trying to track. I think we can assume the base motor is much more robust and that should not be affected. To be on extra safe side I believe I would not add the teleconverter til you are on target and ready to image
@@Astrolavista something else in case someone is reading through these comments…. The teleconverter idea may expand what you can do with dwarf…however it will slow your system down substantially, by my calculations it may be from f4 to f8…. That means it may take an hour to collect as many photons as you were in 20 minutes, it’s all a trade off, so just be aware. Also I think people can forget ever doing any planetary , although they do make 5x teleconverters, that a long big hunk of glass, probably heavy enough to move the lense housing just from gravity… and even if it did work a 26mm lense is not going to give you any detail at all, might be able to make out south and north cloud bands on Jupiter or maybe make it obvious Saturn has rings but nothing to make it worth doing
Thanks for the video. Question: I see videos where they track for example a duck. Can you also track the sun or stars that way? And just wondering; does the equatorial setup really result in a better image?
You're welcome, thanks for watching. It tracks stars in Astro mode whilst stacking lots of exposures to form the an image e.g. in my latest video I was stacking 100x 15 second exposures of different deep sky objects but you will note that the more images I stacked the more the frame of the image turned - this is because I was using the Dwarf II in it's original alt / azimuth mode. However if you align the rotational axis to that of the Earth aka polar align the Dwarf II you don't have this field rotation and the drives need to work less hard to track meaning it should show rounder looking stars. In this video I was just using the basic photo mode to snap the Sun and even then it drifted very slowly, I'll give it another go in video mode where you should be able to lock onto the solar disc and track (in theory). Going back to the tracking in astro mode, I think it's less important to place the dwarf II into equatorial mode now the latest firmware has improved the overall tracking. It's fast becoming a very capable little imaging device : )
Happy new year Ollie! :) I agree it's going to be better for folks that just want to dabble with a little bit of everything, maybe to see if astro is for them before stepping up to something more series and of course more expensive. I do applaud Dwarflab for what they've squeezed in here for the money.
Another idea you can ask them, is focusing, you dont know we're the focus is at. How about numbers corresponding to were it's focused. That way could just type in that number abd will go to that. My telescope electronic focuser has corresponding numbers so all I do on my pc or hand controller, sat it gives me a number 25000 and that's perfect focus during the day, then type in this number abd goes to that postion. Very handy, especially if you got a barlow lens, etc as ypu csn, in daytime focus these take notebof the number and your there
The Moon looks decent considering the tiny optics of the Dwarf II, when you zoom in on the screen you can see some craters quite clearly. The planets are not so good but you can make out the Jovian moons orbiting Jupiter. Jupiter looks like a bright disc/spot.
@@Astrolavista Thank you for your time and reply. Maybe they could add a small Barlow eye piece that screws to the place the filters screw in, and then screw the filters on that? You would better than I...
@@Astrolavista would be very interested in hearing how that works! Also, what are the dimensions of the raw riffs? What about the video dimensions? Thanks!
Hi Richard, Dwarflab tested add on lenses to increase magnification but decided the weight was too much for the motors. The Dwarf II is also sealed so no access to add say a Barlow lens internally either. The 24mm aperture wouldn't give the best resolution on the planets anyway. It's probably best to have a separate scope for the planets.
I'm a visual observer who does a dramatic sigh & eye roll whenever someone mentions a "smart-scope".... but deep down inside I really want one. I just bought a used Televue EP off of AstroMart. I could've had the Dwarf II on order for what I spent on that one used second hand EP.... 🤦🏼♂️
12mm Delos. I started with a Baader MkIV w/ Barlow & a APM UFF 30mm. I liked that ~68°-70° AFOV, so I decided to build around that. So far I've added ES68°s in 16mm, 20mm & 24mm and now this 72° 12mm. I'd like to add a few XWs and maybe a Pan to round it out. I'm still trying to get the lineup filled in right now. Once that's done then I'll narrow 'em down and swap out anything that needs it until I get it just right. I'm new to all this and this will be is my first EP kit, so excitement is on the extreme end... I'm absolutely stoked about it!!! And yeah, I work as a house painter so I can't afford to buy any high-end EPs at new retail prices. Heck, the reason I'm building a ~68°-72° kit is because I can't afford the good name brand ultra/hyper wides 😂
@@Astrolavista well almost could've had the Dwarf II lol. I just checked the price, it can be pre-ordered for $395. Luckily I spent about $100 less on the EP.... But new prices are about the same for each, which seems kinda crazy considering what you're getting with each.
When Dwarflab sent these out for review the Android app was available and they were working on IOS. Good to hear it's now compatible and I'm sure there will be some IOS users out there soon.
Ask them to have the ability to link with stellirum or Sky Safari, so we can use in conjunction with these programs and not only Pic any object, but show were its pointing.
still would like to see the limit removed for the explosure time to just use anything you want, not just for astro purposes (though more than 15 seconds might be nice for an eq mount).
From a novice getting into the hobby...What makes a longer exposure (say 30 seconds) different from 2 (15 seconds) stacked? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact I hear stacking multiple pictures is basically what everyone does...but 10-1 minute shots vs 20-30 sec, etc is not the same thing?
@@Astrolavista Thank you. I tried several times and it would not download to my Android tablet. The last one did, this one didn’t. Every time I use it, there is a different problem. Used my Unistellar last night and it was flawless.
The Dwarf II is now available at First Light Optics! www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/dwarf-ii-smart-telescope-deluxe-bundle/ref/astrolavista/ (affiliate)
I have a Dwarf 2 telescope. But I'm still looking for a 2nd one to use them together. Thanks for your reply.
Ron & Maryellen 👥
Appreciate that you are one of few astro TH-camrs explaining to ppl like me who have undelivered order and looking to get familiar and the fact you are helping improve the product - thanks!
Cheers Steve! it's a lot of fun exploring and learning how to use and get the most out of the Dwarf II. The fact that Dwarflab are actively implementing based on feedback makes me more than happy to help :)
Chris, how are you? Great educational video! Always love to see someone using this amazing small telescope. You taught me something new!
I see you are in contact with Dwarf Lab. Me too. They are a great team and they are very supportive in the Dwarf community. Thanks so much!
Ron & Maryellen 👥
I'm learning a lot from these videos from you and Cuiv (and others). I have ordered the scope and can't wait to use it!
The ease of use in how you safely centered our Sun there was wonderful and something to behold.A large instrument has the potential to become obsolete,not get used much if at at all due to the logistics involved,well this is more interesting than I thought.
Hey James, on and off I'd say I've done a fair bit of solar in my time but I think this was the quickest I've centred the Sun on a sensor thanks to those dual cameras, and all shot from inside my garage with the Dwarf II just plonked on the desk, easy :)
@@Astrolavista It will be very interesting to see how much more you can eek out of this little guy with all your expertise.Thanks for the great content and all the best to you and your family and everyone else in the universe..for the New Year.
Sincere kudos and thanks to you, Cuiv, and the extremely talented and creative DwarfLab engineering team for all of your outstanding collaboration to achieve brilliant incremental improvements to the already incredible Dwarf II. DwarfLab's obvious commitment to continue to push the quality of this fantastic product higher to its fullest potential based on such expert user input is most commendable and exceptional. I plan to order the Deluxe package very soon, based largely on that strong commitment repeatedly demonstrated by DwarfLab. It will be one of the easiest purchase decisions I will ever make. Happy New Year!
Very nicely put Jonathan, happy new year! :)
I want to thank you and Cuiv for these updates, I have ordered one of these and can't wait to use it. I have been doing small sensor astrophotos for a few years and look forward to my dwarf II. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Darren, appreciate it! I'm happy to tease you with videos until you get your hands on yours :)
@@Astrolavista yeah thanks for that 😂.not sure when mine will arrive.
I`ve just got a baader filter for my Celestron 130. I stacked about 100 pics yesterday and it`s the same spots as yours apart from mirror image. Cool.
It really was a nice grouping of spots yesterday, good to hear you grabbed them too!
Thanks, Ordered for (fingers crossed) Feb. Cant wait, but great to know they are doing updates
Really looking forward to receiving my Dwarf 2.
its def a smart bit of kit... im very tempted in the new year.
The phone app interface, with the view of the "finder" and the main view, looks like a cool way to aim the scope properly. As for focusing, I guess it will depend on the step size, but in general I like it as you can do all of that without touching the scope. Nice review. Definitely looks like a good product with plenty of potential. Clear skies, all the best in 2023!
Happy new year Sergio! I agree the remote automation and dual cameras have lots of potential, it's been fun to use on the whole so far :)
Great review Chris it's good to know the dwarf lab are so pro- active with the updates
Thank Tony! They're really on it aren't they.
Very cool sunspots, Chris nicely presented.
also good to see the software people are responding to feed back as well its looking like this is will grow in to a fantastic device.
All the best Ryan
Thanks Ryan! it's been a while since I've captured Sun spots, good to see such a nice grouping all in a line there :) At the rate they're developing the Dwarf II it's exciting being part of it all :D
I noticed you had gloves on so must be the British winter! S😊o you did amazing to photograph the sun in winter when it is so much colder and less bright....
Hey thanks! You're right, this was back in January half way through the British winter and the Sun was low in the sky. I was surprised how well the Dwarf II did.
Great review Chris! Looks like a great product based on reviews from you, Jason and Ioan! Good price point too.
Thanks Vineeth! and it's just got even better with the latest firmware update! It's now tracking better and producing deeper DSO images. I'm looking forward to sharing some better images soon! Take care and thanks for watching :)
@@Astrolavista That is awesome. I think in Cuiv's video or somewhere I got the idea that there is a limitation on the exposure time.. what is the limit on exposure length?
If ever I start doing outreach events again then this bit of kit would be top of the list, I've seen a few smart telescopes around now & they're really expensive, I saw this come up & I hadn't a lot of hope for it to begin with but it has surprised me a hell of a lot. It's great that they're listening & updating quickly to.
Hey Tich, congrats on your first milestone of 100 Subs :) I've been so impressed with Dwarflab's willingness to listen to feedback and their rate of updates! As a device for dabbling in astronomy and nature imaging I think it's promising, especially considering the price.
Thanks Chris it's taken a while but getting there mate.
7:59 Is that the Sky-Watcher Mak 127 on the EQ5 mount, in the background. Sounds like this piece of kit is going to be a game changer! Ps: I'm glad you managed to get those clouds to sod off, when doing solar imaging. 👍🤣
lolI forgot to sign off with the old catchphrase as well :D Yes as Wheelie says, it's the 200p Newtonian.
I’m getting more and more interested in this device. With immediacy I question why they chose to orientate the body on the way they did. A vixen rail attachment would be far more practical had they mounted the lenses pointing lengthwise. It looks like you could potentially add a Baader Solar Continuum filter but it’s doubtful wether there’s enough aperture to resolve from it. It would pay them to advertise this device for the upcoming North American solar eclipse. It seems very practical for the job. There’s a handful of folks working on this project now. I’ve been speaking with Ioan regularly from Galaxy Art Media about it. I don’t think anyone can beat the price for a smart telescope package given all the ins and outs of it. Thanks for the information. I look forward to more from your channel. I would definitely push for a pc interface cable and Sharpcap friendly software.
Hi Garnett :) I agree the Solar Continuum filter might be overkill - it shows Sun spots well however the resolution is 6 arcseconds per pixel with the current 2x2 binning as the only option. If they can add a 1x1 binning for 3 arcseconds resolution I think this will help with Solar and Lunar detail, however probably still not enough to warrant a solar continuum filter but there maybe only one way to find out. For the price it's almost worth it for quick looks at Sun spots alone! so you may be right about pitching it to towards solar events. I suspect Dwarflabwill read your comment with how pro active they are. loan mentioned he was going to review the Dwarf II, I'm looking forward to hearing what he thinks about it all :) Cheers!
@@Astrolavista Hi Chris, the 2x2 binning is curently applyed only for deepsky mod, so if you capture the moon and the sun in a 4k video you will have binning 1x1 that means 3 arsec per pixel for lunar and solar
Where did you get the equatorial "wedge" you used on the Dwarf II?
It's just a photographic tripod with the pan head tilted forwards to my rough latitude Tom
I was thinking of a 3D printed clip that attaches to the side of the Dwarf 2 and gives a polar alignment scope that can be removed after alignment. or the plate solve option.
Are they considering a telescope lens to screw on to the front to allow planetary viewing?
I can certainly ask them, however with 24mm of aperture it's going to be limited in terms of resolution. I think a £120 70mm refractor will show you a lot more.
@@Astrolavista awesome! I know literally nothing about astrophotography but love the look of this product. If I knew there was some way it could be modified to also see planets, I would buy it today.
Nice info Chris and solar results! I had tested a few nights with humidity and indeed the lenses were clean however the uhc filter was covered by dew so probably in such cases making breaks and taking filter inside would be a temporary solution to the problem if yow want to image more. i had the same problem in dss, ended up with monochrome stacks, but they can be converted in rgb colored image using Photoshop, this is how i have done with my Pleiades stack
Hi loan! I'm pleased I could see Sun spots considering I was literally doing it the most simple way and grabbing quick snaps, pretty cool that this little device can do a little bit of everything almost (well not the planets very well but it does show up the Jovian Moons either side of Jupiters disc) I did have one night that was particularly damp where the UHC developed a light covering of dew but generally I've been lucky so far. I'm so pleased Dwarflab are going to add FITS so we don't need to convert files. I need to check out your M45 Pleiades, did it show the blue reflection nebula at all?
@@Astrolavista Hello Chris and Happy New year ! M45 did show a lot of the reflection Nebulosity after stacking the fits files. 180x15s 45 min integration. Check the video on my channel how to convert tif into fits very fast and free using Siril. In 2 seconds it converted 250 images. This can be helpful until Dwarflab will make fits available. I will post my Pleiades image on my community page and i sent you now the image on instagram
Would love to hear your comments on tracking…. Have a theory that it’s actually using some kind of continuous plate solving and that’s the reason it works in eq without actually changing modes… but if right then it should work with the camera placed at any angle off of level. Your thoughts would be appreciated, the only other thing is, I did order a light weight 2x teleconverter to try in eq because that motor should be stationary if polar aligned…. But the question is, how strong is the magnet, is it just barely hanging on or should it be ok with a little weight tugging on it. Thanks in advance, Scott
Hey Scott! I'm glad it's not just me then, I had that thought as soon as they mentioned the wide angle camera helping with PA! Particularly when they said PA doesn't need to be accurate! This implies you're right about it working over a range of latitudes :) I don't want to mention this in video just yet until confirmed but I'm on it. The magnet is quite strong, you can feel it pulling on the adapter from 8-10mm away so I suspect it will be ok but hard to say for sure. Do you have a link for the teleconverter? I'm tempted to test it out if it's not too expensive? I'm guessing you have this in mind to help out with planetary, Lunar and Solar? Cheers.
@@Astrolavista so the teleconverter with the best reputation for very sharp optics is the Nikon TC-E2, it was originally made for the cool pix cams and although discontinued now , like new ones are readily available on eBay for around 30.00, so for it to work you need a ice 1.25 to 49mm adapter on Amazon,and a 49 to 28mm step down ring, so grand total for everything is under 50. Mostly this is just going to make your fov more similar to what you get with vespera, planets will still be out of reach but smaller galaxies and nebula should look much better from an eaa perspective. For example if you were photographing Orion it should take up most of the frame with the 2x teleconverter installed. Another reason that 1.25 to 49mm adapter comes in handy is because I also got a 49-48 step down ring so that all my 2” filters will fit dwarf. I’m excited to try it. Thanks for giving me peace of mind on the magnet and looking forward to your tracking test…. It’s pretty cool if it really is guiding then that’s kind of a breakthrough all on its own
@@Astrolavista one more thing… just so you know, dwarf labs has already said they gave up adding there own teleconverter because that motor would not track right with the extra weight…. Sooo it’s critical if we are going to use one that we are in very good polar alignment. That way we don’t have to worry about stressing that motor because it won’t be actively trying to track. I think we can assume the base motor is much more robust and that should not be affected. To be on extra safe side I believe I would not add the teleconverter til you are on target and ready to image
@@Astrolavista something else in case someone is reading through these comments…. The teleconverter idea may expand what you can do with dwarf…however it will slow your system down substantially, by my calculations it may be from f4 to f8…. That means it may take an hour to collect as many photons as you were in 20 minutes, it’s all a trade off, so just be aware. Also I think people can forget ever doing any planetary , although they do make 5x teleconverters, that a long big hunk of glass, probably heavy enough to move the lense housing just from gravity… and even if it did work a 26mm lense is not going to give you any detail at all, might be able to make out south and north cloud bands on Jupiter or maybe make it obvious Saturn has rings but nothing to make it worth doing
Thanks for the video. Question: I see videos where they track for example a duck. Can you also track the sun or stars that way? And just wondering; does the equatorial setup really result in a better image?
You're welcome, thanks for watching. It tracks stars in Astro mode whilst stacking lots of exposures to form the an image e.g. in my latest video I was stacking 100x 15 second exposures of different deep sky objects but you will note that the more images I stacked the more the frame of the image turned - this is because I was using the Dwarf II in it's original alt / azimuth mode. However if you align the rotational axis to that of the Earth aka polar align the Dwarf II you don't have this field rotation and the drives need to work less hard to track meaning it should show rounder looking stars. In this video I was just using the basic photo mode to snap the Sun and even then it drifted very slowly, I'll give it another go in video mode where you should be able to lock onto the solar disc and track (in theory). Going back to the tracking in astro mode, I think it's less important to place the dwarf II into equatorial mode now the latest firmware has improved the overall tracking. It's fast becoming a very capable little imaging device : )
Interesting little device Chris, probably not for me but I can imagine for some casual users this could be fun.
Happy new year Ollie! :) I agree it's going to be better for folks that just want to dabble with a little bit of everything, maybe to see if astro is for them before stepping up to something more series and of course more expensive. I do applaud Dwarflab for what they've squeezed in here for the money.
You're talking about me! I'm really into astronomy, but don't have the budget or the mindset to do all of the processing.
Thank you.
Did you ask them if its possible to like Skysafari or Stellirum to Dwarf 2, so you can use control Dwarf 2 from any of these apps or programs on a pc
I will mention that you asked for this on my next email to Dwarflab :)
Another idea you can ask them, is focusing, you dont know we're the focus is at. How about numbers corresponding to were it's focused. That way could just type in that number abd will go to that. My telescope electronic focuser has corresponding numbers so all I do on my pc or hand controller, sat it gives me a number 25000 and that's perfect focus during the day, then type in this number abd goes to that postion. Very handy, especially if you got a barlow lens, etc as ypu csn, in daytime focus these take notebof the number and your there
Very nice video. I just ordered this Telescope. Will I be able to see all the Plants and moons?
The Moon looks decent considering the tiny optics of the Dwarf II, when you zoom in on the screen you can see some craters quite clearly. The planets are not so good but you can make out the Jovian moons orbiting Jupiter. Jupiter looks like a bright disc/spot.
@@Astrolavista Thank you for your time and reply. Maybe they could add a small Barlow eye piece that screws to the place the filters screw in, and then screw the filters on that? You would better than I...
You should think of getting one of those pen size pointers with the rubber tip instead of using a finger on the iPhone screen. Much better control.
Can this dwarf tracking the sun and do Timelapse? I am interested in eclipse use?
Hi Steve, there is a tab on the app for time-lapses but I will need to test how this behaves.
@@Astrolavista would be very interested in hearing how that works! Also, what are the dimensions of the raw riffs? What about the video dimensions? Thanks!
Hi Chris. Try it on a comet. There's a bright one near polaris atm. Interesting little scope from dwarflab🔭
it can shoot at that declination too? it has a declination limit or you can track very high objects?
Speaking of adding planets. Is there any thought to using a Barlow for planetary?
Hi Richard, Dwarflab tested add on lenses to increase magnification but decided the weight was too much for the motors. The Dwarf II is also sealed so no access to add say a Barlow lens internally either. The 24mm aperture wouldn't give the best resolution on the planets anyway. It's probably best to have a separate scope for the planets.
@@Astrolavista - this is what I thought. Having other scopes in the past, the Barlow really needs to be placed between the optics and the camera.
I'm a visual observer who does a dramatic sigh & eye roll whenever someone mentions a "smart-scope".... but deep down inside I really want one.
I just bought a used Televue EP off of AstroMart. I could've had the Dwarf II on order for what I spent on that one used second hand EP.... 🤦🏼♂️
Ethos, Delos or Panoptic? I guess at least you bought second hand so it will hold its value if you ever decide to sell :)
12mm Delos.
I started with a Baader MkIV w/ Barlow & a APM UFF 30mm. I liked that ~68°-70° AFOV, so I decided to build around that. So far I've added ES68°s in 16mm, 20mm & 24mm and now this 72° 12mm.
I'd like to add a few XWs and maybe a Pan to round it out. I'm still trying to get the lineup filled in right now. Once that's done then I'll narrow 'em down and swap out anything that needs it until I get it just right.
I'm new to all this and this will be is my first EP kit, so excitement is on the extreme end... I'm absolutely stoked about it!!!
And yeah, I work as a house painter so I can't afford to buy any high-end EPs at new retail prices. Heck, the reason I'm building a ~68°-72° kit is because I can't afford the good name brand ultra/hyper wides 😂
@@Astrolavista well almost could've had the Dwarf II lol. I just checked the price, it can be pre-ordered for $395. Luckily I spent about $100 less on the EP.... But new prices are about the same for each, which seems kinda crazy considering what you're getting with each.
Hi Chris, can I use this for eclipse video tracking?
I don't see why not Keith :)
I wonder if you could get an ISS transit with this?
It's an interesting thought, my gut feeling is it would just look like a bright dot like the planets to, I'm not 100% sure though?
This is listed as iOS compatible. I've seen every review using a smartphone / iPhone, but does the app work well with an iPad?
When Dwarflab sent these out for review the Android app was available and they were working on IOS. Good to hear it's now compatible and I'm sure there will be some IOS users out there soon.
@@Astrolavista don't think iOS is out yet. I have one of these bad boys sitting on my table but I am IOS and so I have no way to try it out.....
Anyone tried one of these in a Bortle 2 area?
Ask them to have the ability to link with stellirum or Sky Safari, so we can use in conjunction with these programs and not only Pic any object, but show were its pointing.
still would like to see the limit removed for the explosure time to just use anything you want, not just for astro purposes (though more than 15 seconds might be nice for an eq mount).
From a novice getting into the hobby...What makes a longer exposure (say 30 seconds) different from 2 (15 seconds) stacked?
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact I hear stacking multiple pictures is basically what everyone does...but 10-1 minute shots vs 20-30 sec, etc is not the same thing?
I just got my dwarf 2 I didn’t know un your video I could zoom with pinch to zoom. Lol
I sometimes forgot you can do this :D
mines just arrived today
You could start stacking with Siril....
I do need to look at Siril :)
IMPRESSIVE
Beginners, don’t buy this astronomical camera. I did, I regret it, and find it is far more frustrating than fun.
Did you upgrade to the latest firmware?
@@Astrolavista Thank you. I tried several times and it would not download to my Android tablet. The last one did, this one didn’t. Every time I use it, there is a different problem. Used my Unistellar last night and it was flawless.
I agree, I’m totally frustrated!