Dwarf II vs Vespera II: Side-By-Side Comparison

Dwarf II vs Vespera II: 10 Second Summary

The Vaonis Vespera II is a higher spec smart telescope than the Dwarf II.
It is simple, quick and easy to use. It is well-loved for its imaging capabilities and it features a mosaic mode that allows the capture of widefield images.
However, it is heavier than the Dwarf II and significantly more expensive.
The Dwarf II is smaller and lighter than the Vaonis Vespera II, and much cheaper.
On the downside, the key specifications are lower, and requires more work to operate.

Check Dwarf II Price

Check Vaonis Vespera II Price

Read the Dwarf II review

Read the Vaonis Vespera II review

Why choose the Dwarf II over the Vespera II?

The Dwarf II is a compact, budget smart telescope from Chinese manufacturer Dwarflab.

The main reasons to consider it over the Vaonis Vespera are:

It is much cheaper – roughly a third of the price.
It is smaller and lighter and comes with a perfect-fit carry case, and so is ideal for travel and convenient storage.

On the downside, the telescope specifications are lower than the Vaonis Vespera, and the user experience is not as slick and seamless, requiring a bit more work to get the most out of it.

Why choose the Vaonis Vespera II over the Dwarf II

The Vaonis Vespera II is a compact, premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Vaonis that was released in 2024.

The main reasons to consider it over the Dwarf II are:

It has a higher aperture and longer focal length telescope, meaning it is better at gathering light and so has better astrophotography capabilities.
All Vaonis models have a Mosaic Mode which enables the stitching of multiple images to capture much wider fields of view and larger astronomical objects.
It has seamless ease of use – the Vaonis app and user experience is excellent.

In an upgrade from the original Vespera, the Vespera II’s camera has an 8.3 megapixel resolution, which is the same as the Dwarf II (the original Vespera was just 2 MP).

Telescope Specifications

The Dwarf II has 24mm (1 inch) aperture, 100mm focal length, f/4.2 focal ratio, and 3.2° × 1.6° field of view.

The Vaonis Vespera II has 50mm (2 inch) aperture, 250mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, and 2.5° x 1.4° field of view.

Camera Specifications

The Dwarf II has a 8.3 MP resolution camera of 3840 x 2160 size using a Sony IMX415 sensor and a pixel size of 1.45μm.

The Vaonis Vespera II has a 8.3 MP resolution camera of 3840 x 2160 size using a Sony IMX585 sensor and a pixel size of 2.9 µm.

Size and Weight

The Dwarf II weighs 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) and has dimensions of 20 x 6 x 13 ((H x W x L in cm).

The Vaonis Vespera II weighs 5 kg (11 lb) and has dimensions of 48 x 20 x 9 ((H x W x L in cm).

Price and Value for Money

The Dwarf II costs $459 to $595, and the Vaonis Vespera II costs $1,590.

Note though, the Vespera II does not include a tripod, but can be used with any regular camera tripod if you already have one.

Of course, prices may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.

Specifications

	Dwarflab DWARF II	Vaonis Vespera II
Year	2023	2024
Aperture	24mm (1 inch)	50mm (2 inch)
Focal Length	100mm	250mm
Focal Ratio	f/4.2	f/5
Limiting Magnitude	9.6	11.19
OTA type	Refractor	Refractor
Eyepiece	No	No
Field of View	3.2° × 1.6°	2.5° x 1.4°
Resolution	8MP	8.3MP
Sensor Size	3840 x 2160	3840 x 2160
Sensor	Sony IMX415	Sony IMX585
Pixel Size	1.45μm	2.9 µm
Image Formats	TIFF, FITS	TIFF, FITS
Mosaic Mode	No	Yes
Size (H x W x L) cm	20 x 6 x 13	48 x 20 x 9
Weight	1.2kg (2.6 lb)	5kg (11 lb)
Mount	Included	Included
Tripod	Included	Not included
Battery Life	3 hrs	4 hrs
Internal Storage	64GB	25GB
Dew Control	Built-in	None
Retail Price*	$459	$1,590

*Price may be subject to change, so please use the links on this page to check at various retailers

Vespera II vs Dwarf II Verdict

The appeal of the Dwarf II is that it is the cheapest and most portable smart telescope. It is well-loved by its owners (including me) and is right for you if you want an inexpensive option as a first smart telescope and you don’t mind getting stuck in to learn how to make the best of it.

The appeal of the Vespera II is in offering the premium smart telescope experience in a small and portable package. It is a better astrophotography telescope than the Dwarf II, but it also costs about three times as much.