Stellina vs Dwarf II: 30 Second Summary
- The Vaonis Stellina was released in 2019 and was the original smart telescope.
- It has a much higher spec telescope than the Dwarf 2, with larger aperture and longer focal length. The user experience is slick and it has the Vaonis-only mosaic mode to stitch together larger images.
- However, it is much more expensive than the Dwarf 2, as well as being much bigger and heavier.
- The Dwarflab Dwarf 2 was released in 2023 and was the first budget smart telescope.
- It is much smaller and lighter, is substantially cheaper, as well as having a higher resolution camera than the Stellina.
- The Dwarf 2 is the budget portable option that is great value but takes a little more work to get great images with.
- The Stellina is the classic premium option and is ultra easy to use, but has now been succeeded by the Vespera II and Vespera Pro from Vaonis.
Why choose the Dwarf II over the Stellina?
The Dwarf II is a compact, budget smart telescope released in 2023 by Dwarflab.
The reasons to favor it over the Stellina are:
- It is small and light and comes with a perfect-fit carry case, and so is ideal for travel and convenient storage.
- It is much less expensive than the Vaonis Stellina or any of the other premium options.
Why choose the Stellina over the Dwarf II?
The Stellina is a premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Vaonis that was released first in 2019.
The main reasons to consider it over the Dwarf 2 are:
- It is designed to be extremely easy to use, with no knowledge of telescopes or astrophotography required. The target audience is the user that wants a premium model that they know they can pull out at any time without having to think too much about it. The Dwarf 2 is much cheaper but does require a bit more work to use and to get great images.
- With all Vaonis models you can take advantage of the mosaic mode to stitch together much wider field of view images.
- The telescope specifications are higher.
Telescope Specifications
The Dwarf II has 24 mm (1 inch) aperture, 100 mm focal length, f/4.2 focal ratio, and 3.2° × 1.6° field of view.
The Vaonis Stellina has 80 mm (3.1 inch) aperture, 400 mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, and 1° x 0.7° field of view.
Camera Specifications
The Dwarf II has a 8 MP resolution camera of 3840 x 2160 size using a Sony IMX415 sensor and a pixel size of 1.45 μm.
The Vaonis Stellina has a 6.4 MP resolution camera of 3096 x 2080 size using a Sony IMX178 sensor and a pixel size of 2.4 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 Stellina weighs 11.2 kg (24.7 lb) and has dimensions of 60 x 40 x 13 ((H x W x L in cm).
Price and Value for Money
The Dwarf II costs $459, and the Vaonis Stellina costs $3,999.
Note, these may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.
Specifications
| Dwarflab DWARF II | Vaonis Stellina | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2023 | 2019 |
| Aperture | 24mm (1 inch) | 80mm (3.1 inch) |
| Focal Length | 100mm | 400mm |
| Focal Ratio | f/4.2 | f/5 |
| Limiting Magnitude | 9.6 | 12.22 |
| OTA type | Refractor | Refractor |
| Eyepiece | No | No |
| Field of View | 3.2° × 1.6° | 1° x 0.7° |
| Resolution | 8MP | 6.4MP |
| Sensor Size | 3840 x 2160 | 3096 x 2080 |
| Sensor | Sony IMX415 | Sony IMX178 |
| Pixel Size | 1.45μm | 2.4 µm |
| Image Formats | TIFF, FITS | JPEG, TIFF, FITS |
| Mosaic Mode | No | Yes |
| Size (H x W x L) cm | 20 x 6 x 13 | 60 x 40 x 13 |
| Weight | 1.2kg (2.6 lb) | 11.2kg (24.7 lb) |
| Mount | Included | Included |
| Tripod | Included | Included |
| Battery Life | 3 hrs | 5 hrs |
| Internal Storage | 64GB | 10GB |
| Dew Control | Built-in | Built-in |
| Retail Price* | $459 | $3,999 |
Dwarf 2 vs Stellina: Verdict
The Dwarf 2 is the budget portable option. If this is what you are after then it is great.
The Stellina is the premium option and was great but is a little bulky now compared to the more recent premium models which are smaller and lighter.
In 2024, the Stellina is no longer directly sold by Vaonis having been succeeded by the Vaonis Vespera II and Vaonis Vespera Pro. It can still be found on sale from some outlets though and can be a good option if you find it for the right price.
Bigger, Better, but Older  | Budget Portability  |
$2,299.00 | $459.00 |
Related content and more information
- Best Smart Telescopes Comparison
- Skies & Scopes Dwarf 2 review
- Skies & Scopes Stellina review
- Dwarflab website
- Vaonis website: Stellina
Other Dwarf 2 comparisons:
- Dwarf 2 vs ZWO Seestar S50
- Dwarf 2 vs Unistellar eQuinox
- Dwarf 2 vs Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Dwarf 2 vs Unistellar eVscope 2
- Dwarf 2 vs Unistellar Odyssey
- Dwarf 2 vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro
- Dwarf 2 vs Vaonis Vespera
- Dwarf 2 vs Vaonis Vespera II
- Dwarf 2 vs Vaonis Vespera Pro
- Dwarf 2 vs Vaonis Hestia
- Dwarf 2 vs Celestron Origin
Other Stellina comparisons: