Still good after a few more nights? Honest impressions!
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
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Once again, you give an honest review for a scope in this price range. Your suggestions for improvement via software update are fantastic. Maybe the updates are possible, maybe not. But you give Dwarf Lab many ideas that they may be able to improve going forward. An excellent review.
Thank you Philip! Let's see what the future holds!
As someone who had the base of my unit fail and had to re-glue the entire base cap on (they were good and sent me exactly what glue to use and what method, reimbursed me for it and sent me a voucher for their site)
Watching you have it keeled over at an angle like that gives me shivers. Even after scotch weld, I hesitate to trust the base/tripod mount.
I hope my base will keep resisting!
Haha... laughed aloud at the dwarf tossing joke.
Glad so many got the joke :D
A lot of comments in your videos include the word "honest". I think that means a lot.
Love this channel!
Thanks Guiem!
Thank you, as always, for your honest review and the comments on who this might be good for and who might want to either wait or look to other alternatives. As I tell my grandkids, take a moment to lookup and enjoy the night sky...it changes every night.
That is a great thing to tell you grandkids!
will need another review VERY soon , looking at the new update teasers and boy have they listened to all you guys giving reviews and tests and more importantly, the feedback they need to update and improve massively on this already super cool product.
Yep, I'm waiting for the update!
Thanks for the review, I think I will enjoy playing with it, I do hope dwarf lab takes your suggestions to heart, especially the part about getting lost when it can’t find the target, I live amongst lots of trees so that could happen often…. If it’s too difficult for them they should at least have a return home button to get back to the original calibration spot.
Absolutely, completely agree!
I like that you can set it up outside but then sit inside to actually use it.
Great review! I can't wait to get mine. I plan to use this to enjoy the time while my bigger rig is taking in photons.
A great use case for sure;
I have just ordered mine and I hope that dwarflab are listening to all your professional tips as you have made as you seem to have found a few trouble spot like not being able to play about with your image stacks but you have made me look forward to it even more now so I can't wait and the fact that it all packs away in to a neat little case is great
I'm eq mount, it has weight to pull. Strain on motors at an angle, alt alz mount as its level not struggling to pull its weight. At an angle adjusts balance and weight
Hi Cuiv, thanks for the update.
This little device has a great potential, Dwarf Lab did a great job, and I'm sure they have loads of improvements in pipe for future versions, and there are many code improvements that could be done even with the existing device. So if you know of any, please keep us posted!!
It looks like what they had in mind was intended for daylight use and then they added their astronomy capabilities. But I think that using it from a white zone, is a bit too demanding.
However it might be really nice for some EAA from a dark site.
Completely agree! And they just released a new firmware! :) Video upcoming.
Thanks for the update! I ordered mine immediately after watching your initial unboxing video. I can't wait to get my hands on it and see what results I can achieve from my own back yard!
Good luck! I hope it works out for you, I'm worried about potential lottery, but fingers crossed!
You need to test the set on rural sky .. and a LOT more integration time because of the focal ratio
Absolutely! My wife sorta kinda wrecked the car though (she's fine) so rural skies will have to wait
Brilliant gadget I hope dwarf lab sort out the software issues as I can see these selling quite well, if ever I start doing more outreach events this would be something I'd seriously consider buying.
Exactly - really fingers crossed at this point!
Have seen a guy on Facebook with this scope on Jupiter and captured the belts, etc, using a polarizing filter. Was a small image, but captured detail on jupiter
I have Celestron CGX and I use Nina. Nina does exactly what you suggested: 1. Slew to target; 2. Plate solve; 3 Reslew to target if it is not in within tolerance. Maybe there is something wrong with my time/location settings in my telescope, but for example if I already on target and start sequence(which is almost always the case). The telescope always goes away(where it thinks object is), plate solve, figure out it is on wrong place(which is always the case), reslew to target, plate solve again... so what i would suggest: 1. plate solve current position . 2 if position is wrong or plate solve failed - slew to target. 3. plate solve and so on.... this suggestion could be helpful in my case for NINA. And in general it might be good to plate solve in both positions, because in opposite situation you may end up in the new position where sky will not be visible as well and plate solve will fail again and I am not sure what happens next...
Yep - I actually worked quite a bit on the NINA recentering algo as it was experiencing some issues mid-sequence, a couple of years ago, so still intimately familiar with it :p
Thank you for another video on the Dwarf II. I was on the fence and this push me off :-) (In a positive direction... I placed my order.)
Hopefully it works out well for you!
As others, I also was intrigued so placed my order after seeing your previous videos. Can't wait to tinker with this. It small size means my family will be able to pack more, not having to leave space for my main scope. Thanks for an interesting channel.
Hopefully it will work well for you!
Thanks for the review Cuiv, I think competition in the market for scopes like this must be good. Looking forward to some views from a darker sky. M33 has never worked that well for me with my "conventional" scopes! Have a good Christmas, Graham
Yep, M33 is a bit of a trial by fire, so it's good to see it performs decently with it.
Trouble is, in EQ the RA axis its got to drive the weight of the camera, as its angled it has to pull the weight up or down with the RA axis , no so in Alt Alz mount.
Great review, amazing product, but right now I stay with that self-built light gathering scope (Skywatcher ED50 with additional field flattener) you introduced about a year ago (connected to a ZWO 533 pro). That's portable as well, although not so light and small.
Oh yeah, that's a killer setup!
Is there a video, got a link?
@@GlaucusBlue czcams.com/video/0JdtL950RjQ/video.html
That's the link to Cuiv's video for an automated light gathering scope. I hope it works. Otherwise search in Cuiv's videos.
I was really interested by the smart setup Cuiv did a year ago. I sent him a message about it and if I well understand what he answered, he had some issues with the software of this setup. And then sold nearly all astronomy equipment he had (So the GTI and the 50ed I guess), so I'm not sure we will have any update with this equipment.
Any way the experience with Dwarf II seems to be very honest regarding the price.
@@f.bell.9761 Hä???What???
Great series, I hope they take your suggestions and keep the price low. Will continue to follow your videos and one day I’ll find the scope for me
They did - quick video upcoming :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Ok - I bit the bulet - now just need to wait a couple of months
"Nobody tosses a dwarf"!!! Too funny!!!! So did you name your telescope Gimli? 😃
I'd probably go with Balin, always been my personal favorite :)
Btw, your ability to get it to work in eq opens up the possibility of using a teleconverter again since that motor would no longer be stressed, might make it usable on more Dso targets, just a thought, may be worth trying
Yeah, although I don't want to hurt my focal ratio like that, except to try planetary some more...
It’s kind of unrealistic to expect any planetary out of this system, a 2x teleconverer would not do it, the effect would be Dso the size of Orion would take up most of the frame…. If I’m thinking right… and a good many galaxies would then be big enough for eaa at least
More power says Scotty lol. So all of your suggestions perfect the unit, and I would add that they could include a dummy battery power AC adaptor, or a power jack that bypasses the battery. I would wire it myself if I had one of these units as it is.
Possibly, since the optics are small, offer a $700 version with some good glass.
Yep, a lot of possibilities, but I think for now they really need to enhance the basics!
Very useful video, for me in Bortle 4 I can see this as a useful add on to my Astronomy Club. From the viewpoint of live stack of the basic DSO’s it could be a winner. I am a geek so it appeals to that part of my nature. As for actually getting approval to spend from my financial advisor (Wife), now that could be hit or miss 😅
Yep, it can be a really good little tool - and they've just updated the firmware with some of my requests (video upcoming)!
thanks for the knowledge
6:30 sounds like it needs to be able to go back to a last known good position before it tries to goto your new object
Yep they fixed it now
This maybe a good option for EAA, rather than use its tracking make some adapter and hook it up to your telescope so then its using its camera to do the stacking. Maybe cheaper than a dedicated astro camera, and cheaper
I would not feel too secure putting it on a slant, with that tiny screw holding the whole assembly in place, that mounting screw is not more than 1/4" in length.
I loved your comment "nobody tosses a dwarf". 😂 I a big Tolkien fan.
Hahaha thanks! Technically the origin of that particular trope/quote would be Peter Jackson/Fran Walsh, but also a big Tolkien fan :D
@@CuivTheLazyGeek in true Lazy Geek style, I love your exquisite attention to detail 👏👏👏
Hi Cuiv, thank you so much for all the valuable insights that you've provided into this fascinating device! At the end of DwarfLabs' "How Dwarf II Works" CZcams video, they mention that the instrument has a built-in lens heater to prevent dew: does this work? Keep up the great work, Ade
The air here is very dry in winter, so I haven't been able to test that...
Impressive shots of M33, and M27. They are not easy in any case. M33 is so dim and M27 is small in comparison to emission nebulas like M8.
Yep, I intentionally selected fairly difficult targets to see how it would perform in the worst possible conditions...
Love the DwarfStraw. Maybe in the Mk3 they can make a space for a generic shoe to screw on for a red dot or whatever.
Yep, that would be quite neat!
Do you have the ability to shoot darks and flats for improved stacking? 15:00 - Oops - jumped the gun ☺
Waiting on getting my Dwarf to use, and hoping to run a lot of solar time sequences, variable star and asteroid brightness measurements.
How is the data transferred? Do you need to remove a memory card, or is there a WiFi or Bluetooth transfer feature?
I saw that the Dwarf has an IP54 rating, so somewhat dust and waterproof. If the folks at Dwarf Labs could add a POE function that would charge the battery and transfer data, then this little scope could live on my roof in Tucson AZ for several months when we have decent weather (i.e. not summer monsoon storms). An improved IP rating and POE could turn this little guy into a micro-observatory that could be permanently mounted.
And finally, yes, you can toss a dwarf... as long as you don't tell the elf...
Oh wow, I hope it will work well for that use-case. I've personally removed the microSD from the Dwarf II to transfer files, and it can be done over USB-C as well, but I don't think it's possible over wifi!
Hahaha yes, not a word to the Elf!
Could you test the panoramic photo feature in the dark by taking a photo of an area in Tokyo that has a lot of lights and see how it works?
Would be cool to see some daytime usage when you take it to a dark site... e.g. tracking paragliding people.
Yep, I want to do that
Wow!! What's the damage below your straw? On the grey part
Cant wait for the dark sky video !
It will get delayed because my wife has kinda sorta halfway destroyed the car (she's fine, no injury, and no other car/person involved)....
Would this be able to capture faster moving objects like comets, rockets, or the ISS?
Thank you very much for this vidéo.
I ordered one !
Please can you explain more how to set it up in equatorial mode ? That would be greatly apreciated.
Hello from France.
I assume it’s still in az mode, it’s just that the way it plate solves for go to it does not have to be level to find target and having it aligned just makes it use one motor for tracking instead of both
What @mercury7 said :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek was speculating yesterday that the algorithm must be doing on going platesolving during tracking so it would be at least trying to track right no matter if you polar aligned or not…. Kinda interesting if true, certainly would make it easier for newbies to set up although polar alignment would still be best option for accurate tracking. If that’s the case then it’s really the first time I’ve encountered a system guiding off the same chip it’s imaging with
Very useful. Thank's !
Love your videos…2 questions. Have you tried finding the comet c/2022 E3? Does the dwarf ii allow upload of coordinates?
Thanks
Hi! I can't find much info about it
Can you use it without a battery? Plugged to a wall socket or battery pack?
Needs to be able to link with Sky Safari, Etc, rather than a fixed object list. Being able to use something like Sky Safari would give you total freedom.
Focusing in the daylight would give right focus at night
Would be great to have it linked with Sky safari indeed. Focusing during the day isn't precise enough for astro...
I hardly have ever time to set up my 8” Newtonian, and my partner doesn’t want me to spent a Vespera or Stellina budget on a smart telescope. I’m beginning to think the Dwarf II might just be allright for me.
Could work, as long as you have the right expectations!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yeah, I agree. I think I'll give it a go, especially after your video from the 24th. I like it when companies listen to good advice. :D
Have you taken a day time image of an object than view it at 100% just to check the optical quality? This may help to rule in or out soft focus as the issue.
A dual narrowband filter option might be pretty neat as well for it. I agree that would be a very nice to bring along on a hike into dark skies and used for EAA.
Great Honest review! EAF should be the next nut they crack for it.
Good idea, I'll try that as well!
Thanks for the update. A little disappointing to hear what you say, as a beginner, but I'm pretty tech savvy so hopefully I can have fun with it
The good news is they've updated the firmware to fix the go-to/plate-solving issue I had seen, and they added unlinked stretch. It's much better now!
Hi Cuiv. Can you maybe demonstrate in more detail the process you go through to make a polar alignment with the Dwarf II, please. Awsome reviews by the way - thanks.
Will do!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks. And a related question: Do you think it's possible to use the wide lens for meteor showers and can it benefit the meteor showers to be polar aligned?
Much more positive after this video compared to your first one. However imo it's still many months away from being a buy assuming updates jeep rolling in, and all likely hood needs the next gen version. Also need to see some pictures from dark skies. Want it for hiking/bike packing whilst camping. Not sure of anything else this size.
Yep that's a good summary - while I'm definitely going to keep playing and having fun with it, a lot depends on future updates!
Awesome!! The video and the product!
Thanks!
I wonder. Why not make the telefoto a fixed focus lens at infinity? If the scope is intended for astronomical use and no eyepieces, I imagine that there is no difference between focusing at 1 A.U. for the Sun, or 20,8 Million LY for M101, right?
Focus will shift slightly with temperature for instance, so there needs to be a way to adjust the focus - and of course, this particular scope is also used for daytime use, birding, etc.
FYI… being reported dwarf labs fixed the tracking
Yep, saw that, will test soon!
Does the software allow for dark frames to be added on the fly? It would be great if you could take maybe 10 dark frames right off the bat, and then stack on top for live software enhanced astronomy. I think for the price, this could be a good educational tool.
Yes, there is a separate tab to take dark frames for the purpose of live stacking (not useful for manual stacking). It takes roughly 10 minutes to complete as it takes several 15s exposures at different gains.
It's only a 24mm objective limits things somewhat in light pollutioned skies
Why is that bad specifically for light polluted skies? I'm always looking at the focal ratio of F4.2 as this is good for surface brightness and has a decent SNR gathering speed
Thank you for a real honest review. For me a little disappointing that its not good for planets to be fair, as a relative beginner of 18 months. I got some ok views of Jupiter through my current telescope (as a bright star) though i could see the gas rings very slightly when attaching my DSLR and playing around a bit.I also noticed the image you shown was black and white ?. So think I will stick with what I have for now.
Always try to make the best of what you already have - you've already found wisdom :)
you cant do planets and also do deep sky, with small exception. there is no one telescope that does everything, at least well even when it costs thousands of dollars. if you want to shoot deep sky, wide field, and planets, your probably going to end up with three different rigs. having expectations like that from a 500 dollar goto all in one.. yea. thats asking way too much. if they made it to capture planets (assuming you could at this size) it wouldnt do anything else, and then people would just complain about that too.
i recently bought one, for the christmas sale, not sure when ill see it. maybe february.. i live at a bortle 2 almost 1 and will be curios how it does. i hope they do some things like allow whatever exposure i want to put in, even if its longer than 15 seconds (especially if you put it onto a eq mount/wedge), and maybe even open it up for open source to allow other apps to use it. (imagine being able to use it connected to nina-stellarium) one question i havent seen answered is i wonder is if i can connect it to a pc, not just a tablet or phone. i saw someone ask on the livestream but it wasnt answered.. if its something thats android only, perhaps a android emu can run it. shrugs. i was in my head comparing it to my canon using a smaller lens. i cant see the planets with that either. we need a discord or somewhere for the dwarf 2 for d2 community; ppl to talk and share photos =)
it would be interesting if they would make something akin to a 1.5 to 2x barlow lens or something like that over where the lens pollution filter goes to give it just a lil more magnification when wanted. hehe and ytea. like you said.. a tiny bat mask to fit on there.
Could you imagine what would happen if they open-sourced the software?
Yep - I'd get my hands on it and get to work :p
Hi Cuiv. Great content. Could you view this Dwarf II as something more like an SLR camera plus motorised mount, so it could get large nebulae and large open star clusters, rather than a Vespera or Equinox? COULD YOU SHOW the Pleiades, M38 or Beehive with this set up?
I'll try it on the Pleiades next!
@@CuivTheLazyGeekYou are a star. I am researching how I put a Google app on my iPhone.
What tripod did you purchase?
I am curious but are all of the stacked images in black and white? Or is that a feature that they are working to display in true color?
It's color - look at M27
Nice vídeo Cuiv. I watched you video building a smart telescope with a DSLR. I already reave a DSLR and my question is buy a mount and build a smart telescope or buy the dwarf 2? I'm new on the hobby. Tks
If you have the money, you may want to go full in with solid mount (CEM27, HEQ5, etc.) + refractor + astro camera + guide cam, etc. If you're whetting your appetite, this scope would be a good first step, assuming not too much equipment lottery. Or DSLR with good lens and start tracker. Tons of options....
Great and honest review Cuiv. Thanks! Just one question in equatorial mode, are there any advantages over az mode? If we could select longer exposures it would, but now?
Main advantage would be better tracking (theoretically) over the admittedly short exposure time, and also no field rotation between each frame, so no need to crop as much as in Alt-Az after stacking
Personally I'm still struggling to even calibrate it 😢
How about taking normal photos like birds and landscape, is it as good as an DSLR camera????
It's definitely not going to be as good as a DSLR (I would think!), but yes I want to try it for that purpose as well!
Did I miss it...or have you not actually shown us any images taken with the device?
You missed it :)
Also, is there a limit to the base rotation? Does it turn 360 degrees, or is there a limit?
340 degrees, with alt rotating 240 degrees
Many thanks Cuiv for this review. About using a Bahtinov mask for improving the focus process, would it be possible to 3D print one of the adequate size ??
Maybe possible, but I'm too lazy to design something - the Bahtinov itself would need to be very fine...
Nice video Cuiv
Thanks!
👍👍
The jumps could be down to Godzilla activity across town?
Oh right, I hadn't checked our daily Gorilla Activity Forecast! I'll make sure to do so next time! :D
but then, nobody tosses a dwarf 🤣 when you know, you know!
Hehehe, exactly!
00:08 If this is Dwarf 2 then how was the Dwarf 1?
It was intended for terrestrial and didn't have astro features...
Could you increase the focal length using a barlow filter?
Maybe, although I'd reserve that for planetary only...
if it takes 1.25 filters then the apperture is arround 30 mm ... probably F4 ... so close to 120 mm focal length... cool 😎
i so have to save up for that new Samyang 135 F1.8 ... I already love my F2 but would love the new one to use with my DSLR for both astro and filming and general photos... the AF is a must as I discovered... especially when subject is moving
Yep, it's F4.2 I believe
But would you have Bought it! I dint think so :)
Latest firmware update makes me answer your question with a YES :)
Hi... you can use the Vixen Polarie POLAR METER to Polar aling without seen Polaris
This comment intrigues me… however I went and looked and apparently it attaches via hot shoe…. Which dwarf does not have….. I would like to figure how to make it work though, seem like setting this up as eq has a lot of advantages
Well yeah, but no hotshoe mount... a straw will then work just as well :p
Small
Average sized
Size matters not, it's all with the technique... for... for processing of course!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek wise words from a wise man. 🙌🏻
@@CuivTheLazyGeek wise words from a wise man. 🙌🏻
@@CuivTheLazyGeek that's what she said
Cuiv...smells like a dead horse... I guess, an interesting project to play with..but time spent on it, may feel like time time spent not the best way. Great effort though... Thanx o/
got an idea... Cuiv, You should make something better...simillar, but better... if U get stuck, people here will hep U out