107 replies to this topic

[MaximusStarHunter]

Just bought my Seestar s50 today! How has your guys experience been with it?

 

-Maximus

[Jim Waters]

Perhaps you should have asked before you purchased the S50.

[weis14]

I have owned one for about 10 months.  The best thing I've used it for was outreach during last April's total eclipse.  It does a great job imaging targets from my city backyard with little effort by me at all, but I don't use it that much.  At this point, it is basically an outreach tool.

[MaximusStarHunter]

Perhaps you should have asked before you purchased the S50.

I have asked questions related to it before and people have told me about it and sent pictures related to it.

[RoofMonkey911]

I REALLY enjoy mine! I have it out more than any of my other scopes.

Here is my gallery of some images I’ve taken with mine.

Suburban backyard, Bortle 6 or 7 area

 

https://www.cloudyni...tar-s50-images/

[gstrumol]

Go over to Astrophotography and Sketching --> Smart Telescopes and you'll find a ton of discussions on the Seestar S50 and others!

[MaximusStarHunter]

I REALLY enjoy mine! I have it out more than any of my other scopes.

Here is my gallery of some images I’ve taken with mine.

Suburban backyard, Bortle 6 or 7 area

 

https://www.cloudyni...tar-s50-images/

Nice, what’s the longest exposure you’ve been able to get?

[mgCatskills]

For $500 it's a good deal.  Quality is not nearly as good as my "serious" EAA rigs (see my signature) but it's improved a lot with software and firmware updates.  The new Mosaic feature addresses the biggest issue it used to have which was the narrow FOV.

 

Now, my biggest complaint is it's slow and the mosaic makes that worse.

 

I've learned over time what kinds of targets work well and try to use it for those.  Applications:

• When there's an unexpected break in the clouds and I don't have the time or energy to put out my better scopes.  I can have the Seestar up and running in 5 minutes.
• Ditto if I wake up at 4:30 AM and discover it's an utterly clear, dark night with a target that calls to me, e.g. the Leo Triplet is a perfect Seestar 50 target
• For outreach, as others have mentioned
• For certain kinds of dark site observing.... I was on a kick to observe all 110 Messier objects.  There were six targets, all clusters, that were below my home's southern horizon.  The Seestar was adequate (I was just checking a box, not looking for great beauty).  I took it to a dark site with a great southern horizon and captured them all in one night, completing my Messier quest.
• When I'm traveling on an airplane and want to capture some EAA images without burning my entire luggage allowance.  That was actually my original rationale for buying it, but I've never done it.  However, it's still in my plans, and the Mosaic feature makes it even more likely I'll do it.

Edited by mgCatskills, 09 December 2024 - 11:29 PM.

[amitshesh]

It's terrific for solar and lunar. It captured the solar eclipse better than my own camera without any effort.

For dso, for me, the initial shine has worn off. I am not happy with the out of box results I get. I am especially not happy with just how many frames it rejects. It works...but pretty much every image I have seen online created using the seestar has been post processed (not touchup but stacking and processing the individual subs). I didn't buy the seestar to do AP but rather EAA. So as an EAA device it disappoints me.

It is excellent to travel with. I have driven and flown with it more than once.

Edited by amitshesh, 10 December 2024 - 10:46 AM.

[mgCatskills]

It's terrific for solar and lunar. It captured the solar eclipse better than my own camera without any effort.

For dso, for me, the initial shine has worn off. I am not happy with the out of box results I get. I am especially not happy with just how many frames it rejects. It works...but pretty much every image I have seen online created using the seestar has been post processed (not touchup but stacking and processing the individual subs). I didn't buy the seestar to do AP but rather EAA. So as an EAA device it disappoints me.

It is excellent to travel with. I have driven and flown with it more than once.

Hi, Amit.  The frame rejection rate skyrocketed when they added the Mosaic feature, and not only when you used the Mosaic, but all the time.  ZWO just came out with a second firmware update (post Mosaic) and it seems to have fixed that problem.  You might want to update and see if it's any better.

[amitshesh]

Hi, Amit. The frame rejection rate skyrocketed when they added the Mosaic feature, and not only when you used the Mosaic, but all the time. ZWO just came out with a second firmware update (post Mosaic) and it seems to have fixed that problem. You might want to update and see if it's any better.

Will try it!

My comment about the quality of the final image out of the box stands. The images do not match a high quality refractor and a capable camera.

[StargazerLuigi]

My comment about the quality of the final image out of the box stands. The images do not match a high quality refractor and a capable camera.

That is not surprising. It is a 500$ device. I've had a lot of fun with mine but I don't expect it to compete with my other imaging rigs.

[jgraham]

Luvs mine! I originally bought one to take photometric images of variable stars and it has worked so well I bought 2 more. They have proven to be real workhorses with general purpose imaging when they're not busy observing variable stars and asteroids. I'll be adding an S30 to the mix when they start shipping (on the pre-order list).

[LDW47]

Will try it!

My comment about the quality of the final image out of the box stands. The images do not match a high quality refractor and a capable camera.

While you are saying that why don't you show a cost comparison and an idea of the average tediousness of the AP game, eh.  

[LDW47]

Hi, Amit.  The frame rejection rate skyrocketed when they added the Mosaic feature, and not only when you used the Mosaic, but all the time.  ZWO just came out with a second firmware update (post Mosaic) and it seems to have fixed that problem.  You might want to update and see if it's any better.

Thats not surprising to anyone, they told us of the issue and that they were correcting accordingly, right.

Edited by LDW47, 10 December 2024 - 08:46 PM.

[Digital Don]

I absolutely love mine.  But your experience will depend on your expectations.  

 

Certainly, the Seestar S50 isn't going to compete with a dedicated, multi-thousand-dollar, astrophotography rig.  If that's what you're expecting, you may be disappointed. 

 

On the other hand, I consider myself a visual observer.  I have a Celestron 11" Schmidt-Cassegrain in the observatory in my back yard.  It's an excellent telescope but it will never show objects through an eyepiece the way the Seestar shows them on a screen. 

 

I think of my little Seestar as a 'Super Eyepiece' rather than an astro-camera.   Below is an image of The Lagoon Nebula.  It is a 5-minute exposure directly from the Seestar with no post processing, taken in my back yard less than 50 miles from Chicago. I'd need a whole lot more aperture than 11 inches to see anything like that visually. 

 

So, for me the Seestar the ideal setup.

 

Don

 

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[amitshesh]

That is not surprising. It is a 500$ device. I've had a lot of fun with mine but I don't expect it to compete with my other imaging rigs.

My main beef isn't that it's image quality matches it's price. My frustration is that it's image quality does not match its specs. And that sadly zwo is giving the seestar the same treatment as the asiair. They listen too much to AP folks, judging by what they don't improve. And it's jarring because the seestar is really an EAA device.

[amitshesh]

While you are saying that why don't you show a cost comparison and an idea of the average tediousness of the AP game, eh.

Not AP. EAA. The seestar cannot be compared to an AP rig. But it can be compared to an EAA rig, because that's what the seestar is. If it wasn't, they wouldn't have live stacking on it, and they wouldn't market it for newbies.

I have an askar fma 180, comparable in quality and focal length to what the seestar claims it has. The 462mc is a decent camera, not stellar. With an alt az mount and sharpcap, it is possible to get a better image with a much smaller rejection rate than seestar. In other words, get a better image with the same total time spent.

Yes such a rig will cost more than the seestar. I am surprised that the seestar costs as little as it does given its specs. But given its specs, don't you think it is just plain unfortunate that it's the software that seems to be letting it down?

Either that, or zwo is taking liberties with the term "apochromatic triplet".

Edited by amitshesh, 10 December 2024 - 09:36 PM.

[sevenofnine]

As long as you are not expecting true AP results, I think you will like it...a lot    It's been a game changer for me 

 

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Have fun with yours! 

[NDBirdman]

For the price, it's a good deal.  It's entry level EAA, not pro AP level.  For a quick grab n go or light weight travel scope, it works.  I can't grab my CPC800 and move it well so this works.  I enjoy mine and have ordered the S30, both will probably spend a lot of time in our small camper.  Saying that, it does have it's issues, they are working on them.  I hate the way it drops so darn many sub causing long sessions for one subject, also dislike no planning.  Maybe someday.

Edited by NDBirdman, 10 December 2024 - 10:16 PM.

[LDW47]

Not AP. EAA. The seestar cannot be compared to an AP rig. But it can be compared to an EAA rig, because that's what the seestar is. If it wasn't, they wouldn't have live stacking on it, and they wouldn't market it for newbies.

I have an askar fma 180, comparable in quality and focal length to what the seestar claims it has. The 462mc is a decent camera, not stellar. With an alt az mount and sharpcap, it is possible to get a better image with a much smaller rejection rate than seestar. In other words, get a better image with the same total time spent.

Yes such a rig will cost more than the seestar. I am surprised that the seestar costs as little as it does given its specs. But given its specs, don't you think it is just plain unfortunate that it's the software that seems to be letting it down?

Either that, or zwo is taking liberties with the term "apochromatic triplet".

We are talking EAA with the SeeStar my interpretation of your post was that you were relating it to AP rigs, sorry if I thought wrong, eh.  I love my EAA SeeStar, I love its performance, I love its price, its capabilities not to mention what the furure has in store for it courtesy of ZWO, ya think. Where did you ever get the idea that it is / was part of AP, other than maybe a few who think that way (AP) we don't think that way, that was the contentious issue maybe a little more than a year ago but not any more, right. The only thing letting it down, in the long run, are some of the owners who are trying to make unrealistic comparisons but most of us know different, eh !  IMHO.

[LDW47]

Not AP. EAA. The seestar cannot be compared to an AP rig. But it can be compared to an EAA rig, because that's what the seestar is. If it wasn't, they wouldn't have live stacking on it, and they wouldn't market it for newbies.

I have an askar fma 180, comparable in quality and focal length to what the seestar claims it has. The 462mc is a decent camera, not stellar. With an alt az mount and sharpcap, it is possible to get a better image with a much smaller rejection rate than seestar. In other words, get a better image with the same total time spent.

Yes such a rig will cost more than the seestar. I am surprised that the seestar costs as little as it does given its specs. But given its specs, don't you think it is just plain unfortunate that it's the software that seems to be letting it down?

Either that, or zwo is taking liberties with the term "apochromatic triplet".

After digesting this again I think you might be thinking / playing in the wrong league, maybe. No one has ever expressed that the SeeStar was perfection but it sure as hell provides some pretty good results for a pretty good price, with more to come. How / what exactly is your solution to this concern, maybe another brand, eh  Please hurry before the S30 gets out on the shelves and into our waiting hands.  PS:  Every time I see the results posted by all the fellow SS'ers it sure catches my attention and not negatively, right.

[amitshesh]

The vast majority of images I see online produced with the seestar are post processed. Of course I am not comparing post processed images with out of box results. But it does make me wonder why so many users feel the need to post process. Does the shine of its live stacked output come off?

Don't get me wrong: the results are wondrous to many, especially if they are newbies or if they are coming from mostly visual. And I will say it again: for the price point it's features are wonderful. But my contention is that with comparable hardware (costing more than $500 easily), one should be able to get better results.

I think our arguments are:

"For this money, results are superb"

Vs

"For this hardware,results are underwhelming"

Or

"For the amount of time spent, results are underwhelming"

To me this is largely a software problem. Zwo should give features that directly impact the live stacking output. But they are slow with such updates.

As of now, none of this is surprising to me. I have seen this movie from zwo before. The asiair started as a promising EAA device. And then update after update they worked on AP centric features while their live stacking (the critical EAA feature) stagnated and was slow to evolve.

As I have said, I own a seestar. I find myself using it less and less for targets that are not the sun, the moon and starry-tyoe DSOs. It remains a faithful travel companion when the occasion arises.

Edited by amitshesh, 10 December 2024 - 11:30 PM.

[Stevan Klaas]

I personally would gladly use a Seestar “S70” or “S50plus” with EQ mode and an IMX533 or IMX585 as a robotized rig, to take a flash decision to escape my bortle 9 buildings surrounded balcony to go to an open sky mag 21+ site for a week end to get subs and stack and process them back to my city center with Pixinsight.

 

Of course enjoying family and social life, while this simple, light, and cableless robot does the job quietly.

 

If I follow the 2.56^(mag dark site - mag city center) rule, it would be an extremely favorable image capture vs my simple but still cumbersome classic rig, that sits in a secondary house in small town of another country, way less polluted but still far from rural sky.

 

I might in the meantime get a dwarf3 or a seestar50 for my primary country, still thinking about pros and cons between both (eq mode, dual lens nature gazing, FOV, sampling, sensor specs etc…).

 

Of course will not be APOD quality, but at least for beyond salvation lazy urban geeks, is still a way to enjoy actually having something to process and reveal.

 

At the end, maybe it boils down to each of us particular lifestyle and how we integrate that hobby in our lives, knowing that we are not all living in houses with open sky gardens or terraces in rural or darker suburban areas, and every clear night available to our lonesome activity.

 

…some sort of affordable, versatile, robotized scope for Urban escapists. Technology, production process and critical mass might be there.

 

I’m in up to 1500 USD as complement to my >10000 USD rig being used two weeks a year.

Edited by Stevan Klaas, 11 December 2024 - 01:28 AM.

[Susan H]

I’ve used mine a few times in the 2 months that I’ve had it. No regrets. I’m amazed every time I use it. Within minutes I start to see the wonders of the universe. I’ve been star gazing for about 15 years now and I have never had something like this to use. I have a Celestron 8” EVOLUTION with a StarSense accessory and an Atik camera attached to it, but, it’s too cumbersome to set up now as I grow older. For me the results in using my SeeStar are quicker, not as fancy as some of the images I have seen on here on CN, but, they are good enough for me to share with friends and family. I knew going in that this little scope was not going to be an astrophotography scope. I did a lot of research and watched a lot of YouTube videos, tutorials and read a lot of posts here on it before I pulled the trigger. I have not had any issues to speak of with my SeeStar and I’ve done all the updates to it so far. The only thing I wish it could do is planetary imaging. But, I understand why it can’t. I have a Celestron Nexstar 4” scope for that. All in all, I have absolutely no regrets getting my SeeStar S50. For me it was well worth the money. Clear skies.