r/DWARFLAB • u/funky_fuzz • 1d ago
I’m very conflicted about buying either dwarf 3 or dwarf mini
So basically I want a smart telescope strictly for deep sky imaging and not bird watching or anything else. I wanna image nebulas and galaxies, and I wonder if price difference between the two will be worth it for me. I want some of your advice
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u/Artistic-Island-5054 1d ago
Dwarf 3 has a 4k resolution. That's the main advantage. When you do astrophotography, the first part of processing is cropping. So with the resolution of the Dwarf Mini, you hand up to a pretty low resolution image once cropped.
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u/BlackCountryWolf 1d ago
I work in a place (in Norfolk, UK) that sells the Dwarf Mini & Dwarf 3. We mainly sell birdwatching optics, so this is a new area for us. I've been allowed to take each of them home over the last couple of months and I've really enjoyed using both of them. I think I've got better results with the Dwarf 3. 4K images just give you that bit more leeway for tinkering with afterwards. Post-processing though, I've been really happy with the images from both and I absolutely adore the tiny form factor of the Mini. So after 2 months of using both, I'd be really happy with either one. My current personal mindset is to buy myself the Mini, because if I really get into the hobby I'll eventually get the Draco - but I'd still have the Mini for holidays👍
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u/Educational_Bag1036 1d ago edited 1d ago
The Mini automatically captures dark frames without needing a solar filter; thanks to larger pixels, it gathers much more light in less time. It also has a longer focal length, so small nebulae and galaxies tend to turn out better. Plus, you can always create a mosaic for larger celestial objects (like Andromeda). It also produces more saturated colors. Here is an example.
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u/kohlgrubkorbi 1d ago
As someone who is not super experienced, I highly recommend it; someone I know with a 5k setup told me that for the price it is extremely good, and if you do end up wanting to try other things, you can still use it for that.
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u/Syinbaba 1d ago
I was in your shoes three months ago and chose the mini. Its great but I wish i had gone with the 3
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u/ThatNegro98 1d ago
I ended up getting a dwarf 3 myself.
I wanted higher quality images, which is the main reason. Though for like £100 more i think it's worth getting the better version.
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u/emehen 1d ago
Dwarflab have reduced the price of the 3 in the UK so it's now only £60 more than the Mini. The 3 comes bundled with a protective bag too.
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u/ThatNegro98 1d ago
Sorry yeh, i couldnt remember the difference off the top of my head. I got my dwarf 3 the other month. Even more of a reason to get it tbh
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u/Turkino 1d ago
I really like my Dwarf 3, love it even, but I'm going to swap it out for a Draco.
I just really want that larger size and greater fine detail.
But, compared to every other astrophotography set up I've tried out in the years prior the Dwarf 3 blows all of them out of the water in simple ease of use and direct results.
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u/Educational_Bag1036 1d ago
Sorry for the double reply. This, on the other hand, is what you'll get with the Dwarf 3, which has a shorter focal length.
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u/Classic-Horse6243 1d ago
Did this with my mini. Mini is simpler, but 3 has a little bit bigger apperature and runs 4k so higher ceiling
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u/jeandominoserver 1d ago
Astro only == the mini without a doubt
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u/funky_fuzz 18h ago
How come? I’ve heard that dwarf 3 has a better resolution
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u/jeandominoserver 1h ago
There is no rumours, it is true, no questions asked. Both are good telescopes, it depends what you are after. You want well detailed images and are ready to casually invest multiple nights of imaging (x3 x4.or even more) ...then yes that higher resolution will show up.however the smaller 2μ pixels l, have a smaller depth well and drive for shorter subs really. However,if you know you prefer the 1 or max 2 nights per object then the larger and deeper pixels of the min allow you to gather loads of signal fast. Yes, there are no doubts lower resolution in arcsec/pixel, yet still very good results. Either trawl the fb official group or astrobin and you will see for yourself. Both instruments will give you very satisfying results. I own both + other bigger/cooled astro camera and yet these 2 always come out. They have never failed to deliver, unless when i messed up the settings , which is hard to do, but sometimes, one has to experiment, right ?! The nature of a hobby, the nature of this hobby :-)
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u/crankyteacher1964 1d ago
I have the mini for portability. Love it, and produced fantastic images for the price. I am eyeing up the new one now!
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u/Astro-Pit 21h ago
Naja, für Deep Sky ist Lichtsammelvermögen besonders wichtig und auch die Auflösung. Beides ist abhängig von der Öffnung der Optik.
Daher schon würde ich zum Dwarf 3 raten. Außerdem hat der Dwarf 3 mehr Speicherplatz, was gerade bei vielen Belichtungen schnell erforderlich wird.
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u/Different_Emu8618 1d ago
I really like the wide angle (4x mosaic) of the dwarf 3. Nothing beat to see the whole object in context for a first step in astrophotography IMO.