Celestron Origin vs ZWO Seestar S50: 10 Second Summary
- The Celestron Origin is the best smart telescope for astrophotography. It is effectively an advanced off-the-shelf imaging setup.
- However, it is more expensive, much heavier, and less portable than the ZWO Seestar S50.
- The ZWO Seestar S50 is compact and lightweight. It weighs just 2.5 kg, compared to the 19 kg of the Celestron Origin.
- It has lower telescope and camera specs than the Celestron Origin, but is substantially cheaper.
Why choose the Celestron Origin over the ZWO Seestar S50?
The Celestron Origin is a premium smart telescope from renowned American astronomy manufacturer Celestron that was released in 2024.
The advantages over the ZWO Seestar S50 are:
- The Celestron Origin has 6-inch aperture telescope which is far above the 2-inches of the ZWO Seestar S50 and it is a specialist astrophotography type called a Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) that is well-loved and proven by experienced astrophotographers.
- The telescope also has a longer focal length and much faster focal ratio, which means it will gather the light and capture images much faster.
- It also has the capacity for the mount and camera to be replaced and upgraded in the future, which no other smart telescope has.
In terms of downsides versus the ZWO Seestar S50:
- It is much larger and heavier and so cannot compete in terms of the portability and ease of storage of the ZWO Seestar S50.
- It is significantly more expensive.
Why choose the ZWO Seestar S50 over the Celestron Origin?
The Seestar S50 is a compact, budget smart telescope from Chinese manufacturer ZWO that was released in 2023.
There are two basic reasons to consider it over the Celestron Origin:
- Size and weight – it is much more portable and easier to store.
- Price – it is substantially cheaper. At retail price, you could buy eight Seestar S50s for one Celestron Origin.
The main downside is that with the lower capacity telescope and camera, it will struggle to capture the same standard of images of the Celestron Origin.
Whilst this is ZWO’s first smart telescope, they have been producing some of the best astrophotography cameras, mounts, telescopes and accessories for years and so are not newcomers to the field
Telescope Specifications
The Celestron Origin has:
- 152mm (6 inch) aperture
- 335mm focal length
- f/2.2 focal ratio
- 1.27° x 0.85° field of view
The ZWO Seestar S50 has:
- 50mm (2 inch) aperture
- 250mm focal length
- f/4.9 focal ratio
- 1.29° x 0.73° field of view
Camera Specifications
The Celestron Origin has a 6.4MP resolution camera of 3096 x 2080 size using a Sony IMX178 sensor and a pixel size of 2.4μm.
The ZWO Seestar S50 has a 2MP resolution camera of 1920 x 1080 size using a Sony IMX462 sensor and a pixel size of 2.9 µm.
Size and Weight
The Celestron Origin weighs 18.9kg (41.6 lb) and has dimensions of 122 x 66 x 61 ((H x W x L in cm).
The ZWO Seestar S50 weighs 2.5kg (5.5 lb) and has dimensions of 14 x 13 x 26 ((H x W x L in cm).
Price and Value for Money
The Celestron Origin costs $3,999, and the ZWO Seestar S50 costs $499.
Note, these may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.
Specifications
| Celestron Origin | ZWO Seestar S50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 | 2023 |
| Aperture | 152mm (6 inch) | 50mm (2 inch) |
| Focal Length | 335mm | 250mm |
| Focal Ratio | f/2.2 | f/4.9 |
| Limiting Magnitude | 13.61 | 11.19 |
| OTA type | Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph | Refractor |
| Eyepiece | No | No |
| Field of View | 1.27° x 0.85° | 1.29º x 0.73º |
| Resolution | 6.4MP | 2MP |
| Sensor Size | 3096 x 2080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Sensor | Sony IMX178 | Sony IMX462 |
| Pixel Size | 2.4μm | 2.9 µm |
| Image Formats | Raw | MP4/AVI/TIFF |
| Mosaic Mode | No | No |
| Size (H x W x L) cm | 122 x 66 x 61 | 14 x 13 x 26 |
| Weight | 18.9kg (41.6 lb) | 2.5kg (5.5 lb) |
| Mount | Included | Included |
| Tripod | Included | Included |
| Battery Life | 6 hrs | 6 hrs |
| Internal Storage | unknown | 64GB |
| Dew Control | Built-in | Built-in |
| Retail Price* | $3,999 | $499 |
ZWO Seestar S50 vs Celestron Origin Verdict
Overall, this is a straight up choice based on budget and size/weight/portability.
If you want the more advanced setup, have the budget, can handle the bigger size and don’t want to travel with it, then the Celestron Origin is for you.
If you have a lower budget and/or would prefer a smaller, more portable and easier to store option, then the Seestar S50 is for you.
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Budget Pick
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Advanced Pick
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$499.00
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$3,999.00
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Related content and more information
- Best Smart Telescopes Comparison
- Celestron Origin website
- Celestron Origin review
- Seestar website
- ZWO website
- Seestar S50 review
Other comparisons:
- Celestron Origin vs Dwarflab DWARF II
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eQuinox
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eVscope 2
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar Odyssey
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro
- Celestron Origin vs Stellina
- Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Vespera
- Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Vespera II
- Dwarf 2 vs ZWO Seestar S50
