Unistellar eVscope 2 vs Vaonis Vespera Pro: Pros & Cons

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Unistellar eVscope 2 vs Vaonis Vespera Pro

eVscope 2 vs Vespera Pro: 10 Second Summary

  • The Unistellar eVscope 2 is one of the only smart telescopes that has an eyepiece for realtime viewing through the telescope, rather than just on a screen. It has a higher aperture telescope, and with it you can take part in Citizen Astronomy initiatives.
  • The Vaonis Vespera Pro is cheaper, doesn’t require collimation, has a higher resolution camera, a wider field of view, and a Mosaic Mode to stitch together larger images.
  • I believe the main decision between these two models comes down to how much you want the eyepiece and if you have the bigger budget. If so, then the eVscope 2 might be for you (but you should also look at the Unistellar Odyssey Pro).
  • If the eyepiece is less important to you and/or you don’t have the budget, then the Vespera Pro is one of the best models on the market and has a lot of advantages in terms of being lighter, having a better camera, and not needing collimation.

Why choose the Unistellar eVscope 2 over the Vaonis Vespera Pro?

The Unistellar eVscope 2 is a premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Unistellar that was released in 2022.

The three main reasons to favor it over the Vaonis Vespera Pro are:

  • It is one of only two smart telescope models that have an eyepiece (the other is the Odyssey Pro). This means you can look through the telescope, rather than just view images on your smartphone or other screen. This is particularly good if using with friends or family as you have a more shared experience in taking turns to look through.
  • It has a much higher aperture telescope which will be better at gathering the light needed to capture astrophotography images.
  • With all Unistellar models you can take part in Citizen Astronomy initiatives and join missions to track asteroids and hunt exoplanets.

Why choose the Vaonis Vespera Pro over the Unistellar eVscope 2?

The Vaonis Vespera Pro is a compact, premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Vaonis that was released in 2024.

The main reasons to consider it over the Unistellar eVscope 2 are:

  • It is cheaper – nearly $2000 less at retail price.
  • It has a much higher resolution camera with 12.5 megapixels, compared to 7.7 megapixels for the eVscope 2. This is actually the highest resolution of any smart telescope on the market.
  • It is smaller and lighter, weighing just 5 kg compared to 9 kg for the eVscope 2.
  • It doesn’t require any collimation, whereas the eVscope 2 does. Collimation is a manual adjustment you need to make occasionally to the alignment of the mirrors inside. It is not too difficult and Unistellar have an easy to follow guide, but can be a barrier to quick use.
  • It has a wider field of view and all Vaonis models have a Mosaic Mode which enables the stitching of multiple images to capture much larger astronomical objects.

Telescope Specifications

The Unistellar eVscope 2 has 114 mm (4.5 inch) aperture, 450 mm focal length, f/3.9 focal ratio, and 0.57° x 0.76° field of view.

The Vaonis Vespera Pro has 50 mm (2 inch) aperture, 250 mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, and 1.6° x 1.6° field of view.

Camera Specifications

The Unistellar eVscope 2 has a 7.7 MP resolution camera of 3200 x 2400 size using a Sony IMX347 sensor and a pixel size of 2.9μm.

The Vaonis Vespera Pro has a 12.5 MP resolution camera of 3536 x 3536 size using a Sony IMX676 sensor and a pixel size of 2 µm.

Size and Weight

The Unistellar eVscope 2 weighs 8.9 kg (19.8 lb) and has dimensions of 23 x 19 x 65 ((H x W x L in cm).

The Vaonis Vespera Pro weighs 5 kg (11 lb) and has dimensions of 48 x 20 x 9 ((H x W x L in cm).

Price and Value for Money

The Unistellar eVscope 2 costs $4,899, and the Vaonis Vespera Pro costs $2,999.

Note, these may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.

Specifications

Unistellar eVscope 2 Vaonis Vespera Pro
Year 2022 2023
Aperture 114mm (4.5 inch) 50mm (2 inch)
Focal Length 450mm 250mm
Focal Ratio f/3.9 f/5
Limiting Magnitude 12.98 11.19
OTA type Reflector Refractor
Eyepiece Yes No
Field of View 0.57° x 0.76° 1.6° x 1.6°
Resolution 7.7MP 12.5MP
Sensor Size 3200 x 2400 3536 x 3536
Sensor Sony IMX347 Sony IMX676
Pixel Size 2.9 μm 2 µm
Image Formats FITS, TIFF, PNG, JPEG TIFF, FITS
Mosaic Mode No Yes
Size (H x W x L) cm 23 x 19 x 65 48 x 20 x 9
Weight 8.9kg (19.8 lb) 5kg (11 lb)
Mount Included Included
Tripod Included Included
Battery Life 9 hrs 11 hrs
Internal Storage 64GB 225GB
Dew Control None Built-in
Retail Price* $4,899 $2,999
*Price may be subject to change, so please use the links on this page to check at various retailers

eVscope 2 vs Vespera Pro: Verdict

Overall, the main reason to opt for the eVscope 2 over the Vespera Pro would be the eyepiece.

If this is something that you really want, and have the budget, then the eVscope 2 might be right for you. You may also want to look at the Unistellar Odyssey Pro as this is the only other smart telescope model with an eyepiece. It is slightly lower spec, but is cheaper and doesn’t require collimation.

If the eyepiece is less important to you then the Vespera Pro is one of the best smart telescope options on the market right now. It has the highest resolution camera of any model, whilst being compact and light with an ultra-slick user experience.

10/09/2024 11:39 am GMT

Related content and more information

Other eVscope 2 comparisons:

Other Vespera Pro comparisons:

About the Author

Anthony Robinson is the founder and owner of Skies & Scopes, a publication and community focused on amateur astronomy and astrophotography. His work has been featured in publications such as Amateur Astrophotography, Forbes, the Guardian, DIY Photography, PetaPixel, and Digital Camera World - read more.

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