Unistellar Odyssey Pro vs Vaonis Vespera Pro: 30 Second Summary
- The Unistellar Odyssey Pro and Vaonis Vespera Pro are both premium smart telescopes newly released in 2024
- The Unistellar Odyssey Pro is one of the few models that features an eyepiece for real-time viewing.
- The Odyssey Pro also has the better telescope with higher aperture, longer focal length, and faster focal ratio. Plus with it you can take part in Citizen Astronomy projects.
- The Vaonis Vespera Pro is cheaper, has the highest resolution camera of any smart telescope, a wider field of view, and it has the unique Mosaic Mode to automatically stitch together larger images.
- The main decision point here is how much you want the eyepiece of the Odyssey Pro, as they are quite similar telescopes in other regards and this accounts for the price differential.
Why choose the Unistellar Odyssey Pro over the Vaonis Vespera Pro?
The Unistellar Odyssey Pro is a premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Unistellar released in 2024.
The main reasons to consider it over the Vaonis Vespera Pro are:
- The Odyssey Pro’s real-time viewing eyepiece 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.
- The telescope specifications are higher, with 3.3 inch aperture, versus 2 inch inch for the Vespera Pro, 320 mm focal length versus 250 mm, and f/3.7 focal ratio versus f/5.
- With all Unistellar models you can take part in Citizen Astronomy initiatives and join missions to track asteroids and hunt exoplanets.
- Whilst very close, it is smaller and lighter than the Vespera Pro.
Why choose the Vaonis Vespera Pro over the Unistellar Odyssey Pro?
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 Odyssey Pro are:
- It is cheaper – about $1000 less at retail price.
- It has a much higher resolution camera with 12.5 megapixels, compared to 4.1 megapixels for the Odyssey Pro. This is actually the highest resolution of any smart telescope on the market.
- 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.
- It has a much longer battery life at 11 hours, compared to five hours for the Odyssey Pro.
Telescope Specifications
The Unistellar Odyssey Pro has 85 mm (3.3 inch) aperture, 320 mm focal length, f/3.7 focal ratio, and 0.56° x 0.75° 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 Odyssey Pro has a 4.1 MP resolution camera using a Sony IMX615 sensor and a pixel size of 1.45μm.
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 Odyssey Pro weighs 4 kg (8.8 lb) and has dimensions of 13 x 20 x 43 ((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 Odyssey Pro costs $3,999, 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 Odyssey Pro | Vaonis Vespera Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 | 2023 |
| Aperture | 85mm (3.3 inch) | 50mm (2 inch) |
| Focal Length | 320mm | 250mm |
| Focal Ratio | f/3.7 | f/5 |
| Limiting Magnitude | 12.35 | 11.19 |
| OTA type | Reflector | Refractor |
| Eyepiece | Yes | No |
| Field of View | 0.56° x 0.75° | 1.6° x 1.6° |
| Resolution | 4.1MP | 12.5MP |
| Sensor Size | ? | 3536 x 3536 |
| Sensor | Sony IMX615 | Sony IMX676 |
| Pixel Size | 1.45μm | 2 µm |
| Image Formats | FITS, TIFF, PNG, JPEG | TIFF, FITS |
| Mosaic Mode | No | Yes |
| Size (H x W x L) cm | 13 x 20 x 43 | 48 x 20 x 9 |
| Weight | 4kg (8.8 lb) | 5kg (11 lb) |
| Mount | Included | Included |
| Tripod | Included | Included |
| Battery Life | 5 hrs | 11 hrs |
| Internal Storage | 64GB | 225GB |
| Dew Control | None | Built-in |
| Retail Price* | $3,999 | $2,999 |
Vaonis Vespera Pro vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro: Verdict
These are two top-of-the-range smart telescopes that are brand new in 2024.
I think that if you are weighing up these two models then your decision should really come down to how much you would value the addition of the eyepiece on the Odyssey Pro. If this is a feature you think you’d want, and have the additional budget, then this is the model for you.
On the other hand, if you do not think you would get that much from the eyepiece then it would make sense to opt for the Vespera Pro, as they are a very close match otherwise.
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Premium Pick with Eyepiece
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Highest Resolution Camera
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$3,999.00
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$2,999.00
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Related content and more information
- Best Smart Telescopes
- Unistellar website: Odyssey Pro
- Vaonis website: Vespera Pro
- Unistellar Odyssey Pro review
- Vaonis Vespera Pro review
Other Unistellar Odyssey Pro comparisons:
- Unistellar Odyssey Pro vs Celestron Origin
- Unistellar Odyssey Pro vs Dwarf II
- Unistellar Odyssey Pro vs eVscope 2
- Unistellar Odyssey Pro vs Vaonis Vespera 2
Other Vaonis Vespera Pro comparisons:
