Unistellar Odyssey vs Vaonis Vespera II: 10 Second Summary
- The Unistellar Odyssey and Vaonis Vespera II are both excellent smart telescopes in the mid-range price bracket.
- The Unistellar Odyssey 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 II has the higher resolution camera and wider field of view. Plus it has the unique Mosaic Mode to automatically stitch together larger images.
- The Vaonis Vespera II is cheaper but doesn’t include a tripod and so you need to add that or use a regular tripod that you already have.
- Given the price difference, our recommendation for most people if choosing between these two would be to go for the Vespera II. The Odyssey is still excellent but it’s hard to justify the extra cost when comparing directly.
Why choose the Unistellar Odyssey over the Vaonis Vespera II?
The Unistellar Odyssey is a premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Unistellar released in 2024.
The main reasons to consider it over the Vaonis Vespera 2 are:
- The telescope specifications are higher, with 3.3 inch aperture, versus 2 inch inch for the Vespera 2, 320 mm focal length versus 250 mm, and f/3.8 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.
- It comes complete with a tripod, which the Vespera II does not.
- Whilst very close, it is smaller and lighter than the Vespera II.
The main downside versus the Vespera 2 is the price. Whilst they are in a similar ballpark, the Odyssey’s starting price is still around $900 more. Even if you have to buy an additional tripod for the Vespera 2 it will still be cheaper.
Why choose the Vaonis Vespera II over the Unistellar Odyssey?
The Vaonis Vespera II is a compact, premium smart telescope from French manufacturer Vaonis that was released in 2024.
The main reasons to favor it over the Unistellar Odyssey are:
- It has a higher resolution camera with 8.3 megapixels, compared to 3.4 megapixels for the Odyssey.
- It has a wider field of view and the Mosaic Mode which enables the stitching of multiple images to capture even wider fields of view and larger astronomical objects.
The main downside versus the Odyssey is the smaller aperture telescope and slower focal ratio which will mean it will take longer to capture images.
Telescope Specifications
The Unistellar Odyssey has 85 mm (3.3 inch) aperture, 320 mm focal length, f/3.8 focal ratio, and 0.56° x 0.75° field of view.
The Vaonis Vespera II has 50 mm (2 inch) aperture, 250 mm focal length, f/5 focal ratio, and 2.5° x 1.4° field of view.
Camera Specifications
The Unistellar Odyssey has a 3.4 MP resolution camera using a Sony IMX615 sensor and a pixel size of 1.45 μm.
The Vaonis Vespera II has a 8.3 MP resolution camera of 3840 x 2160 size using a Sony IMX585 sensor and a pixel size of 2.9 µm.
Size and Weight
The Unistellar Odyssey 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 II 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 costs $2,499, and the Vaonis Vespera II costs $1,590.
Note though the Vespera II does not include a tripod in the package. However you can use it with any regular photography tripod if you already own one.
Note, these prices may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.
Specifications
| Unistellar Odyssey | Vaonis Vespera II | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Aperture | 85mm (3.3 inch) | 50mm (2 inch) |
| Focal Length | 320mm | 250mm |
| Focal Ratio | f/3.8 | f/5 |
| Limiting Magnitude | 12.35 | 11.19 |
| OTA type | Reflector | Refractor |
| Eyepiece | No | No |
| Field of View | 0.56° x 0.75° | 2.5° x 1.4° |
| Resolution | 3.4MP | 8.3MP |
| Sensor Size | ? | 3840 x 2160 |
| Sensor | Sony IMX615 | Sony IMX585 |
| Pixel Size | 1.45μm | 2.9 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 | Not included |
| Battery Life | 5 hrs | 4 hrs |
| Internal Storage | 64GB | 25GB |
| Dew Control | None | None |
| Retail Price* | $2,499 | $1,590 |
Vaonis Vespera II vs Unistellar Odyssey Verdict
These are two of the best and most closely matched smart telescopes on the market right now.
My recommendation when taking into account price would be to go for the Vespera II. The original Vespera was well-loved by its users and this successor improves on it with a better camera.
Just we aware though that it doesn’t come with a tripod – there is a review of the Vespera II on Amazon where the buyer was pretty angry that no tripod was included!
This does look like a mistake by Vaonis as the images show a tripod and the description includes the phrase “Just set up the tripod using the adjustable legs, and press the button”, but doesn’t mention that it’s not in the box.
If you already own a regular camera tripod then the Vespera II should be compatible with that, or else you can add a tripod when ordering and it will still be cheaper than the Odyssey.
Of course, if money is no object then you may prefer the Odyssey. It is very closely matched and does have a better telescope.
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Related content and more information
- Best Smart Telescopes Comparison
- Unistellar website: Odyssey
- Vaonis website: Vespera II
- Unistellar Odyssey review
- Vaonis Vespera II review
Other Vaonis Vespera 2 comparisons:
- Vaonis Vespera II vs Vaonis Vespera
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- Vaonis Vespera II vs ZWO Seestar S50
- Vaonis Vespera II vs Dwarf II
- Vaonis Vespera II vs Vaonis Hestia
- Vaonis Vespera II vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro
- Vaonis Vespera II vs Celestron Origin
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