Learn all you need to know about the Vaonis Vespera smart telescope before you buy.
Key Points
- The Vaonis Vespera was released in 2022 and was the first premium compact smart telescope
- It is simple, quick and easy to use to take astrophotography images.
- It features a mosaic mode that allows the capture of widefield images
- It is very compact and portable, weighing just 5kg
- In 2024 it has been succeeded by the Vespera II and Vespera Pro, although is still an excellent option if you find it for the right price
Vaonis Vespera Review
The Vaonis Vespera is a premium portable smart telescope.
In this Vaonis Vespera review, I share my experience and explore that of other experts in the field. I rate it in terms of five criteria:
- Ease of Use
- Portability
- Imaging Quality
- Value for Money
- Versatility
Ease of Use
The Vespera is extremely quick and easy to set up.
You unbox it and connect to your smartphone and you are pretty much good to go.
“It effectively eliminates the learning curve at all astrophotographers struggle with when they start their journey.”
Galactic Hunter
There is a fairly straightforward setup process with the Singularity app.
It features automatic tracking, autofocus, and easy-to-use features like solar, lunar, and planetary observation modes.
“Once the singularity app is installed, operating and navigating the Vespera becomes a straightforward task allowing users to effortlessly control the telescope and marvel at the celestial wonders.”
Wido’s Astroforum
Ease of Use Score: 9.5 /10
Portability
The Vespera weighs just 5 kg and has dimensions of 40 x 20 x 9 cm.
This, along with the availability of a stylish backpack for transport (at an additional cost), makes it extremely portable.
When first released it was the most compact smart telescope by far, but has since been beaten in this regard by the smaller Seestar and Dwarf 2 models.
Therefore it would have been 10 / 10 in 2022, but is now slightly lower in 2024.
Portability Score: 8.5 / 10
Imaging Quality
The telescope is a 2-inch quadruplet apochromatic refractor, and the camera has a 2 megapixel Sony IMX 462 sensor.
These are mot super-high specs for astrophotography imaging, but it tracks, stacks and processes the images for you and sends them straight to your phone.
“Another noteworthy feature is the Mosaic function enabling users to observe and capture up to four times the field of view of the telescope.”
Wido’s Astroforum
It has features like automatic tracking, a mosaic function for extended field views, and various imaging formats.
However, it does have some limitations in planetary imaging due to the short focal length.
Imaging Quality Score: 7 / 10
Value for Money
It retails at $1,499 (but always check live prices) and there a two ways to look at this:
- It’s cheaper than the premium smart telescope models like the Stellina or eVScope 2, which come in in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range
- It’s mode expensive than the budget models like the Seestar and Dwarf 2, which are around the $500 mark
In comparison to the premium models, you definitely have lower specs and imaging quality, but also a more compact package.
In comparison to the budget models, you have pretty similar technical capacity in terms of the telescope and camera but the Vespera is definitely slicker and easier to use.
What you are essentially paying for versus the Seestar or other compact model is proven performance in the years it has been around and great usability.
Value for Money Score: 6.5 / 10
Versatility
It lacks a real-time live-view eyepiece and it can only be used for astronomical purposes and so we knock it down a little for this.
However, its ease of use and portability mean that it is accessible to anyone and can be taken out much more easily than any of the bigger premium smart telescopes.
“Operating the Vespera smart telescope is as easy as using Netflix on my TV”
AstroLaVista
The Vespera supports observation of a range of celestial objects, including the sun, moon, planets, and deep sky objects.
Versatility Score: 6.5 / 10
Compact Premium Smart Telescope
- Easily Take Photos of Deep Sky Objects
- Control With Your Smartphone
- Compact and Portable
Vaonis Vespera Pros and Cons
Vaonis Vespera Advantages
The pros of the Vaonis Vespera are:
- Smaller and lighter than any other premium smart telescope model
- Easy to store and transport
- Ultra-easy to use with no adjustment required
- Cheaper than the other premium models from Unistellar or Vaonis
Vaonis Vespera Disadvantages
In terms of the downsides:
- Lower aperture and resolution than other premium smart telescopes
- Is cheaper than the other premium smart telescopes, but more expensive than the new range of budget smart telescopes like the Dwarf 2 and ZWO Seestar S50
- Has recently been updated by the Vespera 2 and Vespera Pro
Vaonis Vespera Alternatives
The alternatives to the Vaonis Vespera are the:
- The Dwarf 2 and ZWO Seestar S50 for budget options
- The Vespera 2 and Vespera Pro for premium compact options
- The Unistellar eVscope 2 for the best premium model
See our overview of the Best Smart Telescopes to see how they all compare.
Vaonis Vespera Specifications
- Aperture: 50 mm (2 inches)
- Focal Length: 200 mm (7.9 inches)
- Focal Ratio: F/4
- Weight: 11 lbs (5 kg)
- Height: 40 cm (15 inches)
- Sensor: Sony IMX462
- Resolution: 2 MP (1920 x 1080 px)
- Year of release: 2022
Our Verdict
The Vespera is a brilliant, compact smart telescope that blazed a trail when released in 2022.
It has since been matched in size by other compact smart telescopes, some of which are significantly cheaper, although struggle to match the slick interface and great usability of the Vespera.
Verdict: A Slick, Portable, Premium Smart Telescope
The Vaonis Vespera is a great and was the original compact smart telescope. It is loved for its slick design and great usability.
Potential buyers should weigh up options though, with some great competitors released in 2023 and 2024.
Overall Score
7.6 / 10
Imaging Quality
7 / 10
Ease of Use
9.5 / 10
Portability
8.5 / 10
Value for Money
6.5 / 10
Versatility
6.5 / 10
Pros
- Easy to use smart telescope with slick interface
- Control with you smartphone and take astrophotography images
- Relatively compact and portable
Cons
- Fairly expensive with regards to its technical specifications
- Bigger than other compact models that have entered the market
- Recently succeeded by newer Verspera models from Vaonis
Check Prices:
Sources and further information
- Best Smart Telescopes – All Model Comparison 2024
- Vespera Page on Vaonis Website
- Smart Telescopes Reviews and Comparisons
How we reviewed the Vaonis Vespera
This Vaonis Vespera review is based on an assessment of its core specifications, the feedback of users, and the reviews of a number trusted experts:
Wido’s AstroForum
- Ease of Use – 8/10
- Portability – 9/10
- Imaging Quality – 8/10
- Value for Money – 7/10
- Versatility – 8/10
- Overall – 8/10
Galactic Hunter
- Ease of Use – 9/10
- Portability – 9/10
- Imaging Quality – 8/10
- Value for Money – 7/10
- Versatility – 7/10
- Overall – 8/10
AstroLaVista
- Ease of Use – 9/10
- Portability – 8/10
- Imaging Quality – 8/10
- Value for Money – 7/10
- Versatility – 9/10
- Overall – 8.2/10
Submit Your Review of the Vaonis Vespera
If you own (or have used) a Vaonis Vespera, you can submit your review and ratings to us via this form to be incorporated in this review:
Vaonis Vespera
Pros
- Easy to use smart telescope with slick interface
- Control with you smartphone and take astrophotography images
- Relatively compact and portable
Cons
- Fairly expensive with regards to its technical specifications
- Bigger than other compact models that have entered the market
- Recently succeeded by newer Verspera models from Vaonis
