DWARFLAB Draco vs Seestar S50 Pro: price, specs and whether to wait

By Alexander Merz · Updated on 16 September 2026 · Details checked on 8 November 2026

The DWARFLAB Draco is a smart telescope with 90 mm of aperture and 340 mm of focal length (f/3.8). It is the first device in its class to bring an actively cooled, physically rotatable sensor (OV50Q40) and a built-in guide scope, which allows single exposures of up to 300 seconds.

It costs $1,399.00€ 1,499 and can be ordered now (Available to order). Until dispatch, Astroshop quotes 3–5 weeks in early November.According to DWARFLAB, shipping outside China starts in stages in early November.

DWARFLAB has announced the Draco, and ever since the forums have been full of one sentence: “I was going to buy the Seestar S50 Pro – now I’m waiting.” 90 mm aperture, cooled sensor, guiding with five-minute single exposures: that is a different class from anything DWARFLAB has built so far. Here is what has actually been confirmed, what the Draco costs, how quickly it ships – and who it is worth it for.

Premium class, far cheaper: DWARFLAB Draco Smart Telescope

90 mm aperture, cooled sensor, built-in guide scope for exposures up to 300 seconds and a rotating sensor: the first premium-class smart telescope at this price. Available to order at Astroshop – the current delivery time is shown on the product page.

Price: € 1,499

View at Astroshop* →

Would you rather be imaging now than in winter? Then read our Seestar S50 Pro check first – it is the telescope the Draco does not replace. If you haven’t decided yet which smart telescope it should be, the smart telescope finder takes you from your budget to the right class.

What’s confirmed about the Draco – and what isn’t

Nobody outside DWARFLAB has used the Draco yet. There is no independent review and no third-party raw image (as of 12.09.2026). Everything you read here comes from four sources.

Transparency: This page is based on the DWARFLAB spec sheet, the Astroshop listing, the patent, the comments under our video and the discussions on Cloudy Nights and forum.astronomie.de – put into context with our experience from more than six years of telescope advice. It is not a hands-on test. As soon as we have been able to test the Draco ourselves, we will update this page.

As of 6 November 2026: So far there are first owners only in China; they mainly praise the tracking and the image quality. On forum.astronomie.de and astrotreff.de, at least 14 pre-orderers are still waiting for their unit. As soon as the first reports from Germany come in, we will add them here.

DWARFLAB Draco: price, delivery date and specs

The Draco comes in two versions: Standard for $1,399.00€ 1,499 and SHO for $1,599.00€ 1,669. The prices on this page are updated automatically every day.

At Astroshop the Draco can be ordered (Available to order), ready to ship in 3–5 weeks according to the shop (as of 6 November). Direct from DWARFLAB, shipping outside China begins in stages in early November, according to the manufacturer.

5.5 kilograms is twice the weight of the Seestar S50 Pro (2.8 kg). This is no longer a telescope for your daypack, but one for the car boot and a sturdy tripod.

What 90 mm really gives you

Light-gathering area grows with the square of the aperture. But the Draco has a secondary mirror of around 40 mm in the light path, which has to be subtracted. Net, the Draco collects as much light as an 80 mm refractor: a good 2.6 times as much as the Seestar S50 Pro, around seven times as much as the S30 Pro and a good five times as much as the DWARF 3.

It is not quite that simple, and this is the point the forum is currently chewing on. The Draco is a mirror-lens system with a secondary mirror in the middle, and that blocks part of the aperture. Depending on how you calculate it, the net result is roughly equivalent to a refractor with 70 to 80 mm aperture – still considerably more than 50 mm, but not the ninefold amount of light the number 90 suggests.

On top of that come two things the Seestar does not have. Single exposures of up to five minutes instead of ten seconds, made possible by the built-in guide scope, and a cooled sensor with less noise. Together, on faint objects – galaxies, planetary nebulae, globular clusters – that is a different level.

Draco or Seestar S50 Pro: head-to-head comparison

The short answer: the two telescopes solve different problems – for different budgets, at different points in time. It is the question we get asked most often.

You will find the detailed comparison – with the forum calculation of the effective aperture and a clear recommendation on who the Draco is worth it for – at DWARFLAB Draco versus Seestar S50 Pro.

Links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links.

Maturity is the one thing no spec sheet shows. Both apps have been on the market for years: the Seestar app with hundreds of thousands of users, the DWARFLAB app (version 3.4.2) with the large DWARF 3 and Mini community.

What is new and untested on the Draco is the optics, the cooling, the guiding and the sensor rotator. That could turn out great; it could also mean a few months of teething problems.

For everyone who wants more aperture: DWARFLAB Draco Smart Telescope

90 mm aperture, cooled sensor, exposures up to 300 seconds. Available to order at Astroshop – the current delivery time is shown on the product page.

Price: € 1,499

View at Astroshop* →

For everyone who wants to start now: ZWO Seestar S50 Pro Smart Telescope

Mature, independently tested, a third cheaper: if you want to be imaging this autumn and winter, you miss nothing with the S50 Pro.

Price: € 999

View at Astroshop* →

Which league? Draco, Vespera Pro and Origin

The most important thought on this page: the Draco is not the Seestar’s rival, it is the rival of Vaonis and Celestron. Look at where it sits on price.

90 mm with cooling and guiding – at this price point that has never existed before. If you were already considering a Vespera Pro or an Origin, the Draco is the most exciting news of the year. If you were torn between the S30 Pro and the S50 Pro, it is the answer to a question you never asked.

Our video: wait or buy the Seestar S50 Pro?

In eleven minutes: what is confirmed, the specs, the comparison with the S50 Pro, what the community says and the planet question, properly calculated. If you prefer listening to reading, this is the short version of this page. The video is in German – the key points are summarised in this article.

A note on the video: it quotes the launch price of about $1,399€ 1,399. That price ended on 14 September 2026 – since 15 September 2026 the Draco costs $1,399.00€ 1,499 and the SHO version $1,599.00€ 1,669.

What the community says

We read through the comments under our video and the big English-language videos, the Cloudy Nights thread now running to 73 pages and the German forum. Four topics come up again and again.

The planet question

The most-liked comment under the biggest English-language video says, in essence: “Hope it’s good for planets.” The Draco looks like a Maksutov but is the opposite – a very fast, folded astrograph with 340 mm focal length. But what matters for planets is not the focal length alone but the pixel scale: focal length divided by pixel size.

With 340 mm and 1.2 µm pixels, the Draco comes to 0.73″ per pixel – Jupiter ends up around 60 pixels across, about three times as large as in the Seestar S50 Pro (2.3″ per pixel, approx. 20 pixels). That is real progress over every smart telescope so far, but a classic 150 mm telescope with a planetary camera delivers Jupiter at 100 to 200 pixels in diameter – for $400€400.

For the Moon and Sun (solar filter included), on the other hand, the Draco is strong. If you mainly want planets, buy neither Seestar nor Draco but a classic telescope.

Who the Draco is worth it for – and who not

In short: the Draco is worth it above all if you already own a smart telescope and want more aperture. If you are getting started for the first time, you are better off with the Seestar S50 Pro*Seestar S50 Pro* – proven, lighter and considerably cheaper. Cheaper alternatives are the Seestar S30 Pro*Seestar S30 Pro* (In stock · ready for shipping in 24 h) and the DWARF 3*DWARF 3* ($549.00€ 529).

Links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links.

Draco or Draco SHO?

The standard version comes with astro, dark-frame and solar filters plus a dual narrowband filter (Hα+OIII). The SHO version adds a second narrowband filter (SII+OIII) – which lets you capture nebulae in the so-called Hubble palette, familiar from the famous space telescope images.

For the vast majority, the standard version is the right choice. The SHO version is for people who already know what narrowband imaging is and process their images themselves on a computer.

For narrowband specialists: DWARFLAB Draco SHO Smart Telescope

The Draco variant with an extra SII/OIII narrowband filter for Hubble-palette imaging – for astrophotography specialists, not for beginners.

Price: € 1,669

View at Astroshop* →

Frequently asked questions about the DWARFLAB Draco

What does the DWARFLAB Draco cost?

$1,399.00€ 1,499 for the standard version and $1,599.00€ 1,669 for the SHO version with the additional SII/OIII filter. Same price direct from DWARFLAB and at Astroshop; both prices are updated here automatically every day.

When will the Draco be available?

You can order it now; delivery happens in stages. In early November, Astroshop quotes 3–5 weeks until dispatch (Available to order). The first units went to customers in China at the end of October; according to DWARFLAB, international shipping starts in early November.

Is the Draco better than the Seestar S50 Pro?

On faint, small objects very probably yes: more aperture, cooling and long exposures. But it costs noticeably more, weighs twice as much, has the smaller field of view, and its optics are untested. For beginners, the Seestar S50 Pro*Seestar S50 Pro* remains the better choice.

Can you photograph planets with the Draco?

Better than any smart telescope so far, but limited. At 0.73″ per pixel, Jupiter ends up around 60 pixels across – three times as large as in the Seestar S50 Pro, but a long way from a classic 150 mm telescope with a planetary camera (100–200 pixels). The Moon and Sun (with the included filter), on the other hand, work well.

How much light does the Draco really collect?

The secondary mirror of around 40 mm blocks part of the 90 mm. Net, the Draco is equivalent to an 80 mm refractor: 2.6 times as much light as the Seestar S50 Pro, around seven times as much as the S30 Pro.

What is the sensor rotator?

The image sensor can be physically rotated inside the housing. This lets the Draco adapt the image format to the object and, so the community suspects, compensate for field rotation during long exposures. How well that works in practice, nobody knows yet.

Do I need accessories?

Tripod, solar filter and filters are included. At 5.5 kg, a sturdier photo tripod makes sense for windy nights. What matters there – load capacity, centre column, quick-release plate – is covered in detail in the tripod section of our DWARF 3 guide; the same considerations apply to the Draco, just with more weight. For deep sky from the city, the built-in filtering is enough.

Should I buy now or wait for reviews?

If you want the telescope anyway, order at Astroshop or direct from DWARFLAB without shipping costs. If you are unsure whether the extra cost over the Seestar S50 Pro is worth it, read our Draco vs. Seestar S50 Pro comparison first.

Verdict: the most exciting launch since the first Seestar

90 mm, cooling and guiding for $1,399.00€ 1,499 – that has never existed before. But it is no reason not to buy a Seestar S50 Pro. If you want to get started today, start with the Seestar or the DWARF 3 and you won’t miss a thing.

If you are looking for a telescope for the next five years, have patience and were already shopping in the premium class, put the Draco at the very top of your list. An overview of all smart telescopes is in our best smart telescopes 2026 ranking, and the comparison of the two Seestar models at Seestar S50 Pro and S30 Pro compared.

* Affiliate link: if you buy through this link we may earn a small commission from Astroshop, High Point Scientific or another linked retailer, at no extra cost to you.