One model, judged by its numbers
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
A small telescope with a camera where the eyepiece would be, driven from a phone. It finds the target, tracks it, stacks exposures, and hands you an image in a few minutes.
What it shows, really
No eyepiece to simulate: a smart telescope stacks photographs and shows the result on your phone. Its views are not comparable with visual telescopes — the guide below is the honest comparison.
The numbers
| Aperture | 50 mm |
|---|---|
| Focal ratio | 260 mm · f/5.2 |
| Mount | Integrated alt-az tracking, phone app |
| Typical weight | 2.8 kg |
| Useful magnification | 8× to 100× at 50 mm |
| Resolution (Dawes) | 2.3″ — the tightest double star this aperture can split |
| Faintest star, suburban sky | around magnitude 9.8 |
| Observed price | €899 seen 2026-08-30 |
Should you buy it?
- Yes if what you mainly want is first astrophotography, sharing it with children, taking it with me: that is what this family does best.
- No if your priority is nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye, the moon and the planets: other families do better for the same money.
- It is a camera driven from a phone, not an eyepiece: you look at a screen. A good choice if the image is the goal; a poor one if seeing is.
Computed from its family's per-goal scores and its own numbers — not a rating, not one evening's opinion.
Made for
First astrophotography · 4 out of 5
The shortest path from nothing to a recognisable image of a nebula.
Sharing it with children · 4 out of 5
A picture on a phone holds attention that a grey smudge in an eyepiece does not.
Taking it with me · 4 out of 5
Small, self-contained, battery powered.
Not made for
Nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye · 2 out of 5
It shows you deep sky, but not by eye. Score depends entirely on whether that distinction matters to you.
The Moon and the planets · 2 out of 5
Small aperture and short focal length. The Moon works; the planets are underwhelming.
The family it belongs to: Smart telescope (30–80 mm, integrated camera)
What it does well
- Shows colour and structure in nebulae that no eyepiece at this aperture ever will
- Works under a city sky far better than visual observing does
- Set up in minutes, operated from indoors if it is cold
What it costs you
- There is nothing to look through. If the appeal is photons hitting your own retina, this is the wrong category
- The image is the instrument's, not yours — limited control over how it is made
- A fast-moving product category; anything written about it dates within a year
Worth knowing about this model
Announced 25 August 2026, shipping from September: the S50 rebuilt around a four-element objective and two 4K sensors, with an EQ mode for 60-second exposures. The 899 € is a launch price against a 999 € list. Still a camera driven from a phone, still no eyepiece — the aperture is the same 50 mm as the original.
Everything about Smart telescope (30–80 mm, integrated camera) →
Prices are observed on the date shown, never live. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra.
Where to buy
- Astroshoppaid link€899 seen 2026-08-30ships DE, FR, EU
- Amazon.frships FR
- First Light Opticsships GB
- Optique Unterlindenships FR
- Pierro Astroships FR
- Teleskop-Expressships DE, EU
1 of these 6 links earn us a commission, marked above. Sorted by price, never by what pays. How this site is funded.