DwarfLab Dwarf mini - Information (30 mm Refractor)

Introduction | About the Dwarf mini | Look | Sensor, Pixel Data, Field of View, Image Size (Pixels) | Visited Sky Objects | First Experiences | First Conclusions | Links || Appendix: Technical Data | Appendix: Comparison of the Vaonis Vespera, Vaonis Stellina, and the Unistellar eVscope

On this page, I provide some information about my electronic refractor telescope Dwarf mini 30 mm/150 mm (f/5). I ordered it at the end of November 2025 (pre-order) together with a tripod and received it on January 14, 2026 and the tripod on January 16, 2026.

Introduction

Photo: My Dwarf mini (Jan 2026)

The Dwarf mini seems to be the fourth smart telescope that was developped by a chinese company called DwarfLab. In terms of design, it is reminiscent of the Vaonis Vesperas and the ZWO Seestar telescopes developed afterwards – and thus stands in stark contrast to the telescopes previously developed by DwarLab.

About the Dwarf mini

What is the Dwarf mini?

The Dwarf mini from Chinese manufacturer DwarfLab is currently the smallest "smart telescope" on the market (as of January 2026). Weighing just under 850 g and measuring less than 20 cm in height, you can almost fit it in your pocket ;) The Dwarf mini is similar in design to the Vaonis Vesperas and the ZWO smart telescopes that came later. Like all Dwarf telescopes, it has a second camera with a wide-angle focal length that can be used for various purposes. Among other things, it offers a preview during observation. And like all DwarfLab telescopes, the Dwarf mini offers a variety of photo options, even during the day, which I will probably never use. Maybe I will try taking a photo of the Milky Way with the wide-angle camera...

Why Did I Opt for the Dwarf mini?

I have always had a soft spot for small devices. And so I was particularly interested in the Dwarf mini because it is so small and light (see technical data). It was clear from the outset that it cannot compete with my Vesperas in terms of quality. On the other hand, I had not bought anything new for a long time, so I wanted to explore something new again. And indeed, the Dwarf mini's software is significantly different from what I was used to with Vaonis and Unistellar. I will write more on this on my "experience page".

Look

Dwarf mini

Here I present photos of the unboxing and the telescope itself.


The Dwarf mini has arrived!	The parcel on the scales: 1.565 g	Parcel opened

Technical data	The mini box taken out	The unopened Dwarf mini box (1.290 g, useful for storing)

Technical data once again...	The package contents on the box	Box from above

Box opened ...	... and the Dwarf mini made visible	Accessories: Sun filter and USB-C cable

Dwarf mini taken out of the box...	...and plastic cover removed	Weight of my Dwarf mini: 846 g (officially 840 g)

Dwarf mini turned on (green LEDs glow)	Telescope arm turned by hand	Dito

Ditto	Dtito	Dwarf Mini in hands

Tripod, Dwarf mini on the Tripod

Here I present photos of the unboxing, the tripod and the tripod with mounted Dwarf mini. More on the tripod on page Tripod!


The tripod for the Dwarf mini has arrived! The parcel is damaged	Inner box removed - it even has two damages	Tripod in its bag taken out (no damages)

Tripod taken out of its bag	Plastic cover removed	This would be the travel equipment (without charger and iPad)

The tripod, lever pointing upwards	Dwarf mini on the tripod, lever pointing upwards	Ditto, lever pointing downwards

Dwarf mini on the tripod, legs fully extended	Ditto, leverrpointing downwards	DwarfLab recommends, to add a weight to the center column when the legs are fully extended (normal angle of the legs)

Note: The center column can carry a weight. DwarfLab recommends this for fully extended legs. The legs can be made flat. This can increase the stability in EQ mode. More on this on the special page on the tripod!

Sensor, Pixel Data, Field of View, Image Size (Pixels)

For its tele lens, which is used for telescope use, the Dwarf mini uses the sensor Sony IMX662 (CMOS), with a used pixel size of about 2 megapixels, or 1920 x 1080 pixels (H/V). The pixel size is 2.9µm (quadratic pixels).

The following table shows the Vespera, Vespera Pro, eVscope, and eVscope 2 in comparison with the Dwarf mini:

Telescope	Focal Length	Aperture	f	FOV in Degrees	FOV in Minutes	IS*	Sensor
eVscope*	450 mm	114 mm	4	0.61° x 0.46°	36.7' x 27.6'	1.72	Sony IMX224
eVscope 2*	450 mm	114 mm	4	0.78° x 0.57°	47' x 34'	1.33	Sony IMX347
Vespera*	200 mm	50 mm	4	1.6° x 0.9°	96' x 54' (ca.)	2.99	Sony IMX462
Vespera Pro	250 mm	50 mm	5	1.6° x 1.6°	96' x 96' (ca.)	1.65	Sony IMX676
Dwarf mini	150 mm	30 mm	5	2.14° x 1.20°	120' x 72' (ca.)	3.99	Sony IMX 662 (successor of IMX462)

*) No longer in my possession
*) IS = image scale: describes the relative sizes of objects at 1:1 pixels (the larger the number, the smaller the objects)

Visited Sky Objects

Here I list the deep sky objects that I observed and photographed during the first weeks with the Dwarf mini:

Jan 15, 2026: M 33, M 42/43
Jan 16, 2026: IC 1396, M 31/32/110
Jan 18, 2026: NGC 7000, NGC 1499
Jan 19, 2026: M 45, M 78, M 42/43
Jan 21, 2026: NGC 1499 (EQ), B 33, NGC 2024, (EQ)
Jan 22, 2026: Crescent of the moon
Jan 23, 2026: Crescent of the moon
Jan 24, 2026: Crescent of the moon, M 15, M 34, NGC 752, NGC 891

PageFirst Experiences will present my photos of the objects that I list above (my very first observations with the Dwarf mini).

First Experiences and Photos

On page First Experiences, I will describe my very first experiences with the Dwarf mini. For space reasons, I created a new page for this. This page also will present my photos of the objects that I list in "Visited Sky Objects" above (my very first observations with the Dwarf mini).

First Conclusions

It is still too early to draw any conclusions. However, I have already noticed that it is only suitable for large objects (nebulae, galaxies, star clusters). Thanks to the Stellar Studio software integrated into the app, the results are often very impressive, but the resolution of the photos is rather poor due to technical limitations (30 mm aperture, 150 mm focal length). The telescope is fun primarily because of the possibilities it offers for trying out things like EQ mode or (rather disappointing) mosaics. This raises the question of whether I will keep the Dwarf mini or sell it after playing around with it enough. And then there is the Seestar S30 Pro with similar specifications but a higher-resolution sensor...

Links

Dwarf Mini Smart Telescope – Review & Tutorial (Wido's Astroforum): astroforumspace.com/dwarf-mini-smart-telescope-review-tutorial/ - YouTube-Video dazu: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SoaQqLWR0s
Dwarf mini documentation (DwarfLab): help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/dwarf-mini-smart-telescope
- DWARF mini User Manual: help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/DWARF-mini-Smart-Telescope-User-Manual
- Get to Know the Files Stored in DWARF mini: help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/help-doc
- DWARF mini Lighting Effects: help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/help-doc-mini-lighting-effects
- How to View DWARF mini Files Wirelessly Using a Computer: help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/help-doc-1
- FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide for DWARF Users: help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/help-doc-2
Mini Tripod with hydraulic Head (DwarfLab): dwarflab.com/products/tripod-for-dwarf-3 (shown for Dwarf 3)
The Tripod Setup and Usage (DwarfLab video): help.dwarflab.com/en/docs/tripod-setup-and-usage?product=dwarf-3 (shown for Dwarf 3)
See also my page offering Astronomy Links.

Appendix: Technical Data for the Dwarf mini and the Tripod

Dwarf mini

Aperture: 30 mm (T) / 3.4 mm (W)
Focal length: 150 mm (T) / 6.7 mm (W)
Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (T) / 45 mm (W)
Focal ratio: 1:5 (T)
Motorized Alt-AZ mount
Weight: 840 g (846 g measured)
Size: 18 x 10 x 7 cm
Built in memory: 64 GB
No bag
Wireless connectivity: Wifi (2.4/5 GHz) for smartphone or computer control and GPS access (no GPS module inside); STA and AP modes

Battery: 7.000 mAh,
Battery life: up to 4 hours

Sensors: Sony Exmor IMX662 color CMOS sensor - 2.1 MPixels (T) / OS02K10 (W)
Sensor size: 1/2.8" diagonal
Pixels: 1920 x 1080 pixels (both sensors)
Pixel size: 2.9 µm x 2.9 µm (both sensors)
Read noise: < 0.8e- (IMX662)

Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (T) / Astro /W)
Included filter: Sun filter (T)

Tripod

Model: WT-6050
Net weight: 790g
Material: Aluminum Alloy
Max.LOAD capacity: 3.0 kg
Connector: 1/4"
Sections: 5
Max. height: 530 mm
Folded height: 250 mm
Tube Dameters: 9.7/12.6/15.5/18.2/21 mm
Color: Black

Appendix: Comparison of the Vaonis Vespera, Vespera Pro, and the Dwarf mini

May be extended if new information comes in...

	Vespera	Vespera Pro	Dwarf mini
Weight	5 kg (11 lbs)	5 kg (11 lbs)	840 h (846 g measured)
Height	40 cm (15 in)	40 cm (15 in)	18.36 cm
Width	20 cm (8 in)	20 cm (8 in)	6.7 cm
Depth	9 cm (3.5 in)	9 cm (3.5 in)	10.4 cm
Telescope type	Refractor	Refractor	Refractor
Lens	Apochromatic Quadruplet	Apochromatic Quadruplet	unknown
Lens special features	Extra low dispersion S-FPL52 equivalent (ULD) with lanthanum glass	Extra low dispersion S-FPL52 equivalent (ULD) with lanthanum glass	unknown
Aperture	50 mm	50 mm	30 mm (T) / 3.4 mm (W)
Focal length	200 mm	250 mm	150 mm (T) / 6.7 (W)
Focal ratio	F/4	F/5	F/5 (T)
Field of view	1.6° x 0.9°	1.6° x 1.6°	2.14° x 1.20° (T)
Mount	Alt-azimuth	Alt-azimuth	Alt-azimuth; EQ mode with tripod or wedge
Field derotator	no, done in software	no, done in software	no, done in software
Image sensor	Sony IMX462	Sony IMX676	Sony IMX662 (T); OS02K10 (W)
Resolution	1920 x 1080 (2 MP)	3536 x 3536 (12.5 MP)	1920 x 1080 (2 MP)
Sensor size	1/2.8"	1/1.6"	1/2.8"
Pixel size	2.9 µm x 2.9 µm	2.0 µm x 2.0µm	2.9 µm x 2.9 µm (both sensors)
File formats	JPEG, TIFF, FITS (TIFF/FITS in 16 bits)	JPEG, TIFF, FITS (TIFF/FITS in 16 bits)	PNG, FITS, JPEG (and more...)
USB port (pictures download)	no (with Wi-Fi)	no (with Wi-Fi)	USB-C (cable included, WiFi also possible)
Autofocus	yes	yes	yes (plus manual focus)
Light pollution filter	optional	optional	yes (Astro filter, inbuilt)
Dual band filter	optional	optional	yes (DB filter, inbuilt)
Sun filter	optional	optional	included
Dark Frames	yes	yes, special lid included	yes, with inbuilt Dark filter
Dew control	yes as soon as the (optional) sensor is installed	yes	no
Temperature/humidity sensor	Optional	yes	no
Battery type	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated
Battery life	up to 8 h	up to 11 h	up to 4 h
Water resistance	IP43	IP43???	n.a.
Multi user mode	up to 8 users	up to 8 users	no
Number of objects in data base	300+ (July 2023) 4000 (extended)	300+ (July 2023) 4000 (extended)	???
Object access via coordinates	yes	yes	yes
Solar pointing	yes (with optional sun filter)	yes (with optional sun filter)	yes (with included sun filter)
Connected battery	possible	possible	possible
Connection to Wi-Fi hotspots	no	no	yes (STA and AP modes)
Scheduling of observations	yes	yes	yes
Expert mode (camera control)	yes	yes	???
HDR Image processing	yes	yes	???
Pictures stocking in the app	up to 200 MB	up to 200 MB	???
Mosaic mode	3.2° x 1.8° (4 x sensor field) at maximum, up to 8 MP	3.2° x 3.2° (4 x sensor field) at maximum, up to 50 MP	yes, in EQ mode only (up to 1:1.8 per dimension, max. 4 panels)