The Dwarf Mini is a relative newcomer to the ranks of smart telescope. It’s immediate claim to fame is that is is the smallest and lightest, and possibly the lowest cost smart telescope on the market.
The only accessory it comes with is a solar filter. This is one of the reasons that it is such a low cost device and it is necessary to provide your own tripod. This is not such a bad thing because most people have a photographic tripod that can be used with the scope in AZ or EQ mode.
I purchased a very cheap tabletop v-logging tripod which proved to be very suitable and even came with a carry case.
The Dwarf Mini in equatorial mode
On a table in the observatory area to give it extra height
The Dwarf app running on an iPad and displaying the accumulating live-stacked image
Over several nights we tested the scope on a number of objects with a variety of exposures. We found that even with 90s exposures, there were very few dropped frames. It can be seen in the top image of the Dwarf app showing the live-stacked image of C50 and the Rosette nebula with 90s exposures, 80 out of 84, 90s exposures had been stacked. With tracking this good, the appropriate exposure should be chosen for the specific object and which filter is to be used, the Duo-Band or the Astro filter.
Table of the imaging tests done to date
Results
Clicking on an image will get an even closer view
M3
M13
M100
Leo Triplet
Monkey-head nebula
Jellyfish nebula
Flaming Star nebula
Markarian's chain
M51
M37
C50-cluster Rosette nebula
M44
Further tests will be done with the Dwarf Mini smart scope but these initial tests have shown it to be a remarkable device with good optics and excellent tracking.
