What a night with it looks like
Vaonis calls the Vespera 3 "the most affordable premium smart telescope", and the list of upgrades is concrete. A new Petzval-inspired apochromatic quadruplet is designed for sharp stars to the edge, optical baffles cut stray light from streetlights, and the anti-fog system switches on by itself from its humidity and temperature sensor. The battery is rated for 11 hours, and 115 GB of usable storage keeps every frame.
The field is 2.5° × 1.4° native (2.39″ per pixel), and mosaics reach 24 MP. Sky color, an editing studio inside the Singularity app, adjusts color and contrast without third-party software, and LumENS, Vaonis's assistant, explains what you are looking at and suggests the next target.
The catch
Price against specs. The aperture (50 mm) and sensor (Sony IMX585, 8.3 MP) are those of the Vespera II, and ZWO sells a 50 mm, 4K, two-camera telescope for $999. You pay for battery, build, warranty and software. Filters are still extras.
At 5 kg as stated by Vaonis, and IP43 weather protection, it is a backyard and car-trip instrument.
How it scores
Vespera 3 gets 8.4/10 (good) with our overall weights. Each criterion below is scored out of 10 from Vaonis's published figures; a criterion without a figure is left out and the other weights are rescaled. The scales are on the methodology page.
| Criterion | Weight | Score /10 | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture | 25% | 6.0 | |
| Sensor resolution | 10% | 8.2 | |
| Image scale (detail) | 10% | 6.5 | |
| Light pollution filter | 10% | 5.0 | |
| Battery life | 10% | 10.0 | |
| Portability (weight) | 10% | 6.0 | |
| Tracking mode | 5% | 5.0 | |
| Warranty | 5% | 10.0 | |
| Price | 15% | 4.6 |
By use, with the same figures and different weights: for beginners 8.3/10 (No. 7), for planets 8.3/10 (No. 9).
Full specifications
As published by Vaonis on its US pages, read on November 9, 2026.
| Optical design | Apochromatic quadruplet, Petzval inspired (ULD S-FPL52), field correction, optical baffles |
|---|---|
| Aperture | 50 mm (2.0 in) |
| Focal length | 245 mm, f/4.9 |
| Main sensor | Sony IMX585, 1/1.2" |
| Resolution | 3840 × 2160 |
| Pixel size | 2.9 µm |
| Field of view | 2.5° × 1.4° |
| Image scale | 2.39″ per pixel (stated by Vaonis) |
| Wide-angle camera | No |
| Filters | Light pollution, dual-band and solar filters sold separately |
| Mount and tracking | Alt-azimuth |
| Focus | Autofocus |
| Eyepiece | No, view on phone or tablet |
| Battery | 11 hours (Vaonis) |
| Storage | 128 GB |
| Weight | 5 kg (11 lb), as stated by Vaonis |
| Weather protection | IP43 |
| Dew heater | Yes |
| Tripod in the box | Yes |
| In the box | Vespera 3, Aluminium high tripod |
| Warranty | 5 years (Vaonis) |
| Checked price | $2,490 on November 9, 2026 |
| Availability | In stock at the official US store |
Buying advice
Checked at $2,490 on the Vaonis US store on November 9, 2026, with a 30-day free trial, free express delivery and interest-free installments advertised by Vaonis.
- 11 hours of battery life and 128 GB of storage (115 GB usable), according to Vaonis
- New Petzval-inspired quadruplet with optical baffles against stray light
- Dew heater with a humidity and temperature sensor, aluminium tripod included
Alternatives to consider
Vaonis Vespera Pro 28.5Very good · out of 1012.5 MP square sensor and 50 MP mosaics for $500 more.
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro8.8Very good · out of 1050 mm, 4K, wide camera for $999.
Unistellar eQuinox 28.5Very good · out of 10114 mm mirror and 11-hour battery, $2,319 on sale.
Questions about the Vespera 3
What is new in the Vespera 3 compared with the Vespera II?
According to Vaonis: 11 hours of battery instead of 4, 128 GB of storage instead of 28 GB, optical baffles, a dew heater with a humidity and temperature sensor, a Petzval-inspired optical design, an aluminium tripod in the box and a 5-year warranty instead of 3. Aperture and sensor stay the same.
Is the Vespera 3 good in the city?
Vaonis designed the baffles for light-polluted skies, and the optional dual-band filter helps emission nebulae. Galaxies still need darker skies; our light pollution guide explains what to expect.
Sources
Official pages read on November 9, 2026: vaonis.com/products/vespera-3 · vaonis.com/pages/compare?compare=vespera-pro-2%2Cvespera-3%2Cvespera-ii. Product images: Vaonis.