What a night with it looks like
Vaonis keeps things simple: one touch-sensitive button wakes the Vespera II, the Singularity app guides you, and the telescope initializes itself from your location and the sky. Its catalog lists over 4,300 objects, and Vaonis insists on one feature: live autofocus that corrects as the temperature changes during the night.
The 50 mm apochromatic quadruplet (250 mm focal length) gives a 2.5° × 1.4° field and an image scale of 2.39″ per pixel, the same as the Vespera 3. CovalENS mosaics stretch that to 4.33° × 2.43° and 24 MP, enough for the whole Andromeda Galaxy or the Veil complex.
The catch
Four hours of battery is short when the stack gets better with time, and the internal storage is 25 to 28 GB. The light pollution, dual-band and solar filters are all sold separately, and the tripod is optional. The Vespera II has no dew heater or humidity sensor, unlike the Vespera 3.
Vaonis states a weight of 5 kg, which is heavy for a 50 mm instrument; the Seestar S50 with the same aperture is 2.5 kg.
How it scores
Vespera II gets 8.2/10 (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% | 4.0 | |
| Portability (weight) | 10% | 6.0 | |
| Tracking mode | 5% | 5.0 | |
| Warranty | 5% | 8.5 | |
| Price | 15% | 6.0 |
By use, with the same figures and different weights: for beginners 8.2/10 (No. 9), for planets 8.2/10 (No. 10).
Full specifications
As published by Vaonis on its US pages, read on November 9, 2026.
| Optical design | Apochromatic quadruplet (ULD S-FPL52 glass), field correction |
|---|---|
| Aperture | 50 mm (2.0 in) |
| Focal length | 250 mm, f/5 |
| 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 | 4 hours (Vaonis) |
| Storage | 28 GB |
| Weight | 5 kg (11 lb), as stated by Vaonis |
| Weather protection | IP43 |
| Dew heater | No |
| Tripod in the box | No |
| In the box | Not listed in text on the US product page |
| Warranty | 3 years (Vaonis comparison page) |
| Checked price | $1,590 (list price $1,690) on November 9, 2026 |
| Availability | In stock at the official US store |
Buying advice
Checked at $1,590 (early-bird price until November 15, 2026, instead of $1,690) on the Vaonis US store, which advertises express shipping from the USA. Add the cost of a filter and a tripod if you need them.
- Sony IMX585 sensor behind a 50 mm apochromatic quadruplet, 8.3 MP native and 24 MP with the CovalENS mosaic mode
- One touch button and automatic initialization from the Singularity app
- Vaonis lists a 3-year warranty and IP43 weather protection
Alternatives to consider
Vaonis Vespera 38.4Good · out of 10same sensor, 11-hour battery, dew heater, tripod, 5-year warranty for $2,490.
ZWO Seestar S508.6Very good · out of 10same 50 mm aperture and a built-in filter for $549.
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro8.8Very good · out of 104K, wide camera, $999.
Head-to-heads
Questions about the Vespera II
Vespera II or Seestar S50?
Same 50 mm aperture and a similar image scale (2.39″ vs 2.42″ per pixel). The Vespera II has a much higher-resolution sensor (8.3 vs 2.1 MP) and a 3-year warranty; the S50 has a built-in dual-band filter, Equatorial Mode and costs about a third of the price. Our Vespera II vs Seestar S50 page has the full table.
Does the Vespera II need a filter?
Not to work, but from a light-polluted yard a dual-band filter helps a lot on emission nebulae. Vaonis sells light pollution, dual-band and solar filters as options.
Sources
Official pages read on November 9, 2026: vaonis.com/products/vespera-2 · vaonis.com/pages/product/vespera-ii · vaonis.com/pages/compare?compare=vespera-pro-2%2Cvespera-3%2Cvespera-ii. Product images: Vaonis.