Here is a comparison of Orion Nebula taken last night over 20min with the S30 Pro (first photo), compared to last April taken over 25min with the S30.

I used my same Lightroom Mobile preset for both.

I've had the S30 pro for about 6 weeks and I finally finished my review.

My smart scope script (hopefully coming out this weekend) will support the S30 pro.

I've taken a liking to astrophotography lately and want to take it up as a hobby. And, I'm torn between buying the s30 pro and the regular s30.

The s30 is good, but the s30 pro is better. I know that the s30 Pro has a lot better picture quality, the ability to capture star trails and Milky Way shots, and a wider field of view, but I don't want to spend $599 on a telescope. I'm not trying to become a big-time astrophotographer who will have a $5k set up in the future. I just want to do it as a fun hobby.

Should I spend the extra few dollars on the s30 pro, or should I just purchase the s30 for its lower price?

Edit: Thank y'all for all the advice. I think I'm just going to go with s30 Pro. I figured that it's probably better to spend the extra few dollars for all the extra features.

I was gonna get the s50 once the new year started but looking at what the s30 Pro offers its a no brainer to get the s30 Pro right? Especially for just $50 more, it seems like it would get cleaner and higher resolution shots than the s50

Hey everyone! I’m new to astrophotography and interested in picking up a”smart scope” to get started. I’m trying to decide between the Seestar S30 Pro or the S50. I’m primarily interested in deep sky stuff.

I’m a molecular biologist with considerable experience in microscopy, so I’m pretty comfortable with image processing, and that’s honestly a big part of what draws me to this hobby. I’d love to get a feel for the workflow and eventually work my way up to a full rig when my budget allows. But for now, I want something that’s easy to use and still gives me solid results while I’m learning.

I’ve read some specs and reviews of both of these Seestar models, but it’s still hard to tell what actually matters in practice when you’re starting out. So, for those who’ve used one or both:

Any noticeable differences in image quality, noise, ease of use, etc.? Anything I should know about accessories, software quirks, or post-processing differences? I will also add that I live in an area with significant light pollution (Bortle 9.0, lol), so pursuing this hobby will likely involve weekend camping trips to nearby areas, etc.

Appreciate any insight or personal experience you can share, especially if you’ve made this same decision recently. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm planning to gift myself a smart telescope. I'm new to all of this and this would be my first ever telescope. I see there are 3 options available with Seestar. I did some research online but just wanted to ask for your suggestions as well. Which one would be the best option for me? Thanks a lot!!