Seestar Should I keep it? - Forums

Topic starter

Jan 9, 2025

So I would love opinions, (strong and opinionated)

I have a a SeeStar S50, I have no real complaints about the device, however I also have a small rig I have built around an Askar FMA180, with an ASI585MC and SkyHunter mount, and OAG wit ASIAIR mini. I see lots of redundancy here and could use the extra cash to buy different gear, (Saving up for a mid to large refractor )

The ASKAR setup gives me a bigger FOV, and with the higher pixel resolution I can actually crop and still have the same SeeStar FOV with a bit higher resolution.

With the 2 setups being so close am I holding on to gear I dont need?

The FMA setup lets me do 60 second exposures pretty easily, because its EQ and guided, but it is 40mm instead of 50mm. However with the camera having a bit larger pixels, does this offset the smaller aperture? IDK

The SeeStar is so incredibly easy, if I just keep using it in alt-az mode, but also limits my images to 1080p vs twice that resolution with the 585. And this basically limits my exposures to 10-15 seconds.

The SeeStar is a bit more portable, but not a lot, however the Askar setup does let me slap a DSLR on the mount for milkyway and wider field. (Which then begs the question, should I also sell my star tracker) but thats for another day.

Me thinking out loud
Aperture = SeeStar
Camera = Askar setup
Mount = ???? Not sure
Portability = SeeStar
Ease of use = SeeStar
Filed of View = Askar setup
Max Exposure = Askar setup
Filters = Askar setup
Auto focus = Draw

I guess I am hoping someone can talk me into feeling like I am not missing out if I sell my Seestar, but I also hope someone can tell me why I might regret it.

Or the otherway around, someone convince me that the Askar setup is not really needed (I could likely get much more money for the Askar setup if I sold it)

Thoughts?

Craig

Jan 9, 2025

Clayton,

I have a SeeStar and an Askar FRA 600. I decided to keep my SeeStar for Lunar and Solar photography, and my other rig for deep sky. I love the quick easy setup of the SeeStar for those two targets.

Craig

Tony Gondola

Frequent contributor

Exemplary contributor

Jan 9, 2025

The Seestar is easy but a very limited system. I would sell it and use the money to continue to improve the rig you do have. You won't regret it.

Well Written

Minu

Jan 10, 2025

I don't mind having a Seestar alongside my big rig. I can run them both at the same time and capture an extra target as a side project. Though, I am limited to broadband images since my seestar has a fault when using its light pollution filter or any other one attached to it, and I live in Bortle 8. It still produces good images with good processing techniques.

Well Written Concise

Monty Chandler

Jan 10, 2025

it's a nice toy for traveling or sharing around a fireplace with people new to astronomy. Not a very useful setup for quality home astrophotography, imo. Cheers

Clayton Ostler

Topic starter

Jan 10, 2025

I can see that being a good combo. But my issue is that the rig is a ( small ) rig. So it's very similar to the seestar.

Thanks for your comments. I'm still in the fence.

Dmitriy Lazarev

Jan 13, 2026

In simple terms: personally, I’d keep the Askar rig and sell the SeeStar if you need money for a proper refractor.

Why the Askar rig makes more sense

You already have an equatorial guided setup with 60‑second exposures and an ASI585MC, which is a much more “growth‑friendly” system than the closed Seestar smart box.
The Askar rig is way more flexible: you can swap cameras, use different filters, mount a DSLR for Milky Way/wide‑field stuff, and play with field of view and image scale — Seestar just can’t compete there.
Seestar’s 1080p limit and 10–15 s subs are basically its hard ceiling, while with FMA + 585 your limits are mostly the sky and your patience.

When it is worth keeping Seestar

If you often go out light and want a “pull from bag → tap phone → image streams in” experience, then Seestar is a really handy grab‑and‑go toy.
For Sun/Moon and quick demos to friends/kids at a fire pit or dacha, it shines more as a fun gadget than as part of a serious imaging rig.

About “duplication” and regret

Functionally there’s a big overlap: both are wide‑field, short‑focal deep‑sky tools, but only one is open, modular, and upgradable — that’s the Askar setup.
If your goal is to fund a solid mid‑/large refractor, it makes more sense to convert the “toy” into cash and invest into the main system instead of owning two almost‑redundant instruments.

So, blunt answer: if you’re chasing convenience and astro‑toy vibes, keep Seestar; if you’re chasing progression in astrophotography, sell Seestar and double down on the Askar rig and future refractor.

Michele Rainville

Jan 13, 2026

when you stop using the seestar sell it.

Bill McLaughlin

Perfect post

Jan 13, 2026

Monty Chandler · Jan 10, 2025, 02:04 PM
it's a nice toy for traveling or sharing around a fireplace with people new to astronomy. Not a very useful setup for quality home astrophotography, imo. Cheers

Exactly what I have always said about these rigs. They definitely have their uses but serious imaging is not one of them.

Of course you could always get one of these……..🤣

Clayton Ostler

Topic starter

Jan 13, 2026

Michele Rainville · Jan 13, 2026, 01:42 PM
when you stop using the seestar sell it.

Thanks Michele. I think I may have reached that point. I tend to keep gear that I don’t use too often. AI appreciate your comment

Tony Gondola

Frequent contributor

Exemplary contributor

Jan 13, 2026

Bill McLaughlin · Jan 13, 2026, 03:11 PM
Monty Chandler · Jan 10, 2025, 02:04 PM
it's a nice toy for traveling or sharing around a fireplace with people new to astronomy. Not a very useful setup for quality home astrophotography, imo. Cheers
Exactly what I have always said about these rigs. They definitely have their uses but serious imaging is not one of them.
Of course you could always get one of these……..🤣

Wow, that’s a lot for a 6” telescope…