Hello, my name is Adam, and I'd like to know if the Seestar S50 is worth buying for deep sky or star cluster observing. I'd appreciate any opinion from people who own it or don't. I currently own a SkyWatcher 90/900 telescope
Is it worth buying the Seestar S50 for deep sky observation?
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No. Your current scope is way better than that, especially if you include visual observations in the whole package.
I do own an S50 as well as a Celestron 6’’ SCT.
I enjoy using both for different reasons.
I can obviously take better pictures with the C6.
But a Seestar can still produce nice images with enough integration time and good processing.
The main advantage of the Seestar is that you can take it absolutely anywhere.
I cannot do that easily with the C6.
Now, for visual observing, it all depends on what you want to do.
The S50 has a short focal length, so it’s best for large targets.
You’ll most likely be disappointed with the small ones.
At 250mm, you won’t be able to see the same targets as your SkyWatcher at 900mm.
Most clusters will be small, like most distant galaxies.
But it does have live stacking, which can sometimes be nice for visual observing if you’re into that.
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Visual observation is purely that: visual. No electronic middle man, just your eyes and the telescope plus EPs. You can't do that with the Seestar.
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Jean-David Gadina · Feb 11, 2026, 02:14 PM
I do own an S50 as well as a Celestron 6’’ SCT.
I enjoy using both for different reasons.I can obviously take better pictures with the C6.
But a Seestar can still produce nice images with enough integration time and good processing.The main advantage of the Seestar is that you can take it absolutely anywhere.
I cannot do that easily with the C6.Now, for visual observing, it all depends on what you want to do.
The S50 has a short focal length, so it’s best for large targets.
You’ll most likely be disappointed with the small ones.At 250mm, you won’t be able to see the same targets as your SkyWatcher at 900mm.
Most clusters will be small, like most distant galaxies.But it does have live stacking, which can sometimes be nice for visual observing if you’re into that.
thank you for your help and answers
andrea tasselli · Feb 11, 2026 at 02:25 PM
Visual observation is purely that: visual. No electronic middle man, just your eyes and the telescope plus EPs. You can't do that with the Seestar.
I fully agree, Andrea.
There’s indeed something deeply poetic about just looking through a telescope with your own eyes. An experience that cannot be replaced by a screen on a smartphone.
That being said, some targets are just too faint to be observed with one’s eye.
That’s where, in my humble opinion, a Seetsar may still have its place for observing.
It’s a completely different experience, and it’s definitely not for everyone.
But it still allows you to enjoy the night sky, which is what matters to me. Just in a different way.
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BigLizardAstro · Feb 11, 2026, 01:28 PM
Hello, my name is Adam, and I'd like to know if the Seestar S50 is worth buying for deep sky or star cluster observing. I'd appreciate any opinion from people who own it or don't. I currently own a SkyWatcher 90/900 telescope
Hi Adam,
To quote my Dad, “If you don’t try, you’ll always wonder.”
Your SkyWatcher 90 900 is an achromatic objective. And not recommended for Astrophotography. (See the specifications) So the two cannot be fairly compared.
I have seen what appears as some good images taken with Seestar systems. But it took time for good images to appear. They had to reach capable hands.
From where you presently are, I think a SeeStar 50 might be a good next step if you want to enter into Astrophotography. And certainly a more budget friendly step.
Because the big step into AP would require much more costly equipment.
The SeeStar is not for observing. It is for imaging and you will be observing images captured with it. One thing imaging has all over observing is the camera can take longer exposures. Your eye cannot stay open and focused long enough to gather the photons a camera sensor can.
So you are at a cross-over point between your SkyWatcher Visual telescope and entering into Astrophotography with a SeeStar system.
The SeeStar 50 is likely a next progressive step in being imaging. Observing is one thing. Imaging is an entirely different animal.
Do note that there are other companies offering their versions of “All-In-One” systems like the SeeStar, but at greater costs in the instances I’ve seen.
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BigLizardAstro:
Hello, my name is Adam, and I'd like to know if the Seestar S50 is worth buying for deep sky or star cluster observing. I'd appreciate any opinion from people who own it or don't. I currently own a SkyWatcher 90/900 telescope
It will get you nice images pronto. There are plenty of examples on this very website that show it's potential, bortle depending.
It won't do planetary though.
Think of smart scopes as the gateway drug to astrophotography.
If you have the funds, and the time, the interest* and the ability to install software
, get a more upgradeable set up. * I'm recently joined Interacting Galaxies Anonymous.
I don't think their advice of "buy a bigger scope and mount" is particularly therapeutic.
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LOL! The Gateway drug….
Not for me. I just stuck that 20 gage needle right in the biggest vain I could, and here I am many, many years later. 🤑
I am new to astronomy and I think an S50 is a great scope for beginning astro photographers.
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Parker Tankersley · Feb 21, 2026, 07:22 PM
I am new to astronomy and I think an S50 is a great scope for beginning astro photographers.
Thank you, I already bought it, it works very well
I got the S50 as a gift. I am not new to the field of Astronomy or through the Barlow observations, as I have enjoyed studying the field and observing the heavens for decades. I am quite new (Neophyte new) however at astrophotography and the S50 opened up a hobby I quietly wish I had picked up way before. It is quite the feeling looking at The Triangulum Galaxy or the Pinwheel through the lenses. Similarly the experience with astrophotography is quite intense in a different fashion as I am getting ready to add to my Astrophoto arsenal after 1 year of S50. Sheer observation and astrophotography are not by a longshot, mutually exclusive; and actually I find them very complimentary. Caveat Emptor: Astrophotography becomes quite the positive reinforcer of itself as you get better and better at immortalizing the million/billion miles traveled photons on your screen and photographs. It can also get quite expensive if not careful. I would say, enjoy the S50 and see where it takes you. By itself it is quite the little-big and very surprising machine punching way above its weight class. Good Luck. Keep us posted.
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Definitely worth it. I have two along with my now larger rig. They are portable, very easy to use and the app is pretty good. I’ve taken some wonderful images with them but don’t expect them to be the same quality as the big rigs. They are no good for planetary imaging, even though you can with certain techniques. Now that the Seestar S30 pro is available i’d go for that. A lot more features but in a smaller package and better sensor.
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Your current setup is good for DSO imaging. Having a Seestar S50 or any other smart telescope in the market is not going to give you better images. Frankly the Smart Telescopes are not an alternative to proper Astrophotography gears. Having said this the rise in smart telescopes is due to
For newcomers who do not know the fundamentals like polar alignment, Stacking and processing etc, it provides a quick and instant success
Incase you are a traveller, it becomes quite convenient to carrry the S50 and do some imaging remotely. A full setup is very difficult to transport
It is quite affordable. While a full gear can set you back anywhere from $2500 -$5000 depending on what you get, a Seestar around $500 is a good buy for the price.
I have two telescopes. Skywatcher 150P and Askar SQA 55 and also a Seestar S50. I use the Seestar more for my travel as it is portable. With the updatation of its Software one can use this in EQ mode which gives better long duration images and if you access all the frames you can stack it separately and processsing is better than the integrated option.
Hope this helps
All the best !
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