Optics/Sensor
The Dwarf Mini uses 30 mm f/5 triplet refractor optics for a 150 mm focal length (Siril says it’s closer to about 148.5 mm in practice based on my images). This is basically a very fancy finder scope—and many people find a 30 mm finder scope to be too small. However, by taking long exposures, the Dwarf Mini easily compensates for its puny aperture.
While the objective lens is a triplet, there is still some chromatic aberration when Dwarf Mini is pointed at brighter stars, which manifests as a slightly purplish hue to them. For the price, this really isn’t bothersome.
For its main camera, the Dwarf Mini uses the Sony IMX662 sensor, a 1936 × 1100 camera with 2.9 micron pixels (images are automatically cropped to 1920 x 1080 by software). The IMX662 is basically a cropped version of the Sony IMX585 sensor used on more high-end smart telescopes. It offers the same performance as the IMX585, albeit with a much narrower field of view. With the Dwarf Mini’s optics, the IMX662 sensor produces a sampling of about 4 arc seconds per pixel (about the size of Uranus) and a field of view of approximately 2.46° x 1.2°. For reference, here’s an uncropped image of the Sun (albeit downsampled due to the way Dwarf shoots solar/lunar images) to show what that looks like in the sky.
Due to the typical slight drift of Dwarf’s pointing during an imaging session and gradual illumination falling off towards the corners of the frame, you do need to crop images generally to around 1900 x 1000 pixels to get rid of ugly edges, which does reduce this field of view somewhat in practice.
While the low resolution of Dwarf Mini sounds somewhat disappointing, if it were to use smaller pixels (as the Dwarf 3 does), it would require substantially more exposure time.
Since it uses an uncooled sensor, Dwarf Mini’s performance is heavily influenced by temperature. Some nights temperatures are well above 80 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours, and there is definitely more noise than when I take the scope out on a colder evening.
With only ~2 megapixels of resolution, Dwarf Mini’s images are a little blurry when viewed at full size on a larger computer monitor or TV, for instance, but are for the most part still pleasing to look at. You can also make mosaics of larger objects to get around this resolution limitation—either manually, as I did with the image below, or by using the app’s built-in mosaic mode. Of course, doing either of these will require longer exposure time for a quality image.
In addition to the main objective, Dwarf Mini also has a wide-angle lens, which it uses to help it with initial plate-solving/alignment and can also be operated for time-lapse or star trail photos. If you use Dwarf Mini for terrestrial work, it is also helpful in getting the scope on target (such as to aim at a distant bird or whale). Like the main sensor, the wide-angle camera operates at 1920 x 1080 resolution.
Dwarf Mini comes with 4 filters, 3 of which are built into the telescope. One is for taking dark frames to better pre-process your images. The other two built-in filters are a broadband CLS light pollution filter and a dual-band filter for nebulae. The broadband filter is meant to cut out the worst city light pollution and also functions as a UV/IR cut, while the dual-band filter accentuates hydrogen-alpha and oxygen-III emissions by cutting out background sky brightness (both natural and artificial). You cannot shoot without either the broadband or CLS filters, not that this matters much. The built-in dual-band filter is great for sessions when you’re not around to supervise the telescope, since you can seamlessly switch from nebulae to other targets without pausing the session to physically attach and remove the filter.
Dwarf Mini also has an external solar filter that covers both objectives for solar imaging. It produces a yellow, natural view of the Sun and shows sunspots. However, the scope’s 30mm objective and 4-arcsecond-per-pixel resolution mean it cannot resolve fine detail on the Sun, such as granules.
Power & Connection
For how tiny they are, smart telescopes tend to draw a lot of power, and the Dwarf Mini is no exception. Its onboard battery can last for around 4 hours under ideal conditions, but in practice I do not generally trust it to maintain a charge for more than about 2 hours. Thus, it is pretty much always plugged into a portable power supply of some kind.
I use an EcoFlow River 3 for this. Even when imaging with both my Dwarf and Vespera at the same time, the EcoFlow has enough juice to make it through the night (barely—both telescopes do tend to switch to internal power shortly before sunrise), and I can recharge it with a solar panel the next day, which is great for star parties.
When mounted in its equatorial configuration, Dwarf Mini tends to throw the power cable around enough that it is largely immune to cord wrap, assuming the cable is long enough (I use a 10-foot/3-meter-long USB-C cable).
Unlike with my Vespera II, the Dwarf Mini’s USB-C port is both a power and data connection, so the image files can be transferred directly to my PC for processing with Siril.
Mount & Tracking
The Dwarf Mini can be operated in both an alt-azimuth (up/down and left/right) and equatorially mounted configuration.
- In Alt-Az Mode
For use in alt-azimuth mode, you can rest the Dwarf on a steady surface or attach it to a tripod.
When in alt-azimuth mode, the Dwarf Mini uses software to compensate for the field rotation inherent in making uneven stair-step motions across the sky. However, there are limits to this—exposures over 30 seconds are disabled in alt-az mode, and I find that going much over 10 seconds leads to the scope dropping many frames. Additionally, the edge of the field of view will gradually become smeared and useless, and your target won’t be framed the same each time you image it due to the changing angles involved.
- In Equatorial Mode
To put the Dwarf into an equatorial configuration, you simply tilt your photo tripod to aim the Dwarf towards Polaris. Once this is done, the app will take a quick image through the scope and tell you how close you are to proper polar alignment. Within 5 degrees is considered acceptable, but for best results, I aim to get within about 1 degree of Polaris. The app makes it very easy to do this.
Polar aligning the Dwarf Mini takes less than 2 minutes, and unless you find yourself lacking a tripod, it really is worth doing. Once polar aligned, the Dwarf Mini can take individual exposures as long as 3 minutes, though tracking tends to be imperfect and lead to smeared or dropped frames with exposures over about 90 seconds.
How I Set Up and Use Dwarf Mini with the Dwarflab App
The Dwarf Mini is extremely easy to set up for deep-sky imaging, although it’s a bit more involved than the setup process for my Vaonis Vespera. After starting up the scope, you can pair your device to its internal WiFi network via the app—the app automatically detects Dwarf Mini via Bluetooth and then connects your device to its WiFi network.
The Dwarflab app is significantly more complex than competitors. You can take videos and time-lapses—both through the main and wide-angle objectives—and point the scope in real time using joystick adjustments on the live viewing menu. The live viewing menu is also where you can preview your images as Dwarf Mini shoots and stacks each frame.
You can immediately start pointing the Dwarf at objects as soon as it’s connected to your phone/tablet, but I would recommend you always shoot in equatorial configuration for quality deep-sky images, which is what I’ve done for all of my images besides those of the Sun. Dwarf Mini uses plate solving to find out where it is in the sky once you’ve started it up—by taking short exposures of the sky and comparing them to an internal database, it can then locate anything you want to image with pinpoint accuracy.
Even though I keep a tripod outside semi-permanently aimed at Polaris, Dwarf Mini requires you to go through the entire polar alignment sequence each time you set it up, which takes around 3 minutes in total. Setting up for polar alignment also requires manually aiming at something in the sky first for the scope to take calibration images.
Dwarflab’s app has possibly the best target selection setup of any of the smart telescopes I’ve used. The catalog is extensive, and the “Atlas” menu allows you to view a live, planetarium-style sky chart similar to SkySafari, with the Dwarf Mini’s field of view overlaid on it. You can either select deep-sky targets in real time with Dwarf Mini or program them in advance. Choosing a target is extremely easy, and the atlas seamlessly integrates into the app’s sequence planning mode for capturing multiple objects in a pre-planned session.
If you manually select a target and start shooting, the telescope will remain on target and keep shooting until it is either obstructed by clouds/terrain or the images start being washed out by the brightness of the rising Sun. Selecting targets in real time also allows you to adjust the focus if autofocus stops working or slightly change pointing. Unfortunately, if you program your targets in advance, you have basically no control over the telescope until it stops shooting, which can be a problem if the autofocus isn’t dead on, for instance. Because of this limitation, to ensure reliable results, I usually pick one target to image manually until it’s time for me to go to bed and then switch to another object that I know will stay above the horizon until sunrise.
Dwarf Mini also has some asteroids and comets programmed into its database—although it’s hardly a complete catalog; you can, of course, add in objects yourself if you know their position. Unfortunately, the app lacks a dedicated stacking mode for these objects, so for clear images of fast-moving targets, you’ll need to process the individual FITS frames yourself with something like Siril’s comet mode.
By default, Dwarf Mini live-stacks images on-device and outputs a stacked TIF. This TIF can be edited in the Dwarflab app, which offers many of the basic capabilities you’d get in Photoshop or a similar image editing tool. However, for best results, it’s worth downloading the images to your computer and processing them with Siril or PixInsight. You can stack the individual RAW frames from the telescope yourself or simply use the pre-stacked TIFs.
I am lazy, so I usually just take the TIFs, which I usually obtain a few of for a given object over multiple nights, and then stack those in Siril. You can simply transfer all of the files from Dwarf Mini directly to your computer via a USB-C cable. If you download images directly to your phone/tablet via the app, they are saved as a JPEG.
After exporting the TIFs, I usually combine several nights’ worth of data from Dwarf Mini by stacking them within Siril. Post-processing is a pretty simple sequence of background extraction & color balancing → RGB align → cropping → denoising → sharpening → more denoising → VeraLux stretch → color balancing again. I would recommend aiming for 10 hours of exposure on most deep-sky objects with Dwarf Mini for best results.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Dwarf Mini vs a Traditional Star Tracker & Camera
At the price of the Dwarf Mini, the only other astrophotography setups available are either competing smart telescopes or a star tracker/DSLR, so it’s really somewhat unfair to compare it to a proper astrophotography rig. Compared to these setups, a smart telescope like Dwarf Mini is mind-blowingly easier to use and will get you much better results on your first nights of imaging.
Advantages of Dwarf Mini over a star tracker & DSLR/mirrorless
- Setup-to-imaging time is ~5 minutes instead of 20-30 minutes. Dwarf Mini automatically focuses, finds your target, and assists with polar alignment.
- Dwarf Mini is about the size of a DSLR camera body and lens by themselves—certainly more compact than a star tracker.
- Zero setup/maintenance frustration. No issues with dew, saving the wrong file format, or going off-target.
- Dwarf Mini’s comparatively high resolution vs. a wide-angle DSLR kit lens gives better close-ups of the most recognizable deep-sky objects and the Moon.
Disadvantages of Dwarf Mini vs. a star tracker
- Limited resolution and field of view—the 2-megapixel sensor of Dwarf Mini doesn’t create images that look stunning when shown on a TV or large monitor and can’t capture wide-field vistas of the Milky Way with the wide-angle lens as well as a DSLR can.
- Limited options for growth—a DSLR or mirrorless camera can be IR modded or become the basis of a larger, guided astrophotography rig and telescope. Dwarf Mini has no upgrade path.
- While capable of a surprising number of terrestrial purposes, Dwarf Mini’s utility for non-astronomical use is a fraction of what a regular DSLR/mirrorless camera can offer.
If you’re just getting into astrophotography, I think you will be a lot more excited by what the Dwarf Mini has to offer than the traditional route of a camera and star tracker, and the Dwarf Mini is sure to produce fantastic images even on your first night out. However, there is certainly utility in both setups.
Reliability & Software Updates (as of March 2026)
Dwarf Mini is, for the most part, quite reliable, and the Dwarflab app is regularly updated with new features/bug fixes. The biggest issues I’ve had with the app are failed polar alignment, failed autofocusing, and failed plate-solving.
Nearly always, these occurred during setup, and I was able to just start over. However, if you are trying to pre-program a sequence and cannot supervise the scope constantly, the possibility exists that focus or plate-solving may suddenly fail when the scope switches targets. I have had plate-solving go out on me once, for unclear reasons, out of around 30 imaging sessions.
Dwarf Mini rarely drops frames due to poor quality when in equatorial mode, and I’ve had substantially more autofocusing failures with Vespera II than with the Dwarf Mini (though on the whole Vespera is still pretty reliable).
Should I buy a Used Dwarf Mini?
Dwarf Mini was only released in late 2025, so used units are not common. However, there’s no DRM or similar firmware preventing a transfer of ownership, and Dwarflab customer service is excellent. As long as you can verify it works before buying, I see no problem with a used unit.
Aftermarket/Third-Party Accessory Recommendations
Dwarf Mini’s standard USB-C charging port will work with almost any decent lithium battery power supply that can supply at least 12 watts of power, but I would recommend one of the EcoFlow River units if you are planning on taking the scope anywhere for multiple nights in a row.
The included cable is also fairly short—a longer one, preferably 8-10 feet, is best to avoid cord wrap or other issues.
Almost any decent photo tripod will work with Dwarf Mini, and Dwarflab themselves sell a nice one to make shopping easier.
What’s best to image with Dwarf Mini?
While it’s tiny, Dwarf Mini can be used to image the Moon and Sun (the latter with the provided solar filter)—you have to manually aim the scope at either, and then the app will track and stack images in 20-frame bursts. I used this to create a nice series of photos of the March 3, 2026, lunar eclipse:
Of course, the main reason to buy one of these smart telescopes is to image deep-sky objects. Dwarf Mini’s low resolution and fairly wide field of view mean it’s best for big deep-sky objects like nebulae, open star clusters, and the largest galaxies.
Since I received Dwarf Mini in late February, many of my favorite galaxies have been starting to come up in the east late in the evening, so that’s what I’ve imaged the most so far. With more light-polluted skies, you are best off sticking to nebulae—employing the scope’s dual-band filter gets around the worst light pollution and can still produce pleasing images. Galaxies are best for darker skies, though all of the below images were taken under Bortle 5 conditions.
For good results with Dwarf Mini, you’ll want to shoot your target for at least 6-8 hours, often 12 or more depending on light pollution, temperature, and sky transparency. Most of the images with Dwarf Mini that I think are good are 10+ hours of total integration time. Dimmer targets closer to the Moon, sources of light pollution, or objects lower in the sky will need more time—the same is true on nights with poor transparency, damp air, or high temperatures, which decrease signal and increase noise. I have never had good luck with frames over 90 seconds of exposure—trailing occurs more often, and the scope has to reject more frames, with even the accepted frames tending to be less-than-sharp. However, 60-90 seconds is still far longer than you can do with altazimuth-only smart scopes like Vespera (limited to 20-second subframes in practice). I set my gain to 60 for all of my images.
