Completely hopeless iOS software. The telescope might have phenomenal optics, but so far, in 3 hours of trying, I have yet to get a single successful photo. I will edit this review if I figure it out, but i am not optimistic.

Updated March 2024- When I first bought the Dwarf II in Sept 2023, the software was atrocious- buggy and VERY unintuitive. I returned the Dwarf II to AMZ and got a full refund.

The company reached out to me and said they had done a major software rewrite and pleaded with me to try again with a new Dwarf II with updated software and if I still hated it, they would refund my money on the second one.

I finally got good weather to try last night. They sent me all new tutorials which I followed. The software is MUCH better! There are still a couple of areas that could use clarification in the tutorials, but in playing for about 30 minutes in the cold, I got some great photos Bear in mind that I am a total noob when it comes to astrophotography, so any decent result impresses me. I will attach 2 photos to this review. They are preliminary, and can prob be cleaned up a bit I bought TOPAZ Photo and TOPAZ DeNoise for just this

So, bottom line- I am retracting my 1-star review and changing it to 5-stars. I hope they keep working on making some of the tutorials a bit clearer, but even now, it is a very impressive TINY device!

The Dwarf II telescope is an amazing piece of technology integration that allows new and experienced astrophotographers to experience the joy of automatically capturing high quality space and terrestrial pictures. There is a manageable learning curve with is fun when you see the results. I advise new unexperienced (like me ïŠ) and experienced folks to learn about the scope, practice on a variety of targets. Also learning how to post process the images to help bring out the vibrant colors and reduce the noise. Attached is one of my first image of the Horsehead nebula which I did minimal post processing with my iPad 2. There are comprehensive YouTube videos to show you how, step by step, capture images and to post process with free and/or pay software. The free post processing software works great. I'm still learning the work flow.

The customer service is great to help walk you through issues as you learn the system. Wonderful and smart DwarfLab folks are quick to respond to any issues you have. I was part the user team of beta testers which has improved the Dwarf II app and firmware. The Dwarf lab team was very receptive to suggestions which has made vast improvements in the system. The DwarfLab team continues accept recommendations every day from the user community.

Bottom line, I highly recommend buying the Dwarf II Deluxe to realize the full potential of the scope with solar and sky filters, extra battery and other accessories. Remember, anytime you learn something new, no matter your age, is a good day!!! I think you will have a lot of goods days exploring the cosmos with many other folks!!!

No charger or USB cord is included. A USB c cord will fit,and can be used for charging the battery and transfer of images to a computer.
I haven't found instructions on how to take pictures of the night sky. That's an issue for me because I have no idea about how to go about taking pictures of stars and such. Fortunately there are You Tube videos that demonstrate how to use the Dwarf 2 to take pictures of the sky with this telescope. I am 72 years old and I grew up with old fashioned telescopes, and the first thing you learn is a good quality telescope is generally longer to image better, or larger diameter with a large mirror to gather more light to get better images of the night sky. Also the equipment is bulky, and numerous, and very expensive.
This is small, inexpensive, and less complicated than the "old school " equipment that I am familiar with. I was very interested in the fact that the pictures can be stacked to obtain cleaner more detailed images with such a small light weight telescope. I can't wait to take pictures of the night sky. Unfortunately, I live near a large city with extensive lighting at night. The light is good for security but not for viewing the stars. This means I have to drive to get away from the lights, but the equipment I need is all in one small bag, and that's a good thing. It makes it easier to take with me wherever I go. I will update this when I get the chance to take pictures with the telescope and view the images.
I think that if the app were to have a interactive tutorial that would take the user step by step through the photo taking experience while in that tutorial.

Update: Have a session with their support folks this weekend. Will report on progress.

UPDATE: Will be reaching out to tech support this week. The connectivity issue has got worse with my phone losing connection with the camera, even when right next to it. Problem was so bad yesterday that I could not get a shot setup without losing connection and had to start over each time. Wasn't able to get a single picture started. Hope to get this resolved because this device shows a lot of potential.

A new update came out for the phone app and camera firmware. So much better than previous version. The attached picture was taken without a filter in a neighborhood that was flooded with Christmas lights. I know the camera will do better when I get more practice and better locations! Just hope there are some new tutorials coming out explaining how to maximize the settings for better results. Only complaint now is that the wifi starts fading after a few hours of use in the cold. I love the fact that I can setup then go inside and drive the camera while staying warm, but after a few hours, it seems like the camera wants to come inside, too. Glad I purchased and will bump the rating to 5 stars if I can get the pictures out of it that I hope I can!

It is not often that I will rate something with five stars. I have been an amateur astronomer for over 60 years. Yes, I am old LOL. This telescope/camera is simply fascinating. No need to star hop to find an object. I have taken stacked images of Messier objects and other astronomical items that I was never able to locate back decades ago. There is a learning curve, but be patient and watch some good you tube videos on the Dwarf 2 and you'll soon be wondering the night skies along with our sun and moon. The Dwarf 2 is awesome in that you can set it up outdoors, sit inside where it's warm, drink your coffee and photograph the heavens. This helps an old geezer like me because I live in northern Indiana where it's cold and crummy most of the year :-)

The Dwarf 2 takes very nice photos of the sun and moon along with even more detailed imagery of both bodies when you "stack" the images. NEVER look directly at the sun and never aim the Dwarf2 at the sun without first adding the 2 1,000,000 neutral density filters. The Dwarf 2 is capable of time - lapse which will be pretty cool during the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

My area is laden with light pollution and the UHC ( Ultra High Contrast ) filter does amazingly well to filter this issue.

I would recommend that if you choose to purchase the Dwarf2 that you buy the Deluxe package. It is worth the added expense. Again, take your time learning to use this scope. It may seem overwhelming at first, but be patient it is well worth the effort. This scope/camera is light weight yet has a nice solid feel to it. A lot of engineering and design is in this scope. I am very impressed :-)