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I had no interest whatsoever in owning a telescope…until I saw someone on Instagram share a photo they took with the DWARF 3.
It was so incredibly detailed, it seemed like something you'd see in a documentary about the universe. And yet, the person claimed they took it in their own backyard, relatively easily.
The DWARF 3 is a smart telescope that turns amateurs into astronomers.
As a person who reviews gadgets and tech for a living, I wanted to test it out myself to see if this truly was a tool that anyone could use to get out-of-this-world photos (pun intended).
After about a month with this gadget, the results have been incredible, and this is one of my favourite pieces of tech I've reviewed in 2025.
DWARF 3 One Paragraph Review
Pros
- Simple to use
- Compact and light-weight
- Additional photography modes
Cons
- Some photo subjects can take hours
- Requires a tripod (for best results)
- A tiny bit of coaching through app is required
The DWARF 3 comes with everything you need to enjoy incredible astrophotography and view far away galaxies right in the comfort of your own backyard. Using the app, you can browse regions of interest in the night sky, and the telescope will automatically calibrate to view these things. It's incredibly compact and comes with a carrying case and accessories. While the telescope costs several hundred dollars, it's priced on par with similar products in its category, but it is arguably more user-friendly than the competition.
DWARF 3 What Can It Do?
This device has wide-angle and telephoto lenses to help you capture incredible moments in the great outdoors. Pairing those cameras with a Sony STARVIS 2 Sensor (designed to capture photo and videos in low light), even someone with no previous knowledge of photography or video capture can use this device confidently to capture many different things.
- Astrophotography: This is the main and coolest function (in my opinion). With the DWARF 3, you can snap incredible photos of far-off galaxies, nebulas, and other celestial objects.
- Timelapse & Auto Tracking: For cool videos showing the rising moon, the setting sun, the transformation of a home project, and more, you can set the DWARF 3 to capture timelapse videos or automatically track objects moving through the sky.
- Panoramas: Using the companion app, you can stitch together incredible panorama photos of the majestic landscapes around you.
- Birding/Nature Photography: Thanks to the previously mentioned Auto Tracking feature, if you spot a bird you want to snap a photo of or capture on video, you can quickly get the DWARF 3 to frame up and follow animals in nature.
How To Set Up And Use the DWARF 3 Smart Telescope
The DWARF 3 is very simple to set up and use.
For the best results, you will want to set up this telescope on a tripod. If you happen to have a tripod at home with a standard tread mount (1/4" UNC, for those familiar with the lingo), that will be sufficient. If you don't, you can order any cheap tripod on Amazon, and you'll be fine.
Pro Tip About Tripods
If you ARE going to buy a tripod, consider one that allows you to tilt the head of the tripod and has a gauge or label that shows the degree the tripod is tilted. Knowing the tilt angle will help you with some more advanced astrophotography down the road. I've bought a lot of tripods over the years, and after a quick Amazon search, I'll share a link to one that is super versatile, not just for your telescope but for a variety of photography needs. A big selling feautre is actually having the degrees of tilt labelled on the tripod, which will help you with the DWARF 3. It's pricier than other options, but looking at the feature to dollar ratio, I'd say this is a good value. NOT an ad. Including as helpful info.
To set expectations, seeing things like the moon in high detail is very easy and quick (you physically move the telescope and point it generally in the direction of the moon and you can get a great look at it through the app).
However, if you're hoping to look through the telescope and see cosmic views of nebulas instantly, that's not going to happen. The super cool photos that truly look like something shot by a satellite in space can only be achieved using long-exposure and stacked photography techniques.
This means you WILL eventually be able to see those things with your telescope, but for a good look at a nebula, it will take about 45 minutes of photos to be continuously taken every few seconds and stacked on top of each other (you don't have to do anything, it just runs automatically) before you'll get to see something decent on your app.
Beyond that, one additional consideration is powering the telescope. It has a built-in battery that, in my experience (shooting in the fall on cooler nights), lasted about five hours. Sometimes, I wanted to experiment with longer time-lapses or longer exposure times for some deep-space photography, and this required a portable battery.
I happened to have the Anker SOLIX C100 on-hand from a previous review. But I also tried it with a low-cost power bank, and that little one ended up giving me an extra hour-and-a-half of telescope time.
All in all, the setup is extremely simple and the only thing to be mindful of (beyond the weather conditions) is ensuring you won't lose power midway through your sessions.
DWARF 3 App Experience The Secret Super Power
The app experience is what makes all the difference with the DWARF 3 vs. a traditional telescope and is the main reason why you should consider a smart telescope if you're new to astronomy and want a shortcut to help you get the best look at the night sky as fast as possible.
- Home: The Home tab on the app shows you your connected telescope and allows you to navigate to the other main sections of the app (Atlas, Album, and Settings). You can also set a schedule for future astrophotography sessions (set an intended target and date) and quickly view the battery life and storage capacity of your telescope.
- Atlas: This is where the magic happens. If you're brand-new to astronomy, you have no idea what's in the night sky in your area. By tapping on Atlas, you can hold your phone up and move it around to scan the sky. It basically provides an overlay of the most interesting objects in space, based on your current location, labelling what they are and allowing you to focus your telescope on them with a tap. Additionally, there's a search menu that shows you a preview of recommended things to view and photograph.
- Album: This section allows you to manage the images that are on your telescope. You can create a Mega Stack (which combines images of the same subject from different sessions/nights to produce the best-looking photos). The Stellar Studio allows for specific photo editing features relevant to astrophotography images, like Star Correction (makes stars less streaky and more accurate to real-life if your telescope was jostled during a session), Star Removal (allows far-away stars to be more visible) and Denoise (give a true and better looking black tone to the night sky) functions to make your photos pop even more. And Pano Weave, which stitches together multiple shots of the night sky to produce an amazing vista!
The Settings tab covers off the rest of the basics related to your device controls and connection settings.
From the Home Page, clicking on "Photo" under the icon for your device allows you to get into the main controls and preview screen of your device. You can change modes (photo, video, astro mode, time lapse, auto capture, and more).
This is also where you can do all the manual stuff you like, including turning on object tracking, setting shutter speeds, gain controls, filters, focus, and more. However, if those terms sound like gibberish to you, don't worry. Just start in the Astro tab of your Home Screen, and all the main set-up and work is done for you.
The Bottom Line Is the DWARF 3 Smart Telescope Worth It?
For so many reasons, it's easy to recommend the DWARF 3 to anyone who has even the slightest interest in watching the moon and stars, is a photography enthusiast, or for anyone who just needs a new hobby.
This device is so light and compact. You can easily throw it in a backpack and it won't be a burden if you're out on a long hike for some nature photography or you're trekking away from the city to get a better look at the night sky.
Having said that, I've primarily used this telescope WITHIN the city. It's competing with constant car lights, street lamps, and all other noise pollution you could imagine in the suburbs, and this thing has performed amazingly well to capture jaw-dropping photos and videos.
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DWARF 3
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I hope the pictures speak for themselves, but I cannot emphasize enough how little I know about astronomy and how I have no skills or experience with a telescope. And yet, with the DWARF 3, I was able to get photos of nebulas and galaxies and the moon that look like they're from NASA.
Telescope pricing ranges a lot, depending on quality of build and what you're trying to see in the night sky. And while the smart telescope offerings are still emerging, the DWARF 3 is priced overall on the low-end of the telescope/smart telescope spectrum. But, in many cases, it is more feature rich than similar, more expensive products.
As you grow more comfortable with operating this thing, you'll slowly feel more confident overriding some of the manual settings to get results that are more customized to your taste. However, in the early days, the app guides you and does virtually everything for you, giving you instant satisfaction with your new hobby.
And one last point that I didn't really consider until I started using this: having a smart telescope has been an interesting way to connect with friends and family. When I show people the photos, the interest and excitement is instant. So, then, I suggest we plan an evening and go out for an hour or two together and capture some photos.
This has led to quality bonding time. You travel to a scenic spot. You set up the telescope. Bring a snack, and chat with someone whose company you enjoy, while glancing over at the live preview, as your photos of a far-away galaxy emerge deeper and more clearly.
The DWARF 3 is an excellent piece of technology and has been one of my favourite gadgets I've discovered this year.
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