The DWARF mini is a small smart telescope that allows you to perform astrophotography of astronomical objects almost automatically. Instead of needing a separate camera, telescope, and mount, the equipment integrates everything into a single device that you control from your phone via an app.
You point it at an object—such as the Moon, the Sun, a nebula, or a galaxy—and the DWARF mini takes care of locating it, tracking its movement across the sky, and capturing the images. Additionally, it can combine multiple exposures to obtain photographs with more detail of objects that, to the naked eye, would be too faint to register.
DWARFLAB sent me one to test, and in this article, I will share my experience using it from my own terrace in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, from capture to final images.
🗂️ Table of contents
First impressions of the DWARF mini
Initial biases about the DWARF mini and smart telescopes
Before getting into the experience itself, I want to be honest about two biases I brought with me that real-world use ended up tearing down.
The first has to do with the name itself, "smart telescope". At first, it triggered a certain rejection in me because what is the point of a telescope through which you can't look at the target directly through an eyepiece? The idea that everything goes through a screen didn't appeal to me at all. But once I started using it, I stopped thinking of it as a telescope and started seeing it as what it really is: a camera for astrophotography. One that allows you to discover the secrets of the sky.
The second bias was about automation. It bothered me that the device "did everything for you": object search, capture, stacking, everything automatic. But with use, you realize that not everything depends on the little robot. You still make a lot of decisions before hitting the button: which night to choose according to the Moon phase and the weather, which object to photograph based on your location and the object's position in the sky, how many captures to take, which filter to use, what exposure to set, how to focus, how to edit the result later. At the end of the process, you really feel that that photo is yours. The combinations are endless and the final result always ends up being different, unique, and personal.
From landscape astrophotography to deep-sky astrophotography
As a landscape astrophotographer, I have always been focused on a more general panorama, that is, the starry sky and the Milky Way in all its splendor. Deep-sky astrophotography—galaxies, nebulae, clusters—always attracted me, but never enough to take the leap. The learning curve was huge, and so was the investment in telescopes, equatorial mounts, and specialized cameras.
The DWARF mini changed that. I never expected such a small device to awaken a passion in me that had been completely dormant.
What is the DWARF mini: main features and specifications
The DWARF mini is, for now, the most compact model in the DWARFLAB line of smart telescopes (the company has already announced its superior successor, the DWARF Draco), and it can be thought of as a reduced version of the DWARF 3.
It weighs less than 1 kg and integrates the optics, cameras, motorized mount, and processing into a single body, so it allows for astrophotography without a conventional telescope, without a separate equatorial mount, and without an external computer. Everything is managed from the DWARFLAB app.
Its telephoto lens has an equivalent focal length of 1016 mm in 35 mm format (this is not the actual physical length of the tube, but the angle of view equivalent to that focal length on a full-frame camera), combined with a Sony IMX662 sensor of about 2 megapixels. This provides a narrow field of view, ideal for zooming in on small objects in the sky.
Pointing and tracking are automatic, and a second wide-field camera helps the system orient itself and recognize the sky. You select the object from your phone and the DWARF mini takes care of the rest: pointing, tracking, and stacking the exposures to improve the signal and reduce noise.
The most striking thing remains the relationship between its size and its performance. It fits in a jacket pocket, but the technology inside it is anything but "mini."
What's in the box of the DWARF mini
The DWARF mini comes with just what you need to get started: the smart telescope, the user manual, a microfiber cloth to clean the lens, a charging and data cable, and a magnetic solar filter. The latter serves a dual purpose because, in addition to allowing you to photograph the Sun, it serves to cover the lens and create the darks, those reference frames used during stacking to subtract the sensor's own noise and clean the final image.
Real-world use of the DWARF mini: results and key features
First tests with the DWARF mini
The first time I put it to work was to create a timelapse (a video based on several consecutive photos) of the partial lunar eclipse—almost total—on the night of August 27–28, 2026. It wasn't an easy night; there were high clouds moving very slowly, and I noticed that the DWARF mini's automatic tracking lost precision when the Moon was momentarily covered. You can see in the final video that the image jumps a few times. Even so, the result surprised me. With the few frames where the Moon was clear, I was able to perform a stack and get a photo of the eclipse of a fairly decent quality.
It was right after that experience that I discovered the EQ tracking mode (equatorial mode), which would have solved the cloud problem because it is "blind" tracking, based purely and exclusively on the Earth's rotation once you calibrate the device, without depending on the object being visible at all times. Calibration requires pointing the DWARF mini toward the celestial south pole (or north, depending on the hemisphere where you are), a process guided by the app and quite simple, even for someone who has never calibrated an equatorial mount in their life. My feeling, still without having done an exact side-by-side comparison, is that tracking in EQ mode gives better results than automatic tracking mode, especially in exposures of 30 seconds or more.
The second night I used it, I pointed toward the Helix Nebula (C63)—better known as the "Eye of God"—and that was my first photograph of a nebula. I returned to photograph it on the following nights to get more details. I still find the result hard to believe.
Are the results of the DWARF mini real?
I confess that I doubted it at first. The first photos of nebulae and galaxies I achieved seemed too good to come from such a simple device to use. I even wondered if I was seeing images from some internal database or generated by artificial intelligence. So I did the test: I captured the Trifid Nebula (M20) on different nights, with different settings and filters, and compared the results.
Each image was different, consistent with the changes I had made. That confirmed that what I was seeing was real. The DWARF mini was effectively capturing light from the sky, not recycling data from anywhere else.
Workflow of the DWARF mini: capture, stacking, and post-production in a single device
One of the things I like most about the DWARF mini is that it resolves the entire workflow in one place: from capture to stacking and even a first edit, all from the same app. The device itself functions as a computer that processes all those tasks. In fact, you don't need your phone to be connected to the device once it starts working. It keeps working on its own, and you can "come and go", meaning you can connect and disconnect at any time without interrupting the capture and stacking processes.
For those who don't come from the world of deep-sky astrophotography, stacking is a simple technique in concept: instead of taking one long photo of a faint object like a nebula, many shorter photos of the same object are taken and then combined digitally. By adding them together, the noise of each individual image is reduced and the actual detail of the object—which is repeated in all shots—is reinforced. The result is a much cleaner and deeper image than what could be achieved with a single exposure.
Something I love about the DWARF mini is that you don't have to wait until the end of the session to see the result. The app shows you live, capture by capture, the accumulated stack up to that moment. That means you can see, in real time, how the object becomes clearer and more defined as the shots are added. It is one of the most addictive parts of the process, staring at the screen while a nebula that at first barely insinuates itself gains shape and detail minute by minute.
And once the capture is complete, it's time for the final touch with Stellar Studio, the post-production platform within the DWARFLAB app. The process is really fast and simple: tap the Album tab > then the Stellar Studio button > Choose your capture > click Standard (or the editing option you prefer) > click Automatic and confirm > Once processed, go back to the Task list > press the three vertical dots > and finally, Download.
For those looking for advanced editing in astrophotography post-production programs, DWARFLAB also allows you to download .FITS files (16-bit).
Mega Stack function of the DWARF mini: stacking between different nights
The DWARF mini takes stacking a step further with its Mega Stack function, which allows you to stack sessions taken on different nights of the same object. This is especially useful for those of us in Uruguay—which is cloudy 50–60% of the year—who rely heavily on the weather. If a nebula is left "halfway" one night due to clouds, low altitude in the sky, or simply lack of time, you can pick it up again on another night and add that data to the previous ones to continue deepening the detail. Mega Stack runs within the same application and takes several minutes or hours—depending on the amount to be stacked—but you can always leave the DWARF mini working on its own, without needing to be connected while it stacks.
DWARF mini and light pollution: results from an urban sky
I am using the DWARF mini from my house terrace, right in the center of Colonia del Sacramento. It is not exactly a dark sky; the area measures Bortle 6 ("high" light pollution), with the Milky Way practically invisible to the naked eye and between 200 and 500 stars visible to the naked eye on a clear night. A typical suburban sky, with light pollution present in most directions—especially toward the west, in the direction of Buenos Aires.
To compensate, I try to prevent direct light sources from hitting the lens and I point at objects when they are near the zenith, where the atmosphere is thinner and better detail is achieved.
Anyway, I decided to try my hand at the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). From my latitude, about 34° south, Andromeda barely reaches 14° above the northern horizon and remains visible in the sky for only about 6 hours, always passing through a dense layer of atmosphere. Even under such unfavorable conditions, the result was equally remarkable.
Duration and setup for an astrophotography session with the DWARF mini
I generally set up sessions of between 500 and 900 photos, with 15-second exposures each, which ends up resulting in 2 to 4-hour sessions per object. I don't extend them further because, with the Earth's rotation, the object keeps moving and eventually hides behind trees or drops too low on the horizon, where the atmosphere is denser and detail is lost.
DWARF mini battery life and power bank usage
The DWARF mini's internal battery lasts about 4 hours, enough for a complete session on one or two objects. When I want to take advantage of a clear night to keep capturing after the battery runs out, I connect it to a 20,000 mAh power bank, which adds another 3 or 4 hours. The DWARF mini can operate while charging. I usually leave it working outside all night (provided there is no rain forecast) and only bring it in the next morning. Once it dawned completely covered in dew and I thought I had lost that session, but surprisingly the lens didn't fog up and that night's capture came out perfectly.
DWARF mini limitations
As a photographer, there is one thing that leaves me wanting more: the final image size is small. I would like more detail, more resolution. That said, the result is more than decent for web and social media, and I always have the option of running the image through Lightroom's Super Resolution feature to enlarge it while maintaining quality.
Another limitation when composing the photo is that you cannot rotate the frame as you like. It is, perhaps, more of a need for a photographer than for an amateur. If that also bothers you, you might want to consider the new DWARF Draco, which will offer that function thanks to a rotating sensor.
What to photograph with the DWARF mini
Deep-sky objects to photograph with the DWARF mini: galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters
Galaxies
The mini's telephoto lens has a clear limit: small, distant galaxies, like C70 or the Sculptor Galaxy (C65), look quite small in the frame.
With these smaller galaxies, I still suspect that by adding more hours of exposure and taking advantage of the Mega Stack feature, quite a bit more can be squeezed out, even with such a small angular size. It's something I will continue to test, and I will keep this section updated with the results.
On the other hand, with larger galaxies like Andromeda (which I showed you above)—and probably with the Magellanic Clouds, which at this time of year are still very low from my location—the DWARF mini shines much more, as the larger angular size compensates for the telephoto lens limitations.
Nebulae
Where the DWARF mini really shines is with bright, large angular size nebulae, like the Trifid Nebula (M20), the Lagoon Nebula (M8), or the Omega Nebula (M17); there, the result is spectacular for the level of equipment we are using.
Star clusters
Another interesting target for the DWARF mini is star clusters, groups of stars that are held together by gravity and share a common origin. There are globular clusters (spherical or oval in shape) and open clusters (without structure and generally asymmetrical).
So far, I have only captured the globular clusters M4 and NGC 6144 in the same image along with the red supergiant star Antares, the brightest in the Scorpio constellation. For this photo, I used the DWARF mini's Mosaic function, which allows for a wider view in a 2x2 mosaic.
I can't wait to point at the famous open cluster The Pleiades (M45)—better known as Las Siete Cabritas in Uruguay—when the southern summer arrives.
The Milky Way
I haven't yet tried to capture the Milky Way itself with the DWARF mini. I've been using it exclusively from my terrace, where the open sky space is quite limited by the surrounding buildings and trees, so I haven't had the opportunity to frame a large enough portion to take a shot of the entire Milky Way. It's something I want to try as soon as I can go to a clearer place, and I will update this section with the results.
What solar system objects to photograph with the DWARF mini: the Moon, the Sun, and the planets
The Moon
The Moon is probably the easiest object to start with the DWARF mini, as it is easy to find with the GoTo and the result is immediate.
I have tested it for the lunar eclipse timelapse I showed you above, and also for specific shots of the Moon in different phases, where the lunar seas and craters near the terminator can be seen in good detail.
The Sun
To photograph the Sun, you must attach the solar filter that comes in the box, because without it, the lens concentrates light like a magnifying glass and can burn the sensor. With the filter attached, the DWARF mini allows you to see and photograph the solar surface, including sunspots when there is activity, all from the same app and without risking the equipment.
The planets
I haven't tested it with planets yet, so what follows is an estimate, not a proven result. Based on the DWARF mini's specifications, with an aperture of just 30 mm and an equivalent focal length of just over 1000 mm, my calculation is that Jupiter should appear as a small disk accompanied by its four Galilean moons, though likely without much detail in its atmospheric bands.
In the case of Saturn, it should be enough to distinguish its slightly flattened, oval shape, the result of its rings, rather than seeing it as a perfectly round disk. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune will likely just look like more or less bright dots.
As soon as I can test it with planets, I will update this section with real results.
DWARF mini buying guide
Who is the DWARF mini for?
DWARF presents it as a device designed to explore the sky as a family, and that's true: anyone with minimal tech savvy can surprise a child and awaken their curiosity about the deep sky. But after several weeks of use, I consider it especially useful for astrophotographers and astronomy enthusiasts who want to start exploring the deep sky without spending money on very expensive equipment—specialized telescopes, mounts, and cameras—before knowing if this is for them or not.
Where to buy the DWARF mini?
In Uruguay 🇺🇾
From Uruguay, the most convenient way is through Tiendamia using franchise, since the DWARF mini is worth less than USD 800 and falls under the franchise system.
Using the Tiendamia discount coupon FEFO-PLUS the final price remains in the range of USD 520.
🔗 Buy the DWARF mini on Tiendamia Uruguay
In the rest of the world 🇺🇸
For those who prefer to buy directly abroad, the DWARF mini is available in major technology stores in the United States.
🔗 Buy the DWARF mini on Amazon
Note: The DWARF mini stands firmly on its own on flat surfaces, but if you plan to use it on less stable terrain—the countryside or the beach—I recommend also buying the official DWARFLAB tripod. It is a significant difference for the stability of long sessions of several hours. It can be bought separately or, depending on the promotion, as part of a bundle along with the DWARF mini.
Conclusion: is the DWARF mini worth it as a smart telescope?
The DWARF mini gave me back something I didn't expect: the feeling of discovering the sky all over again, after years of photographing it.
It is a smart telescope that makes deep-sky astrophotography much more accessible, while still being a serious tool for those who want to delve deeper.
The "mini" fits it perfectly due to its size; regarding the technology it has inside, not so much.
Recommended astrophotography equipment
🔗 To see my recommendations on equipment for capturing astrophotographs, click here to see the list—no secrets—of the equipment I currently use for night landscapes, Milky Way photography, the Moon, and more.
Note: to keep the information accurate, this article is updated regularly. Prices may change at any time, so it is recommended to check the sites of the mentioned stores to get the current rate. The last update of this article is found under its title.
Transparency: as an affiliate of Tiendamia, Amazon Associates, and B&H, I receive a small commission for each qualifying sale made through the coupons and links I provide in this article. These commissions are used to fund my work as an astrophotographer and night sky advocate throughout the year. Thank you for your support!
