Is the Draco faster than the Vespera Pro?

From a Bortle 6 sky the Draco is 3× faster on the 30 most popular deep-sky targets; from Bortle 3 the Draco is 2.3× faster.

Which is better for small targets like planetary nebulae?

The Draco, with its finer pixel scale of 1.46″ per pixel.

Draco vs Vespera Pro: which is faster for deep-sky imaging?

DwarfLab Draco against Vaonis Vespera Pro, on the same targets from the same skies, using the same photon-budget model as the rest of the site. Times are for a solid image; the calculator gives quick-look and showpiece figures too.

Speed. Across the 30 most popular targets from a suburban Bortle 6 sky, the Draco is 3× faster (geometric mean of the solid-image times, each scope on its recommended filter and default subs). From a rural Bortle 3 sky the Draco is 2.3× faster.

Field of view. The Vespera Pro shows 1.62° × 1.62° against 1.66° × 1.24°, so big targets such as the Andromeda Galaxy, the North America Nebula and the Pleiades fit with room to spare where the Draco needs a mosaic or a tight crop.

Detail. The Draco samples at 1.46″ per pixel against 1.65″, so it pulls finer structure from small targets: planetary nebulae, globular cores, galaxy arms.

Subs and dark skies. The Draco goes up to 300 s subs in Pro Mode, the Vespera Pro tops out at 30 s. That matters little from a city, where skyglow sets the floor, and a lot from a dark site, where read noise does.

Filters. The Draco has a dual-band filter built in; the Vespera Pro does not, which costs it heavily on emission nebulae from any suburban sky.

Specifications side by side

Spec	Draco	Vespera Pro
Aperture	90 mm	50 mm
Focal length	340 mm (f/3.8)	250 mm (f/5.0)
Sensor	1/1.3″ 50 MP, 2 × 2 binned (DwarfLab does not name it), 12.6 MP	Sony IMX676, 12.5 MP
Pixel size	2.4 µm	2 µm
Pixel scale	1.46″/px	1.65″/px
Field of view	1.66° × 1.24°	1.62° × 1.62°
Sub exposures	30 s, 60 s, 120 s, 300 s	10 s, 20 s, 30 s
Dual-band filter	Built in (Hα + OIII)	Clip-on option (Dual Band filter)
“No filter” position	No filter	No filter
Read noise used	1.8 e⁻	0.8 e⁻

Timed on the same targets

Suburban sky (Bortle 6)

Total integration for a solid image from a Bortle 6 sky, default subs, recommended filter for each scope.
Target	Draco	Vespera Pro	Faster
Andromeda GalaxyGalaxy	1 h 12 min144 subs	3 h 16 min1,176 subs	Draco 2.7×
Orion NebulaEmission nebula	15 min30 subs	38 min227 subs	Draco 2.5×
North America NebulaEmission nebula	1 h 08 min136 subs	5 h 04 min1,822 subs	Draco 4×
Pinwheel GalaxyGalaxy	3 h 47 min454 subs	10 h3,727 subs	Draco 2.7×
Ring NebulaPlanetary nebula	15 min30 subs	17 min103 subs	Draco 1.1×
Western Veil NebulaSupernova remnant	1 h 13 min147 subs	5 h 32 min1,992 subs	Draco 5×
Hercules ClusterGlobular cluster	15 min30 subs	16 min98 subs	Draco 1.1×
PleiadesReflection nebula	2 h 13 min266 subs	6 h 03 min2,177 subs	Draco 2.7×

Rural sky (Bortle 3)

Total integration for a solid image from a Bortle 3 sky, default subs, recommended filter for each scope.
Target	Draco	Vespera Pro	Faster
Andromeda GalaxyGalaxy	27 min55 subs	1 h 23 min500 subs	Draco 3×
Orion NebulaEmission nebula	15 min30 subs	18 min111 subs	Draco 1.2×
North America NebulaEmission nebula	46 min92 subs	2 h 06 min757 subs	Draco 2.7×
Pinwheel GalaxyGalaxy	1 h 20 min160 subs	4 h 10 min1,501 subs	Draco 3×
Ring NebulaPlanetary nebula	15 min30 subs	10 min62 subs	Vespera Pro 1.5×
Western Veil NebulaSupernova remnant	50 min100 subs	2 h 17 min824 subs	Draco 2.8×
Hercules ClusterGlobular cluster	15 min30 subs	9 min53 subs	Vespera Pro 1.7×
PleiadesReflection nebula	48 min97 subs	2 h 29 min897 subs	Draco 3×

Try the Draco in the calculator Try the Vespera Pro

About the DwarfLab Draco

DwarfLab’s big scope: 90 mm of folded f/3.8 optics, the most aperture of any Seestar or DWARF, a narrow 13 nm dual-band filter and 300 s subs with built-in guiding. A small-target scope; big nebulae need its mosaic mode.

Where to buy the DracoDwarfLab store UK DwarfLab store US Amazon UK Amazon USThe DwarfLab store link is a plain link; the others are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

About the Vaonis Vespera Pro

The square-sensor Vespera with 2 µm pixels. Higher resolution than the II, and correspondingly slower per pixel: expect around double the time for the same per-pixel SNR. Run-out in 2026 and replaced by the Vespera Pro 2.

Where to buy the Vespera ProAmazon UK Amazon USAffiliate links: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Other comparisons

All comparisons · Buying guide · Draco page · Vespera Pro page