Seestar S30 Pro vs Draco: which is faster for deep-sky imaging?

ZWO Seestar S30 Pro against DwarfLab Draco, 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 1.3× 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 1.3× faster.

Field of view. The Seestar S30 Pro shows 3.99° × 2.24° 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 3.74″, 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 Seestar S30 Pro tops out at 60 s. That matters little from a city, where skyglow sets the floor, and a lot from a dark site, where read noise does.

Filters. Both carry a dual-band filter, which is what makes emission nebulae practical from a lit sky.

Specifications side by side

Timed on the same targets

Suburban sky (Bortle 6)

Rural sky (Bortle 3)

Try the Seestar S30 Pro in the calculator Try the Draco

About the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro

The S30 optics upgraded to a quadruplet in front of an 8 MP IMX585. Same speed per pixel as the S30, four times the pixels, so you can crop hard.

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.

Other comparisons

All comparisons · Buying guide · Seestar S30 Pro page · Draco page