Is the Vespera II faster than the Vespera Pro?

From a Bortle 6 sky the Vespera II is 2.2× faster on the 30 most popular deep-sky targets; from Bortle 3 the Vespera II is 2.3× faster.

Which is better for small targets like planetary nebulae?

The Vespera Pro, with its finer pixel scale of 1.65″ per pixel.

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

Vaonis Vespera II 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 Vespera II is 2.2× faster (geometric mean of the solid-image times, each scope on its recommended filter and default subs). From a rural Bortle 3 sky the Vespera II is 2.3× faster.

Field of view. The Vespera II shows 2.55° × 1.44° against 1.62° × 1.62°, so big targets such as the Andromeda Galaxy, the North America Nebula and the Pleiades fit with room to spare where the Vespera Pro needs a mosaic or a tight crop.

Detail. The Vespera Pro samples at 1.65″ per pixel against 2.39″, so it pulls finer structure from small targets: planetary nebulae, globular cores, galaxy arms.

Subs and dark skies. Both top out at 30 s subs, so neither has an edge at read-noise-limited dark sites.

Filters. Neither has a built-in dual-band filter, so emission nebulae from a lit sky are slow going on both.

Specifications side by side

Spec	Vespera II	Vespera Pro
Aperture	50 mm	50 mm
Focal length	250 mm (f/5.0)	250 mm (f/5.0)
Sensor	Sony IMX585, 8.3 MP	Sony IMX676, 12.5 MP
Pixel size	2.9 µm	2 µm
Pixel scale	2.39″/px	1.65″/px
Field of view	2.55° × 1.44°	1.62° × 1.62°
Sub exposures	10 s, 20 s, 30 s	10 s, 20 s, 30 s
Dual-band filter	Clip-on option (Dual Band filter)	Clip-on option (Dual Band filter)
“No filter” position	No filter	No filter
Read noise used	1 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	Vespera II	Vespera Pro	Faster
Andromeda GalaxyGalaxy	1 h 27 min525 subs	3 h 16 min1,176 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
Orion NebulaEmission nebula	17 min103 subs	38 min227 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
North America NebulaEmission nebula	2 h 15 min813 subs	5 h 04 min1,822 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
Pinwheel GalaxyGalaxy	4 h 37 min1,661 subs	10 h3,727 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
Ring NebulaPlanetary nebula	8 min47 subs	17 min103 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
Western Veil NebulaSupernova remnant	2 h 28 min889 subs	5 h 32 min1,992 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
Hercules ClusterGlobular cluster	7 min44 subs	16 min98 subs	Vespera II 2.2×
PleiadesReflection nebula	2 h 42 min971 subs	6 h 03 min2,177 subs	Vespera II 2.2×

Rural sky (Bortle 3)

Total integration for a solid image from a Bortle 3 sky, default subs, recommended filter for each scope.
Target	Vespera II	Vespera Pro	Faster
Andromeda GalaxyGalaxy	34 min204 subs	1 h 23 min500 subs	Vespera II 2.5×
Orion NebulaEmission nebula	8 min47 subs	18 min111 subs	Vespera II 2.4×
North America NebulaEmission nebula	51 min306 subs	2 h 06 min757 subs	Vespera II 2.5×
Pinwheel GalaxyGalaxy	1 h 40 min602 subs	4 h 10 min1,501 subs	Vespera II 2.5×
Ring NebulaPlanetary nebula	5 min30 subs	10 min62 subs	Vespera II 2.0×
Western Veil NebulaSupernova remnant	55 min333 subs	2 h 17 min824 subs	Vespera II 2.5×
Hercules ClusterGlobular cluster	5 min30 subs	9 min53 subs	Vespera II 1.7×
PleiadesReflection nebula	1 h362 subs	2 h 29 min897 subs	Vespera II 2.5×

Try the Vespera II in the calculator Try the Vespera Pro

About the Vaonis Vespera II

A 50 mm quadruplet on an 8 MP sensor with Vaonis’s mosaic mode for wide fields. Same optics class as the Seestar S50, four times the pixels.

Where to buy the Vespera IIVaonis store Direct Amazon UK Amazon USThe Vaonis 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 · Vespera II page · Vespera Pro page