eVscope with digital EP

[bomberbaz]

Has anybody come across one of these yet?

Unistellar eVscope 2 Smart Telescope with 7.7Mpixel Electronic Eyepiece by Nikon with BACKPACK - Rother Valley Optics Ltd

The previous version had only visual access by connecting with a phone/tablet or other smart device.

This version goes a step further by having a digital EP to enhance vision by Nikon (Quality goods usually) which has an optical native view at x 50 but you can digitally zoom up to x400 (x150 max recommended)

Think this would be a brilliant outreach bit of kit although somewhat expensive. Also seems it also works for light polluted areas so maybe this has found a niche in the market for city dwellers!

Edited June 26, 2022 by bomberbaz

[VNA]

Hello: For that price, one can get a very nice traditional scope!

It is a  digital EP experience, similar as looking at astro-images on one's computer!

Sorry!

[Guest]

The wife and I looked at one of those but still ended up with the Stellina.  With that said the reviews on the eVscope are quite positive.  We only opted to go with Stellina because you didn't have to tinker with the focus like you do with the eV.   Stellina is slightly more user friendly.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Mike Q

[cajen2]

I've looked through the eyepiece on an EVScope....all I (and everyone else who tried it) could say is 'wow!' Then just sitting and watching the image improve still further as it autostacked....a unique experience.

[DaveL59]

Someone local to me is selling one of these

Vaonis Stellina Robotic Smart Telescope ST80, excellent condition! | eBay

Different altogether I know, but in some ways having the display on a tablet so many can see at once might be even better?

I'm almost tempted to pop round and have a demo but tbh I can't justify the cost with the skies here being pretty awful of late.

[catburglar]

The first version of the evScope had a digital eyepiece but used an IMX224 detector so was limited to approx 1.3Mpixels. Then they released an ‘equinox’ version which kept the same detector but ditched the eyepiece. And now this evScope2 - chip is IMX437 with approx 4Mpixels but eyepiece gives 7.7Mpixels- so I guess they’re doing some ‘drizzle’ing but not seen an explanation online. 
 

All versions have option for phone/tablet image display with up to 10users at a time.

Personally, I think the evScope beats Stellina as a tool for different user types because of the Citizen Science angle- although that only adds value once the clouds clear.

[bomberbaz]

I have read a lot of reviews and other info about this and if like me you are into technology, you cannot fail but be impressed by it's versatility, ingenuity and general geek appeal.

I could quite easily be tempted into buying one of these for all the reasons above. However I worry that all of a sudden my other gear becomes surplus to requirements and I really don't like the idea that something so good could turn out to be so cruel.

That said, there would be some happy people looking through the for sale section on here. 😄

[Buzzard75]

I have one of the original eVscopes. It does have an eyepiece as has been mentioned. The eQuinox does not have an eyepiece. The new one has a different camera sensor and an upgraded Nikon eyepiece. All of them require the use of a phone or tablet to use. I have not looked through a new one yet to compare the quality of the image. I had posted an initial impressions in the review below and have made a few other posts since then. I don't use it as much as I probably should, but it is certainly great for public outreach. What isn't so great is the current asking price. It is extremely expensive for what it is in my opinion. Had I not gotten such a great deal through the Kickstarter project on the original, I honestly probably never would have bought one. As great of a company as they are with excellent customer service and a wonderful product, it pains me to say that I certainly wouldn't pay the price they're asking for one today. It is currently way overpriced, again, just my opinion. You can get a a much more capable system for a similar price and the end result will be much better quality. Were these going for their original quoted price point of $2000-2500, it would probably be a different story. But at double the price, the compactness of the form factor and convenience wouldn't worth it for me.

 

[Elp]

6 hours ago, cajen2 said:

sitting and watching the image improve still further as it autostacked....a unique experience.

You do realise you can also do this via pc software or on a mobile/tablet via an Asiair if you've got a AP setup? Fully understand that these autoscopes are much easier to use and have their uses.

[Ratlet]

I guess this is going to be a Mac Vs pc thing long term.  There will be people who want it to just work with no faff.

I'd imagine the digital eyepiece will be a big appeal since it will give an air of authenticity to the whole experience.  I could imagine if you've spent your life looking at Andromeda through an eye piece then seeing it resolve in incredible detail in a digital eyepiece would be a 'wow' moment.

[Elp]

I dunno like you say it will be an individual's experience, I struggle to see anything visually where I am due to light pollution, but when I do it sticks with me as that is what I'm seeing right at that moment in time with my own vision. I can take images all night long and I get a similar feeling once i've processed an image to reveal something with detail but it's a detached feeling, not the same at all.

[Buzzard75]

33 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

I guess this is going to be a Mac Vs pc thing long term.  There will be people who want it to just work with no faff.

I'd imagine the digital eyepiece will be a big appeal since it will give an air of authenticity to the whole experience.  I could imagine if you've spent your life looking at Andromeda through an eye piece then seeing it resolve in incredible detail in a digital eyepiece would be a 'wow' moment.

Andromeda not so much because it is massive and the field of view on these things is fairly narrow (34x47 arcmin). An object like Andromeda fills the sensor with the core and it has a hard time discerning what is background and what is galaxy so the processing algorithm has difficulty. Over a significant amount of time (10min+) you may be able to pick out the dust lanes, it just won't be as impressive as you would hope or expect. Now a nebula or a smaller galaxy, for sure. It can be pretty impressive and you definitely get a lot of 'wow', 'whoa', and 'omg' moments. Planetary nebulae are especially good with the various vivid colors. Show someone another galaxy that is tens of millions of light-years away and it can blow their mind.

[Ratlet]

24 minutes ago, Elp said:

I dunno like you say it will be an individual's experience, I struggle to see anything visually where I am due to light pollution, but when I do it sticks with me as that is what I'm seeing right at that moment in time with my own vision. I can take images all night long and I get a similar feeling once i've processed an image to reveal something with detail but it's a detached feeling, not the same at all.

Aye.  I know exactly what you mean.  I'm very new to this all but I remember seeing Saturn and it's rings and moons in 2012 with the Stargazing Live 'rush'.  I've seen god knows how many photos of the planets, but looking through and eyepiece I could feel the distance in my bones.

I originally wanted to get into astrophotography and I am.  Slowly.  However that experience and reading the observation reports on here has meant I've spent a grand total of about £80 on a guidescope and DSLR lens for astro and about £250 on a second hand mak127.  I want to learn how to take astroimages, but that's almost an educational thing if you know what I mean.  There's something very raw about a live observation and I don't think I'll get it imaging.

[Guest]

Seeing I have both a Stellina and a 10 inch dob I will toss this out.  Stellina will never replace my love of visual astronomy.  While it is very cool to see the images come alive through the stacking process, it is not as cool as tracking down that faint fuzzy that just barely shows up in the scope.  The other thing worth noting is some things just look better through the dob them Stellina 

[Guest]

I guess I should elaborate on that statement just a bit.  Two that come to mind right off the bat are the Ring Nebula and the Hercules Cluster.  To me, with my scope and my eyepieces those two objects just look better.   

[KP82]

This is primarily targeted at those who like to see DSOs in their digital image format but do not like tinkering with the gears. The same results are easily achievable with some imaging gears at a much lower level of cost.

[Robindonne]

11 hours ago, Ratlet said:

guess this is going to be a Mac Vs pc thing long term. 

More like “ watch the lunar eclipse on youtube vs see it live/real”

[catburglar]

5 hours ago, Robindonne said:

More like “ watch the lunar eclipse on youtube vs see it live/real”

I think the eVScope offers a bit more than this for some users. The ‘Citizen Science’ angle allows relatively easy entry into asteroid occultations, rotation light curves and exoplanet transits. 
 These things might be interesting projects for some and there was talk of allowing users to do some analysis of their own data rather than simply contributing data to the ‘professionals’ for analysis…Don’t know if that’s come to pass yet.

But I’d agree the price is a bit steep, and if you’re prepared to do a bit of the legwork yourself there’s nothing here that couldn’t be achieved in a more hands on/interactive way.

[catburglar]

Just now, catburglar said:

I think the eVScope offers a bit more than this for some users. The ‘Citizen Science’ angle allows relatively easy entry into asteroid occultations, rotation light curves and exoplanet transits. 
 These things might be interesting projects for some and there was talk of allowing users to do some analysis of their own data rather than simply contributing data to the ‘professionals’ for analysis…Don’t know if that’s come to pass yet.

But I’d agree the price is a bit steep, and if you’re prepared to do a bit of the legwork yourself there’s nothing here that couldn’t be achieved in a more hands on/interactive way.

I may be coming across as a bit of a Fanboy😁 Perhaps I’ll have to get one to try it out…

[Ags]

I think these things are the astronomical equivalent of the Singularity where the hobby evolves into a radical new form I no longer recognize. I feel they replace the visual experience with something that looks better, but which is really just another glowing screen displaying digital content.

[bomberbaz]

1 hour ago, catburglar said:

I think the eVScope offers a bit more than this for some users. The ‘Citizen Science’ angle allows relatively easy entry into asteroid occultations, rotation light curves and exoplanet transits. 
 These things might be interesting projects for some and there was talk of allowing users to do some analysis of their own data rather than simply contributing data to the ‘professionals’ for analysis…Don’t know if that’s come to pass yet.

But I’d agree the price is a bit steep, and if you’re prepared to do a bit of the legwork yourself there’s nothing here that couldn’t be achieved in a more hands on/interactive way.

I think there are some very interesting aspects of it which do appeal to me other than my fandom of ingenuity and geekiness. The citizen science aspect is of some interest to me ( I admit I haven't really looked into that aspect in detail yet).

My levels of understanding of science related matters, particularly physics has and indeed is still growing steadily boosted by my involvement with astronomy. Mainly via youtube and science documentaries from streaming sites. (There are plenty)

Something which allowed a more interactive experience could be of interest to a guy who is rapidly approaching that time of life when one has more time on their hands. 

I do agree with other contributors in that this is not a replacement for "at the eyepiece" astronomy but it is imho simply a different way of revealing the wonders of our universe. It compliments existing methods, don't look upon it as a replacement. 

Lets be fair, a single piece of kit that can be shifted hand held, involve up to 10 people including yourself and show more detail than you can ever hope to achieve in the traditional fashion is no mean feat. It has it's place. 

 

 

 

[Ricochet]

@Buzzard75 how long do you feel you need to allow the telescope to stack to get a "good" image? What if there are clouds? Does a cloud drifting across the field of view put you back to square one? 

[Pixies]

I was completely dismissive of these things when I first heard of them. Expensive and lower quality than proper AP and not the 'real deal' compared to visual astronomy.

Until I used one.

I was at Astro camp and was set up next to the older model with the electronic eyepiece. It was compelling to say the least. It was set up in a few minutes and queues were forming all night. Lots of people wanted to have a shot, with lots of 'ooh' and  'ahhs'. The most telling comment was when Joe Public saw M51 and loudly exclaimed - "Ah, that's what I was expecting to see!"

 

For public outreach, it would be a complete game-changer, especially in situations where the people setting it up might not be die-hard astro-photographers or EEVA experts.

I would get one if I could afford it (which I cant).

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Pixies said:

I was completely dismissive of these things when I first heard of them. Expensive and lower quality than proper AP and not the 'real deal' compared to visual astronomy.

Until I used one.

I was at Astro camp and was set up next to the older model with the electronic eyepiece. It was compelling to say the least. It was set up in a few minutes and queues were forming all night. Lots of people wanted to have a shot, with lots of 'ooh' and  'ahhs'. The most telling comment was when Joe Public saw M51 and loudly exclaimed - "Ah, that's what I was expecting to see!"

 

For public outreach, it would be a complete game-changer, especially in situations where the people setting it up might not be die-hard astro-photographers or EEVA experts.

I would get one if I could afford it (which I cant).

 

This is what you see at the local astronomy outreach program.  There will be people looking through the scopes right up until Stellina starts working.  Then the crowd shifts to the robot.  

[bomberbaz]

13 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

This is what you see at the local astronomy outreach program.  There will be people looking through the scopes right up until Stellina starts working.  Then the crowd shifts to the robot.  

meow meow 🤣