Telescope Comparison
Unistellar Odyssey vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro
The price gap is real. The question is whether the extra capability is worth it at your stage.
First light
Unistellar · 50mm · £799
The app-native deep-sky imager
- 50mm sensor-based smart telescope — no traditional eyepiece
- Connects to a smartphone app; the app selects, slews to, and stacks targets automatically
- Best for: faint deep-sky objects — galaxies, nebulae, star clusters built up over minutes
- Not for direct eyepiece viewing — every view is delivered on a phone or tablet screen
- 4.5kg compact all-in-one unit
Unistellar · 50mm · £1,299
The app-native deep-sky imager
- 50mm sensor-based smart telescope — no traditional eyepiece
- Connects to a smartphone app; the app selects, slews to, and stacks targets automatically
- Best for: faint deep-sky objects — galaxies, nebulae, star clusters built up over minutes
- Not for direct eyepiece viewing — every view is delivered on a phone or tablet screen
- 4.8kg compact all-in-one unit
The full picture
The numbers that separate these two scopes — and what they mean at the eyepiece.
Aperture
Equal light-gathering. Aperture won't settle this comparison — the mount, focal ratio, and observing experience are what differ.
Focal length
Same focal length — identical magnification with any given eyepiece. Differences come from optical design and coatings.
Focal ratio
Focal ratio is not meaningful for smart telescope sensor systems — the optics are optimised for the built-in sensor rather than interchangeable eyepieces.
Mount type
Same mount type — setup experience and ergonomics will be similar. Differences lie in build quality and included accessories.
Weight (OTA)
Similar optical tube weight. Any portability difference between these setups comes from the mount, not the tube itself.
Optical design
Both sensor-based smart telescopes — no eyepiece, app-controlled, live stacking. The differences are in sensor size, aperture, and companion software quality.
At the eyepiece
| Target | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Planets | ||
| Moon | Moderate 50mm aperture limits resolution; craters and maria visible on-screen but fine detail is soft compared to any mid-size visual scope | Moderate 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length show a full-disc overview on screen; major maria and large craters visible but no fine detail — more a wide-field portrait than a close-up |
| Saturn | Challenging 200mm focal length produces a very small disc; rings identifiable but no Cassini Division or band detail | Challenging Rings identifiable as an elongation of the disc in stacked images, but 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length yield a tiny image with no ring detail |
| Jupiter | Challenging Disc and Galilean moons visible, but 50mm aperture and short focal length yield minimal cloud band detail | Challenging Disc and Galilean moons visible, but cloud bands are not meaningfully resolved at 50mm/200mm |
| Mars | Not recommended Tiny disc even at opposition — 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length cannot resolve surface features | Not recommended 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length produce only a small orange dot; no surface features discernible |
Deep sky | ||
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Good f/4 speed and stacking reveal colour and nebulosity nicely, though 50mm aperture limits faint outer filaments | Excellent 200mm f/4 wide field captures the full nebula extent; narrowband filter enhances emission structure even under heavy light pollution; stacking reveals colour and detail quickly |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Excellent 200mm focal length frames the full extent of the galaxy; stacking reveals core, dust lanes, and companion galaxies | Excellent 200mm focal length frames the full galaxy; stacking reveals the core and hints of dust lanes, though 50mm aperture limits faint outer halo detail |
| Open clusters | Excellent 200mm focal length gives a wide field ideal for framing large clusters like the Pleiades and Double Cluster | Excellent 200mm focal length and wide field perfectly suited to large clusters like the Double Cluster and Pleiades |
| Globular clusters | Challenging 50mm aperture cannot resolve individual stars; stacking shows a fuzzy glow with brighter core | Challenging 50mm aperture cannot resolve individual stars; globulars appear as small fuzzy blobs even after stacking |
| Faint galaxies | Challenging Stacking can detect faint targets, but 50mm aperture limits surface detail to soft smudges for most galaxies | Challenging Stacking compensates somewhat for 50mm aperture, but faint galaxies remain dim smudges with little structural detail |
| Milky Way / wide field | Excellent 200mm focal length at f/4 is well-suited to sweeping rich star fields and large Milky Way structures | Excellent 200mm at f/4 is ideal for rich star field sweeps and large-scale Milky Way structures |
Other | ||
| Double stars | Moderate 50mm aperture and screen-based viewing limit resolving power; wide doubles split but close pairs will not separate | Moderate 50mm aperture limits resolving power to roughly 2.3 arcseconds; wide pairs split easily, but close doubles are beyond reach and the screen-based view lacks the aesthetic appeal of visual splitting |
| Astrophotography (deep sky) | Good GoTo tracking and automated stacking produce colour deep-sky images easily, but 50mm aperture and closed ecosystem limit what experienced imagers can achieve | Good Integrated GoTo and tracking with automated stacking produces shareable deep-sky images effortlessly; limited by 50mm aperture and lack of raw data access compared to traditional setups |
| Astrophotography (planetary) | Challenging 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length produce very small planetary discs with limited detail even with stacking | Challenging 50mm aperture and 200mm focal length produce tiny planetary discs with negligible detail even after stacking |
| Emission nebulae (narrowband) | Not applicable | Excellent The built-in dual Ha/OIII narrowband filter is the Pro's defining feature — targets like the Lagoon, Eagle, and North America Nebula emerge clearly even from Bortle 8–9 skies |
The real tradeoff
Both scopes are capable. The question is which one fits the way you actually observe.
Unistellar Odyssey
- You'll spend five minutes setting up in your garden, tap 'Orion Nebula' in the app, and watch pink and blue hues emerge on your phone screen over the next few minutes — zero learning curve, instant gratification.
- You'll accept that Saturn looks like a tiny pale dot and Jupiter shows almost no band detail, because what you gain is the ability to see colour in M42 and M31 from a Bortle 8 sky without any post-processing knowledge.
- You'll get a grab-and-go session that costs £799 and weighs almost nothing, trading aperture and eyepiece tradition for the speed of automated stacking and light-pollution mitigation.
Unistellar Odyssey Pro
- You'll spend the same five minutes setting up, but when you point at emission nebulae like M42 or the North America Nebula, the built-in narrowband filter will pull out contrast and detail that the standard Odyssey simply cannot match from a light-polluted location.
- You'll pay an extra £500 specifically for that narrowband filter and the automation it enables — if you're chasing planetary nebulae, Orion's fainter structure, and emission-line targets from the city, that cost difference is the entire point of the Pro.
- You'll still see planets as tiny, featureless discs and accept that your 50mm aperture means galaxies remain soft glows, but you'll get measurably better results on the deep-sky targets that matter most to you.
The dark side
Every scope has a personality. Here’s where each one gets difficult.
Unistellar
Unistellar Odyssey
No eyepiece exists — all observation is app-driven on a phone or tablet screen, which excludes anyone wanting traditional visual astronomy.
50mm aperture cannot resolve individual stars in globular clusters or pull structure from distant galaxies, even after minutes of stacking.
200mm focal length renders planets tiny on the sensor; Saturn and Jupiter show minimal detail compared to even a basic 70mm refractor used visually.
Lightweight integrated tripod is vulnerable to vibration during long stacks on uneven surfaces or in wind.
Closed ecosystem limits you to Unistellar's app and processing — no access to raw data or third-party tools.
Unistellar
Unistellar Odyssey Pro
50mm aperture is extremely small — light gathering is a fraction of even a budget 130mm reflector, and stacking cannot recover resolving power lost to tiny aperture.
No eyepiece or visual path exists — 100% of observing is through the app on a connected device, which may feel unsatisfying to visual observers.
200mm focal length means planets and smaller deep-sky targets appear very small with no meaningful surface detail.
Narrowband filter is permanently integrated and cannot be removed or swapped — you cannot optimise for galaxies or star clusters that would benefit from broadband imaging.
Image data is processed in-camera with limited access to raw unprocessed frames — experienced astrophotographers cannot perform independent post-processing.
£1,299 price is high relative to 50mm aperture; you are paying for automation and narrowband capability, not optical performance.
Which is right for you?
Two different buyers. Two different right answers.
The app-native deep-sky imager
Unistellar · Unistellar Odyssey
You'll love the Odyssey if you're a beginner or urban observer who wants colour deep-sky images without learning astrophotography, and you're happy viewing on a phone screen from a light-polluted garden. You need instant results, not planetary detail or visual eyepiece observing — the app-driven automation and light-pollution stacking are worth the trade-off. At £799, it fits a tight budget for smart imaging.
The app-native deep-sky imager
Unistellar · Unistellar Odyssey Pro
You'll want the Pro if you're chasing emission nebulae and planetary nebulae from Bortle 7–9 skies, and the narrowband filter's ability to isolate hydrogen-alpha and oxygen-III lines is worth the extra £500 to you. You accept the same 50mm aperture and app-only viewing as the base model, but you're willing to pay premium for measurably better contrast on emission targets from the city — that's the entire point of the Pro.
Our verdict
The Unistellar Odyssey is designed to get a new observer to the eyepiece quickly with minimal friction. The Unistellar Odyssey Pro assumes you already know what you want from the sky, or are genuinely willing to put in the learning time.
If this is your first telescope, buy the Unistellar Odyssey. You'll spend a year learning what you actually want, and those lessons are cheaper at £799. The Unistellar Odyssey Pro is the scope to buy when you've outgrown your first one and know exactly why you want it. If I had to choose for a first-time buyer: the Unistellar Odyssey.
Unistellar Odyssey
View Unistellar Odyssey →Unistellar Odyssey Pro
View Unistellar Odyssey Pro →Deep field: Full specifications
Every data point, for those who want to go further.
Full specifications
Fields highlighted in blue or amber indicate the better value for that spec. Data is manufacturer-stated and may vary.
How much can it see?
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
Aperture The most important spec — bigger = more light = better views | 50mm | 50mm |
Focal Length Longer = more magnification potential | 200mm | 200mm |
Focal Ratio Lower f-number = wider field of view; higher = more magnification per eyepiece | f/4 | f/4 |
Optical Design The type of optics — each design has different strengths | Smart Telescope | Smart Telescope |
Coatings Better coatings = more light transmission through the optics | Multi-coated optics | Multi-coated optics with dual narrowband filter |
How do you point it?
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
Mount Type The mechanical system that holds and moves the telescope | Integrated | Integrated |
GoTo Computer-controlled pointing — finds any of thousands of objects automatically | ||
Tracking Motor keeps objects centred as the Earth rotates — essential for astrophotography |
The focuser
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
Focuser Size 2" accepts wider eyepieces and gives better low-power views | — | — |
Focuser Type Rack-and-pinion is standard; Crayford and dual-speed are smoother | Motorised electric focuser with auto-focus | Motorised electric focuser with auto-focus |
Size & weight
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
OTA Weightⓘ Optical tube only — useful for comparing mount load capacity | 4.5kg | 4.8kg |
Total Weightⓘ Full setup including mount — this is what you lug to the car | 4.5kg | 4.8kg |
Tube Material | Aluminium alloy | Aluminium alloy |
What's in the box?
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
Diagonal Tilts the eyepiece 90° for comfortable viewing — useful on refractors |
Smart features
| Spec | Unistellar Odyssey | Unistellar Odyssey Pro |
|---|---|---|
Built-in Camera Records and stacks images automatically — no separate camera needed | ||
App Controlled | ||
WiFi | ||
Battery Included | ||
Sensor | 1/1.8" CMOS | 1/1.8" CMOS |
Sensor Resolution Higher megapixels captures finer detail | 4MP | 4MP |
Blue highlight: Unistellar Odyssey advantage · Amber highlight: Unistellar Odyssey Pro advantage · Greyed cells: equal or subjective.