The Seestar S50 Pro (Smart Telescope)

The world of amateur astronomy has changed once again. First, the Seestar S50, ZWO’s original smart telescope may have been discontinued (it is sold out). However, on August 25, 2026, ZWO launched the latest smart telescope – the Seestar S50 Pro. This is a long anticipated upgrade to the Seestar S50 and a larger version of the Seestar S30 Pro (see our previous article on the S30 Pro).

  • S50 Pro vs. S50: The S50 Pro is a quadruplet with an ED lens vs. the S50, which is a triplet. It has a slightly longer focal length at 260 mm (880 mm equivalent) vs. 250 mm for the standard S50. The Pro has twice the storage (128 GB vs 64 GB) and a longer battery life (10,000 mAh vs. 6,000 mAh) than the standard S50. The S50 Pro has an improved sensor with 8.3 MP vs. 2.1 MP for the S50. It also has an upgraded drive system for better tracking. There are some similarities between the S50 Pro and S50. The telephoto sensors have a 50 mm aperture and a pixel size of 2.9um. The filters, a UV/IR cut and dual-narrowband, are the same for both.
  • S50 Pro vs. S30 Pro: The S50 Pro is much heavier, has a larger 50mm aperture (vs. 30 mm), a longer focal length (260 mm vs. 160 mm), and a smaller field of view than the S30 Pro. The S50 Pro has a longer battery life (10,000 mAh vs. 6,000 mAh) than the S30 Pro. Both are quadruplets with the same 128 GB storage, 8.3 MP, and pixel size of 2.9um. The filters, a UV/IR cut and dual-narrowband, are also the same for both.

The S50 Pro does have an upgraded sensor. However, it is not the Sony IMX585, which many expected and the sensor that is in the S30 Pro. ZWO has confirmed that a different sensor has been used for the prelaunch models and the same will be used in later production models. Cuiv, the Lazy Geek and The Space Koala have determined that the sensor is the Omnivision OS08B10 – an equivalent of the IMX585.

With the S50 Pro, you get a larger field of view than the S50. Because of this, you will capture more of the sky, although, objects will appear smaller than in the S50. However, if you zoom in or crop the S50 Pro image you will end up with the same size objects as with the S50. Note that the S50 Pro field of view is also smaller than that for the S30 Pro. Therefore, the S50 Pro is better at “zooming in”, while the S30 Pro is better for wider images.

  • S50 Pro: 2.8 degrees FOV and more pixels (2160 x 3860 = 8.3 MP).
  • S50: 1.46 degrees FOV and fewer pixels (1080 x 1920 = 2.1 MP).
  • S30 Pro: 4.6 degrees FOV and more pixels (2160 x 3860 = 8.3 MP).
  • S30: 2.46 degrees FOV and fewer pixels (1920 x 1080 = 2.1 MP).
Approximate FOV
Seestar FOV. Credit: ZWO.

The S50 Pro will operate in Alt/Az mode by default. It will, however, also operate in EQ mode, which avoids rotational artifacts and gives you cleaner images especially when taking long exposures. To facilitate this, ZWO supplies the HT10 fluid tripod head and TH10 3/8” screw quick release plate which can be purchased in addition to the S50 Pro.

The S50 Pro is around a pound heavier than the S50 (6.4 lb. vs. 5.5 lb.) and just under twice as heavy as the S30 Pro (6.4 lb. vs. 3.6 lb.) Because of this, the S50 Pro ships with an adjustable leg angle tripod for more stability in EQ mode. This tripod might be different than the tripod shipped with the S50 and the TC20 Tripod that can be purchased from ZWO.

Seestar S50 Pro. Credit: ZWO.
Seestar S50 Pro. Credit: ZWO.

One new feature, not available for the basic S50, is the Milky Way mode. This is a wide angle view that can be used for nightscape imaging. You can also “freeze the ground” to display the sky above the ground. The S50 Pro and the S30 Pro have identical sensors for these wide angle images. Both have a 1.6um pixel size along with 2160 x 3840 = 8.3 MP. The wide-angle aperture is 3.4 mm with a focal length of 6 mm (35 mm equivalent) giving a field of view of 63 degrees.

Cygnus with labels
Cygnus from Seestar app.
Cygnus processed in Siril

The above are images from the S30 Pro. They will be replaced with those from the S50 Pro once we have one. Although they should be identical.

The Seestar app has a sky atlas, which makes it easy to find and locate objects. The app allows you to view a live stacking, which shows the stacked images as they are taken. You can also go back in and re-stack your images for better results. In either case, you should use the AI Enhance option to clean up and process your images within the Seestar app. However, using a third party software such as AstroWizard, Siril, or PixInsight helps to bring out more of the image details. In any case, dark skies will definitely enhance your images – light pollution always gets in the way.

The Seestar app also has a convenient plan mode which allows you to set up an imaging plan for the entire night. Your Seestar will automatically move from object to object based on preset timings and it will auto focus before imaging each object.

S50 Pro Images. Credit: Joe Haberthier

For more information about smart telescopes in general, including the Seestars and those from Dwarf Labs, see our Introduction to Smart Telescopes. For a deeper dive into the Seestar smart telescopes, see our Seestar Smart Telescopes page.

Please note that FAS does not officially endorse or recommend this or any other telescope. We simply provide information that might be interesting and useful for the public.

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