Dwarflab Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope Review - Portable Astrophotography for £500

What is the Dwarf 3?The Dwarflab Dwarf 3 could well be, a next generation Telescope, or perhaps a hybrid of camera & telescope. There are quite a few of these types of devices on the market now and in my opinion, fall into the category of Telescope+, or as I suggested before, the category of ‘Next Gen Telescope’. Dwarflab label the Dwarf 3 a ‘smart telescope’, which, I guess is, what it is. Whilst it does a lot of telescope things and the usage scenarios of the Dwarflab Dwarf 3 fall into telescope territory, it really looks nothing like a traditional telescope, nor does it look like a traditional camera. It has optics built in for looking at objects afar, but no optics for viewing. Viewing relies on the screen of your smartphone, which is similar to how some modern digital cameras work. The Dwarflab Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope is small, but heavy (mostly down to the built-in 10,000mah battery). It's not small enough to fit into a pocket, but does come with a really neat, padded carry bag with strap. Making it quite easy to take on walks or treks.What’s in the box?:The Dwarf 3 smart telescope comes with the smart telescope, a very well padded carry case (with a detachable shoulder strap), USB-C charging cable, lens cleaning cloth and a magnetic filter attachment for looking at bright objects like the Sun. All the stuff the Dwarf 3 comes with, fits neatly inside the included bag. Even better, there’s ample additional space inside the bag, for things like a large smartphone, car keys and maybe even sunglasses !! The bag itself also has tripod carry straps on the underside. Brilliant, as the Dwarf 3 is really going to need a tripod to provide stability and a sure footing on uneven terrain. Looking at the Dwarf 3 in a little more detail, it has a built-in base with a standard tripod thread for attaching Arca Swiss style tripod plates. The base has a non-slip rubber/soft plastic footing ring. In theory, you could possibly just sit the Dwarf 3 on an outside table or reasonably flat surface, and it would work fine (though I never actually tried that). Control of the Dwarf 3:There is only one button on the Dwarf 3 – power on. Everything else is controlled through the Dwarflab APP (via a smartphone or tablet) that can be installed via Apple and Android APP stores. Connectivity is via Wi-Fi, connection initiated through the Dwarflab APP and once connected, you are presented with quite a sophisticated APP that can update the Dwarf 3, control it, view instructions, take…