SVBONY SV555 Review: RedCat 51 Shootout (Tilt + Star Roundness Tests)
WATCH THE VIDEO
Why I reviewed the SV555
SVBONY sent me the SV555 to review, so I did what we do on Deep SkyLab: I put it through a real-world test as a travel-friendly widefield astrograph… and compared it to my long-time workhorse, the RedCat 51.
This isn’t a lab-perfect review. It’s a “would I actually take this on a trip, and do the stars behave?” review.
What I tested (quick version)
I tried to answer the beginner questions that actually matter:
Is it easy to set up and live with (travel score)?
How does it compare physically to the RedCat 51?
Do stars hold up across the frame?
Any tilt weirdness?
Can it produce a clean 1-hour stack without drama?
Notes after a week (the stuff spec sheets don’t tell you)
This is where I focus on the practical experience:
How annoying (or not) the assembly is
Whether the travel case feels legit
How “fiddly” focusing and framing feel in the real world
Whether this feels like something you’d happily set up again on a trip
Single still shootout (SV555 vs RedCat 51)
I do a quick side-by-side still comparison so we can look at:
Star shapes
Contrast / background handling
Any obvious edge/corner behavior
1-hour stack shootout
This is the real test. A single image can lie — stacking tells the truth.
I compare the two setups after about an hour of data so we can judge:
How quickly faint detail builds
What the noise looks like
How hard you have to push the stretch to get something pleasing
Tilt + star roundness
I include a tilt check and an “average star roundness” look because that’s what actually drives you crazy over time.
The goal isn’t “perfect optics” — it’s:
Can a beginner use this and get consistently good stars without spiraling?
Final thoughts (short verdict)
If you’re shopping in this category, the SV555 is interesting for one reason:
It’s aiming to be a travel-friendly widefield astrograph that can hang in the same conversation as a RedCat-style setup.
My recommendation in the video boils down to:
Who this makes sense for (travelers / widefield people / value hunters)
Who should skip it (if your priorities don’t match the lane it’s in)
Support Deep SkyLab
If these beginner-first, real-sky tests help you, you can support the channel here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/deepskylab
Business contact:
francisco@deepskylab.org
