Benro Polaris 3 Year Review - Was it Worth It?

3 years ago, I took a leap of faith and backed a project on Kickstarter for a revolutionary piece of gear: the Benro Polaris smart star tracker. Promising to change the game for astrophotography and landscape enthusiasts, it claimed to automate complex star tracking and timelapse setups like never before. But after all the anticipation, countless updates, and finally getting my hands on it, the big question remains: is the Benro Polaris living up to the hype, or is it just another gadget collecting dust on my shelf? In this video, I dive into my long-term experience with the Polaris-testing its features, weighing its pros and cons, and ultimately deciding if it's a must-have tool or just an expensive paperweight.
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[@gargamosch]

That looks pretty useful. Thanks! Will recommend that to a friend!

[@ZorroComputers]

799 USD. It's like two AZ-GTi mounts...

[@stevemeier7876]

Its good and could be brilliant if Benro did some updates and produced decent documentation. I have mine ...apart from the Fact the tripod in the video is rubbish for whats on it....its good product its just disappointing that benro have done no further updates and support

[@LosTigeros]

I can't use it properly with Canon R6mII. Almost always get shoot failed message and it stops everything. No matter how set up it is. For me, its just a >$1k paperweight.

[@johnmedany9294]

I just wish they hadnt started neglecting the firmware - its been over a year since they said the next update would have two star tracking rather than the single star tracking - this will fix most of the remaining tracking issues. I know they have been focusing on the theata but they really shouldnt neglect the the poaris - hopefully the reported incoming wave of stock over to the US / EU will stir some movement on this - its seems its a device that is either loved or hated (mostly reviews are positive and I've had no problems in 8 months - but I have heard from a certain proprtion of the founders that had to be swpped due to reaping 180 degree wrong rotation issue - I dont think it was a large number but it a percentage

[@nicolas50110]

Hello, thank you for the presentation video, at what distance can we control the head for use in animal photography? Can we remove the internal battery for transport by plane? THANK YOU!

[@cosmic_curiosity]

If you want the live video feed, the range is limited. You basically have to be next to it. The battery can't be removed unfortunately

[@adampoll4977]

Been using mine mainly for Milky Way astro-landscape panoramas (did play a bit with deep sky for a while, but not really my thing) and have found it to be completely brilliant. With my Sonys I have complete compatibility, and with a battery pack connected it runs both the Polaris AND the camera all night easily. Expensive, but probably one of my most satisfying purchases for photography.

[@cosmic_curiosity]

Absolutely. The price is steep, but it's a brilliant device