Thanks for the review Trevor, this looks like a very promising mount. I feel like I have made it my mission in life to find the ultimate portable EQ mount, and this one definitely ticks a lot of my boxes.
Oh my God. I've been using the star adventurer for 2 years and I've been looking for a goto for me for a year. This will be it I think. Let the research begin!
Thank for the review Trevor - always enjoyable. I just pre-ordered the GTi on April 28 and am looking forward to my very first star tracker mount. Up until now, I have been using the motor drive that came with my Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ. It is a very basic motor drive, but it did help me get into astrophotography. I recently upgraded to a 70mmED doublet scope, so I am very pumped up and waiting for this mount so I can increase my exposure times and collect more data. I hope the shipping is not too delayed !
The bearings and structure of this design are very tough. Properly balanced you can easily extend the weight load beyond the 11 lbs to at least one-third more. The key is good balance and a very sturdy tripod. Do a thorough test of balance in the range of mount movement the photograph will be taken. Take nothing for granted, do the tests. Your biggest threat to doing this is wind, chose low wind nights. Extra or larger weight will be needed, this will enable you to keep the weight closer to the mount which limits axial inertia. Weight in this position acts like a stabilizer to the mount.
Hi there, im curios to find someone using over the payload with an ED80 and how it goes. Have you tried it at all with larger, how's the balance? I want to swap the RedCat51 for a skywater ed80 (4.1kg) with small guide and scope and dslr
Thanks Trevor, your work is wonderful and because of guys like you, there are a lot of fans of astrophotography (me included). I´ve been a frequent user of the Star Adventurer 2i, and today I received my brand new Star Adventurer GTI. A portable GoTo mount is a dream come true. Greetings from Colombia (South America)
I just received this mount a few days ago and got it all set up with my mini-PC, Canon RP camera and Samyang 135mm f/2.0 lens. Your review helped make up my mind awhile back and I also have an AZ-GTi version which gave me fits when I 'converted' it to EQ mode. This GTi mount makes things so much easier. I can't wait foe the 2023 Okie-Tex Star Party coming up next week to use it in the dark skies!
it looks more sturdy than the non-goto earlier trackers congratulations sky-watcher on the first goto tracker looking forward to seeing how it performs another high quality video trevor . great info cheers
I just wanna say thankyou for inspiring me to get into Astro photography, although I have an 11 year old dslr that’s really all I need and although it’s not the best I manages to stumble apon the Orion Nebula aboit a week ago and the amount of joy I felt when I zoomed in on the image and realised it was the Orion Nebula like you really have to do it yourself to feel how good it is to find something like that as a starter astrophotographer. I cannot Thankyou enough cause this is the best thing I’ve ever done. Thankyou, I absolutely love your videos, I hope I can get to your level one day.
Thanks Trevor! I always enjoy watching your channel and glad you did this short review on the new GTi. I just ordered mine, will be upgrading from the 2i.
Thanks for a great review. Very excited to buy one of these as soon as they become available. It will be a nice upgrade from the Az-Gti in EQ mode I am currently taking on my travels.
Ich habe es soeben ausgepackt und drehe fast durch wie grossartig das Ding ist. Vielen Dank für Deine Überzeugung von dieser Montierung. :-) Roger von der Schweiz
Great video. Looking forward to more as you continue to use this mount. Thanks for clarifying that it can be easily attached to a regular tripod. Nico touched on it in his review, but didn't really say specifically, so I wasn't sure if it required additional hardware to adapt to a standard tripod.
@@AstroBackyard the Sky-Watcher video cautioned to not use a standard tripod, but I assumed they meant cheap ones that are mostly plastic. I have two video tripods for my SA 2i that are each about 4-5kg, so even heavier than the one the SA GTI comes with. I can safely assume I'll be okay.
This is a product I wish existed 35 years ago when I used to do time lapse photography on film... I recently bought a telescope for my wife who loves looking at the moon, but I'm sure adding this to my wish list since I still prefer my SLR even though it is now a DSLR. Also cool to see review and immediately see a brick bungalow that just has to be in southern ontario and to hear the reviewer's ontario accent. Makes the review more trustworthy to me.
I have both the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer and SAM with all the mounting accessories. I use ASI for polar alignment and tracking. I spent more time aiming at my target. This will definitely cut the time on set-up and more time getting more frames.
I just ordered the GTi. Not sure why I am nervous about the purchase. I guess it is since this is my first dive into more serious astrophotography. I am excided and eventually will work my way up to a telescope and higher end mount. I wish I didn't have to drive 4 hours to get away from serious light pollution. I envy that you can do this in your back yard.
Having GoTo on this mount is an absolute game changer! I started out with the Adventurer 2i last year and trying to find certain targets in the sky without the ability to plate solve along with dim stars made for a frustrating experience.
GoTo is HUGE when you want to photograph anything other than the really big, bright nebulae! Ever tried to find and line up the Helix Nebula on a star tracker?
Can't wait to check this one out. I have been using the AZ-GTi in EQ for travel purposes and while it does the job ok it requires a lot of fiddling and tuning to get stable tracking. This looks a lot less janky.
I’ve been watching your videos for a while, and love your content. I’ve been looking at getting into the hobby and buying the 2i for a while and was just about to pull the trigger until I saw this. I’m glad I didn’t. This looks so much more robust for not much more. I have a standard carbon fiber tripod I use for normal photography. Any idea if a standard tripod for regular photography would be sturdy enough for this?
I used a feisol carbon fiber tripod with the 2i and approx 5.5kg of gear. It worked fine for 12 months and then the metal base suddenly broke in the middle of the night. Luckily i was stranding next to my rig so I could catch it. If you use a carbon fiber tripod, don't stretch out thr legs all the way and don't use it, the tripod to help yourself back up after polar alignment. Not that I did that everytime, but I did sometimes catch myself doing it. So make sure you don't, I'm certain that it accelerated the demise of my tripod. (It's payload capacity was 38lb)
I have the 2i and love the idea of being able to guide Dec as well. However, here in the southern hemisphere, fine polar alignment is a pita. If only the they had a package with an electronic polar scope like the iOptron Skyguider Pro. I won't be upgrading until there is an option that allows me to polar align without fuss.
Hey Trevor!! :-D "Why are you still using a hand controller!!" LOL 😀 This little mount is so nice looking! lots of great features/upgrades to the general quality of life from a "normal" star-tracker! Loved the video, as always dude :-) Keep up the superb work!
I bought mine in MidApril. It’s now July 22 and I’m still waiting for it. I just know if I cancel my order, I’ll find out that they’re being shipped. So… I wait. And wait. And wait.
Hi Trevor, you have inspired me to start looking into space so yesterday I bought my first telescope and looked at the moon and I was so surprised at the quality. Thank you. Jackmaglon
Trevor, It appears that at lower latitudes, the counterweight might interfere? I'm sure it clears the tripod and they've tested this, but that was one thing I noticed in the video. You do an excellent job breaking it all down and explaining it well for simple minds like mine. Thanks for sharing as always! I enjoy watching your videos! Give Rudy a pat on the head for me.
if its like other skywatcher mounts, the pin on the tripod that the az adjustment bolts push against can be put in a secondary spot in between the tripod legs, which would then clear at lower latitudes
@@Tim_the_Astronurd Thanks Tim! I did just look at the Sky Watcher page and as I was looking over the specs I noticed the image right above the table showed the shaft in a second hole position. I confirmed this after watching Nico's video. Thanks for sharing!
Great review! I was just trying out my new SA 2i this last week and thinking how much better of an experience it would be with dec control and goto capability. I should have waited and bought this instead!
That's an impressive piece of kit. In the UK. The release date is Summer. I will be replacing my SA with this advanced model. Having GOTO functionality will certianly make the hobby more enjoyable
3 Friends all just recently got their SA GTi and all 3 are having numerous issues with them. From badly designed parts such as the battery compartment, terrible connection issues with the app and the mount, badly designed polar scope light to the clutch seizing up so bad a hammer are needed to unlock it. The list went on!! Honestly, for a widely hyped mount, it seems more like a model 1.5 than a 2.0 !
Thanks. Especially since it looks like you were using an EOS R, RF-EF adapter, and the 300mm f/4.. I HAVE all that already! 🙂 Ordered the mount w/tripod for $740 today.
Great review, thanks! I am also disappointed with the 11 lbs payload. Although it likely can handle my current gear (~6 lbs) I am looking for a Go-To mount with a bit more than 11 lbs payload so I get some room for additional gear while still being portable. I am resisting on going into a heavy/cumbersome mount.
Yeah, the 11 lbs kind of surprised me too - but if you watched the SW launch video, they loaded it up with MUCH more weight (C6!) and it performed well!
Been waiting for this. I have put off buying a new mount because of how primitive the controls were and have been selling. Those Celestron controler look like something from the DOS age.
Very interesting mount. Fixing the main reasons why I never went for the star adventurer. As much as it is a great mount, the lack of DEC and GoTo limited it's uses for me. 1- being lazy. 2-planning multiple targets per night or mosaics. Still.. depending on your uses, the EQ-35 or EQ5 might still be a better starting point. Especially when adding the cost of a good tripod. the Synscan controller(which you might not need) and other bits, you're looking at $800-900. Getting close to "proper mount" money. Yes, you're missing out on the portability (which you might not even need), but gaining the weight limitations. And I "need" more. Cooled camera, asiair, guiding, filterwheel, maybe a dew heater, etc. Drawing quite a bit of power, So portability is basically "out the window" for me anyway. As I'd need a big battery for that already to run that for a night.. so being "off the grid" isn't high on my list of requirements. Either way, maybe a mount for the future, but right now I'm happy with my current ones
Thanks for this very informative video. As an amateur radio operator, I was wondering if in addition to tracking stars it could track the International Space Station and other various satellites?
To bad the red cat 71 with camera would be pushing the limit! Can’t wait for more fuller reviews by all 3 of you guys. Hopefully they correct the little things on this. Alan had a great one with the battery compartment screw, needs a lock washer on it so you don’t lose it. The polar cover is a bane with those.
Hey Trevor nice vid as always! One thing: would be nice to compare the new mount to the existing AZ GTI in eq Mode (for example with the sky adventurer latitude base) - seems the AZ GTI is even smaller and can do all the same things with the same payload. I’m using the latter one and am really happy with it!
I second that. I have a feeling that they would perform the same given the great deal of equipment lotto in this price point. For someone just starting out this seems like a great option.
Not sure if this is any help but I have an AZ-GTI that I so far have only used in AZ mode. I love it for visual but with my 3kg payload, it’s not able to track smoothly and many of my subs have trails from the correction manoeuvres it makes. It’s possible it won’t suffer as much in EQ but I think there will be similar issues as the star trails from corrections go in both axis. Maybe if you use a 2.5kg payload it’s better but I don’t know if I trust it. Many of my shots are also done at 640mm and I think the wobble is larger than my pixels when imaging something small. Could just be my example but I’d stick to visual
Hi Trevor - Thank you for posting this review. It has been helpful. Pls can you advise that how did you bolt your lens on the mount. I understand that you used a vixen style dovetail plate by William Optics. But how did you fix/bolt the lens on the dovetail plate. Is there any recommended brand of screws that you would advise us to use?
After you polar align then turn on live view on the camera, should Polaris be in the center of the live view screen or off center according to the position in the app? Thanx for the info.
Great video as always. I recently bought the GTi for my wife. Am struggling with how to implement "Go To". In your video it looked like you were using a phone app and instructing the mount to go to Sirius. The footage looks like there is the mount and just a camera body and lens. Do you need a tracking scope and a Pc to implement GO TO, or does the mount simply go to the Dec and RA coordinates?
First, I would like to say I do enjoy watching your videos, thank you for posting them. I purchased the 2i when it first came out and must admit the biggest issue for me is finding the target. I placed an order for the GTi when it was first available for pre-order as I real want a GOTO mount. Can't wait for its arrival to play with it. The only concern I have in my mind, which you didn't touch on in the video is calibrating the aiming of the camera to the mount. I "assume" you have to choose to aim at multiple stars / DSO's and do one at a time until you are calibrated. How difficult is this to do, finding the multiple stars / DSO's? I am sure after that it is cake.
Great video as always. But it does seem like you overhype the mount. I've heard others express problems with it, and it seems like you see none. Almost like this is a paid ad. Would love to hear more pros and cons in your next review. Clear skies!
Thanks for another well done video. It's really a shame that they didn't beef up the gears so it would support more weight. I can see people overloading this mount which will damage the gears in time. I understand they want to keep it portable but, at the end of the day, it's still just a tracker. My friend purchased an entry level Go-To EQ from Orion for close to this SW price but has a much heavier payload capacity.
Great review…… Man as of Aug 2022 this mount is almost impossible to find in stock here in the US. Must have search 30 or so sites. It seems to be out of stock in every store. But I got lucky and found one out of California. Also ordered a scope,the complimenting flatter/reducer and light pollution filter. Have the DSLR first thing I bought when I first started to follow you. Can’t wait to see what I’ve learned and put it to practice.
If this came out a year ago I probably would have purchased this instead of the 2i. That being said I still enjoy the 2i and learning how to locate objects in the night sky, I think its been great learning curve for me to understand locating objects. That being said this new mount will be a game changer for entry level astrophotography. For me though I will give it a pass as I want more payload capacity as I upgrade my setup and evolve my skills in this hobby.
Awesome vid and image at the end, good to finally see a new video from you. Oh yes I’m definitely getting one of these! I do a lot of holidays in the uk, lugging my heq5 setup I can just about fit everything in the car but this is going to be a game changer! What sort of battery time can you get from the 8 battery’s? Also I assume the asiair can be plugged In like the laptop?
Hey did you manage to find that snap cable. Do you know what snap cable to buy to use with Sony A7C camera (type c port). It seems nobody is able to make it work. I cannot find a cable in first place.
I need some help please! I'm trying to use my startracker with a DSLR camera in my backyard but it never seems to have the polar allining done right. I also cannot see any stars through the polar scope and it might be that polaris is covered by a tree. Whenever I "go to" it points at a completely wrong spot
Would this pair well with the William Optics Triplet APO Refractor and the William Optics 50mm Guiding Scope piggybacked? The OTA and guide scope only weighs 6.05 lbs combined. But I also have to consider my camera, autoguider, etc.
Hopefully they come out with a polar alignment camera that works with the app. I'm surprised they went with a standard polar scope. Definitely on my wishlist tho
This is a birth of a new generation in astrophotography!
I love that SkyWatcher is adding more mounts to their collection ( :
Thanks Trevor. This really looks awesome, being able to adjust and guide the Dec axis is such a huge step up. Can’t wait to upgrade to this version!
Thanks for the review Trevor, this looks like a very promising mount. I feel like I have made it my mission in life to find the ultimate portable EQ mount, and this one definitely ticks a lot of my boxes.
This one is pretty close to perfect in my books. As I said in the vid - I've been waiting for something like this for a LONNNGG time :)
Oh my God. I've been using the star adventurer for 2 years and I've been looking for a goto for me for a year. This will be it I think. Let the research begin!
missed the stream! is it really go to? I have the star Adventurer too and it's a real pain to manually find the target 🥲
@@priteshpardeshi5842 you can watch the Video now. ;)
@@drtools9226 thanks! just watched it 🤓
Thank for the review Trevor - always enjoyable. I just pre-ordered the GTi on April 28 and am looking forward to my very first star tracker mount. Up until now, I have been using the motor drive that came with my Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ. It is a very basic motor drive, but it did help me get into astrophotography. I recently upgraded to a 70mmED doublet scope, so I am very pumped up and waiting for this mount so I can increase my exposure times and collect more data. I hope the shipping is not too delayed !
The bearings and structure of this design are very tough. Properly balanced you can easily extend the weight load beyond the 11 lbs to at least one-third more. The key is good balance and a very sturdy tripod. Do a thorough test of balance in the range of mount movement the photograph will be taken. Take nothing for granted, do the tests. Your biggest threat to doing this is wind, chose low wind nights.
Extra or larger weight will be needed, this will enable you to keep the weight closer to the mount which limits axial inertia.
Weight in this position acts like a stabilizer to the mount.
Hi there, im curios to find someone using over the payload with an ED80 and how it goes. Have you tried it at all with larger, how's the balance? I want to swap the RedCat51 for a skywater ed80 (4.1kg) with small guide and scope and dslr
I want to be an astronaut when I grow up
Good for u
Do u have a telescope
🔭
All d best ❤
And I want the McRib to be available year round! We don’t always get what we want…
Great video Travor of the SA GTI goto mount , I enjoyed it , clear skies 🙂🌠
Thanks Trevor, your work is wonderful and because of guys like you, there are a lot of fans of astrophotography (me included). I´ve been a frequent user of the Star Adventurer 2i, and today I received my brand new Star Adventurer GTI. A portable GoTo mount is a dream come true. Greetings from Colombia (South America)
I just received this mount a few days ago and got it all set up with my mini-PC, Canon RP camera and Samyang 135mm f/2.0 lens. Your review helped make up my mind awhile back and I also have an AZ-GTi version which gave me fits when I 'converted' it to EQ mode. This GTi mount makes things so much easier. I can't wait foe the 2023 Okie-Tex Star Party coming up next week to use it in the dark skies!
it looks more sturdy than the non-goto earlier trackers congratulations sky-watcher on the first goto tracker looking forward to seeing how it performs another high quality video trevor . great info cheers
The wedge design is much sturdier (like a mini EQ mount) Thank you for the kind words!
I just wanna say thankyou for inspiring me to get into Astro photography, although I have an 11 year old dslr that’s really all I need and although it’s not the best I manages to stumble apon the Orion Nebula aboit a week ago and the amount of joy I felt when I zoomed in on the image and realised it was the Orion Nebula like you really have to do it yourself to feel how good it is to find something like that as a starter astrophotographer. I cannot Thankyou enough cause this is the best thing I’ve ever done. Thankyou, I absolutely love your videos, I hope I can get to your level one day.
Thanks Trevor! I always enjoy watching your channel and glad you did this short review on the new GTi. I just ordered mine, will be upgrading from the 2i.
Thanks for a great review. Very excited to buy one of these as soon as they become available. It will be a nice upgrade from the Az-Gti in EQ mode I am currently taking on my travels.
Ich habe es soeben ausgepackt und drehe fast durch wie grossartig das Ding ist. Vielen Dank für Deine Überzeugung von dieser Montierung. :-) Roger von der Schweiz
Great video. Looking forward to more as you continue to use this mount. Thanks for clarifying that it can be easily attached to a regular tripod. Nico touched on it in his review, but didn't really say specifically, so I wasn't sure if it required additional hardware to adapt to a standard tripod.
Yeah, no problem! Since the video, I've mounted it to a nice carbon fiber tripod that's a bit lighter and much taller! Works great :)
@@AstroBackyard the Sky-Watcher video cautioned to not use a standard tripod, but I assumed they meant cheap ones that are mostly plastic. I have two video tripods for my SA 2i that are each about 4-5kg, so even heavier than the one the SA GTI comes with. I can safely assume I'll be okay.
I have just pre-ordered mine. Can't wait to try it out.
This is a product I wish existed 35 years ago when I used to do time lapse photography on film... I recently bought a telescope for my wife who loves looking at the moon, but I'm sure adding this to my wish list since I still prefer my SLR even though it is now a DSLR.
Also cool to see review and immediately see a brick bungalow that just has to be in southern ontario and to hear the reviewer's ontario accent. Makes the review more trustworthy to me.
I have both the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer and SAM with all the mounting accessories. I use ASI for polar alignment and tracking. I spent more time aiming at my target. This will definitely cut the time on set-up and more time getting more frames.
Thanks! Great video introduction to what looks like a very promising portable sky tracker WITH GoTo. I am very interested in it now.
Thanks Timm! It is truly an amazing little tracker.
Alyn Wallace just uploaded too
I just ordered the GTi. Not sure why I am nervous about the purchase. I guess it is since this is my first dive into more serious astrophotography. I am excided and eventually will work my way up to a telescope and higher end mount. I wish I didn't have to drive 4 hours to get away from serious light pollution. I envy that you can do this in your back yard.
Having GoTo on this mount is an absolute game changer! I started out with the Adventurer 2i last year and trying to find certain targets in the sky without the ability to plate solve along with dim stars made for a frustrating experience.
GoTo is HUGE when you want to photograph anything other than the really big, bright nebulae! Ever tried to find and line up the Helix Nebula on a star tracker?
I've had my eye on a star tracker so I can go somewhere dark and not worry about lugging my main rig about. This is now the obvious choice!
This is literally exactly what I've been waiting for. I was not ready to drop 2k into the heq5 as I own no telescope and don't plan to get one
Can't wait to check this one out. I have been using the AZ-GTi in EQ for travel purposes and while it does the job ok it requires a lot of fiddling and tuning to get stable tracking. This looks a lot less janky.
well just ordered the head unit from OPT. been waiting for this for a while now.
Well I was just notified they shipped it. 4 months later. I figured it would take longer than that. Hope it works well with the Askar FRA 300 pro.
Glad to see you back! Great video!
Thanks for sharing Trevor!! Really considering this mount
I’ve been watching your videos for a while, and love your content. I’ve been looking at getting into the hobby and buying the 2i for a while and was just about to pull the trigger until I saw this. I’m glad I didn’t. This looks so much more robust for not much more. I have a standard carbon fiber tripod I use for normal photography. Any idea if a standard tripod for regular photography would be sturdy enough for this?
I used a feisol carbon fiber tripod with the 2i and approx 5.5kg of gear. It worked fine for 12 months and then the metal base suddenly broke in the middle of the night. Luckily i was stranding next to my rig so I could catch it. If you use a carbon fiber tripod, don't stretch out thr legs all the way and don't use it, the tripod to help yourself back up after polar alignment. Not that I did that everytime, but I did sometimes catch myself doing it. So make sure you don't, I'm certain that it accelerated the demise of my tripod. (It's payload capacity was 38lb)
It should be fine, yes. But when it comes to taking a 3-minute, tracked exposure - the more stable the tripod, the better!
@@AstroBackyard thanks for the reply! I just went ahead and pre-ordered the kit with the tripod from OPT. Can’t wait for it to start shipping!
I know its hard but can you please upload videos more frequently cuz they're just too good!!
Geez nice PR, looks like 3 of the most watched amateur astro photographers all have the same video review out at same time.
I'm new to Astro Photography. I do have Canon 100-200mm, 300mm and 600mm excited to purchase my new Sky-Watcher.
Do you need to use a guide scope/camera with this set up?
This + ASIAir Plus + Redcat 51 + 533MM Pro 🤤
Nicely upgraded Tracker! I would prefer to get a lightweight tripod. Otherwise beautiful setup. Thanks Traveor!
Thanks Ray! I have since mounted this GTi to a nice collapsable CF model - you're right, that's a better configuration. Clear skies!
I have the 2i and love the idea of being able to guide Dec as well. However, here in the southern hemisphere, fine polar alignment is a pita. If only the they had a package with an electronic polar scope like the iOptron Skyguider Pro. I won't be upgrading until there is an option that allows me to polar align without fuss.
As this has synscan/app control, I thought it did 3 star alignment from the controller????
@@bigjimny seems you actually can do 1, 2 or 3 star alignment. I somehow managed to miss that.
Hey Trevor!! :-D "Why are you still using a hand controller!!" LOL 😀
This little mount is so nice looking! lots of great features/upgrades to the general quality of life from a "normal" star-tracker!
Loved the video, as always dude :-) Keep up the superb work!
Ha! You caught that eh? :D Cheers brother - keep up the great work as well.
I bought mine in MidApril. It’s now July 22 and I’m still waiting for it. I just know if I cancel my order, I’ll find out that they’re being shipped. So… I wait. And wait. And wait.
Hi Trevor, you have inspired me to start looking into space so yesterday I bought my first telescope and looked at the moon and I was so surprised at the quality. Thank you.
Jackmaglon
Which one you bought?
Amazing. Clear skies my dude - all the best!
@@AstroBackyard I know right a clear sky is probably one of the most important keys to decent astronomy
I tried to buy this mount but every site i went to said i had to preorder and wont receive till 2023,so I couldn’t wait,I got the PMC-Eight iexos-100
Is there a sub $100 cad star tracker on the market
Do you use 2 screws to secure the lens collar to the dovetail plate?
Looks very attractive for us semi-portable guys.
Thanks Trevor, awesome review. Hopefully this will push Ioptron into offering something similar.
Trevor, It appears that at lower latitudes, the counterweight might interfere? I'm sure it clears the tripod and they've tested this, but that was one thing I noticed in the video. You do an excellent job breaking it all down and explaining it well for simple minds like mine. Thanks for sharing as always! I enjoy watching your videos! Give Rudy a pat on the head for me.
if its like other skywatcher mounts, the pin on the tripod that the az adjustment bolts push against can be put in a secondary spot in between the tripod legs, which would then clear at lower latitudes
@@Tim_the_Astronurd Thanks Tim! I did just look at the Sky Watcher page and as I was looking over the specs I noticed the image right above the table showed the shaft in a second hole position. I confirmed this after watching Nico's video. Thanks for sharing!
Great review! I was just trying out my new SA 2i this last week and thinking how much better of an experience it would be with dec control and goto capability. I should have waited and bought this instead!
Well, this will make my 500mm f/8 Nikon mirror reflex happy !
That's an impressive piece of kit. In the UK. The release date is Summer. I will be replacing my SA with this advanced model. Having GOTO functionality will certianly make the hobby more enjoyable
Mine just arrived! It still blinks haha
Going to make this my 1st tracker. Now if I can find 1.
3 Friends all just recently got their SA GTi and all 3 are having numerous issues with them. From badly designed parts such as the battery compartment, terrible connection issues with the app and the mount, badly designed polar scope light to the clutch seizing up so bad a hammer are needed to unlock it. The list went on!! Honestly, for a widely hyped mount, it seems more like a model 1.5 than a 2.0 !
Thanks. Especially since it looks like you were using an EOS R, RF-EF adapter, and the 300mm f/4.. I HAVE all that already! 🙂 Ordered the mount w/tripod for $740 today.
Thanks for posting videos for us newbies ✌️
My next astro purchase!! :) I can see my ZS61 sitting on that, for sure!!.
Great review, thanks! I am also disappointed with the 11 lbs payload. Although it likely can handle my current gear (~6 lbs) I am looking for a Go-To mount with a bit more than 11 lbs payload so I get some room for additional gear while still being portable. I am resisting on going into a heavy/cumbersome mount.
Yeah, the 11 lbs kind of surprised me too - but if you watched the SW launch video, they loaded it up with MUCH more weight (C6!) and it performed well!
Been waiting for this. I have put off buying a new mount because of how primitive the controls were and have been selling. Those Celestron controler look like something from the DOS age.
i have a question does this mount require alignment before go-to or is it similar to the AZ-GTI
Im glad it is here
Very interesting mount. Fixing the main reasons why I never went for the star adventurer.
As much as it is a great mount, the lack of DEC and GoTo limited it's uses for me.
1- being lazy. 2-planning multiple targets per night or mosaics.
Still.. depending on your uses, the EQ-35 or EQ5 might still be a better starting point. Especially when adding the cost of a good tripod. the Synscan controller(which you might not need) and other bits, you're looking at $800-900. Getting close to "proper mount" money. Yes, you're missing out on the portability (which you might not even need), but gaining the weight limitations.
And I "need" more. Cooled camera, asiair, guiding, filterwheel, maybe a dew heater, etc. Drawing quite a bit of power, So portability is basically "out the window" for me anyway. As I'd need a big battery for that already to run that for a night.. so being "off the grid" isn't high on my list of requirements.
Either way, maybe a mount for the future, but right now I'm happy with my current ones
Rip the old backyard man
Oh BOY. Right now their site just says “Summer 2022” - I’ve got a big trip scheduled for early June - hope it’s available by then!
Thanks for this very informative video. As an amateur radio operator, I was wondering if in addition to tracking stars it could track the International Space Station and other various satellites?
This with Redcat 51 makes sense for deep space ?
Thanks, exciting. Fills my Star Adventurer wish list. Seems quite a bit more bulky though with need for counterweights. Guess it’s the price you pay.
Yeah, a bit heavier - but more stable. So a trade-off. Still quite travel friendly though, I think you would enjoy this one ;)
Nice review! I just ordered mine that hopefully arrives somewhere in October due to shortages X_X
Very excited though what this mount can do!
Trevor, did you get a sense of how long a fresh set of batteries will last? Thanks. You have done a great informative review as always.
The Manual says about 30 hours. I'll always have 8 spare with me whenever traveling!
To bad the red cat 71 with camera would be pushing the limit! Can’t wait for more fuller reviews by all 3 of you guys. Hopefully they correct the little things on this. Alan had a great one with the battery compartment screw, needs a lock washer on it so you don’t lose it. The polar cover is a bane with those.
Redcat is 7lb and it depends in camera, my mirrorless is 1lb
can this mount fit the Nexstar celestron 8se?
Hey Trevor nice vid as always! One thing: would be nice to compare the new mount to the existing AZ GTI in eq Mode (for example with the sky adventurer latitude base) - seems the AZ GTI is even smaller and can do all the same things with the same payload. I’m using the latter one and am really happy with it!
I second that. I have a feeling that they would perform the same given the great deal of equipment lotto in this price point. For someone just starting out this seems like a great option.
Not sure if this is any help but I have an AZ-GTI that I so far have only used in AZ mode. I love it for visual but with my 3kg payload, it’s not able to track smoothly and many of my subs have trails from the correction manoeuvres it makes. It’s possible it won’t suffer as much in EQ but I think there will be similar issues as the star trails from corrections go in both axis. Maybe if you use a 2.5kg payload it’s better but I don’t know if I trust it. Many of my shots are also done at 640mm and I think the wobble is larger than my pixels when imaging something small. Could just be my example but I’d stick to visual
Hi Trevor - Thank you for posting this review. It has been helpful. Pls can you advise that how did you bolt your lens on the mount. I understand that you used a vixen style dovetail plate by William Optics. But how did you fix/bolt the lens on the dovetail plate. Is there any recommended brand of screws that you would advise us to use?
Waiting for this to go on sale
After you polar align then turn on live view on the camera, should Polaris be in the center of the live view screen or off center according to the position in the app? Thanx for the info.
You addressed everything but the most important topic - how good is the tacking?
Thank you
Thank you.
I think I’m going to go with this with a 70mm scope and tracking gear. As well as a airplus
The main game changer - autoguiding and DITHERING. Dithering is the biggest thing that will change the way how your pictures look.
@Trevor what dovetail mount are you using in this video? I was shocked that this didn’t come with one!
Thanks Trevor.
This looks promising i believe.
Great video as always. I recently bought the GTi for my wife. Am struggling with how to implement "Go To". In your video it looked like you were using a phone app and instructing the mount to go to Sirius. The footage looks like there is the mount and just a camera body and lens. Do you need a tracking scope and a Pc to implement GO TO, or does the mount simply go to the Dec and RA coordinates?
Could this Star Adventurer GTi have love with MAK150 ?
i love!!!!
want this!!!
First, I would like to say I do enjoy watching your videos, thank you for posting them. I purchased the 2i when it first came out and must admit the biggest issue for me is finding the target. I placed an order for the GTi when it was first available for pre-order as I real want a GOTO mount. Can't wait for its arrival to play with it. The only concern I have in my mind, which you didn't touch on in the video is calibrating the aiming of the camera to the mount. I "assume" you have to choose to aim at multiple stars / DSO's and do one at a time until you are calibrated. How difficult is this to do, finding the multiple stars / DSO's? I am sure after that it is cake.
Did you ever find the correct cable to connect your camera to the mount?
Great video as always. But it does seem like you overhype the mount. I've heard others express problems with it, and it seems like you see none. Almost like this is a paid ad. Would love to hear more pros and cons in your next review.
Clear skies!
Thanks for another well done video. It's really a shame that they didn't beef up the gears so it would support more weight. I can see people overloading this mount which will damage the gears in time. I understand they want to keep it portable but, at the end of the day, it's still just a tracker. My friend purchased an entry level Go-To EQ from Orion for close to this SW price but has a much heavier payload capacity.
Great review…… Man as of Aug 2022 this mount is almost impossible to find in stock here in the US. Must have search 30 or so sites. It seems to be out of stock in every store. But I got lucky and found one out of California. Also ordered a scope,the complimenting flatter/reducer and light pollution filter. Have the DSLR first thing I bought when I first started to follow you. Can’t wait to see what I’ve learned and put it to practice.
I just looked at B&H and it’s available next July😂
@@michaelelliott4975 Instock at Adorama. Ordered one last night and it shows instock today as well. In USA
@@fbrinson just tried and now back ordered. Thanks for the message I’ll keep looking.
@@michaelelliott4975 it still shows instock for me. The one with the tripod is out of stock tho. Are you in the US?
High Point Scientific has the mount in stock without the tripod.
Thanks ❤❤ i wait her with impatience❤❤
If this came out a year ago I probably would have purchased this instead of the 2i. That being said I still enjoy the 2i and learning how to locate objects in the night sky, I think its been great learning curve for me to understand locating objects. That being said this new mount will be a game changer for entry level astrophotography. For me though I will give it a pass as I want more payload capacity as I upgrade my setup and evolve my skills in this hobby.
Awesome vid and image at the end, good to finally see a new video from you. Oh yes I’m definitely getting one of these! I do a lot of holidays in the uk, lugging my heq5 setup I can just about fit everything in the car but this is going to be a game changer! What sort of battery time can you get from the 8 battery’s? Also I assume the asiair can be plugged In like the laptop?
Hey did you manage to find that snap cable. Do you know what snap cable to buy to use with Sony A7C camera (type c port). It seems nobody is able to make it work. I cannot find a cable in first place.
I need some help please! I'm trying to use my startracker with a DSLR camera in my backyard but it never seems to have the polar allining done right. I also cannot see any stars through the polar scope and it might be that polaris is covered by a tree. Whenever I "go to" it points at a completely wrong spot
Nice video, do you know what the battery life is? Thanx for the info.
Where can I get that dove plate with screw?
Any astrophotography tips for beginners
Would this pair well with the William Optics Triplet APO Refractor and the William Optics 50mm Guiding Scope piggybacked? The OTA and guide scope only weighs 6.05 lbs combined. But I also have to consider my camera, autoguider, etc.
Hopefully they come out with a polar alignment camera that works with the app. I'm surprised they went with a standard polar scope. Definitely on my wishlist tho
6:20 where is the bubble level?