I am planing on taking a GTI to Sydney, Australia for the 2028 solar total eclipse. Never have I ever used a star tracker. Having purchased one almost four years in advance will provide me with a much needed opportunity to learn the trackerr and practice with it.
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
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 !
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!
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.
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)
Mine will be here saturnday! I'm so excited. I just got my first real setup. Redcat51, SW GTi, ASI585MCpro, ASI air, EAF. Can't wait to set this all up and get to shooting the skies
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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’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)
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.
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 !
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
I really enjoy your videos Trevor! ??Question?? What does “payload” mean exactly? Does it mean just camera/scope accessories? Or total weight combined including the counter wt and shaft, camera/scope accessories etc? Thank you Trevor!!! I also enjoyed your bird photo shoots, i learned a lot!
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!
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
Thank you for the review. My husband just got me the GTI for my birthday and I am just getting started with this new hobby. I was wondering what size plate you are using to connect your canon lens to the mount?
I want to thank you Trevor for all your videos. I have been watching your channel for years now. started with my T2i with a tripod and 14mm Rokinon. Now i just bought a Skywatcher GTI and a Rokinon 135 and a ZWO 533MCPro . have not had a chance to use it much yet but I'm looking forward to get some deep sky shots. I live in Lakeville NB bortal 3 sky. Thanks again Trevor. keep up the great work. Clear Sky,s
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!
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.
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?
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 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
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!
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?
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 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?
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.
Hi, Trevor. Thanks for the great video. How do you compare the new Star Adventurer to iOptron SkyGuider Pro? Which one do you recommend getting? I do not care about the go to function as I love finding subjects in the sky by myself.
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.
A very good review Trevor. I was planning to purchase HEQ5 Pro to enter into the astrophotography world. Now there is this new product. I have watched your review with great interest. I am now in a dilemma and it would be a great help to have your advice on the differences between the Staradventurer GTi and HEQ5 Pro. Are these in payload capacity, price and portability only or the Staradventurer GTi is a better product in its performance?
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?
Hi! Great fan of your videos! I’ve been slowly collecting stuff I need for starting the astrophotography. Heard about announcement of the new GTI and watched this video, the go-to feature had me sold!! Problem on the OPT site the tripod package is sold out. Should I wait for it to restock? Or just get the mount only and then buy own carbon fiber tripod separately? Let me know what you think!
Greetings Trevor. Do you know if Pole Master makes an adapter for the GTI as yet? Love the videos, always learning something from you. Thank you so very much and God bless.
Hi Trevor, Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy new year! Which tracker would you suggest between this and the 2i pro pack? The 2i is all manual right, the gti finds everything for you. Im looking for the gti on sale and not seein it, however I am seeing the 2i pro pack on sale for $570, $130 off regular price. I just want to start with something good and these 2 are probably the best to start with and compact. I just want to know which you'd pick and why? Thanks man! Have great holidays and take care. Cheers!
There both great it depends on your needs if you want a simple star tracker for either wide angle photography and dslr the standard one is perfect if you want to put a telescope on it you will want the go to feature as some objects can be very hard to find if your not an expert in the night sky
Great review Trevor, as always, and what an interesting product for Sky-Watcher to introduce. I have been waffling between the Star Adventurer Pro and, at a bit of a jump in price, an iOptron CEM26. This slides in between, which is nice, but the 11 pound payload and 8x AA batteries is disappointing. I would assume a USB power source can work with this?
There is a port that looks like for 12Volt cable at 8:08. It's really just like the AZGTi which I own , I never used AA batteries, just a 12 volt power adapter.
Hi Trevor! I’ve been watching your videos for a few years now and thank you for the information you provided that helped me to increase my Astrophotography skills. Having an original Star Adventurer myself, I have a question regarding the Star adventurer GTi. Have you tried it with the ASIAIR pro/plus? From an ASIAIR Pro user perspective I’m really interested to know how the new GTI integrates with the mighty ASIAIR. Thank you very much and have a great Easter time 🐇🥚
Hey Paulo - I will be running the GTi with the ASIAIR Plus soon (tonight actually). I'll post my results on IG/TW/FB. You should see this configuration in an upcoming vid!
Awesome videoand great content, quick question since the gti with the tripod isn't available anywhere neither the tripod by itself, can I use the ioptron tripod from the skyguider pro for the GTI head?
Hey Trevor, have you ever set up a permanent allsky camera? I just built one and it runs on a local web server. It automates a lot of stuff that would otherwise be a hassle. I built mine specifically to capture meteors nightly. When meteor showers happen it’s nice to just leave a camera recording and not have to worry about missing anything or worry about weather. If you don’t have one, I recommend it.
Thanks for this informative video. I think it has swayed me to this product. I'll be using a Canon Mirrorless APS-C camera. I haven't seen a video yet utilising a mirrorless thought. Any problems that you know of? With the App that you use, is that supported on iPhone and what was the name of it please, I missed it in the video. Thank you!
Hey Trevor, I stopped waiting to have room to store a visual scope and picked up a camera set up. Have put the gti on my Christmas list but opt over here by me and really all the distributors are still pre ordering. I don’t want my wife to have to track down something just to do something nice for me. Any idea or indication of when these are actually hitting shelves? If not, no worries. Love your work brother. Clear skies
Great vid! Would the usb allow connection to an ASIAIR in the same way you’d connect one to a go to mount via an RS232? That would mean you could plate solve and control the goto on ASIAIR. Clear skies!
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
This is a birth of a new generation in astrophotography!
I am planing on taking a GTI to Sydney, Australia for the 2028 solar total eclipse. Never have I ever used a star tracker. Having purchased one almost four years in advance will provide me with a much needed opportunity to learn the trackerr and practice with it.
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!
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
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 !
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 🤓
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 :)
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)
Mine will be here saturnday! I'm so excited. I just got my first real setup. Redcat51, SW GTi, ASI585MCpro, ASI air, EAF. Can't wait to set this all up and get to shooting the skies
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!
Great video Travor of the SA GTI goto mount , I enjoyed it , clear skies 🙂🌠
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.
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.
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 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. 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.
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.
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 have just pre-ordered mine. Can't wait to try it out.
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
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
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!
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’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!
Glad to see you back! Great video!
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!
I know its hard but can you please upload videos more frequently cuz they're just too good!!
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.
Thanks for sharing Trevor!! Really considering this mount
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'm new to Astro Photography. I do have Canon 100-200mm, 300mm and 600mm excited to purchase my new Sky-Watcher.
Thanks Trevor, awesome review. Hopefully this will push Ioptron into offering something similar.
This + ASIAir Plus + Redcat 51 + 533MM Pro 🤤
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 for posting videos for us newbies ✌️
My next astro purchase!! :) I can see my ZS61 sitting on that, for sure!!.
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.
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.
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.
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
Going to make this my 1st tracker. Now if I can find 1.
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
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!
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.
Thanks Trevor.
This looks promising i believe.
Hey Trevor, great review. I’m some glad weee getting away from those lcd hand box’s. Once it gets below freezing they’re useless.
I really enjoy your videos Trevor!
??Question??
What does “payload” mean exactly? Does it mean just camera/scope accessories? Or total weight combined including the counter wt and shaft, camera/scope accessories etc?
Thank you Trevor!!! I also enjoyed your bird photo shoots, i learned a lot!
Looks very attractive for us semi-portable guys.
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!
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
Thank you for the review. My husband just got me the GTI for my birthday and I am just getting started with this new hobby. I was wondering what size plate you are using to connect your canon lens to the mount?
Geez nice PR, looks like 3 of the most watched amateur astro photographers all have the same video review out at same time.
I want to thank you Trevor for all your videos. I have been watching your channel for years now. started with my T2i with a tripod and 14mm Rokinon. Now i just bought a Skywatcher GTI and a Rokinon 135 and a ZWO 533MCPro . have not had a chance to use it much yet but I'm looking forward to get some deep sky shots. I live in Lakeville NB bortal 3 sky. Thanks again Trevor. keep up the great work. Clear Sky,s
Alyn Wallace just uploaded too
Excellent overview , thank you.
Do you think there should be a munimum sensor requirement to the camera for such pics as you have taken?
You do want a decent mid range camera sensor to now have large pixels pop up
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
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!
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.
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?
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 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
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!
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!
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?
Im glad it is here
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 ;)
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.
Hi Trevor! Love the video! Quick question: does the GTI do automatic meridian flip? Thank you for your help!
Do you use 2 screws to secure the lens collar to the dovetail plate?
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?
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.
You addressed everything but the most important topic - how good is the tacking?
Could this Star Adventurer GTi have love with MAK150 ?
Trevor, thanks for the review. Could you tell me where you got your short dovetail, please? I'm not having any luck on Amazon.
Hi, Trevor. Thanks for the great video. How do you compare the new Star Adventurer to iOptron SkyGuider Pro? Which one do you recommend getting? I do not care about the go to function as I love finding subjects in the sky by myself.
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.
Excellent video, as I’m thinking about getting a tracker. What canon camera is the best for Astro in your opinion?
A very good review Trevor. I was planning to purchase HEQ5 Pro to enter into the astrophotography world. Now there is this new product. I have watched your review with great interest. I am now in a dilemma and it would be a great help to have your advice on the differences between the Staradventurer GTi and HEQ5 Pro. Are these in payload capacity, price and portability only or the Staradventurer GTi is a better product in its performance?
Well, this will make my 500mm f/8 Nikon mirror reflex happy !
Mine just arrived! It still blinks haha
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?
Hi! Great fan of your videos! I’ve been slowly collecting stuff I need for starting the astrophotography. Heard about announcement of the new GTI and watched this video, the go-to feature had me sold!! Problem on the OPT site the tripod package is sold out. Should I wait for it to restock? Or just get the mount only and then buy own carbon fiber tripod separately? Let me know what you think!
Rip the old backyard man
Good video. Any chance you could push the weight limit a bit and see what it's capable of at 5kg/11lb?
Incredible…I’m getting one!
Still waiting for fulfillment…appears to be very popular!
Greetings Trevor. Do you know if Pole Master makes an adapter for the GTI as yet? Love the videos, always learning something from you. Thank you so very much and
God bless.
Hi Trevor,
Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy new year! Which tracker would you suggest between this and the 2i pro pack? The 2i is all manual right, the gti finds everything for you. Im looking for the gti on sale and not seein it, however I am seeing the 2i pro pack on sale for $570, $130 off regular price. I just want to start with something good and these 2 are probably the best to start with and compact. I just want to know which you'd pick and why? Thanks man! Have great holidays and take care. Cheers!
There both great it depends on your needs if you want a simple star tracker for either wide angle photography and dslr the standard one is perfect if you want to put a telescope on it you will want the go to feature as some objects can be very hard to find if your not an expert in the night sky
Great review Trevor, as always, and what an interesting product for Sky-Watcher to introduce. I have been waffling between the Star Adventurer Pro and, at a bit of a jump in price, an iOptron CEM26. This slides in between, which is nice, but the 11 pound payload and 8x AA batteries is disappointing. I would assume a USB power source can work with this?
There is a port that looks like for 12Volt cable at 8:08. It's really just like the AZGTi which I own , I never used AA batteries, just a 12 volt power adapter.
@@ferenc-x7p Thank you Frank!
The main game changer - autoguiding and DITHERING. Dithering is the biggest thing that will change the way how your pictures look.
Hi Trevor! I’ve been watching your videos for a few years now and thank you for the information you provided that helped me to increase my Astrophotography skills.
Having an original Star Adventurer myself, I have a question regarding the Star adventurer GTi. Have you tried it with the ASIAIR pro/plus?
From an ASIAIR Pro user perspective I’m really interested to know how the new GTI integrates with the mighty ASIAIR.
Thank you very much and have a great Easter time 🐇🥚
Hey Paulo - I will be running the GTi with the ASIAIR Plus soon (tonight actually). I'll post my results on IG/TW/FB. You should see this configuration in an upcoming vid!
@@AstroBackyard. Many thanks Trevor, I’m looking forward to see your video 😀👍🏼
Nice video, do you know what the battery life is? Thanx for the info.
Awesome videoand great content, quick question since the gti with the tripod isn't available anywhere neither the tripod by itself, can I use the ioptron tripod from the skyguider pro for the GTI head?
Hey Trevor, have you ever set up a permanent allsky camera? I just built one and it runs on a local web server. It automates a lot of stuff that would otherwise be a hassle. I built mine specifically to capture meteors nightly. When meteor showers happen it’s nice to just leave a camera recording and not have to worry about missing anything or worry about weather. If you don’t have one, I recommend it.
Thanks for this informative video. I think it has swayed me to this product. I'll be using a Canon Mirrorless APS-C camera. I haven't seen a video yet utilising a mirrorless thought. Any problems that you know of? With the App that you use, is that supported on iPhone and what was the name of it please, I missed it in the video. Thank you!
Hey Trevor,
I stopped waiting to have room to store a visual scope and picked up a camera set up. Have put the gti on my Christmas list but opt over here by me and really all the distributors are still pre ordering.
I don’t want my wife to have to track down something just to do something nice for me.
Any idea or indication of when these are actually hitting shelves?
If not, no worries. Love your work brother. Clear skies
Great vid! Would the usb allow connection to an ASIAIR in the same way you’d connect one to a go to mount via an RS232? That would mean you could plate solve and control the goto on ASIAIR. Clear skies!