iOptron SkyTracker Pro - Full Length Tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 12 фев 2018
- This full-length iOptron SkyTracker Pro tutorial covers everything you need to know, including how to add the counterweight kit.
We will cover: adjusting the polar scope to your eye, how to use the App, how to do a precise alignment, what all of the buttons do, and more!
You can read my full Star Tracker buying guide / tutorial here:
www.peterzelinka.com/blog/2017...
I've recently created a full length tutorial for the SkyTracker Pro, with over 10 hours of videos! This will teach you everything you need to know, from planning, to setting up the Skytracker Pro on location, and even post processing your photos!
Also, I will show you the proper way to use the counterweight kit, something I didn't do well in this video. We'll also look at the best way to use the Skytracker Pro for deep space Astrophotography, or wide angle nightscapes.
www.peterzelinka.com/ioptron-skytracker-pro-full-course
3:25 - Attach Ballhead to Star Tracker
5:02 - Adjust Latitude
6:55 - Precise Polar Alignment using "Azimuth Adjusting Knobs"
8:18 - Attach SkyTracker Pro directly to ballhead
10:06 - Button Overview
11:33 - Charging the Battery
12:18 - How to use the Button
14:09 - Attaching the Polar Scope
15:31 - Focusing the Polar Scope to your eye
16:56 - Using the Polar Scope to find the North Star
18:43 - How to use the Polar Finder App
19:53 - Counterweight Kit intro
21:17 - Dealing with the screws...
21:59 - Installing the Counterweight Kit
27:23 - Balancing the Counterweight
Peter Zelinka What kinda camera setup is that?
Hey man thanks for this. Could you also suggest a few tripod options that would be apt for this tracking system ?
Awesome tutorial. iOptron should just buy this from you, because this blows away their tutorial.
Thanks hahaha! That's why I decided to create this video, the official video and manuals weren't great
Peter Zelinka i think you nailed most parts...a question i have is when you are polar aligning and your lat is set how do get the vertical alignment without redialing lat.
Jazzzyjay Once you've got the latitude close, look through the polar scope. Usually the North Star is not exactly where you need it to be.
I double check the app to verify the correct north star position in the reticle, then readjust the latitude dial.
For example, if the North Star is too high in the polar scope, lower the altitude until it's in the right spot. I keep my eye fixed to the polar scope while doing the fine tuning for the latitude and left/right adjustments
In my upcoming star tracker tutorial I will cover this realignment process better
Peter Zelinka is this upcoming tutorial the one for sale on your website or are you dropping another RUclips video?
Without your videos, I wouldn't be purchasing the StarTracker. Nice work, and thank you! I'm looking forward to viewing the second part.
I’ve owned this for 3 years now and you’ve taught me something new. Thanks for the great tutorial
Wow. This is the best video I've been able to find on using this tracker. So many skip over the finer, more simple details, but for a beginner, you covered everything I've been missing on my few trips out. I've been thinking my tracker is defective because I can't get aligned properly, but you've got me excited to go back out there and do it right. Thank you for this!
Glad to hear it!
I recently purchased the SkyGuilder Pro and using your tutorial to jump start my learning curve. Thanks for the detailed info. Now, I just need a clear sky to try it out.
this is the best review i have found on the Skytracker! Kudos!
I just purchased the star tracker pro in your video was awesome! This is not only the best video I've seen on this product, but it's one of the better videos I've seen on any product. Thank you for being detailed but keeping it moving along. I just subscribe to your channel and we'll start looking at your other videos. Thank you!
I think you can move the attachment point for the counterweight bar up and down its 5 available holes, as you move it you will change the center of balance, put the heaviest end closer in, this would allow the weight from the other end to be more effective, allowing more or less weight on the ends and it should allow for the heavier equipment to be used.
You could also 3d print (if you have a printer) a adapter plate that will hold those ridges on the back of the bar, and even go around the bar for extra strength if it needed to be made that way, make the adapter plate go down to the screw holes that hold the entire thing onto the tracker, so when those thumb screws are in, they will hold it in place to keep it from slipping, this would also save the rubber part as what would be touching it would be solid, id even bet you could print the entire piece as a specific for that bar adapter and just not use the factory one at all. You of course would need this to be a very strong part, which is why i would make a adapter plate over a replacement part
Thanks for this video, I learned a lot from it. I've had an Omegon Minitrack LX3 for a few months and was using the ballhead that came with my tripod and found polar alignment difficult to say the least. So I bought the same mini wedge as in this video as it looks to be much easier to align with. Just waiting for some cloudless nights now to try it! Thanks again.
Thank You so much for this well made Video! The Infos with the Polarscope configuration and the App for the alignment of the north star were super helpful.
Thank you so much . I was really looking for this tutorial for months .
Wonderful walk-thru tutorial. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and you addressed many of my questions on using this device. Well done !
That's great to hear! Glad I could help!
i just bought that star-tracker a couple of days ago, thanks for your tutorial.
Great video that answered pretty much every single question i had as I get ready to go on my first skytracker pro night shoot :). ty. subbed
The tri-pod that iOptron sells is a very good match for these types of setups. I did find the counterweight kit to over-kill for this mount. I purchased the SkyGuider Pro and it has a much better counterweight system.
Thanks, man. This was by far the most helpful video I found on this tracker. It's first tracker, and the directions are just abysmal so needed this. Probably will return it and grab a meatier mount...
Glad I watched this before using the SkyTracker Pro for the first time. Great to know the Alt-azi adjusting base is actually very helpful. I'm only shooting night sky with a wide angle so don't need to worry about getting the counterweight balance kit. As for the Polar App - looks like I don't need such precision for my purposes. Bonus to know this will help with the next blood red fullmoon. Now extra keen to finally take my first night sky long exposure (weather permitting).
Excellent video 👍🏼 When you adjust the finder scope I suspect that wheel at 16:45 is used to lock the focus by winding it in towards the eyepiece end
Peter, Thank you for this video. I have had my Sky Tracker for some time now. I would have no clue where to start. A friend had the same IOptron SkyTracker Pro and helped me get set up. But could I do it on my own. You made it make sense. I will be out shooting in a Dark Sky environment next month and I will be so excited to use my SkyTracker Pro. I have the counter weight also, but I am going to try to do more wide angle lens photography. I will watch this video again before getting my setup together. Again, Thank You! Clear Skies!
Very nicely done and helpful. Thank you!
I use equatorial mounts primarily and I would suggest taking the polar scope out and loosening the 2 attachment screws for the mounting plate and see if that rotates freely. then rotate the counter weight setup horizontally and adjust your balance. you can always replace the polar scope after balancing. that would also prevent the rubber from getting messed up.
Exactly. Free RA axis, turn bar horizontal, move counterweigth until the system is balanced, fix weight and RA.
Awesome review mate thank you!! ...just subbed too 👍🏼 you’ve got some brilliant content!
Ant
Not all heroes wear capes Peter! Thanks for the great video
Thank you very much for making this video! It was a great help :)
Liked and subscribed :)
This is VERY helpful. I just bought one...
Great tutorial man
Great video thanks for the info.
Two things, Peter. 1. D750 can do mirror up w/ wired remote. 2, if you put ball head on end of plate , as i-opt suggests, you will find counterbalance is easier. Cam and weight will be on same axis. The way you have it now, there are two axis at work. Tough to balance that way.
I love your shows😀
That technique of pulling the lever out to reacquire tension is a common thing in photography with Grips. It's nicknamed "kipping" the lever or grip - and helps when the lever is striking something that's preventing it from a full rotation.
Now that's a tutorial. Cheers.
Hey, so nice review.
For Astro photography with SLR, would you recommend the Cube pro over this Skytracker pro, if I am ready to spend?
I am considering buying one of these, and found your video excellent, well done and thank you. I am still learning all this, but wondered if the rubber being scarred by the counter-balance bar is just a case of turning the bar over so it's all flat side meets the rubber? Also, when using the weight, can the StarTracker Pro be turned 90' so the scope is on the top? Meaning the weight and camera shall be in the horizontal?... The direction of travel of the SkyTracker shall still be the same, and the camera will not be in the way of the scope, as it is on the bar? Maybe a stupid few suggestions right there... As said "I'm learning" 😁👍💥
I'm just starting out in this - I've been a pro shooter for years, but have never shot stars - Right now, I just want to shoot the Milky Way (that will probably change), and just bought a sky tracker - thanks for this great video, it'll prove indispensable when the device actually arrives. Thanks so much
That's great to hear! I think you'll have a lot of fun getting into astrophotography!
I'm actually just finishing up a massive Astrophotography course, with over 10 hours of content, designed for the SkyTracker Pro! If you have any questions along the way, this should definitely help! I'm hoping to have that released within a month.
OK, this is probably a dumb question - I got the device and went through the setup following the video - but, for the life of me, I can figure out how to start it tracking? And, yes, it's fully charged.
As long as the star tracker is turned on, it should be tracking at whichever speed has been selected
Looking forward to stacking video, I thought you had indicated that star tracker and a cheaper lens was a good way to go. Thanks for your response.
A star tracker is a great option to capture higher quality milky way images, but there is a pretty steep learning curve and lots of trial and error at the start.
Once you're out in the field and comfortable, it still takes a while to get one image.
With photo stacking, you will spend a decent amount of time standing around, waiting for the camera to take the images, and then you'll need to spend the time to stack them. The end results are still usually not as good as a tracked exposure, but at least it's free! And you don't need to deal with setting up a star tracker.
Great video, I read somewhere about the counter weight (I narled the rubber also trying to balance it like a telescope mount) if I remember what where it was I will post it.
I also emailed and messaged ioptron but all they sent me was their current not very comprehensive video.
www.glennrandall.com/ioptron-skytracker-pro-review.html
This is what I did to mark a balance point with mine, not ideal. Surely ioptron would have an easier method as even their instructions are wrong.....
Thanks for the information Jo!
I was talking with an Astrophotographer friend of mine, and his suggestion was to rotate the counterweight horizontally when attached to the star tracker. From there it should be easy to find the balancing point.
That's what I originally tried and it tore up the rubber on the original mount. I also took a photo of that method, and ioptron said it was a bad way to do it.
It really seems like this counterweight was an afterthought. No other star tracker is this much of a pain to balance.
I use the Orion mini EQ and it works pretty good if you’re not wanting to spend $200 on this mount
Hello Peter, do you have any videos that show how to do pano milky way images using a star tracker? Having a challenge finding information on this that includes a video tutorial. Much appreciated
Hi Peter - I bought this a while back mainly for its size and works quite well on a Manfrotto Tripod slight differences the screw for the polar scope is underneath not at the side and its all black no red and I bought it with the iPolar which I can use elsewhere. Anyway the issue is I was looking almost due South I am in Australia and the ballhead with the camera horizontal could only go back in azimuth so far so had to mount the camera a 60Da vertically with the slot of the ballhead on the side hope that makes sense pointing North no issue ? Am i missing something great tutorial by the way..
This is a great tutorial, thanks for this! Does it matter that my reticle is off by a few degrees? Its impossible for me to get any of the markers to 12 o'clock (its more like 12:15).
Wow I really want to try Milky-way photography, but it seems very complicated . I am trying to figure out importance of this tool over buying new lens. What I have now is D500 and Tokina 12-24 F4. Not sure how involved to get, so I will keep watching your videos.
Steve Kunder honestly, I would start with image stacking before you buy anything else.
I'm currently doing a lot of astrophotography right now, and using a star tracker definitely complicates everything.
Photo stacking is much simpler and it's free! I think I'll make a tutorial video covering the whole process soon!
Do it without skytracker. Just a camera and lens on tripod, 30 sec exposure, 1600-6400 ISO and smallest aperture number f.2.8 for exp.
Someone figured out you can file a notch in the counterweight to precisely balance it with whatever setup you got. It's genius.
спасибо за хороший обзор!
Cannot find anywhere recommended Isa settings for taking Milky Way with a star tracker. I think Peter mentioned exposure to 45 minutes but what I so should I start at?
Mosthelpful video out there. Maybe stupid question as i dont understand how this thing works just yet as i dont own one but how do you find your latitude using the app if your in the middle of no where with no internet?
glenjimen1234 I would just take a look at the app before you head into the backcountry. Your latitude won't change by a degree unless you're going a long way. Plus, as long as your within a few degrees of the the correct latitude, the North Star will be visible through the polar scope.
Once you start looking through the polar scope you'll see the North star clearly, and then you adjust that latitude knob to move the North Star either up or down, to make it match the location as seen in the Polar Finder app.
My upcoming video will better explain this
What tripod did you use in this video?
How much focal lenght does this support?
what ball head did you use?
Would I be able to use a lens like the William optics redcat connected to my 200d dlsr using this mount as fancy getting the redcat without having to purchase a new mount, as was reading if you add a counter weight the mount can be used with a small telescope or telephoto lens 3.5 lbs max.
Ive had a read about but couldn’t find much info on whether someone’s had success using a lens like the redcat or equivalent with this mount.
Mate try use l bracket dovetail hope it will resolve the issue.
Awesome vid. Can I please ask how that lens works out for this kind of work? I’m thinking of buying it for wildlife, and would like to try Astro. Is it still good and sharp, or is a telescope much better?
I have no telescope experience, so I can't really say.
However, it's a fantastic wildlife lens! If you happen to have the SkyGuider Pro (iOptron's higher-end star tracker), you should be able to properly balance the 150-600mm and use it. I really don't think it's possible to use the 150-600mm effectively on the SkyTracker Pro
Thanks for this video, I feel like the manual assumes too much prior astrophotography knowledge and doesn't explain things very well if at all. I wish the current model of the skytracker had the physical switches for speed and hemisphere settings.
Hey Peter, I've really enjoyed your videos. I've bought the Sky Tracker Pro and have used it a few times now. As I live in a Bortle 6 zone, I'm often not able to see the North Star through the reticle as the closest city is to my north. I use my phone to roughly align to North and the proper inclination but at exposures over a minute even at 12mm I've get pretty nasty star trails. By the rule of 500 I should be able to get a 40-second exposure without a tracker. Something seems amiss! Any advice you could offer would be appreciated--thanks!
It's most likely your polar alignment causing the star trails. I'm able to see Polaris even in the most light polluted areas, so you should be able to see it where you're at. I'd highly recommend getting to a spot nearby where you have no trouble seeing Polaris. That would allow you to do a better polar alignment, and should stop the star trails.
It's possible you have too much weight on your star tracker, and the motor cannot move the camera properly. But that would only be a problem with a big full frame camera, very large lens, and heavy ballhead
I gave up on the azimuth base and switched to the iOptron ball head. What difference does it make how the azimuth is set if you still have to raise the and maneuver the tripod until so you can see Polaris. So you might as well use of the ball head at the base because it’s easier to maneuver to see Polaris.
Yeah, a ballhead can make things easier. If you are using a wide angle lens (35mm or wider on a Full Frame camera), you don't really even need to be all that precise. As long as your pretty close to the North Star, you should be able to shoot up to 4+ minutes at 14mm without star trails
The way that I balance the counterweight is to loosen the screw holding the black bar, move the entire assembly sideways and slide the counterweight until it balances, then tighten everything down. For lighter setups, I just take the entire assembly off of the mount and balance it on my knee. Because I really only use two lens/camera setups on the Skytracker, I marked where the counterweight should go for each configuration. It makes things much easier in the field.
Nate88it that's what I did originally, but oddly enough iOptron said it was a bad way to balance the counterweight. Still, that's how most telescope counterweights are balanced...
Did your black rubber mount get marred by doing that?
Oh yeah! The rubber came off of mine after 3-4 outings.
is able to carry a nikon z6 + nikkor z 20 f1.8 s (or even a z 14-24 f2.8 s) + sirui k 10 ball head? the whole weighs just over 1.5 kilos; I would like to understand if I can expose for 4-5 minutes without using the counterweight. Thank you
Thanks for the video. Does the base need to be perfectly level before polar alignment?
It should be
I just picked up a gently used SkyTracker Pro for $150. I ordered a ball head that will be here in 24 hours.
So once I mount everything I want to setup my tripod, level the mount. Line up with Polaris using The iOptron App For precise alignment and I’m set to go? Of course setting the base for my latitude of approximately 40 degrees. TIA. - Dave
Yep, pretty much! Once the tracker is turned on, you're good to start shooting.
Thanks for the video. I have 2 questions I'm hoping you can help me with. Where I live (northern hemisphere) I'm having a hard time shooting the Orion nebula when the tracker is facing North, do you think if I align the tracker with Polaris and then flip it on the mount to face south AND flip the switch on the back to south I'll still be able to track the stars correctly? Second: my tracker mount came in with spent rust on it, have you tried taking it apart? I want to give it a good scrub with WB40 but I'm scared I might mess something up.
Hmm, that's an interesting idea... I'm honestly not sure what would happen if you did that.
I haven't taken my tracker apart, but if you email iOptron support they might be able to send you a PDF with information on how to properly clean and take it apart
How usable / unusable is the (mount only) variant of this for tele-photo long exposures without any of the other parts?
With good polar alignment I can do 1,5 min exposures at 200mm without noticeable trailing
Hello. Can someone help me with my Skytracker Pro? Just wanted to test this out but when I press and hold the RA Fast Slew Button, the camera mounting block doesn't seem to turn (considering the unit is turned on). I am very new to the tracker device. Do I missing something with this like proper set up? Thank you
Good tutorial overall though!
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial.. I'm new to star trackers as I just bought this ioptron and I've had some issues getting started. This may sound silly but the polar scope is difficult. When I look inside to get things in focus, everything is upside down.. Is this normal? I've tried looking at videos and found nothing to help me. Thanks and again great tutorial
Yes, that's normal. It does make things tricky your first few nights, but you'll get the hang of it
@@PeterZelinka thank you so much.. Okay.. I will get back on it and get the tracker up and running 😊
But how do you mount the iOptron to the tripod? The screw hole is way too big!
Just got mine! Do you have to hold down the RA slough button down for the entire exposure?? Worried about shaking the camera esp if it’s a 2-3 min exposure.
No, thats only if you want to move the tracker at a faster speed. Realistically, you shouldn't ever have to really use it. Unless you're shooting at 200mm+ and want to reframe a nebula or galaxy without moving your ballhead / camera
The tracker will begin rotating as soon as it's turned on
Mine doesn't seem to rotate alone, only when i use the slew button.
unless the battery is dead, or something is broken, the camera mount should be moving very slowly. You could just try leaving it on for a few hours, and note if the position of the 2 screws changes at all.
how do you know when you've got the skytracker 'where you want it?' at 6:05?
You are going for polar alignment. Point the scope north - then fine tune.
How is that counterweight bar not going to hit the alignment scope once it rotates?
Matt Schulze Good point! In the iOptron manual they tell you to retract the polar scope, so that it won't be in the way. I forgot to mention that in the video.
Does this model iOptron Sky Tracker Pro have provision for making time lapse Photography
It doesn't have any advanced features built-in. However, you could attach it to a ballhead and then put it at any angle you want. Then set an interval on your camera and you'll have a nice panning motion over the course of your timelapse.
If you're looking for advanced timelapse features, check out the Star Adventurer Mini instead. It has an App which allows you to control a bunch of parameters. If you connect the Mini to your camera (via a SNAP cable) you can even control the camera's settings.
I have a Skytracker Pro and I am getting good 6 minute exposures without trailing with a 50mm lens. My alignment has to be perfect and I figured out exactly where in the circle Polaris needs to be. I actually got 7 minutes the other night but it just barely started to trail then. My question is this. If I can get 6 minutes with 50mm what do you think that would equate to at 135mm because I am wanting to pick up a good 100mm or 135mm lens. Thanks! I have the counterweight setup also and heard you can file a notch on the adapter but not sure what people are meaning by that. Thanks. Love your videos.
That's pretty impressive you can shoot that long! You must have gotten a good unit! You could probably push it to 2 or 3 minute exposures at that focal length. However, if the lens messes with the balance enough, it might prevent you from shooting longer exposures.
Peter Zelinka I can go to about 200 seconds at 135mm and with my 200mm Nikkor I get about 90 to 120 seconds. Not all keepers, but most of them. I shot last night with a new Canon 135F2L. I fell in love with it.
Got one ordered, should be here tomorrow. Couple of questions, for wide angle what's a good starting point.. 800 ISO, f2, 2 minute shots or what?
I'd say that should be a good starting point! Depending on how wide your lens is, and how heavy your camera is, you can probably push it to 4 minutes
Thanks.. it's a 12mm APSC, so really 18mm.. Another dumb question, does it matter which way you go for the latitude? 33 degrees left or right?
@@gaprofitt as long as the star tracker is pointed North (or south, if you're in the southern hemisphere), no.
You can freely take the Skytracker off the base and flip it around, it won't screw anything up.
So the question i have is why when i set Latitude on the ioptron base at 40 (my location) and look for Polaris it seems that i always need to be around 50.
That actually happened with my William Optics latitude base too. I think it may be because the numbers got mis-printed or something (not lined up where they should be)
For example, I'm at 37 degrees North, but I don't see Polaris unless the base is around 32 degrees North.
Hello, fantastic tutorial it helps a lot, I have two questions regarding the polarscope: first I wasn't able to find polaris with it, it was easy to watch it through the holder for the polarscope, but when I insert the polarscope, I see lot more stars than with my eyes only, and I was not sure which star is polaris, and because of the bright red, I couldnt see some stars from there. and the second, the polarscope view is against wrong (I'm from Austria, hope you know what I mean) so if a object is to the left, than you have to go right and vice versa. the polarfinder app also offers this option, but how is it correct?
Yeah, that's the trouble with using the polar scope in a dark sky. What you can try next time is to do your polar alignment during twilight, when only the brightest stars are visible. You should only see the North Star and Big Dipper at that point. (Usually 40 - 60 minutes after sunset)
You can always turn down the red light brightness if it's too bright.
Yeah, that's the way all polar scopes work, same with telescopes. Up is down, left is right. It's confusing!
okay this is possible for beginning, but still not a final solution.. because what should I do, if I would like to repalce my tripod? okay to be fair, for a wide angle milky way shot only, it is not necessary, its enough if the skytracker shows about to the north. but with 100mm its another thing. especially if you want to make more exposures for half an hour. I have found a great tool, and I think I'm going to order it, its called QHY Polemaster, you can put it onto your skytracker where normaly the camera is set. this is a little camera which needs a connection to a pc (hopefully one day possible via smartphone) there you have to choose the polaris, and the camera/programm records the movement of the stars around polaris, and gives you the real northern point. than you have to fine adjust the skytracker, that it maches with the point of the programm.
I don't think the SkyTracker Pro will ever be able to successfully track for 30 minutes straight. You'd likely need a very high end telescope mount to get that kind of exposure time. Even then, you'd probably blow out any detail in the sky, even at ISO 100, after 30 minutes.
Also, you'll need the Polemaster attached to your DSLR or Lens in order for it to function properly. Telescope users will have it attached to their telescope tube.
Frankly, the Polemaster may be able to help, but I'm not even sure it would be fully compatible with the SkyTracker. I would say it's going to be way overkill for the SkyTracker Pro.
If you do go this route though, let me know how it works! If it works well I'll have to do a tutorial on it too! This would be a good way to increase the accuracy of these smaller star trackers
Hi, yesterday, I made a next try with my Skytracker, because of almost full moon, it was relatively easy to see polaris through the polarscope, and now I've got a completly other level of photo (if you ignore the heavy light from the moon of course :) ) I used my Sigma 24-105 at 105mm and shoot the north america nebula in Cygnus. I tried different exp. times, 30, 60, 120 and 180 sec. 180 ist a bit to long, but 120 works fine, only after half an hour, it wasnt perfect anymore, because the alignment was still not a 100% perfect. I made I think 8 exp. of 120 sec. and its perfectly sharp with round stars. hopefully I'm ablte to align it too in the next really dark night :) regarding the Polemaster, you are absolutely right, its overkilled for the little tracker, but may helpful for bigger ones light the Celestron AVX. for the moment, I'll stay at my iotpron, and then buy maybe the AVX, try it with tele lenses, and maybe one day also with a telescope. at last, here is the link to my photo, but as I already have written, almost full moon, and too close to a city, so very much light pollution. abload.de/image.php?img=na-nebel-sigma6ed6y.jpg
Lukas Zitz fantastic! That's a great image! Glad to hear you got everything working
Ok i have a silly question. Does the tracker start when you press the shutter on your camera? If not, how do you go about getting it to start tracking once you are ready to make an image?
Once the tracker is turned on it starts tracking automatically.
When charging the tracker does the LED lights goes on? Mine doesnt? I just wanna make sure its charging properly
You'll need to turn the tracker on, to see the red light. Once the red light starts flashing rapidly, you can unplug it.
Superb video and subbed i have beeen struggling to choose between this tracker or a Samyang 16mm F2 lens
At the moment im using 17-70mm F2.8 macro sigma on a D5300 body
Would you suggest the tracker over the Samyang ? also if i had the tracker for use with a wide angle lens with my crop sensor camera would i have to buy and use the counterweight or can i use the tracker as it is without weights ?
Camera Phill If you go with the new lens, you'll still be limited to 20 second exposures at night. With the star tracker, you could shoot up to 5 minute exposures without star trails. This will create vastly cleaner and more detailed images that are impossible to do without a star Tracker.
Remember though, you'll need to blend two exposures from now on. One for the sky, one for the foreground. I've got a tutorial to cover that process.
With your setup, the Skytracker Pro will work just fine. You shouldn't need the counterweight.
many thanks for your response
just after i wrote to you this morning i saw the lens i was refering to really cheap so i had to go for it
but the tracker will be the next thing for sure the lens was too good an opportunity to miss out on
upto now ive been stacking like 20-30 exposures and doing one 5 to 10 min frame for the land and blending using luminosity masking
my current lens the sigma 17-70mm macro is a great lens for what it is but stars are alil soft and stretched at the corners
so now need to save for the tracker though not told the wife that as i think i will get a raised eyebrow eeek but will get one :)
The new lens will definitely help in that case! Out of curiosity, what application were you using to stack the photos?
i use Sequator >> sites.google.com/site/sequatorglobal/
Its super fast and not complicated like DSS i done a 80 raw image stack and it took like less than 20mins then it chucked out a full rez 70meg tiff ready to work on and the best part its completly free
heres a link to my page on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/155067484@N04/ theres a few astro images on there on a couple pages though im trying to get to grips with the editing of astro
with my latest MW images they look alil soft but i think the lens maybe to blame hense the buying of the samyang also the moon had just set which doesnt help and being in the UK England light pollution is all around
edit i just realised you did a vid on sequator already oops my bad :)
I actually just learned about Sequator a few weeks ago! It's a great program, much better than DSS!
Beautiful gallery, love the foggy ones especially! Keep in touch once you start using the new lens!
IOptron rates the star tracker at a load capacity of about six pounds, but in reality I think the weight limit is about three pounds.
I have tracking issues with anything over two and half to three pounds. Really it's just made for a camera and a wide to normal lens.
I'm looking to upgrade so I can use a little heavier lens.
Even with the sky guider which is rated up to eleven pounds I probably wouldn't go over six.
Also you have to retract the polar scope, otherwise there is danger of the counterweight bar hitting it as it rotates around the R.A. axis.
Yeah, I agree. However, I've been able to push it to over 4 lbs when shooting at 14mm, probably not good for the motor / gears inside though...
Yeah, I didn't explain the declination bracket and counterweight kit very well in this video. I've since gone through and created a much better tutorial that properly shows how to balance and use the counterweight kit.
www.peterzelinka.com/ioptron-skytracker-pro-full-course
As for the SkyGuider, I've only ever used probably 7lbs total. And it seemed to hold pretty well. Provided you attach everything in the best way, you can make a small telescope work.
Do you think I could go 3 pounds when shooting at around 100mm
That should be possible, I forgot to mention above that I'm shooting with a 200mm lens. The wider you go the more forgiving the tracker becomes.
www.flickr.com/photos/mattschulze/40605314372/in/dateposted-public/
My added weight comes from a lens stabilizer that I've constructed
Yeah, I was able to get up to 1 minute exposures at 100mm, with a total weight of about 4 lbs
Get the Sky Watcher star adventurer, it's fantastic with the counterweight bar, i can do 7 min pulls without the autoguider with my Canon 6D and the Sigma 50mm art lens.
Will it work at high latitudes? Im living in the north of scandinavia
Yes, although you may need to purchase an accessory. By default, the SkyTracker can be angled to about 60 degrees. If your latitude is higher than 60 degrees, you will need this latitude base from Sky-Watcher. It can go up to 90 degrees!
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1092108-REG/sky_watcher_s20530_star_adventurer_latitude_eq.html
I find that the IOptron is not of the highest build quality. On mine, of the two screw holes that are for the screws that arrest the alignment scope, only one works.
That counterweight setup always seemed really precarious to me, even just looking at the pictures in the IOptron manual. The idea of having a big lens dangle so far in air didn't appeal to me because it seems really prone to be shaken by the slightest wind.
In general I have been able to make usable photos with up to 200mm lenses. And I have enjoyed my Ioptron. Battery life is very good.
Pictures of my setup are here:
www.flickr.com/photos/mattschulze/40605314372/in/dateposted-public/
Photographic results here
www.flickr.com/photos/mattschulze/34023778654/in/dateposted-public/
Yeah, I had seen that another photographer had used the 150-600mm on the SkyTracker Pro, so I wanted to try it out! In practice, it's just way too big. The counterweight seems like a poorly designed afterthought
I agree about the build quality too. If you're only doing wide-angle photos, the SkyTracker works fine. But even a 70-200mm lens pushes the system to the max.
worth upgrading from 1st gen SkyTracker?
I don't have any experience with the original version. However, I would personally consider upgrading to the SkyGuider Pro, if I was coming from that model. You'll get much more of an upgrade!
Great Video. One of the things that drives me batty is that Camera Equipment manufacturers always assume you have a Penny in your pocket to adjust screw mounts. We live in a cashless society pretty much. Can somebody design hardware that doesn't require COINS to set properly ? Like, its 3am and we are setting up a camera mount and I gotta go find my penny....it's preposterous.
Put a small screwdriver in your camera bag.
Sorry, does it come with the base, or is it a separate purchase?
it comes with the base included
How would you recommend taking a super sharp photo of the Milky Way? I was debating buying a sky tracker, but it doesn’t seem like I need it
I'd highly recommend getting a star tracker, it will give you amazing images once you get the hang of it. The big trick for a great milky way photo is capturing more light. You could stack multiple short exposures together without a star tracker, but that result will still never be quite as good.
@@PeterZelinka star tracker it is!
hi :) at a risk of sounding ignorant I'm just going to ask this without any prior investigation - it seems that this is calibrated according to Polar.I do night photography but many times I shoot with moon light. That's of course a different kind of photography (also because I don't aim to polar but rather to whatever part of the sky is the most appropriate for the picture and that is either the moon or the opposite (to use the moon light in full)) . so the question is - is it possible to set this tracker to track other parts of the sky? or is there any other tracker on the market for dslr that would be capable of that? thanks
You've got things a bit confused. The Star Tracker is always aligned to the North (or South) Pole, the point where all the stars rotate around. Once the star tracker is pointed up at that spot, it will rotate your camera around at the same speed as the stars.
Once you attach a ballhead to a star tracker, you can freely point your camera in any direction you want. You will still be able to shoot long exposures with tracked stars, regardless where the camera is pointing.
The only problem is that your foreground will blur out. Therefore, you'll need to take 2 images. One with the tracker turned on. One with the tracker turned off, for a sharp foreground.
@@PeterZelinka *I know, it was confusing for me :D sorry. Well that's a good news. I know I have to take 2 pics that's perfectly fine :) well, I'm going to watch read your reviews now because obviously this is something I need :) I love night photography . I didn't really mind blurred stars with longer exp. pictures where the main focus was on the background but this will be an amazing addition especially when shooting milky way shots
Hi Peter, I haven't used the counter weight yet but I was wondering to Buy it. You spoke about the issue that the rubber surface was tearing off on the sky tracker mount. I was wondering if you can flip the counter weight plate so that the smooth side is pressed against the mount? ruclips.net/video/tDgMXAW7jGI/видео.html. also that way you may have to flip the screw while putting it on the tracker plate. I am just guessing here. But if you have found a solution for the question, I am going to encourage myself buy the counter weight kit. This is not my primary photographic style but I enjoy taking deep sky photos and would not want to spend more on a sky guider. Let me know. Thanks for such a in depth tutorial.
How to make it rotate? Is it controled by app?
No app functionality. As soon as it's turned on, it will start rotating
I just recently bought this and I’m just getting used to it. However, I am having trouble with the scope, when I put it in, the reticle is on the side (putting numbers on the side) rather than upright. Is this normal or do I need to fix something?
I have the same issue! Did you find out if you can rotate the reticle?
@@aderhead Hey there, I wasn't able to figure it out. I did some research and couldn't find anything. However, it appeared to have no negative effects on polar alignment or the final tracked images. I really don't use the numbers anyways since I use polar scope align (app) in order to accurately position the north star within the scope.
@@inkristall I’ve fixed it! You’ll need a 1.5mm allen key. Take the scope out of the tracker. You’ll see the two allen key screws on the side of the scope which you will undo. You don’t need to take them fully out. Then undo and remove the eyepiece completely. Inside, you’ll see a circular plastic looking disc insert with the reticle printed on glass in the centre. There’s a couple of notches on the side of the plastic, use the allen key in a notch, so as not to touch the glass, and gently rotate the dial 90deg. Tighten allen key screws, replace eyepiece, re-focus, and the reticle is now the right way up.
I balanced the Sky Tracker Pro without the polar scope inserted then insert the scope and locate the North Star.
wow i had no clue your supposed to take the middle part out
Hi.. im new to this..can I attach the tracker to a cheap tripod which only has a tripod plate?
Technically, yes. You should be able to do that. Although, it's really not recommended. If you're using a cheap tripod that has a pan/tilt head with a plate, you won't get great results.
@@PeterZelinka alright!! thanks a lot!!
Noticed that the latitude scale only went up to 40 degrees north. What happens if you are at 52 degree?
The base goes up to 60° on the other side, you just have to flip the star tracker 180° and reattach it to the base.
@@PeterZelinka Thank you Peter.
Novice question here, when you turn on the tracker it slowly moves? I dont hear any motor sound?
If the red light is on, on the back of the star tracker, it should be moving. You could always let it run for a while and see if it moves, or manually slew it left or right by holding that button down.
Sometimes the motor sound can be very hard to hear
Peter Zelinka How do you calculate exposure time on1/2 speed for foreground use?
I wouldn't ever use the 1/2 speed, to be honest. It might allow you to use 45-60 second exposures, with a reasonably sharp foreground and sky, but it won't look great.
Ideally, you take a long exposure of the sky, but the foreground will blur out. Then, you turn off the star tracker and take another long exposure. Once you have a long exposure for the foreground and sky photos, you can blend them in Photoshop.
Peter Zelinka thanks
I built a barn door star tracker, I'm going to take some pictures and then see how it works. I want to buy this product but I can't afford it now. Hopefully I can afford this in the future. I build my barn door tracker for about 25 dollars.
Aren't you going in the wrong direction (i.e. South) with the latitude ? 5:13
Nope, the star tracker would be facing North, and therefore it will get pointed higher in the sky as I adjust for the latitude. The further north you are, the higher up in the sky Polaris will be.
You are right. But the setting circles end at 45 degrees in this direction. So if you live at a more northern latitude, I suppose you have to turn the mount (or the mount head) by 180 degrees and make use of 60 degree range of the setting circles in the other direction.
Nomen Nominandum exactly! I'm just about at the edge there. You can easily take the Skytracker off the mount, reverse it, and shoot at a steeper angle.
can you use a 3 way head instead of a ball head?
You can, but I don't recommend it. A ballhead works much better, and is usually smaller and lighter than a 3 way head. I've taught a few students with 3 way heads, and they had a lot of trouble using them with a star tracker.
@@PeterZelinka Thanks! I've been using 3way head and though i enjoy its stability and control, i am thinking about trading. do you suppose a manfrotto xpro ballhead would be sufficient to solidly hold at the angles required when using a tracker?
@@jrbling25 I'm not familiar with that particular model, so I can't say for sure. Any decent ballhead should work though
Just balance the whole counterweight kit from the middle hole before you put it on the tracker
I am in Australia and we don't have pennies or quarters, what currency would you suggest in Australian coins?
Loosen the lever a little so the dovetail bar can rotate free. Balance the payload. Secure the lever again. www.ioptron.com/v/Manuals/3324_CW_PKG.pdf
Sky Watcher Adventurer is a better performer.
@19:40 Canada got rid of her pennies ... Now we are screwed