i know Im randomly asking but does someone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb lost the password. I appreciate any help you can offer me.
@Tyler Salvador i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.
In the video you mentioned that you placed your laptop on he ground. I have been cabling my laptop to my camera for years. I use a tripod with a laptop tripod mount. It makes it really convenient for me because I am 6'6" tall. Also I use a Surface Pro 3, That might make a difference, but I have seen several "true" tripod laptop mounts on Amazon. I hope that this helps.
I used my iOptron (not pro) for the first time the other night, pretty easy to setup and I was amazed at the length of exposure I could use with no trails. Also discovered I need a much better tripod lol!
What if you can barely see Polaris from where you are? With my telescope mount I use polemaster. Polemaster could see Polaris no problem. What do you do if you can barely see Polaris due to light pollution. Thx
Thanks for this video Peter! Very informative. I bought the Sky Watcher Star Adventure last fall, but was intimidated about the whole set up and getting polar aligned. I had no idea shooting wide angle, that I did not need to be very precise with polar alignment. Now that Milky Way season is back, I am ready to get it out and set it up for some 3-5 minute exposures.
So just got this today and I was going through set up for tomorrow night since I'm headed to the coast, but I found that my counter weight wont thread in properly. I'm afraid I'll really damage the threads. Have you (or anyone reading this) heard of this being a problem?
No, that's the first I've heard of the counterweight rod not threading in properly. Is the hole clean? You might want to contact iOptron if you can't get it working. They're usually pretty fast to respond
Hey, appreciate the detailed guide. Could you help me with whether I should buy one of these star trackers for my camera? I am using a Leica CL with f/1.4 35 mm lens which gives a 52 mm equivalent since my camera is a crop sensor. The max exposure time for the camera in the manual mode is 30 seconds only. I have seen some Milky Way posts where they choose f/4 for 60 sec or a longer exposure at a lower ISO~800-1600, and they get a lot of detail in the image. Should I buy one star tracker? With the lens that I have, I could only expose up to 12 seconds without getting a star trail. Would it be worth buying one if I set the aperture to f/1.8 and expose for 30 seconds with the star tracker? Thank you.
Just a quick question, if I am using d850 + a 135mm sigma lens, counterweights are a must, or I could get by. I really don't want to spend that extra 40.
Great tutorial man! I got one question though, why would you get a blurry foreground when shooting mounted to the tracker if the tracker is turned off?
I still dont understand how am I supposed to see Polaris Australis with the naked eye and line it inside with my scope in the skyguiderpro. If there was an augemented reality app that showed that it would make it much easier. I h ave Skyview and Photopills that show augmented reality. Photopills shows you south but no stars. Skyview shows you starts but it wont search Polaris Australis for me
5 лет назад
Great video but there is no need for leveling the tripod for the polar alignment.
Hey Peter... Confused about one thing, if you find the North star all ok and can line it up, why do you still need to find your Latitude through the app, and then adjust the mount to that latitude? Thanks! Matt
You missed the most important part. How do you precisely aim the camera, after the tracker is aligned, with a deep space object using a longer lens? Seems near impossible with a floppy ball head.
Peter, what do you think about sigma 150-600 sport lens in term of weigh? Do you think that it would work it properly with this kind of traker? I own a Canon 5d mark III whith grip and Sigma 150-600 sport, what do you think about my setup? Sorry for my english, i hope you understand me. Regards from spain!
My setup is very similar to yours, I use a Tamron 150-600mm lens. Provided you attach things correctly, the star tracker will work just fine. You may need an additional counterweight or extension rod though. For more information on using a telephoto lens, watch this RU-vid video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I1PGjeBCVSc.html
I wonder what kink of images I would be able to get using my Nikon P1000, does it have broad enough settings to get good shots? its been converted to full spectrum and I’m going to put a Hydrogen Alpha filter on it. Also did I understand correctly that if I zoom past 50mm that would cut down on the length of exposure time?
I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot! Yeah, the more you zoom in, the faster your shutter speed needs to be. Even with a star tracker, you'll notice star trails faster as you zoom in more.
I heard somewhere (don't remember where) that when doing the balance, you should allow ever so slightly more weight on the side of the direction of turn. This supposedly helps keep the Star Guider gears firmly meshed and thus prevents gear lash. Don't saying this is 100 percent true but it made sense when I heard it.
Peter, I am considering buying the iOptron Sky Guider Pro. I shoot with a 20mm but might get a 14mm. My question due you set this up to the north star during twilight or when it's completely dark?
Both work, although if you're in a very dark sky it might be easier during twilight. Otherwise there may be a lot of stars that you can confuse for Polaris.
Question: You said that precision isn't as important at 14-35mm. Last summer, I was using a Move-Shoot-Move Rotator with a Sony a7riii with a Sigma 14-24, and I kept having blurry stars except when I got the polar alignment EXACTLY right, even at 14mm. Could this be a fault with the Rotator, is my setup too heavy, or does the 42mp sensor make it more prone to blurring when alignment isn't perfect?
Second counterweight or the extension bar, I got the William Optics and need no counterweight. With the Sigma 70-200mm and a Nikon D3300 with no battery grip.
Thank you for the knowledge bombs my fellow star gazer!! Hey, when you first started using the IOptron Starguider Pro, did you have issues with Polaris appearing to jump/drift in the polar scope when attempting to polar align? That’s what I’m running into and haven’t found any mention in your vids. I’m kinda regretting not getting the IPolar version now lol! Thanks in advance for any info! Keep up the great videos and I’ll continue smashing that like button!!
How do I know how much my ioptron sky tracker pro can handle without using the balancing tool? For example, I have a Sony a7iii, sigma 14-24mm lens, and exactly the same ball head you have in this video.
can you say that if you use a star tracker then its not as important to have a fast lens? like couldn't you shoot even at f/8 with a tracker? seems like shooting at f/2 or larger is only important for single shot astrophotography
Here's the way I think of it. First, let's start with a wide-angle Milky Way photo. I need roughly a 4 minute exposure at f/2.8 for a clean image with minimal grain. If the aperture was f/4, I'd need an 8 minute exposure. f/5.6 would require a 16 minute exposures, etc... If you are doing deep space work, then I think of it like this: I need an one hours worth of photos at f/5.6 for a decent photo. If I had an f/4 lens, I would only need 30 minutes. f/2.8 would require just 15 minutes of data. The last thing to consider is signal-to-noise ratio. There's a threshold where your camera needs to capture enough light to hide all the sensor problems. If you don't capture enough light, those defects will be baked into your photos. You can either shoot longer exposures, or use a faster aperture. Hopefully that clears things up
Great video. One question. I am going to shoot with a Nikon Z6. If I bought a skytracker with all the extras it would cost about $420. This would allow you to shoot with a tripod and Nikon Z6 but at this cost why not just buy a computerized telescope like the Celestron 8SE for $999? It has tracking built in and you good get better pictures and even piggy back your camera?
I'm not too familiar with the 8SE, but it looks like that's an Alt-Az mount, rather than an equatorial mount (like the SkyGuider Pro or Star Adventurer). In other words, it actually won't perform that well for astrophotography. (The object will rotate in your photos over a few hours, and the tracking might not be clean). Imagine a staircase - up and over, up and over, up and over - that's like Alt-Az. Equatorial is a smooth arc, and it follow the rotation of the object over the course of the night. You could get a good, heavy-duty equatorial mount though, which might come with a telescope for roughly the same price as that 8SE. That's beyond what I cover though.
@@PeterZelinka thanks still researching. The cpc 800 HD Has a fork and looks amazing but it's 2400 dollars. I don't think the HD is worth the extra 500 dollars but I don't have any experience but am eager to learn.
Man you're really nervous sounding in this video. But I think you did great. I don't think people who just watch these understand how hard making a video like this actually is. I do like 30 takes to get one I like.
So when shooting should the clutch be tightened or loose? =) Just got my skyguider pro and is trying to figure out how to use it. Thanks for the video, it was a massive help
Total newbie here, told myself I would start trying to do astrophotography when I retired. I just bought this and set it up the way you showed. One question how do you start the tracker to track? The camera doesn't talk to the mount and there's no start tracking button. Please help this old newbie, I couldn't get it to start tracking, what am I missing? I love all your videos and sub your channel Thank you!
Just turn on the power switch. Once the red light is on, it will begin tracking. Make sure it's on the 1x / Star tracking speed though. If you see a red light under the sun or moon icon, it won't track properly with the stars.
Thank you so much for your reply Peter I will give it a try tonight. I was confused because the light was on while I was doing the polar alignment and it didn't seem to be tracking when I hit the shutter button.
Thank you for details. Technically, EQ mount on telescopes do the same, in the past, a piggy back camera on a telescope would be doing that work. Keeping a dec motor locked to sidereal rate, a stable image can be captured. Your intro gave me ideas to use my old Newtonian reflector. Thanks a lot.
So the reason you flipped the tracker around is because the base on your unit doesn't go above 40 degrees, correct? The Star Adventurer base goes to 90 degrees so I assume this is not necessary, Right? Thanks.
Yes! One side of the iOptron base can go to 60 degrees, the other side only goes to 40 degrees. Meanwhile, the SkyWatcher base can do a full 90 degrees
Great videos Peter, they've helped me understand a lot of the basics. I've just bought a SA2i and just wanted to clarify something. Do you loosen off the clutch once you start taking photos and the tracker is activated or does it always stay tight during this part of the process?
Thanks for info and guide for the star tracker. I've got the Canon 700D and it takes great astrophotos with a very good tripod. One time with camera I got so many stars and now I'm wanting this star tracker. I'm also.looking to use this star tracker with my Hauwei p20 smartphone because the camera in phone is incredible for astrophotography. Is this tracker good to mount small telescope too?
Most trackers have a Lunar tracking speed. Do a polar alignment, change to the Lunar tracking speed, aim your camera up at the moon. At that point, you can follow the moon across the sky and capture as many photos as you like
Your videos are excellent and so are your photographs. I ordered the iOptron SkyGuider and your videos are going to make it so easy to use. I have been using a Meade 10' scope for years and have some beautiful photos but at my age of 70, it is getting to be quite a chore to move around and drag thru the New Mexico desert. I have Nikon, Leica and Sony cameras, my newest one the A7RIII and a vintage 500mm F/5 Reflex Nikkor that I have had since about 1972 that I am really anxious to use with this new star tracker in addition to the new Sony lens. Once again, thank you so much for such good instructive videos.
How much does that 500mm lens weigh? If it's more than 8lbs, I'd be hesitant to use it with the SkyGuider Pro. The tracker can "handle a max payload of 11lbs", but that's iOptron being optimistic. You may be able to make it work though, but you'll likely need a second counterweight. Let me know how things go!
@@PeterZelinka I am glad you asked about the weight. Your question made me check it out and the lens and camera are 5.3 pounds so hopefully it will be OK. Here is a link to the Nikon lens. www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/telephotos/50cmf5/index.htm I chose the Sony camera because of my grandson and I am very happy with it. The "mirrorless" cameras, as I am sure you know, have adapters for all of my vintage lens so nothing goes to waste. I was given my first Nikon camera in 1967 and it still works but not properly on the long exposures like 1 second. I think a spring gets weak in them. My iOptron is supposed to be here in two more days so I have been getting familiar with it watching your videos. Obviously, we know that lens/mirror size can not be cheated with smaller diameter lens but I am confident I will be able to make some nice photos with my smaller lens. I picked up new Sony lens, the FE 4/16-35, FE 4.5-5.6/70-300 G OSS and FE 3.5-6.3/24-240. I am very impressed with the resolution of each of these lens. I like the spectacular displays of color and drama in deep space photography but I also like high resolution photos. Just kind of my thing that makes me want a 16 inch telescope... :-) I have a RU-vid channel where I post audio and radio frequency equipment and a few other odd things. For astronomy I think I only have two on telescopes, one for the measurement of current required by the Meade scope and the other about upgrading the firmware for the 2019 tracking problem. Thanks for your reply and your videos. Stay safe.
wow, that's surprisingly light! You should have no problem with that then. However, you will need to do a very precise polar alignment. You'll also probably need to start auto-guiding at 500mm. With my tracker, I could not shoot longer than 30 seconds without getting star trails. I've got a few different videos on RU-vid which cover auto-guiders. If you want to try Milky Way photography that 16-35mm should do a nice job!
@@PeterZelinka Hi Peter, I have only had a little time to work with the new sky tracker but last night I did a polar alignment, wasn't very hard and I am getting pin point stars at 30 seconds different ISO's but generally around 400. I was using the 70-300 lens at 70mm. I am finding out that the Sony lens are quite good. As for the polar alignment, I left the alignment scope open so I could keep checking alignment and making adjustments as necessary. Unfortunately, as we know, when we turn the mount so that the counter weight attachment fits the tracker, I have to turn the alignment fixture so that N is at the bottom and the red light goes out in the alignment image in the scope. Am I overlooking something simple so as to keep the N at the top of the scope so the light will stay on? I can put a dim light in front of the scope and still see some detail of the alignment grid but it would be best to have it lit. Overall, I give the sky tracker a good rating. However, I had to move the 1/4 inch camera attachment and remove the four hex head screws and one of them would not come out and finally rounded off. I have good tools but that was that. I had to drill out the bad screw. It turned out OK but that could cause some people real trouble if they do not have the tools and experience to remove a stuck screw. Lastly, I am not impressed with the way the clamp of the ball head holds my expensive camera and lens. It seems sort of OK but I am a little concerned and just have to be very careful that it is attached as best I can do it and the clamping screw is very tight. I am not much of a complainer but thought I would throw this in for what it might be worth watching out for. Overall, I think the tracker is doing an amazing job and I do not find it hard to polar align it. I do use the iOptron app you suggested for the position of Polaris on the alignment grid. Works great and that is what I keep an eye on thru the alignment scope. I am considering the auto-guiding but thought I would get familiar with what I have first. Many thanks for your help and videos. I have watched a lot of your videos and I think yours are by far the best at explaining how things work and how to use the different items. Stay safe.
@@ElPasoTubeAmps Yeah, it's unfortunate that the red light only turns on at one specific spot. I usually shine a red headlamp light across the front of the polar scope quickly, so I can see the reticle. This is the best way to work around the problem. I've never had any problems with the clamp, even with my big 150-600mm lens. I understand your concern though. William Optics does make a few upgrades for the SkyGuider Pro, which address these concerns. I recently bought all their parts and will be doing a video on upgrading your skyguider pro. Stay tuned for that!
19:50 look at how you tighten one knob on your ballhead and accidentally loosen the other knob at the same time, no wonder you get so many heart attacks :D you create great videos, thanks for all the very good and thorough explanations in your tutorials.
Hello, I’m completely new to this way of photographing the stars. My question would be this, once polar aligned how do I then do the photo of the MW? The GC isn’t in the North? It’s more SE? I’m in the northern hemisphere btw. 😊
Just turn the ballhead attached to the star tracker, and you can aim the camera wherever you want. As long as the star tracker itself stays pointed up at Polaris, you'll be fine. The camera is free to point in any direction.
I use a Zeiss 15mm distagon f2.8 on a Canon 5DSr and a Manfrotto ballhead and cannot get this to counterbalance despite two weights attached to a declination bracket on my Star Adventurer. How does anyone else get a small full frame body and a single prime lens to balance?
The camera, lens & hydro-static ball head weighs 2.29 kg (5.04 lbs). In addition, the declination bracket weighs 0.56 kg (1.23 lbs). The counterweight is 1 kg (2.2lbs) and I use two of them plus the shaft to hold them on so the total weight of the whole rig is 4.9 kg ( 10.78 lbs). Is this just more than it is supposed to handle?
Paul , I saw one of your previous video on SkyGuider Pro and you mentioned the Sky Watcher Star Adventure had better Base, declination and counter weight system. Can you fit the Base, declination and counterweight system from the Star Adventure to the SkyGuider? I would only purchase the SkyGuider main piece and purchase the Star venture base, declination and counter weight. Thank you for your prompt response.
Has anyone tried to connect a smartphone to the Star Adventurer? I found an app for my android that displays Polaris' position in the reticle after I input my lat/long, BUT I cannot figure out how to input the data to the tracker. Any comments?
I believe there's a new version of the Star Adventurer coming out that allows you to connect a smartphone to it. However, you'll always need to manually adjust your latitude base for the polar alignment. That step cannot be automated with the Star Adventurer.
thanks @@PeterZelinka for the reply! I can understand that knob for adjusting latitude cannot be replaced; perhaps an aide to assist instead? Thanks again for the info and stay safe!!
@@FototakerSf I'm not quite sure what you mean, but you'll have to do both the azimuth and altitude adjustments yourself each night by turning the knobs/screws. If you had an auto-guider and the ASIAir Pro, it could help you with the polar alignment to some extent. For example, it would tell you to move the things up/down and left/right to get an accurate polar alignment
Thanks again @@PeterZelinka!! I just want to enjoy the stars. Too much equipment, weight and all, and it'll take away the joy!! Yes, I know the adjustments need to be made each time, and we have been looking at the ASIAir Pro too. Now if the fires on the West Coast would be over so we can SEE the night sky again here!!! Take care!!
I was watching another video and they mentioned periodic error in tracking, making images over 2-minutes to be inaccurate. This video is from 4-years ago; is periodic error a factor in newer equipment?
Yeah, most trackers (even the nice go-to mounts) have periodic error. That's why guiding is so important. It allowed to go from 30 second exposures at 400mm+ to 2+ minutes without star trails.
No, I don't worry about the leveling. As long as it's fairly close, it'll be fine. The big thing is just making sure one leg isn't a lot higher than the others, causing instability
thank you Peter for your excellent tutorial. is it possible to use this tracker without counter weights when using 5D Mark IV body and canon 16-35 mm f/2.8?
You should be able to. I used a Nikon D750 with a 14-24mm lens quite often, and the SkyTracker Pro was able to handle it without the counterweight. However, it's generally recommended to use a counterweight system whenever your camera gear weighs more than about 3 or 4 lbs. With all that said, the SkyTracker Pro counterweight is terrible, and under no circumstances would I recommend buying it. You're better off just using the normal camera mount, or investing in the SkyGuider Pro instead.
