Alex, thanks for the very useful video. Here's a couple of important things I discovered about the adjustable laser. First, the fit in the holder is quite sloppy, i.e., the laser wobbles very easily unless the set screw is really tightened down hard. It is important to only barely loosen the set screw just enough to rotate the laser. Second, even then the fit is sloppy, so it's important to hold the front of the laser against the holder from the front and rotate it while maintaining pressure. Third, if you remove the laser from the holder, you'll have to go through the whole process again because the tolerances are so loose. Having discovered that today, I'm hoping that tonight I can get an exposure longer than 30" with my 28mm lens w/o any trailing.
Thanks. You just revealed the purpose of one of the hex wrenches included in the kit. I found my laser to be significantly out of alignment. I never trusted it for more than preliminary polar alignment, always finishing with the polar scope. At least the laser got Polaris within the field of view of the polar scope which in itself was convenient. Now the laser alone may produce an alignment adequate for less critical applications. BTW increasing the distance between the laser and the target will increase the radius of the circle and the accuracy of the centering adjustment.
Great, thanks alot fellow startracker and guru :) Mine was waaay of and with your help it is centered now. But after my eyes chased that green dot around my cardbord I was walking like Frankenstein for 10-15 min
Alex! Thank you so much for a very informative “how to” video on aligning the blazer pointer. I just purchased the MSM with the laxer pointer and was wondering how I was going to align. Your video popped up on the FB MSM group page, so I watched. I will follow your advice. Great production work too. I will note though, I’m an avid shooter of star trails. If you are standing at the equator, the fastest moving stars (in appearance) are the stars to the East, west, and directly above your head. The stars toward the south are like the stars toward the north. They don’t appear to move as much, because they are close to the southern axis. So if you really want some star movement action, aim directly above you or slightly toward the equator direction.
Good information about the laser centering. I tried using the 90 degree mount from MSM, but getting the right tightening of the side screw seemed a bit uncertain. So, instead, I used a v-shaped piece of extruded aluminum and clamped it on my tripod. It was tilted so I could easily and smoothly rotate the laser. I followed you targeting instruction and found the center point. I inserted the Allen wrench to indicate 90 degree rotation points for the initial markings. Then I could just do 180 rotations to do some side-to-side adjustments. I hoped this would be a nice final adjustment, but it wasn't. Still needed about 5 more minutes for the final dial in. ALSO, I recommend wearing strong sunglasses when working with the laser on. Mine was super bright and I couldn't quite see exact dot due to the corona around it. Not to mention eye damage can be bad for photographers. Can't wait to run my next 2 minute test!
I too was drawn to MSM by the laser. I am a disabled person, and can not use the polar align tool, and now I am hoping that I will get better results, so thank you so much.
I am a bit late to the party regarding tracker's use in Astrophotography, but your excellent videos have convinced me it is the way forward to progress my capturing the night sky... Thanks, Alex
Hi Alex! You are so thorough in your explanations! You are very informative and easy to understand. Even someone technology challenged like myself can understand how to align the laser pointer with ease! Very informative and useful video. I'm glad I found your channel!
Thank you very much for the tip with the Laser that dose not have a perfect aligned light- beam from the beginning. Tonight I used the Move Shoot move startracker for the first time, and after I´ve checked my results I realized that it actually wasn´t perfectly aligned. I fixed my laserpointer after seeing your video. Helpful Video!
Great stuff Alex! Bought my wife a Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 lens, shutterbox trigger, MSM with the 5mW laser and polar scope, as well as the MSM wedge for Christmas. It's ben her dream for a long time to get into night time photography and your videos have been a HUGE help. I'd go so far as to say we decided on the MSM because of your videos, so thanks! Now we're just waiting on the MSM to arrive. Can't wait to see what she comes up with!
Today I ordered msm. I can't wait. I see you bought my favorite camera and my two favorite lenses. I remember when people said I was stupid because I use m1mii for astro. Amazing system.
I most definitely didn't get here from fb...fb blows. But I did get here from Alyn Wallace and Move Shoot Move. You sold me on the laser for my Sky Guider Pro.
I’ve recently ordered the MSM tracker with the laser pointer, having previously had the skywatcher star adventurer, and watched your video on how to setup the tracker and watched this video too - Thankyou for such a great and informative channel!
I love using both... if you do go to purchase, it helps me out a bunch of you can use my link in the description. And use " ALEX " at check out for a small discount.
You are making great videos about the MSM. I did get mine some weeks ago, but unfortunately Sweden has been covered in masses of clouds the last month so I really look forward to some clear skies eventually!
I am with a group.p of northern Minnesota photographers who are working on night photography especially the Milky Way. I own both Move Shoot Move star trackers and just learning Thank You Steve
Thanks so much for the video that explains how to use the laser. As a complete noob, I really appreciate the simplicity of your explanation and the shots to prove it works. Keep up the good work.
Thank you ALEX so much for sharing your experience, your tutorials are pleasant explained and I appreciate your knowledge so much - waiting for a clear night sky and a next video from you
Thanks Alex. My MSM arrives tomorrow, and I was worried about adjusting the laser. Not any more! Now I just need some clear skies, not that they happen in West Yorkshire all that often.
Thank you Alex for showing how to work with the tracker. I want to buy one, you are helping a lot with your video ! Thx from Germany/ atm Fuerteventura .
Thanks a lot for this very informative video Alex, I just received the MSM + Laser kit and it had these hex keys included. I was not sure what to do with them, now I KNOW. I'll do the laser alignment and make sure it is aligned correctly. Many thanks...
I just got the MSM tracker and have just played around with it briefly. I wondered about the calibration of the laser, but you have definitely answered my questions, some which I didn't even know I had. Good videos, and easy to follow. Keep up the good work.
Great video Alex. I just got my Move shoot move and did 30sec at 135m on my 80 D which =215m The tracker didn't move from the target at all . Orion. It took my about 1 minute or less to polar Align. Whither my Iptron Sky Guider pro I polar it can take 30 minutes or more some times. I bought this Move Shoot Move for my wide angle work . I cant wait to get out to the country and try it. Great video again my friend.
@@chasingluminance wITH THE NOMADE from your experience, when using just the laser out of the box is the laser calibrated or does it need to be adjusted? if so how? thanks much, Waiting on clear skys.... thanks much
@DavidJones-iq8hp I'm actually uploading a nomad laser video right now. I've had 4 lasers and only one of them was perfect out of the box. 2 needed very minimal adjustments 1 was way off
Just got my lazer out, and it's making lovely circles, so thank you so much for the information, gives me something to do in cloudy England on a Saturday night 😁
Thanks for making this video I commented about this on your other video before I seen you made this one mine was way off when I got mine and had to be adjusted
Wow, thank you for perfect tutorial. My laser module was a bit stuck so I needed to "unstuck" it before allingning, but your method was really easy to use :) (i glued cardboard box and MSM to my table in order to ensure both will not move :))
Thanks for all the content you put out for all of us to use. You are awesome, I just started with night time Milkyway photography, and I am kinda hooked. Thanks to all the awesome content you produce.
I believe Amazon sells the same adjustable laser. I started looking for options when the one I ordered from MSM...was misplaced or lost in shipping. It did finally arrive......thanks for another great video. Dave
I'd like to book a zoom class for about an hour after the holidays! Just trying to get proficient with my existing equipment. I did go to the NY Adirondacks and got a good tracked shot of the milky way in October using MSM. Thanks for the great video on how to improve without spending a ton of money.
You can also improve the accuracy of the laser pointer by using larger distances (over 10 m) during collimation and in daylight. The laser is still bright and focused enough to do that.
Great video! Once again your videos answers so clearly what I was looking for. Also, I'm glad you mentioned to come over to youtube because I was watching this on Facebook 😅
Thanks for the video Alex! (I am now your newest subscriber) I just got the MSM, and I also have a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Pro, but wanted something smaller for when I travel out west for the night skies. This laser alignment video is great! I will be definitely spend some time getting it dialed in before taking my new toy out to play. Again, thanks!
Hi Alex, thanks for your videos, it helps a lot. I have this later version of the laser and a polar scope type A. Well the later is a little bizzare and not so precise in my opinion. This happens because of the holder which has three different inner diameter for many types of laserpointers or polar scope types. The polar scope type they send me protrudes just a little inside the base. I don't believe that this provides the accuracy that a polar finder should provide. A polar finder should fit absolutely perfect inside the guiding tube. Otherwise it's not worth the weight. I think MSM should revise the holder for this finder(which's tube is thicker than the previous or the other one.
Came here to find others experiencing the same issue. The laser pointer kind of doesn't sit perfectly and moves from side to side, so it affects the aim. This video tutorial helped bring the scope closer to alignment, but I'm still concerned the pointer doesn't "sit" properly within the holder, and misaligns when you tighten the screw.
Just ran across your channel - great content! I have an Olympus OMD-1 Mark III with several of the Pro zooms. Just ordered the MSM setup and looking forward to trying them out. I was pleased that the 70 - 150 can work with this kit since that is one of the zooms I have.
It's good to have the laser aligned with its own rotational axis, but of course aiming at Polaris is not the be all and end all since Polaris itself is not at the exact centre of the celestial Pole. It's just close(ish) and handy for us Northern hemisphere people :-)
It seems like you could align with the polar scope and then align the laser to point to Polaris. This would allow you to have very good simple set up with the laser if using the scope is harder to do or whatever.
Hey Alex, I like your intro videos and I am just getting started in ultralight astrophotography with a simple mirrorless, two ball heads, minimal tripod and the MSM tracker. Lots to learn and your videos caused me to drop the idea of a big expensive rig (sky guider, etc.) and just play around with a hiker package. Looks like fun to get started and figure everything out. I am in the foothills above Denver, so recognize your locations...lol. I was curious why you went with the wedge from MSM, vs. using ball heads. Maybe a good upgrade down the road. Keep the good videos coming!
1st... hit me up on my Instagram if you want to shoot together @chasing.luminance... 2nd. I like the wedge cuz it's more sturdy. A ball head is more likely to slip under weight, not probable but possible. Also, the micro adjustment knobs make fine tuning the polar alignment easier. I'll be making a video on that too.
@@chasingluminance looking forward to that as I got the wedge and want to get this fine tuned for the week of 21st- lots of good information in this video
Thanks, Alex. I just adjusted mine. The laser lens did not end up being centered within the housing - in fact it is comically off-center! However, there isn’t much movement when rotating the laser. What really came to my attention during this process is how imprecise the machining of the laser mount is. Between putting the laser into the housing and tightening the screw, there is a LOT of movement! Alex - how in the world do you keep this laser battery operating in the Colorado cold??? I took it out last night in about 17 degree weather and the fail was epic. Once the laser housing was cold, even putting in a fresh battery failed.
have you tried putting it in both ways? the housing and the laser both are not symmetrical... one way of inserting it lets the laser slide a bit deeper into the housing for a more snug fit. it's not perfect, but definitely good enough for the MSM's intended purpose.
