Move Shoot Move Rotator - EASIEST Tracker There Is! (Overview & Setup) 

Hey Daniel! I'm sorry it took you 12829 videos to get to mine! But I'm super happy that you enjoyed the video and took something from it! Thank you for taking the time to leave an awesome comment. Hope you have an awesome day!

Hey there! Thank you so much for the kind words! I am very happy that you enjoyed the video! If you haven't done so already, mind subscribing to our channel?

@@319Photography did that about halfway through the video.Looking forward to more content in the future

Neil, many thanks sir! I'm elated that you enjoyed the video and found it useful! I wish you all the clear skies, my friend! Happy shooting and enjoy the MSM!

Thank you!!

Hey Nervenerd! Thanks so much for watching the video and for your comment. When I produced this video, my goal was to illustrate the setup of the MSM rotator for the purposes of Milky Way photography. In that case, orienting the camera is not an issue whatsoever. I don't think I made that extremely clear. As for the points you made, you are correct about the difficulty of photographing objects higher than Polaris in the night sky. With the MSM "Z" brackets that I showed in the video, you could orient the camera to the north easily. The "Z" brackets allow for full horizontal and vertical tilting of the camera. They really are pretty useful. I find them to be a bit easier to use versus a ball head because you can adjust each axis separately. Therefore, the "Z" brackets allow for a bit more control than what a ball head will allow. I hope this information helps. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts. Thanks again for the comment! Have an awesome day!

I didnt know pointing to zenith is not possible (unless you buy a second Z bracket (?)) Thanks for that information. However, mostly we keep shooting the milkyway WITH foreground like a see, mountains or a building etc. therefore you dont need to point the lens towards zenith. And Orion and Andromeda are also not that high (depending on the season). And for deep sky objects anyway a wide lens is too wide.. And a telescope too heavy for the MSM.

Thank you!!!

Thank you John! I appreciate your comment!

I completely agree! One z mount can work just fine!

Thank you!! That's pretty high praise, but I won't turn it down! Seriously though, thanks for watching, commenting, and subscribing!

@@319Photography i have a question… can i screw MSM directly on tripod and Then use ballhead on The tracking side? Thank you for reply! Appriciate it❤️

@@jurajpiskorik1796 Absolutely, you *can* screw the MSM directly to the tripod base (with an adapter for the thread), however, doing so will make alignment near, if not fully, impossible. You could attach the MSM directly to a tripod base and use if for the purposes of doing time-lapse video, but for wide field astro it will not work. In the video, I showed using the "Z" brackets that MSM makes. There is an alternative way where you would connect the MSM via a ball-head to the tripod and then connect the camera to the MSM via another ball head. I am not the biggest fan of that method because when you release the locks on the ball head, the movement of the ball head is too free and will not allow for precise movement during alignment. A second option would be to use a "alt-azimuth base" or sometimes referred to as a "wedge" base to connect the camera to the tripod. A wedge base is geared and allows for extremely precise movement both vertically and laterally. These bases are slower in movement and a bit bulky. But, they really are a great investment. I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Have an awesome day!

Hey David! Thanks for taking the time to comment! I'll gladly answer your questions. 1. I have used an MSM wedge base and do own one. I find it very easy to use. Much more useful than using a ball head. I used the Z platform in the video, but really the wedge base works just as well! 2. I have not use my tracker in that manner, but it can certainly be done. Advantages for doing so would likely be more stability, but I would imagine alignment and subsequent composition for the image would be difficult. 3. My go to focal length is 20mm with my Sigma 20mm 1.4 lens, however, I have shot (tracked with the MSM) the Milky Way at 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm. More times than not, it's the 20mm. I hope that helps! If you have more questions, feel free to ask!

@@319Photography Hello Keith can you please expand on question #2, you stated that "I would imagine alignment and subsequent composition for the image would be difficult." Why? I am just curious. I own the MSM and Z bracket and looking for the best setup.

That's awesome! I'm super happy you found the video helpful! Enjoy your MSM! I'd love to see what you come up with while shooting!

Hey! So, good news - to a degree. The MSM can support telephoto lenses up to 300mm. BUT, the caveat is two fold: 1) the MSM rotator has a payload capacity of 6.6lbs and 2) MSM says that when used with a telephoto lens, the optimal focal length is 135mm. All of that said, if you use a 300mm lens (or below) that fits within the weight capacity, you're golden. I hope that helps!

That's exactly correct, Aaron. I'd suggest orienting your camera in the general direction you intend to shoot then aligning the MSM. That way you minimize the amount of movement needed to compose your camera and reduce the chance you disturb alignment! Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@319Photography thanks for the reply, and thanks for the video very simple to understand for setting up a MSM tracker. Now I need some clear weather to go and practise, but I’m in England 🌧

No worries and not a stupid question! Make sure you have a ball head on your MSM so you can mount your camera to it. Then you can orient the camera however you'd like. If the Milky Way is your target, then the camera should be facing the S / ESE /SE (depending on the time of year). Your ball head likely has a notch in it that will allow you to position the camera and level it. I hope this helps!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I agree the directions are a bit lacking. I think some things were lost in translation.

Hey there! The laser pointer is accurate and works just fine for wide field astro (Milky way imaging). The laser is faster and less hassle than the polar scope. For DSO, as much as one can photograph DSO with the MSM, use the polar scope.

@@319Photography So when you say "wide field" what exactly do you mean? Where is the focal length limit? Thank you

@Kowalski K. "wide field" in this context is any wide angle image of the night sky that captured a large section of the night sky. For example, I often use a 20mm lens to track the Milky Way and the stars. If I were to say use a 400mm lens to capture a DSO, for example, that would not be "wide field" astrophotography.

Hey there! Thanks for watching and commenting! For any tracker, having a stable tripod that is sturdy enough to support the weight of your tracker, camera, and lens is extremely important. For wide field astrophotography, however, an exactly level tripod isn't that important. Close to level will do. Typically I 'eyeball' it as far as leveling the tripod is concerned and have zero issues. Thanks again for taking the time to watch and comment. Have an awesome day! :)