SkyGuider Pro Review and Tutorial: A Great Mount for Astrophotography 

Most RU-vidrs talk fast and unclearly, some with strong accent. They are hard to understand. You are different.You are providing slow and clear step by step instructions. Great! I learned a lot from you.Thank you very much.

A tip: Always put your gear on the tracker before the polar alignment process. Adding a counterweight and/or camera gear the mount after alignment can throw off the initial alignment.

Great instructional video. A quick note for noobs like me: If your rig is *perfectly balanced* and you have tracking issues - Be sure to check that the clutch is actually locked. I have accidentally spun the clutch in the wrong direction and "locked" it in the open position, and couldn't understand why I'm not tracking well. I was freaking out until I understood I'm an idiot lol

I just bought the SkyGuider Pro. This video will go along way in giving me the instructions and confidence I'll need in setting it up and using it. Thanks!

Great video!! Very informative as always!!

Glad I found your channel! Thanks for this video. Very well done!

Wonderful Tutorial with exactly what one needs to know to get started.

I have the Ioptron SkyGuider pro, this video is aging very well. Keep up the good work.

I have one of these in the post so i am delighted i found your channel 👍🙂

It's a very excellent, clear and helpful presentation! Thank you! Greetings from Hungary.

Thank you for this!!!!! 🤩

Very well explained . Thanks

Awesome review!

Muchas gracias por toda ésta información amigo 👌, esta noche de luna nueva saldré a poner en práctica lo aprendido.

Awesome awesome vid. Thank you . Considering this vs MSM

EXCELLENT video 💯🏆

Excelente, Muchas Gracias !!!

Great video.. i had saved few bucks and was deciding what to buy frst . A good lens like samyang you mentioned or this tracker. As i already hav dslr and cheap nifty fifty and cheap 70 to 300 mm lens.. i bought this tracker and this video is definitely going to help me a lot.

Cheers for this quick guide. I am an experienced photographer (both commercial and hobby) and I've dabbled with a 127mm telescope some years ago with fairly pleasing results. However, I think this route is the way to go for astrophotography on a budget. After all, I have most of the camera gear already. Might purchase the Samyang 135 at some point. I'm on a Fuji crop sensor so should be OK.

Nice video

Thanks very helpfull

Very good video. I have used the skyguider pro successfully at 350mm with my sony apsc camera and 3 minute exposures. With the skyguider base it is very difficult to polar align and to keep alignment. I upgrade to the WO base and it is noticeably easier to align and much sturdier. I would not hesitate recommending it. I also find the dec bracket of the SGP difficult and weak so have ordered the WO bracket and mount option. Have not received it yet so am not sure if it is worth it. My goal is to set this up with a 480mm f6 scope (5.5 lbs) and tracking scope and camera. Will be ~ 8.5 lbs max.. If I can get 3 minute exposures out of that Im will be thrilled. Thanks for uploading this video. Very helpful!

Thanks for the good video.

another tip: wind plays a huge part in how long the exposure will be at longer focal lengths. I was using my ioptron with a camera at 300 mm, and the 7mph wind was affecting my images

Thank you, Michael for your great, clear and helpful videos...

Great job Easy to follow Good sound Question higher megapixel on a mirrorless camera

Thanks for the information--it's helping me decide which product to purchase. I wonder, though, how is the longevity of the battery? The StarAdventurer doesn't have internal batteries (well, you can use 4 AA's) and it struck me as the SkyGuider having an internal battery should be useful. But, I wonder, what happens if you don't charge it for awhile? Or can you over-charge it? I've had this happen on other equipment before and ended up with a brick. I'd appreciate any advice you have.

Nice explanation

Thanks.

great information on your channel. Can you have tutorial for iPolar scope?

Hi Michael. Thank you for another awesome video... I didn't experiment yet, but hope to this month, with my Ioptron skyguider Pro and RedCat 51, and I was wondering what one should do with the mount after Polaris alignement. It would be logical that once Polaris is aligned the mount should be running at all times after that, to now follow the stars, but when you mount your camera after having aligned, and while the Skyguider is now running, doesn't it impact the alignment you just did when mounting the camera on the Skyguider? And shall one, with this unit, mount first if using the declination bracket vs a ball head, since one can still see through for alignment when mounted with declination bracket ? But could one bring the reticle at 12 o'clock and stabilize it with the camera mounted on Dec. Bkt ? And also, if one needs later to refocus the camera lens, does touching the camera and lens when it's on the running Skyguider slow down the mount motor while doing so, thus maybe losing the set alignment? I always wondered about all these but didn't find any review mentioning anything about these small issues that one will logically run into in first time "real life" attempt... Thanks for any insight if you have the time...

Thank you for this what is the advantage of this model over the skywatcher AZ-GTi tracking go to mount since its cheaper and also has teh goto option the same weight load!

First view😍

6:38 Hello there! Thank you for your tutorial. My question is how the rotational axis of the tracker rotates if the clutch is tightened during tracking? Thank you!

Ive had the Skyguider Pro now for about 6 months. Taken some great images. But i didnt know Polaris was supposed to be in the inner ring and not the outer ring of the dial. The Polar clock app i use only showed a single ring. So i just assumed it was the outer. Havent had any star trails except when i attempt to go 4 or 5min exposure. But definitely have had some bloated stars and focus issues. I reckon now from my bad alignments. So thanks for that nug of info. Also didnt know you could adjust the brightness of the dial. Thats also gonna be wicked useful. Especially for my astigmatism. So another huge thanks. One question regarding the Skyguider...have you ever been able to achieve 5min exposures? Guided or unguided, whats the longest youve gone with consistency? Thanks again for the info

Really well put together video showing the basics without a lot of unnecessary fluff. I'm hoping to get one of these in February with an eye toward wide-field astrophotography (predominantly the Milky Way) as on moonless nights here in Arizona, it is breathtaking just to see it and I want to capture it too! I am curious though about trying for deeper sky objects with a Canon 1DMkIV and a 300mm f/3.8L IS. Will the Sky Guider Pro support that much weight? I'm going to guess that it definitely would not support a 1DMkIV + 500mm f/4L IS, huh? Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.

Great job! just to make sure you need to put Polaris in the middle of the cross hairs?

Hi Michael. Thank you for the video. I was wondering if you ever upgraded to the William Optics base, and if yes, if you saw a major improvement... Thank you for any insight....

I have the SG Pro; are electronic mounts better than manual? Seems once u are aligned, the mount is locked in place. Unless electronic ones make PA much easier, or help with a guiding scope?

thank you for the video. my problem is , i live near equator , seeing polaris like impossible. what should i do for polar alignment? thank you?

So when you polar align without the gear and counterweight attached do you find it is out of polar alignment after you add everything?

thank you fantastic . where can i find morre info how to make dark and bias and flat images .

Can iOptron be used for tacking the sun? For example: during solar eclipse? Thank you in advance.

Overall this was a simple tutorial to follow except that I don’t fully get where to align for Polaris in the reticle. Should you place it in the dead middle?

What is the purpose of the half speed setting? I can't think how that would be useful.

i have been looking at the star adventurer pro earlier this year. now i see they have a Star Adventurer 2i just out a month or so ago. I'm only now looking into the SkyGuider Pro and trying to figure out my best options. I'll be using my Fuji XT4 and assortment of lenses, largest being 50-140mm (possibly w/ a teleconverter), but looking at about 3.5 pounds for my camera. I guess the Ioptron Skytracker Pro could handle it.

Great video! Which lenses for the DSLR do you suggest for deep space ap?

hi bro, thanks for your helpful video, i have a question, when we rotate the rectile, how do we know 12 o clock is at exactly vertical position? thanks

If were using the skyguider pro for Milky Way photography while backcountry camping without access to a phone. Is there a way to know where to align it without using a phone?

Thank you for the tutorial. I have one question though. On 01:23 you show the mount itself. And right there I see that the dial shows 0 degrees. When I try to assemble it, I cannot achieve this. I'm in the Northern hemisphere, 61 degrees north. How would the mount look like assembled for this location? Its polar alighnment scope will be facing the other way, toward the side with the bubble, not the other way as it's shown on 01:23. Or do I misunderstand something? This messes up everything, the declination bracket rotates the other way, OPPOSITE to the stars moving from left to right! This is so frustrating!

Can u suggest a better base for micro-adjustments that is fairly low cost?

Do have a video regarding keeping multiple exposures lined up each time?

Great video, one question - Since the tracker is rotating in a circle, wouldn't it only matter that Polaris is the same distance from the center of the reticle as on the polar finder app? Polaris will only appear to travel along that path as the time changes but it shouldn't matter what time it is, only your latitude. Can you confirm this?

Hey, I have a question I haven't really been able to find a great answer to. Maybe I'm overthinking it. The mount stays pointed at Polaris, so how do you point a telescope at another specific location in the sky? Like Andromeda for example. Without moving the mount itself out of alignment. My redcat 51 is likely too heavy for a ball mount I'd think

With all these trackers do you need to haul around your laptop and DO YOU NEED WIFI for the programs to work?

Using the ioptron polar aligner with a ioptron skyguider pro and a dlsr with a 400mm lens, which max exposure time is possible to have? Does a general rule or formula exists?

I have experience with a GoTo mount, but just acquired the SkyGuider for travel astrophotography. In my tests so far, I always have the image drifting out of frame. I upgraded the mount with a Williams optics wedge and Dec puck but I’m getting the same results. What might I be doing wrong?

Can you please tell me what Tripod you are using?

I'm assuming the numbers to the right of the zero would be positive latitude, and the numbers left negative latitude. Is that right?

Can you give a little more detail on what the auto guide is, where I might buy one what it is and what I would use it for? Thanks, great video

Hello, I have Coolpix P1000 but I do not have a tripod or tracker yet. I plan to take pictures of the moon, the planets & the stars. I have no idea what tripod or tracker I should get. Any advice would be helpful.

What if u can't see the north star? Will a compass and angle measure be ok?

I have just had first light with this mount . I bought a Williams optics high altitude base , a WO arc Swiss style scope clamp and dec bracket . Williams optics Redcat 51 as well . My question is about polar alignment. When I polar aligned prior to adding counterweight bar , even though I was careful , once adding equip was completed I threw out alignment . So I loaded all equipment on first then balance prior to PA. Here’s my question with the long part of the bar weight shaft holding the weight the clutch needed to be released , and counterweight rotated then locked up to see the illuminated reticle . Any suggestions ? It’s a royal pain having to rotate all that gear . Thanks !

I'm a bit confused by what you showed in the video when setting up the tracker. You turned it on, pressed that button until it showed the lightbulb. Then you did the alignment. Is the tracker still on while you're aligning? Because later in the video, after you had added all the gear, you said "turn on the tracker". Wait... if you had polar aligned previously and the tracker was off while you attached all your gear, balanced it, and then found your target... wouldn't your alignment now be off, since the tracker wasn't on and tracking after you aligned? Thanks for any clarity you offer :)

Hi guy, can i see sky without any camera fitted. ??

Newb question. Am considering buying this. What is the purpose of using Polar Align Pro and putting Polaris where the APP wants? In my mind Polaris should be in the middle of the SGP reticle. Ie aligned. Or is this correcting and adjusting for the fact that Polaris is not EXACTLY the centre of rotation???? And it is correcting for that?

Where do I find your about section ?

I tried using my SG Pro a couple of days ago and did everything wrong. LOL. I do have a question. If I wanted to photograph Andromeda with a 100 mm lens, how the heck do I find it in the viewfinder?????

A little bit unclear with alignment instructions. Does the north star not need to be aligned in the center of the startracker? Im confused why you said everything rotates around it but then aligned it in the upper left corner.

When aligning the sky guider for Polaris don't u want the dot in the center circle.

You don't seem to know that changing the DEC to long on top makes the LED that lights the radical useless.

Complicated