UPGRADE your iOptron SkyGuider Pro (iPolar) 

That last part about protecting your passion had all the feels. Thanks man for all that you do! Many of us can't thank you enough.

OMG! I got one after seeing your video. Now my SkyTracker Pro is useful! So many wasted nights trying to polar align correctly on my bortle 8 backyard sky on the south hemisphere! You made me regain interest in this hobby with this video, thank you so much!

I first bought an NEQ6 Pro mount and a 10" newtonian as my first astrophotography set up, I was instantly in over my head. It was heavy, massive, so so complicated as a novice to polar align in my southern hemisphere and very irritating and time consuming as a whole. I sold it off and bought an 8" Dobsonian like you suggested as a beginner scope, now as I have progressed I think this is the most logical next step as I dip my toes into astrophotography again, I think this will be the start of a whole new life long obsession.

Dude, I am a "professional" photographer and astro geek and looking for a telescope to buy. You opened up my eyes and now I know that starting off small is the key to a successful way to explore the cosmos. I even thought of the Meade 850lx but got that out of my system for now... Thanks for your super positive videos and energy! Gr Frank

Awesome presentation and the image at the end was worth the wait. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for the hobby. I learned a great deal and am reenergized to push limits of my equipment.

Thanks man for putting out your videos.. for me, they not mere product review..They are also very educational. You are introducing newcomers like me to what's out there and the science of imaging the night sky.. One of your videos got me googling how these pictures are taken and I am glad I did that!

Just when I start to get frustrated along comes one of your videos and I’m off and running . Awesome Trevor !

Great closing comment, Trevor. I'm pretty passionate about being as positive as I can in everything - negativity is contagious and needlessly brings down the tone of anything we care about. Love your passion and upbeat channel, don't ever change, and if the haters are getting to you, just delete them. Seriously not worth arguing, it only gives them the attention they crave.

I love this hobby. One of the best I ever had. Great video Trevor.

Great video Trevor. You have all the best toys! Love my SkyGuider Pro and will definitely be getting the iPolar add on. Even with my 100mm lens, the most I have been able to get unguided is 90 seconds or so. Adding a more sturdy tripod helped too.

I am new to the hobby though I've always been interested in the physics side of things. I found your presentations most informative and practical. Thank you!

Thank you so much, I learned a thing or two by watching this video, you just gained another subscriber! Keep looking up my friend!

Hi Trevor this is Troy in the UK thanks 4 that nice video and you are correct NEVER !! let anyone take the feeling away from you from the hard work you put in to get the Images you take - take care Troy

Stunning photo taken with the Skyguider pro! If you are going on vacation you can probably fit your laptop and a battery pack; and if not it only takes, as you said, 20 minutes to put the polar scope back in. You do an amazing job explaining the different equipment choices we can make. And again, I am really enjoying this photo. I think many will find it as amazing as I do to know what the Skyguider pro is capable of. It is an affordable way to get started in this hobby, and making the choice to upgrade is easy because you will want to keep it for your portable, travel, vacation setup. I want one.

Was just thinking about you channel lol. Glad you uploaded cause south Florida has a lack of good nights that aren’t cloudy or it hasn’t rained during the day .

Really enjoyed the inspirational monologue at the end. Great work!

Protecting your passion is a crucial statement. Thank you.

Love your channel! Keep at it, thank you for sharing

I am truly excited about the future of this great hobby. It seems the past few years, the gear size was all the rage. The bigger the better, and result...better photos of deep sky objects. Now I can haul smaller, lighter gear to distant places for my photos. No longer restricted by gear weight and size to achieve the same quality of photos....very exciting times. To the mountains I go.... Great Vid Thank you. Clear Skies.

Yeah Trevor I'm going to make the plunge for the skyguider Pro with the ipolar camera. My knees are not very good and I'm older so this makes sense for me to get a better alignment. I also travel a little as well in this unit will save me a lot of space in my car. I don't have to Lug all my heavy equipment everywhere. Thanks for simplifying the process to for us newbies. Clear skies friend.

Well I thought that I knew what I wanted for Christmas this year, then I saw this and have bought the Ioptron SkyGuider Pro with IPolar package. It’s just what I need for camping trips.

What you said at the end is very true. I just spent the last 3 days researching a new scope, mount, camera and filters (along with some other goodies) and ended up buying everything out of the lists you've given on your blog for new APers. I emailed you a couple of days ago hoping to get your suggestions on what someone like me, who is willing to research to no end, should buy. I was hoping for a suggestion in the mid-range of products so that I could skip through some of the lesser equipment. But you said something in a previous video (that I watched after I emailed you) that slowed me down. You said "Why would I want to rush through something I love so much?", and that hit me like a ton of bricks. I appreciate all that you do and the passion you have for this "hobby".

Fantastic video as always, Trevor!

You are my new favorite youtuber! So inspiering.

Beautiful picture and worth waiting for.

Your videos cut down a lot of research time for me. I am sold on the Skyguider Pro and now on the iPolar. Thanks and keep those videos coming. Clear Skies!

Nice review, and I'm glad to see you're developing comfort with "digging into" your equipment! :-) One comment regarding your concern of bringing external power because of using iPolar: The laptop is only needed for a few minutes during alignment. Otherwise, you won't need portable power (unless you keep hitting power buttons in transit, but that applies to the SkyGuider too.) But yes, if you're backpacking into a site, the weight of a tablet (Surface Go) or laptop is a consideration. Thanks for putting such great info out there! Love the Channel.

iOptron missed an opportunity by not providing iOS/Android support. Ability to hook it up to a phone (via cable or Bluetooth) would have made this a killer product.

Hi trevor, my dad was from Hamilton, and I grew up in Toledo, across the lake from you. I now live in a part of Texas where we have mostly clear skies and have embarked on the new hobby of AP. First, thank you for your informative videos. I recently purchased a previously owned version of the iOptron Star Tracker mount from a classified ad on the cloudy nights webpage not realizing that the version I was purchasing includes the iPolar upgrade. As you know, and explain in your video, the iPolar upgrade modifies the scope built into the device with a software driven camera that allows one to polar align using a computer. Just because I’m a lawyer doesn’t make me smart ... lol .... as I had no idea that the device I bought had this specific upgrade ... and I didn’t figure this out for a full day ... I can laugh now but for about an hour this evening I was struggling with why my device is different than what is described in several other RU-vid videos. How funny is that. Anyway ... after watching your video, I figured it out. So thank you for indirectly informing me that I bought something slightly different than what was expected. I am wondering if the mandatory use of the computer and software has made this product unworkable or undesirable for you. I see you use a laptop for some of your work, but taking a laptop to the shores of the lake with a bulky power supply on a camping trip seems cumbersome, so I would be interested in hearing whether adding the iPolar alignment upgrade and software to your protocol worked for you.

Thank you sir. Best review ever.

Just got my Skyguider with inbuilt ipolar. Just waiting for clear sky. By the way you rocks!! Big fan of your nebula's photography.

Very well said. This hobby is amazing and worth protecting. I value your opinion, and ultimately I make the choice. Thank you for sharing your videos! Clear Skies.

Nice man !

Keeping the rig portable is fairly easy, I have the skyguider Pro and iPolar combination. I use a Microsoft Surface to run the alignment, the software runs flawlessly. Clear Skies

Right On!! Now I can take the Tie Wraps and Velcro off my Polemaster I'm thinking about grabbing one of their CEM25P with goto to get the DEC control. I'm gonna test it against my Sky Guider Pro for my travel rig. It adds a little weight so we will see. I do love my SGP in a bag on my back.

Gee your yards looking good 🔭🇦🇺

well damn! i literally JUST got back to Ascension Island last week(an island dead in the middle of the south atlantic, a few thousand miles from anywhere that resembles light polution), and had I known about this i would have bought one and brought my skyguider with me! i left it at home because last time I was here, it was damn near impossible to find the sigma octantis so i never used it. this would be perfect! I could have gotten some really great shots! oh well. Great review!

Damn! I've got two hours of exposure for the same nebula! I'm in the midst of editing my picture, though. Unfortunately, I'm using the star adventurer pro instead, haha. I am planning to upgrade to the one and only EQ6 R pro, soon. As always, great video, Trevor.

Thanks. I love your videos

I got goose bumps when I saw the image

I've been watching your videos for a little over a year now and I am always amazed at your work. I'm starting out with a similar setup using my DSLR camera and lenses. I am currently trying to add the iPolar to my SkyGuider Pro and can't seem to get the electronics board removed. Did you, or anyone else out there that has done this modification, chronicle the remove and replace process with more detail than what is on your astrobackyard website?

You had me at Picard!

Great review, I’m about to pick up the iOptron SkyGuider Pro as my first mount on your recommendation. Quick unrelated question, how are you seeing the temps of the frames coming out of your Canon 60Da? Are you doing a direct capture on your laptop? I’m starting off using a Sony a7iii and the Sigma 14mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.4, thanks for all the work you put into your channel!

Thank you.

All I want to know Trevor, is how you do it with such cheap gear. Perfectly round and pinpoint stars. I feel like it's all in the polar alignment. Every time I see your images I question what I need to do to get there with the Astrophotography. Unreal buddy.

iPolar arrived yesterday, Removing the driver board can be a little frustrating because of the clearances between the soldered pins and the case. Some gentle flexing at that point and it slides right out.. I was able to actually test it last night, the skies cleared nicely and I was able to test the polar alignment. Taking a 5 minute exposure with near zero drift on the image would have been impossible for me without the camera. I use a Nikon D5600 DSLR, 150-500mm lens ( set at 150mm ), ISO 800, F6.7. Bottom line... it works great. Thank you Trevor for your videos and insight.

An evolutionary product; a brilliant video. Thanks, Trevor, for enduring the conditions to produce it. One of your best if not the best video.

Great video, pity about the heat build up with cam and the extended subs , they say most heat comes from the battery, some photographers use a mains battery pack and lessen the heat build up, not sure if one would work with a power pack like you discussed in the Astro pod cast but probably would and handy on a camping trip too

Thanks, and perfect timing. I was actually thinking of somehow adapting my polemaster to the skyguider pro. Now I have something to consider.

I wish the eye piece was angled to make it easier to view through when trying to polar align.

Very informative video ! I have learned so much from all your videos. Was curious about something and was hopeful you might chime in . I was thinking that the ZWO cmos cameras were all the rage and was wondering why you use the DSLR cameras most of the time? Does a DSLR perform better than the ZWO cmos cameras for certain situations ? Thanks

I Love the job ;-;

Can you use such guider/tracker for other filming also like sliding kinda shots or something? If so, could you kindly link/make a video about it? Big thanks and love your videos! Keep up! :)

Another great video Trevor 🙏 Can I ask you what is the size of the kendrick dew strap? Asking cause I'm thinking about getting the redcat and aren't sure if it's 2 or 3 inch?

Thanks for your many useful videos. I just purchased a SW Star Adventurer in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Big Bend NP in west Texas soon. I plan to use it with my 14mm Rokinon but am also considering a small telescope - and, dumb question, but what is the difference between a telescope with a 400mm focal length and a 400mm telephoto lens made for my DSLR? At what point does one become the other, ie is it simply a matter of usage that determines what we call it or is there more? Thanks again.

I user aSkyGuider Pro - it's my only rig. With the iPolar. Being in the Southern hemisphere this is a tremendous time saver, as our pole stars are much harder to see and unless you're in a good Dark Sky site, you might not even see them at all.

Nice work.

Awesome image. Were you using any kind of filter on the 60Da? I know Canon has made that a special camera for Astrophotography. I think, IIRC, one filter isn't in there making it a wider spectrum camera. I appreciate the way the Sky Guider Pro gave you stable shots for up to four minutes. The stars were sharp and crisp, insofar as I could tell. I'm also looking at the Williams Optics upgrades. I wonder if my ZenithStar 71 Achro would do as well. By the way, I've subscribed, so I'll probably post more responses to your posts. Thanks!

man, I'm glad you feel responsible for the power you have over us. iPolar ordered.

What music was that during the image reveal? Nice work, keep it up!!

lovely mug xD

Great video as always! You didn't mention the new WO Super High Precision Copper T-Mount I see you got. How is it? Is it truly better than the standard one? Let me know if you get a chance.

Super fantastic 👍

Hi Trevor---love your videos. I live in Toronto downtown and recently bought a celestron 8SE + a ZWO385MC cam to photograph the moon and some planets. Was able to see just jupiter and the moon consistently but after watching your videos i now want to astrophotograph galaxies and nebulae as well. Can you lead me to a learning path and what i need to do? I have read so many stuff and now i am confused on which one to follow.I have no idea how to work any softwares and hardly any hardware right now. Thank you in advance!

Yep the reason i wanted the sky guider pro was so i didn't need a computer attached. :) Tell us more about the remote shutter release and how to use in a video.

I've been wanting to upgrade the wedge on my Skyguider ever since I saw it on your site, but they've been backordered for months 😕 any insight on suppliers?

saving up for my first telescope always wanted a proper one im enthralled with the night sky and i'm definately getting a dobson like you talked about in one of your videos can't wait!

Hey mate, i recently found your channel and literally consumed all your videos. You are realy doing a great job here and I very much like your content. I did visual astronomy myself, but that was like 20 years ago and I stopped back then (can't remember why). Lately we cleaned out the cellar and I found my old 8" newtonian scope from back then. Sadly the mount (skywatcher eq-1 gen.1) has been damaged over all the time and is not refurbishable anymore. Long story short, I regained interest in this hobby and I would like to do photography this time and I am looking for a completely new setup, but this time I want to start small, refractor (like a redcat or ED80) with a light weight goto mount. I came across the StarGuider Pro aswell as the eqsmart pro and pro +. Can you maybe do a video abou the eqsmart pro (+)? It seems to be a mount inbetween a "real" eq-mount and the starguider and seems to be very interesting.

Nicely done video. How many back and forth passes do you normally do? Does the software give guidance as to which adjustments to make to get closer, e.g. "move AZ to east"? Thanks

Trevor, I have a very similar set up, but I've had some difficulty framing my shots...my focal length is~350mm, any recommendations?...i find the knobs to be a bit fussy

Thank you for your video, does this work with ASIAir?

Really interesting stuff man. Get some affiliate links on these videos, I'd buy all your gear!

I was looking at the William Optics base and it comes in Low Latitude (7-34 degrees) and High Latitude (32-59 degrees) versions. I'm in Dallas at 32 degrees. If I travel to South Texas, say the Texas Star Party (29 degrees), I need the low latitude version. If I travel up into Oklahoma, like the Oki-Tex Star Party (36 degrees), I need the High Latitude version. I don't want to have to buy 2 of them!

Cool! Thanks! BTW, VERY nice selection of music. Keep up the good work!

Got super excited and went to ioptron website just to find out that ioptron smart EQ pro is not supported 😭.

Great video

Can a polemaster be used on this?

Instant like. Great video.

I like the mug

Have you tried flipping the counterweight shaft to to other side of the mounting bracket? Peter Zelinka did a video on it.

hey what was that first song that played?

Are you able to show the earth curve?

Hi Trevor, thanks for a good video. I am living in Southern Hemisphere where the polar align is very difficult. Does The iPolar software can do polar align precisely even if we can not see any star for manual polar alignment? Cheers

That is a huge Nebula! Wow! Great image man 👊

Hi, Firstly love your videos. I have a skyguider pro without ipolar (happy to stay that way for mobility reasons) can you recommend a small scope to use with it that will give great astro images. Hopefully not too expensive. Thanks

how do you make sure your lens is parallel to the axis of rotation for the alignment?

Nice !.. Any video anywhere that you would know of which would show the step by step reticule removal and Ipolar mounting ?... Thank you.

Great video review Trevor and a great shot of the North American and Pelican nebulas.

Thanks a lot. Do you know if the iPolar will work in the southern hemisphere ?

How is the red rail called where is Camera/Lens combination is mounted on?

Wow - thanks for sharing your great image !

Hi Where did you get your constellation map saw in the video? Thank you

I just noticed this when you mentioned bringing a battery pack for the ipolar. Even if you went without the ipolar, you still have to bring a battery pack for that dew heater right?

Hey Trevor, as always, nice video. Backyard looks great with some privacy, and Rudy looks like he's settled in with the new home as well. Ok, enough of the pleasantries. Just curious of how you do your focusing with your setup?

Thanks, Trevor, great video. (And Rudy's the best!)

Nice camera.

The filter you installed? can you provide a link to that? Thanks in advance.

Hi Trevor, amazing work! One simple question ipolar works in the southerm hemisphere? Cheers!

Did you do the install on the iPolar cam? If so would you be willing to do a vid on that

Loved the image at the end. Never lose that passion.