Changed my mind about those cheap star tracker mounts

I wasted about $150 on a flimsy one that couldn't handle my camera's weight, so all my long exposures last month were ruined by blur. What's a decent entry-level tracker that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

lopez.ivan16d ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling... I read a whole thread about this last week. A lot of people said the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer is the real starting point for something reliable. It's more than you spent, but it seems like the cheap ones are just toys that break your heart. The common advice was to save up for that one instead of gambling on a no-name brand again. The polar scope on it is supposed to be way better for getting aligned right, which is half the battle. It really seems like one of those things where the slightly higher cost saves you so much frustration.

ninasanchez16d agoMost Upvoted

Ivan's right about the cheap ones being heartbreakers. My friend bought a knockoff tracker that sounded like a coffee grinder and couldn't even find Polaris.

oscar_hunt614d ago

Totally agree, that polar alignment is EVERYTHING. @ninasanchez friend's story about the coffee grinder sound is a perfect example of why the cheap gear just fails. You end up fighting the equipment instead of actually taking pictures.