I used a smaller 70-300mm lens for my first outing. The Sky-Watcher with counterweight easily handles a DSLR and 100-400mm zoom lens. This means you can be using two cameras at once, or one camera and one telescope.Ī camera and lens (F) goes on top of the ball head. You screw a tripod head (E) on to one end or both ends of the green dovetail bar. If you are using a light weight lens you don’t need to use the bar and weight. You can move the weight up and down the bar to balance the weight of the camera and lens. The counterweight assembly (D) screws into one end of the green dovetail plate. The green dovetail plate (C) slides into the white knurled jaws of the “mounting platform” and lock down on the dovetail plate with a large knob. You lock it into place with a large knob on the wedge. The Sky Watcher (B) has a grooved base which slides into the jaws on top of the equatorial wedge. Smaller knobs on the left and right incrementally move the Sky-Watcher left and right. You turn the large knob on the wedge to incrementally raise or lower the angle of the Sky-Watcher. Polar alignment is critical and must be meticulously done for the Sky-Watcher to accurately follow the night sky. There is an “equatorial wedge” (A) that makes it much easier to polar align the Sky-Watcher. With the ball head in place, I can point the camera just about anywhere I want. It even comes with a quick release plate for your camera and it only costs $58 (as of the date of this review). It is light weight and very sturdy and uses the Arca-Swiss quick release system.
![sky watcher star adventurer sky watcher star adventurer](https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/monthly_08_2020/classifieds-304347-0-09196800-1597709694.png)
I use and highly recommend the iOptron ball head. There are 3/8 inch threads at each end of the green dovetail plate so you just screw on the tripod head of your choice. This makes it much easier to pint the camera anywhere I want. This is how I use the Sky-Watcher with a ball head screwed on to the green dovetail plate. So I took off the FTMA (just loosen two screws to do that) and screwed a ball head on the green dovetail plate.Ĭamera and lens mounted on a ball head which is mounted on the Sky-Watcher. You can rotate the camera or telescope to the left or right on the FTMA tripod mount, but that is it. In this photo the camera and telescope are pointed in the same direction, at NCP. The Sky-Watcher must be aimed at the North Celestial Pole (NCP) to work properly. If you put a camera or telescope on the Fine-Tuning Mounting Assembly (labeled FTMA in this photo), it seriously limits the ease with which you can point your camera or telescope anywhere you want. If you put it all together and mount a telescope or camera, it will look like this.
![sky watcher star adventurer sky watcher star adventurer](https://shashinki.com/shop/getimage/products/skw-sappv2-4.jpg)
Out of the Box Parts Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer assembled with a telescope or camera.
#Sky watcher star adventurer pro#
I bought the Pro Pack (more about that later) which comes in a box like this. My experience with the iOptron Sky Tracker made it easier to use the Sky-Watcher right out of the box without a learning curve. A lightweight lens like the Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens in this photo is pretty much its limit. I love it and it works well, but it does not provide a way use of counterweights when using larger, heavier lenses. Four years ago I bought the original iOptron Sky Tracker. Camera and lens on iOptron Sky Tracker and ball head.
![sky watcher star adventurer sky watcher star adventurer](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images1000x1000/sky_watcher_s20510_star_adventurer_motorized_mount_1092106.jpg)
For a 300mm lens we are talking 1.7 seconds. For a 20mm lens we are talking 25 seconds. With a 50mm lens the longest shutter speed is 10 seconds. Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens and that will give you the longest shutter speed in seconds that will keep star trailing at a minimum. If you are using a camera on a tripod without a star tracker you can minimize star trailing by using the rule of 500. Now you can use shutter speeds that last for minutes instead of seconds. Put your camera on a well made star tracker, polar align it properly, and the star tracker will track the stars as they cross the sky. If you put a camera on a tripod, and take a picture of the night sky with a shutter speed that is too long, the stars will be streaks of light. What does a sky tracker do? It compensates for the rotation of the earth. This photo of the Andromeda Galaxy was taken on my first night out with clear skies. Not only does it work, it works very well.
#Sky watcher star adventurer how to#
I put it through its paces and decided to write a review with a basic introduction as to how to use it. I read several comparison articles before making my choice. I just purchased the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i. Andromeda Galaxy in the Constellation Andromeda, photographed with a DSLR camera and 70-300mm lens mounted on a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer.