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Spent a whole night deciding between a tracking mount and a star tracker | Astronomy Photos - Opinions Matter

Spent a whole night deciding between a tracking mount and a star tracker

Tbh I was stuck trying to pick between a motorized equatorial mount and a simple Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer for my DSLR. The mount would set me back about $1200 but let me do deep space stuff later on. The tracker was only $400 and I could take it hiking without killing my back. I went with the tracker after reading a bunch of forum posts and honestly it was the right call for now. Got some decent 2 minute exposures of Orion last Thursday and the results were way better than I expected. Has anyone here regretted going with a full mount instead of starting small?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ray3mo ago

Glad you went with the tracker, @jadew63 sounds like you might be coming around too.

paigep203mo ago

Oh man, this is exactly the thing I see all the time with my buddies who get into new hobbies. They buy the expensive stuff first thinking it'll make them better, then it just sits there because it's too much hassle to actually use. A tracker you'll take hiking beats a mount that stays in your trunk every single time. Good on you for going with the practical choice. Those 2 minute exposures of Orion are solid proof you made the right call. The fancy gear can come later when you know you'll actually use it.

jadew633mo ago

Man I was the opposite for a long time. Kept telling people to just go for the full mount from the start. Thought the tracker was a waste of money if you were serious. But your post got me thinking. Realized I spent my first year barely using my mount because it was a pain to haul out. Kept making excuses. Your Orion shots came out good with just a tracker, and you actually used it. That's worth way more than having gear that sits in the closet. Might finally pick up a used Star Adventurer myself and stop being stubborn about it.