Comparing my old tripod to a cheap secondhand one made a huge difference in my star photos

I used to think any tripod would work for astrophotography. Then I tried shooting Orion from my backyard in Tucson with this wobbly $30 one I got at a garage sale. The stars came out as blurry streaks no matter what I did. Borrowed a sturdier aluminum one from a friend and suddenly my 30 second exposures were sharp and clear. Has anyone else noticed how much the mount matters for deep sky shots?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jake17d ago

Used to think a tripod was a tripod and cheap was fine. Borrowed my buddy's old Manfrotto and realized I was just wasting my time before. Stars looked way clearer, changed my mind quick.

torres.leo17d ago

Dude, I saw this thing online once that said cheap tripods flex just enough from wind or your shutter button to mess up long exposures. Made sense when I thought about it. That old Manfrotto probably has way less wobble than the <$30 ones.