ben486•27d ago

PSA: Dropped $200 on a star tracker mount and it was a TOTAL waste

I bought one of those budget star tracker mounts online thinking I'd get crisp Milky Way shots. Cost me $200 and the thing couldn't hold my camera steady for more than 30 seconds before shaking like crazy. I spent three nights in my backyard trying to balance it, but the gears just felt cheap and plastic. Has anyone actually found a decent tracker under $400 that doesn't wobble?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams.henry27d ago

Wait, $200 and it couldn't hold steady for more than 30 seconds? That's insane. Honestly I'd be furious too.

blake_cooper26d ago

I hear you on being furious. That 30 second limit is brutal. But here's something nobody's talking about - are you sure your tripod was solid enough? I see guys throw a $200 tracker on a $50 tripod and wonder why it shakes. Cheap tripods flex in the wind or when you bump the camera. Your tracker might actually be okay but the whole setup is fighting itself. Could be worth testing the tracker on a concrete block or heavy table first before you totally write it off.