IOptron Skytracker.

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

I have received my IOptron Skytracker and have been using it for the last few days to take some of my Comet Panstarrs pictures. I thought I would share my experience and thoughts about the product.

Unboxing.

The unit came packed in adequate packaging and on opening up I was pleased to see that it came with a carry case. This is just fabric and contains no padding so apart from containg the unit does not provide much in the way of protection from damage.

As i removed the unit I immediately noticed that it had scratches to one of the outside edges. When I removed the Polar scope I was even more surprised that there were marks on the scope tube and worse still the clear plastic window that provides illumination to the polar scope. These marks would seem to be from the scope having been mounted upside down in the unit and having the screw tightened down into the window.

My first thoughts was that it was a used unit, closer examination showed that there was no indications that the packaging from the factory had been damaged or altered in any way. This would seem to be a fail on IOptron's part in Quality Control. I contacted Teleskop express and they confirmed that they have had similar problems with IOptron's QC, they also gave me a 10% discount for the unit having been marked.

SETUP

Setup is a breeze, It's so easy to do. A point to note here. The unit mounts on a tripod with a 3/8" screw (Manfrotto etc) if you have a standard 1/4" screw tripod you will need a 1/4" F to 3/8" M adaptor. These are available from good camera shops or Ebay.

USE

Align with the built in compass, a tip here is start at elevation 0 level with a 2 way bubble level and then dial in your latititude. I found that if using short exposures <30 sec this was nearly good enough. Of course this product has a built in Polar scope which is terrific. so easy to use and there is an Iphone app which give you the perfect positioning for sigma Octans (southern hemisphere) or Polaris (northern hemisphere). I found it quick and easy to do and it allows for far longer exposures with little drift.

I would rate this as a great little unit. Works as advertised with only the cavet about the QC, Fit and Finish.

Edit,

The Crux picture is a stack of Canon 650D 18-135mm at 85mm 8 X 30secs F5.6 ISO 3200

All the best

Paul

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Certainly looks like a neat bit of gear, Paul. I look forward to seeing some images.

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Thanks for your thought's as well Paul , being typical Ioptron the set up's are dead easy , as you mentioned .
I use my Ioptron mount regularly and find their software ( and hard ware) very well made and easy to use , not to mention their after sales service . Give them a call about the scratches , I bet they will replace it in a heart beat at no cost to you .
Brian.

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

Originally Posted by Larryp

Certainly looks like a neat bit of gear, Paul. I look forward to seeing some images.

You have seen the Panstarrs pics but I'm itching to get out and into the country. I'm planning a trip to Kalbarri and the Murchison Gorge area in about a weeks time. Hopefully will get some good shots then (weather permitting!).

Originally Posted by brian nordstrom

Thanks for your thought's as well Paul , being typical Ioptron the set up's are dead easy , as you mentioned .
I use my Ioptron mount regularly and find their software ( and hard ware) very well made and easy to use , not to mention their after sales service . Give them a call about the scratches , I bet they will replace it in a heart beat at no cost to you .
Brian.

Thanks Brian,

Not sure about the backup as I bought this in from Europe as they were not in stock locally at the time. Everything works fine, it's just a bit of a cosmetic problem.

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Hey Paul I have a can of spray paint called " Apliance White " Bunnings .
its a Vixen match ,, SHHHH!.
The joys of buying your self, also see Chrysler Corp's. "Polar White" as well , glad it arrived OK .
Brian.

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

Originally Posted by brian nordstrom

Hey Paul I have a can of spray paint called " Apliance White " Bunnings .
its a Vixen match ,, SHHHH!.
The joys of buying your self, also see Chrysler Corp's. "Polar White" as well , glad it arrived OK .
Brian.

Thanks for the suggestion Brian... I may try a little bit of T-Cut and see if they can be polished out a bit.

[Poita (Peter)]

How does the app work to get you polar aligned? I'm intrigued.

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

You simply run the app it uses your Geolocation and the time to determine where your alignment star should appear in the polar scope (see pics). Polaris goes on the inner ring, Sigma Octans on the outer.

No human interaction needed.

Very simple

[Phil Hart]

Thanks for this Paul. Southern cross looks sharp.. would be interesting to see how long you can push the sub-exposure length.

I'd also be very interested to know how long the batteries last..

cheers
Phil

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

Originally Posted by philiphart

Thanks for this Paul. Southern cross looks sharp.. would be interesting to see how long you can push the sub-exposure length.

I'd also be very interested to know how long the batteries last..

cheers
Phil

Thanks Phil,

Some of the example pictures that I have seen have pushed the exposures to 2-3 minutes. I'm timing the use that i'm getting from fresh batteries. There is also an external 12v input with a standard center positive 2.5 plug.

All the best

Paul

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

cool , and it's free? like Stellarium ? awsome .
Brian .

[Phil Hart]

Originally Posted by ReaPerMan

Thanks Phil,

There is also an external 12v input with a standard center positive 2.5 plug.

Paul

That's very handy! I can plug my Lithium batteries straight into that.. good to know.

Phil

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

Originally Posted by philiphart

That's very handy! I can plug my Lithium batteries straight into that.. good to know.

Phil

I've just been outside running some tests and I've had it up to 90 secs with minimal elongation. A little bit of fiddling and the trails should drop off nicely. Might wait until a bit later and try to get some widefield on Rho Ophiuchi. 90 secs is longer than I need due to some of the light pollution around my home.

[Poita (Peter)]

I'm wondering how long the exposures can go as well, for dark skies I'd like to be able to get 2mins or more.

[ReaPerMan (Paul)]

With Dark skies and an accurate alignment with the polar scope I think 2 Mins is easily Achieved. I have a little bit of trouble seeing sigma with my sky brightness so I'm allowing for my track to be off slightly because of that.

[Rohan]

Quick note for any android users. Get the app called PolarFinder. It has an iOptron setting that will match the skytrackers polarscope.

Love my unit so far. Have nailed the alignment process so now have to get out to some dark skies.

[Rohan]

For anyone interested there is a 4page review of the iOptron Skytracker is the May 2013 Sky and Telescope magazine. It gets quite a good wrap.

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Im intrigued if this all comes with what is in the pics?

That is, the ball head is included?

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what was the landed price for the unit in Aus? Is there any suppliers in Oz that sell these now?

Mike Salway has sold us all on the Polarie from IISAC, so this could be a better alternative (or similar) to that one as everything for the Polarie seems to be an optional extra.

Sorry for all the questions,

Cheers

Chris

[Rohan]

Comes with the polar alignment scope, not the ballhead though. iOptron ballhead does get a good wrap in the review though.

Mine was $400AU landed from the US. However I got it on special for $350USD + $50 postage. Prices from US shops seem to be $400 across the board now.

Doesn't offer the variety of speed settings the Polarie does (only does 1x and .5x) but that wasn't an issue for me.

I might be able to shot the odd person a copy the review if PM'd .

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

PM Sent

Cheers

Chris