Review of the Skywatcher Star Adventurer portable tracking mount

[Phil Hart]

This portable mount has been around for awhile now but you may still be interested in this review I've posted on my site:

http://philhart.com/content/star-adventurer-review

Attached one of several quick examples I captured - Orion with Canon 6D (not modified) and 200mm lens, 80 * 30 secs (40 mins), f4, ISO1600.

I'm interested in performance observations from anybody else who has one too..

Phil

[janoskiss]

Excellent review. Great shots too and the timelapse vid is stunning!

I need to learn more about periodic error. 50 arc seconds sounds like a lot. How long does one period of the periodic error oscillation take?

[Phil Hart]

That's pretty typical for these very small format mounts. Remember the worm wheel is a fraction of the size of a full size EQ mount so you can't expect the same level of precision as you scale everything down. The period (which is mentioned in the article) is ten minutes.

Phil

[neilcreek]

I love my Star Adventurer. It's a surprisingly capable device for its diminutive size. I've been using it for about a year, and have done well with focal lengths up to 135mm. Once I became confident with polar alignment at least, which can be challenging.

One night I decided to give it a try, just for the hell of it, with my Sigma 50-500mm lens. That lens, with my 5D3 is pretty heavy, though within the load limit advertised. I never though I'd be able to get good enough tracking at 500mm, but I was completely surprised! I had to throw out half my subs, but with the rest I was able to get the attached photo, much to my delight!

Canon 5D3
Sigma 50-500mm @500mm
15x2min f6.3 ISO3200

[SteveInNZ]

One of the big advantages that seems to get overlooked is that the sliding dec bracket allows you to get the camera very close to the RA axis. That means you need much less counterweight.
I used my Star Adventurer for the eclipse in Indonesia with a DSLR and 80mm refractor.

I've also got into the habit of always removing one of the batteries as it's very easy for the power switch to get bumped into the 'on' position.

Steve.

[AstroApprentice]

Review of autoguiding SW Star Adventurer available here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ytoropin/sets/72157648776266197/