Quote:
Originally Posted by MrB
Don't know that I would call it a flaw. It's just different.
Is having to deal with a meridian flip on a GEM a major design flaw?  |
It depends on your use. True you do have to do a meridian flip on a GEM but if the object is in the right position you have probably 4 hours of useable tracking for imaging. But 2 hours is a little short for time lapse.
I read an article about time lapse and they suggest going for 300 images. At 30 second exposures and say 10 second gap between images that is 2 hours I suppose. I see Phil Hart and Alex often do much longer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poita
I wouldn't call a 2 hour limit a flunk, it isn't designed for time-lapse, it is for getting long subs, and 2hours is not an issue there. It has better tracking accuracy than the polarie and a higher weight capacity, that outweighs the rewind issue for the photography I do.
I would look for a different system for time-lapse, (although two hours still is quite usable for a single time-lapse shot).
The Radian on kickstarter looks promising, a pair gives you pan and tilt, the video here is fairly detailed, it looks like they should be able to knock them out for that money.
http://timelapse.org/2012/07/radian-motion-timelapse/
Though you can pick up celestron nexstar refractors for under $300, remove the OTA and pop your camera on there for a computer controlled cheap Alt/Az mount for a camera. |
A flunk may be a bit harsh but my point was it was not well suited for time lapse. I don't know why it has a 2 hour limit - why is that? It seems odd as no other mount has a 2 hour time limit.
I wondered about the Alt Az mounts but I am sceptical that they will track accurately enough. My LX90 would give 30 second shots at 50mm before trailing started. That is pretty pathetic when you think about it. You can get 10 second no tracking round star shots at 50mm so its not doing much.
I am coming to the conclusion the Losmandy system is the best on the market. No time limit, it can handle a decent payload, its upgradeable to autoguiding if you wish and its still very portable and relatively affordable
plus it does both long exposure DSLR imaging and time lapse panning.
Greg.