Dropped $150 on a star tracker mount and glad I did

I kept trying to get clear shots of the Milky Way with just a tripod. Everything came out blurry or trailed after 5 seconds. Finally bought a used Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer off a guy in Portland for $150. First night out at a dark site near Mt. Hood I got a crisp 90-second exposure that actually showed the core. Has anyone else found that a tracker made the biggest difference in their night shots?

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felixb253mo ago

Ever notice how a tracker changes your whole composition game? Without one you're stuck shooting straight up at the zenith or catching the brightest stars. With it you can frame landscapes underneath the Milky Way and actually keep both in focus.

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richard_west53mo ago

My first tracker was a used Star Adventurer and honestly for months I barely noticed a difference @felixb25. Idk maybe I just wasn't pushing it hard enough but half the time I still ended up with trailing stars anyway. I mean it's a nice tool but I wouldn't call it a game changer for composition.

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