Hey guys,
Tested my SkyTracker (ST) out over the weekend and can report on the experience. Overall it was positive but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First off, the app that helps you find exactly where to position polaris is the best I have ever seen. Its really a gem of a tool and when combined with the small scope that comes with the ST, it works amazingly well. I have spent thousands more on mounts that don't have anything near as slick. One caution though, make sure you have a tripod ballhead that will allow you to move the ST smoothly and in fine increments. I found the controls that come with the ST to be too course which is frustrating since the app shows you exactly where to put polaris, but getting it there takes real effort, especially with cold fingers.
Second, watch the weight and focal length. First night I tried my STF8300 with a Canon 300mm lens. Fine for short (30 sec) iterations, but 2 minutes was really hit or miss and mostly miss with unacceptable tracking errors (in part driven by the weight I was imposing on the ST). Second night I stepped down to a 25mm lens and tracking was great for full 2 minutes. Shot Orion Nebula environs with 30 2 min iterations each of RGBs for a total of 3 hours of capture and though I haven't processed them yet, even a single Red shot shows the Loop, the Flame and Horsehead area, the large bubble nebulosity sitting on the top of Orion and even, off to the side, the Rosette. I can't wait to see the final result and will post here once I complete it.
Now the issues. First, I ran it off batteries (4AA) and it worked fine over both nights but I couldn't get the door holding the battery pack to stay on. A small thing, but irritating. More important issue are the screws that hold the ballhead to the ST itself. They are just not up to the task. Admittedly I was pushing the weight limit by loading up about 7 pounds of equipment (limit is supposed to be 7.7 lbs). While I could get the thumbscrews to hold for the first series, they kept loosening when I tried to move to a second target the second night. I will replace when I go back to the US next month (I live in the Middle East and image from Oman and don't want to put European threads into my US thread holes). Actually thinking of just locking the attachment down since I can get a full range of motion from the ballhead itself.
Bottomline, when it works, it works fantastically, but you will need to do some home repairs, which is a shame, since these should be simple fixes in the manufacturing process.
Jim
