Hello nebula photos, you really got me interested in Astro photography! I used your guide as a reference to take 200 1-2s Orion nebula photos and stacked them. This initial session really got me into the hobby so I made my own automated barn door tracker (which actually works!!) I will use this weekend. Your videos are truly amazing and inspiring thank you! Hoping for clear skies for both is us.
Ordered a used GTi from High Point Scientific a couple weeks ago and I'm very impressed with it so far. One thing you mentioned Nico, was the loosely attached polar scope cover. I did notice that the tabs on the cover press right against the battery holders, so what I did was very carefully pare down the pointed edge of the two clips where they meet the battery holders. The tabs now fit much tighter. Your mileage may vary of course, but with a used unit I didn't feel bad making a slight mod. I also wrapped a small wire around the elusive battery cover screw and looped it around a knob on my tripod. Hopefully I won't lose it in the dark again! Thanks for all your helpful vids!
Thanks Nico, I got one partly based on your review. The single counterweight has been replaced by 2 smaller dissimilar ones instead. Making balancing smaller payloads now possible. I also found that very old EQ3 style weights work too. I actually keep the included weights as spares for extreme balance situations. Spot on with the relevant details as usual. You can tell the difference between those who have a head knowledge. And those who have an actual practical knowledge. You are so convincing because you are in the last group. Thanks
Interesting. Their media images still show the single weight. Are the two weights white or the more common black color? I'm hoping that if I order one and I get the older single style they will send me replacements since my more common platform will be my mirrorless camera and lenses.
Great video and lots of great info. For future project with this mount see if you can get a 60mm telescope (Williams optics, Apratura etc), with field flattner, mono camera, filters, filter wheel, electronic focuser, Guide scope and camera, ASI AIR PLUS and dew heaters. See if the mount will handle it and kind of sub time you can get with round stars. As this would be the perfect portable setup or setup for people with physical disabilities that prevent them from having a much larger mount. You asked for future idea's and I would love to see what this mount is capable of. Keep up the great work.
Much better in depth explanation then every other channel (not hating, just saying, thank you). You continue to show your passion and knowledge. Rock on
Great review, Nico.. I was able to get my hands on one and finally took it out tonight. I was a little disappointed in the two adjusting knobs/screws for azimuth. They didn't offer much adjustment, and were flimsy. You mentioned the scope cover, and I'm really not sure how that passed into final production. A couple of strategically placed magnets could have been used. Aside from those issues, I'm excited for more time and clear skies!
Thank you as always for the review, got one on order now will be a good mount for when I don't want to or can not bring my EQ6 R pro. FYI weighed my 72 edf with image train came in at 9 pounds.
So happy to see this new mount! It really fills in a need, and it does look very good for portable setups. Excellent overview Nico! I'd be interested to see if it works with GreenSwamp Server, although I don't see why not. Direct USB connection, which I assume is the same as other SW mounts, should just work with EQMOD or GSS as long as the right COM port is selected, and baud rate is set to 115200!
I thought you were on an astrophotography withdrawal, but glad to see you popping around ;) The mount looks cool but if guiding, I don't think it will perform better than the AZ GTi and is still overall twice the size and weight.. The wedge is much better but here you could get a smaller detachable WO wedge as well (important when carrying it around in a hiking bag). But maybe where this mount can work great is not to have to guide (for beginners or when packing extra light) and as a jack-of-all-trade when you are at a more stable site and want to guide to improve performance.
Curious to see the debug read-out with SyntaTester (from the GSS group). I would expect a mechanical setup similar to the AZ-GTi. Can't wait to get my hands on this thing and take it apart... :)
You can make simple counter weights using 1/4" lead wire, used for making fishing weights. Simply tightly coil it around the shaft. The lead comes in 1lb and 5lb
Cool Niko! I'm eagerly awaiting this star tracker, to be paired with a 50mm or a 62mm refractor. The phone connectivity and go to was a selling point for me. I had considered the Zwo AM3, but at more than twice the cost, minus tripod, pier, asair, polar scope, weight or bar, and battery source (all EXTRA!!!) the choice was easy to make. ($740.00 is not inexpensive, but seems fair for what you get: a great, portable travel rig optimized for light telescopes or cameras.) Thanks for posting!!!
Thanks for the review, Nico! I’m still looking for my first mount, and while I think this new GTi looks great, going beyond the payload limit is the thing holding me back. It’s going to be easy to surpass once additional equipment gets added or larger scopes get involved. Still, seems like a terrific option for people as a first mount!
@@dgv646 Really? NOBODY should consider a mount that is $330 cheaper than the EQM35? Even people who are fine with just using a small scope? You're incredibly self-absorbed.. gross..
Great review. I am a beginner looking to get the gti for my first mount with my dslr and small lens. Would love to see more videos showing all the auto-guiding capabilities and how to connect it to a computer and run the guiding
First, for additional counterweight options, there are 3D print specialists out there making all kinds of photography accessories, including counterweights. Starting a chat with one of them would likely result in them making something to your specs. I recently bought a counterweight set for my SA 2i, in case I need a little more than what it came with. You can fill each cannister with whatever density filler you need, so you can customize the weight. I used fish tank gravel, mostly because it's cheap. But you could use much denser ball bearings for more weight if needed. Secondly, I'd be interested in seeing, or knowing, how this compares to the AZGTI. Cuiv the Lazy Geek did a couple of videos last fall showing how to (somewhat easily) adapt the AZGTI for astrophotography, and I've been considering buying one, but the availability has been so hit or miss for several months, and the sellers have been jacking the price up 2-4x the MSRP. I'm finally starting to see the prices come down as normal availability is more consistent, but after learning of this tracking system, I would definitely want to see how the two compare before spending the money on either one.
I also want to know how this mount fare against AZ GTI in the Eq mod. I wonder if I should have waited a little longer. I bought AZ GTI with a few extras to make it Eq mount a few weeks ago without knowing this mount coming up.
Thanks for a great review. This is the first I have heard of this mount and will definitely buy one. I am currently using an AZ-Gti in EQ mode while travelling. It works nicely but time for an upgrade.
I haven't opened it up to see if they are spring-loaded, but the specifications in the user's manual states the worm gear is copper and has a diameter of 15.8mm, while the wheel gear is aluminum alloy and has a diameter of 92mm.
Very interesting mount. Fixing the main reasons why I never went for the star adventurer. As much as it is a great mount, the lack of DEC and GoTo limited it's uses for me. 1- being lazy. 2-planning multiple targets per night or mosaics. I "need" more though then what this mount offers.. Cooled camera, asiair, guiding, filterwheel, maybe a dew heater, etc. Drawing quite a bit of power.. So, as I would need a big battery for that already.. and doing all my photography 5 meters away from a power socket.. being "off the grid" isn't high on my list of requirements.. And rather have something like an EQM35 or Celestron VX, and have the additional weight capacity. Either way, interesting mount. Maybe for the future.
It will be interesting to see how a range of samples of the unit perform. I currently use the AZ-GTI with EQ firmware, reports have shown that unit has great variations in tracking error out of the box. This product does seem to fit a demand that the mods to the AZ-GTI firmware showed great interest in with a bonus of being actually designed for that purpose from the start.
thanks for the review and providing the details of the mount. This certainly apears to be a good travel mount, just 2 pounds heavier than sa2i. I also like the way you mounted the camera and samyang 135mm f/2.. I do have similar vixen dovetails, but it doesnt look so nice and doesnt has those markings.
Can't wait for your video on backlash. I hear it in a lot of videos but I have no clue what it is. I have an idea based on context, but I only know what backlash means in regards to fishing, lol.
I genuinely believe this is the "EQ version" of the AZ-GTI, which I absolutely loved purely for observing. I never got into astrophotography other than putting a cell phone camera up against the eyepiece and perhaps only taking a single long exposure photo lasting around 4-7 seconds. Unfortunately, I've sold it months ago just to make some extra cash. This was prior to realizing a long exposure photo allows more detail and light to be seen, something I've never done before and had an itch for a lightweight EQ setup just for a small refractor. I originally had the EQ6-R Pro and that was well over 50 pounds! It nearly put me off from astronomy altogether hauling that thing from my room to the backyard nearly every night. This seems like the perfect lightweight EQ package to get back into astrophotography, even if it's just using my phone for longer exposures. I miss not having to deal with field rotation but hated the heavier mounts and counterweights. Definitely considering the Star Adventurer GTi, but I would wait until I gather public opinion after it's available to see what people think about it.
Any more thoughts on the GTI? Did you end up getting it? I am also considering this mount but I'm just starting out and not sure whether to just get a good telescope for visual astronomy or to go for a mount and camera setup. I'd like to do both...enjoy the visual astronomy and observing, but also be able to take decent photos of planets and deep sky objects. I know doing both is difficult at a lower budget so aware I might be asking for too much!
I only recently got my 2i a few weeks ago… didn’t know this was in the works. It’s tempting, but I may hold off for a bigger mount since I’ll eventually want to mount bigger scopes to it.
I received a new Star Adventurer GTi this week, vintage 2023, and it has two separate counterweights that weigh 1.5 and 3.5 pounds for the same total of 5 pounds so it would seem that the lighter load balancing issue has been taken care of this time around. There is even a sticker in the user manual in the what's-in-the-box section covering I would presume was last year's 5 pound counterweight. Same crappy polar scope cover though, and there still needs to be a captive screw on the battery cover.
For balancing lighter setups I had an extra iOptron counterweight that i used on my 2i. I took it to a local engineering firm with the GTi's bar and asked if they could mill it out to fit, five minutes and ten pounds later I had a one kilogram counterweight.
I got the star adventurer 4 months ago and then this comes out. An affordable go to mount is exactly what I wanted but I got the star adventurer instead so whoops
Thanks for the great overview Nico! I just picked up a SA 2i a few weeks ago and was hoping that I could use it with my AT60ED and small mirrorless camera (Samsung NX mini). Unfortunately with the small sensor size and the 360mm FL of the scope, it was just a struggle trying to dial in my target. I was thinking it would really be nice if they made a SA that had full goto capability. What great timing for this release!!! I think this mount would be the perfect pairing for my setup as it seems like the perfect grab and go setup. Did you get a chance to test out the battery life using alkaline and/or eneloops?
I sold my old non-wifi star adventurer mount under a mount ago, after upgrading to a HEQ-5 goto synscan, but Imight get this one again. Glad I sold my old one before the GTI came out, because that might be nearly impossible to get rid off with this new (better) version!!
Good video Nico. For me I am prob gonna stick with the 2i and get an eq6 r Pro to use a big refractor in my bortle 4-5 backyard. This way I retain portability with the 2i; and more extreme capability could be had with the eq6r. I lug the 2i up hillsides and this gti looks heavier. I am a little disappointed the payload isn't more. I recon I might have got it if it had been increased.
I hope so too since I have the ASIAIR. Receiving this mount tomorrow. I'm excited. Of course, forest fires in the west will delay my utilization of this new gear.
Very nice first look at the product, thank you! Do you think this is still usable on an image scale of 2 arc seconds or is this pushing the limits too far? Does it use an RJ45 cable for the hand controller / eqmod or is it the RJ16 found on the AZ-GTI? Since the price is already quite close to the EQ-35 a comparison between the two would be very interesting. I'm very happy to hear that goto accuracy is quite good, it was less than decent on my AZ-GTI sample. Looking forward to further videos and your further experience with it.
Nico, on the Star Adventurer GTI mount I found if you spread the weights with a couple of inches between them balance can normally be achieved。 I did not have a camera setup but did have the SVbony 60mm guidescope attachedand was able to balance the rig.
Hi! First of all for sharing your knowledge with us. I am wondering if you would be doing a complete A to Z tutorial on the GTi in a future video? Like from setting it up to the different ways to connect and mount your camera etc, and also how to use (if someone chose to) an ASI Air Plus and a guidescope with it. I don’t know anything about dithering, guiding etc, so that’ll help greatly. I plan to use my Canon 300mm prime lens with a 1.4x TC with this setup. Would I need any additional dovetail plates etc to attach a ballhead onto which the camera would go? Thank you.
I am looking forward to a full review. I need a new small mount for astro outreach. I want to make it has good go to and tracking accuracy, full ASCOM, etc.
Damn you Nico Carver! 😁 Just when I thought I knew what I wanted, you pop up with this with everything I want but at AU $250 extra cost! Looks like a great mount and a definite winner, IMHO. All it needs is a lighter counterweight, which shouldn't be hard to find.
@Nebula Photos Just wanted to say thanks for putting me onto this. I finally got a Star Adventurer GTI. I've yet to use it because there has been way too much cloud here but first chance I get, I'll be out there capturing photons. Right now I'm trying to learn some of the features of the Synscan Pro app. Honestly, this was the best choice for me. I already had a tripod for it and just made total sense. Thanks again.
Hi Niko, I have really enjoyed your reviews, this set up seems to be really good, love the tracking feature for a dead set newbie like me. Could you give a quick opinion, I have either a Canon D60 with a Eos 10-18mm F4 5-5.6 IS STM wide angle lens plus an EF 70-200 F4 telephoto lens. I also have a Nikon D5200 with a Sigma DC 18-250 3.5-6.3 telephoto lens and wondered if this set up would work for it or if I should go for the Mini AZ-GTi (mainly in relation to the balance issues with the counter weight of the new one). Happy sky snapping. Boofy.
Great video Nico, thank you. Could you add your Redcat 51 , ZWO autoguide scope plus OSC camera and auto focuser on your cheese plate to the GTI or would that be too heavy of a payload?
Nice overview... have been looking forward to this release. Here's a use case for you: we're thinking of recommending it as a portable mount for the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse. (1) Can you use the cell-phone SCP boresight (aka "The Rackley Technique") to get a rough daytime polar alignment and/or (2) can you use planetary objects to get a good daytime polar alignment?
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see how accurate I can get polar alignment with those methods. I have tried the Rackley method with other mounts before, but my trouble was the phone compass never seemed to work correctly when it was close to other metal objects (the mount). My favorite daytime polar alignment method, was old-school compass and string plus a magnetic declination adjustment for the location. The other thing I did was just use a solar filter and adjust polar alignment until the sun had very little drift (I assume that's the same as the 'planetary objects method'?) In any case, I'm positive any of these methods would work just as well with the GTi as any other EQ mount.
@@NebulaPhotos Yes, the compass and drift methods do work and are good fall backs. To really take advantage of a GOTO, I was wondering about 2 or 3 object alignment using planets during the day. One would need to be careful about proximity to the Sun of course, but planets are easy targets in full sunlight (even naked eye in some cases), so I've wondered about that for a daytime polar alignment. The Star Adventurer Mini does have a lot of metal, and it does throw off my cell phone magnet a bit when I use the Rackley technique... but the offset seems to be stable. I can setup during the day, and then check with the polar scope at night, and can get some reproducible results. The key is that the SAM has a nice flat surface upon which I can place my cell phone while I tweak the alt/az polar adjustments. A brief look at your vid suggests this mount has a curved surface, that might be a bit more difficult to repeat-ably position a cell phone. I'm planning to purchase a mount in the next couple of weeks to try some of these tests... but I'd be very interested in your results, and any tips you might have in this direction!
6:35 You can add tension to the Polar scope cap, heat the prongs individually with a hair dryer until hot, then a little outward pressure, hold until it cools. It will not be falling off when hit. I did it with my Star Adventurer Pro, works like charm.
@@paulboone714 On the star adventurer you heat the cap by the locking tabs with a hair dryer. When the cap is very warm you add pressure from the inside of the locking tab and move it about 1/16" outward. When the inside of the tab is in line with the outside of the cap when it cools you are adjusted properly. For the GTI you do the same to move the tabs outward, but the tabs are a little TOO LONG and hit the batteries in the holder. Take off 1/16" from the LENGTH of each tab until it locks in place when the batteries are in place. DO NOT TAKE OFF MORE than 1/16" from the lock step on the locking tab. I don't know their Engineers are but they need some tips................
Great job, Nico ... this one is right up there with your other high standard productions. As for next, are you a N.I.N.A. User? If yes, I would love to see how this mount worked with an automated imaging sequence ... thanks for another great learning experience
The specific one I used I believe is a Losmandy V-series Universal 11" dovetail plate. But any brand's Vixen or "V" - type universal dovetail plate that is fairly long will work.
Really appreciate all the superb videos you put out! After going back and forth, I think this would be a good first mount (once it becomes available) though the EQM-35 isn't that much more(?) My S1R and Sigma 150-600 is well under the limit, and still has room for adding some more gadgets I suppose. I know you can get a guide scope with camera, though I have to admit I'm still unclear on what exactly the benefit would be. I would love a super simple (most importantly fast) way of setting it up in terms of quickly locating polaris, not sure if that could be accomplished by that setup? (i.e. guide camera works with pc to do this?)
Yeah they are fairly similar in price and capability. Pros for the GTi: more portable, WIFI. Pros for the EQM-35: comes with hand controller, holds more weight. Personally, I also didn't like the design choice with the EQM-35 to have the partially exposed gearing, and having to connect bulky wires between the motor drives, but this may not bother you at all.
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you for the response! I'm binging on your videos now and figuring out everything about guidescopes, polar alignment, plate solving etc. lol
Excellent first look, thank you! Could you not improve the backlash by using the backlash adjustment in the SynScan Pro app? The hand controller also has that adjustment, to give the Dec axis a short jolt to take out any hesitancy or delay, but still avoiding overshooting. Lots of people will want to know how it works with an ASiair, with it connected to your mobile device, so the GTi can’t be connected as well. Thanks!
Great, and thorough "first impressions" Nico! I just found out about this mount from Dylan's Star Stuff video, and was immediately interested in knowing more. This looks like an airline transportable unit, so nice to see the SmartEQ comparison. Time to see how bad the Canadian price is....
Hey Nico, thank you for another great review! You mention the Ioptron Smart EQ being a similar mount/competitor, however, what about Explore Scientific iEXOS-100…that seems to be a portable eq mount, but not much info/few reviews. Any familiarity with that mount…possible review from you? Also, I know you come down to my neck of the woods to image in Charlestown RI/Ninigret…hope to bump into you sometime.
Great vid Nico. Any updates on further testing that you mentioned ie the dec backlash tuning and the use of the USB port with a EQMod/NINA type setup. I have one on backorder and would like to know what to expect ;) Cheers man !
Hi Nico - thanks for the great review. I'm curious if there is an existing adapter, or some other way, to mount a PoleMaster polar scope to this mount? Mike
Thanks Nico, very nice video. Most times you have discussed comms using a windows platform. It would be nice to discuss comms with Apple Mac. Also please display what actually comes with the unit. Thanks would be grea.t
Concerning Counterweights there is a 1.1 kg counterweight for Vixen Polarie and an iOptron 1.35 kg counterweight available. Both with a 20mm diameter hole, so they should be usable in theory.
Thanks Nico. I have the little MSM star tracker and find this super interesting, mainly for the auto guiding. I'm in the southern hemisphere, so wondering how accurate polar alignment would work here? This doesn't have an electronic polar finder like the iOptron. I assume with a guidescope and the SyncScan app you can do some form of plate solving? Really very interested in getting this mount, however only see it worthwhile if I can get accurate (within reason) polar alignment without having to do it optically which can be a hard task in the southern hemisphere.
Great video and review. Can you do 3 Star polar alignment with the app? Also, with the 2i, I think the two screws at the base of the head you need to turn for polar alignment are rather clunky. Does this one also have those two counter roating screws? I think the 35M has a much more precise spindle/worm gear for turning the head during polar alignment?
I ended up going with the AZ-GTI: it's officially alt-az only, but lets me mix and match components to go equatorial. May be the wrong choice, but it suits my tinkerer's nature.
Awesome Video Nico! what i would love to know about the mount it is, what the heighest Payload is, for example can it still handle a 80 oder even 90mm Scope? And can you still take good pictures with that? And if you go past that weight can you can still use it for visual astronomy? I ask this because for me and probably lots of other people this will be theyre first EQ Mount for astrophotography and visual astronomie as it has go to functions and overall seems very beginner friendly. Thanks alot for your work Nico :)
Based on the intro video by Sky Watcher, it should handle a 80 or 90mm scope. SW tested it with a 600F4 prime lens and it worked well. An 80 and 90mm scope is under the payload capacity.
How exact do the counterweights have to be? You could use a Manfrotto Super clamp to add a little extra weight. If you needed to adjust it in small increments it has mounting options for anything with a thread.
Hi Nico! Have you ever used that QHY533M (or similar) astro-cameras for landscape astrophotography? I currently use the Canon 6D on a star adventurer. I love the RAW quality from the old canon DSLRs and LOATH the raws out of my A7S, A7R II etc for astrophotoraphy. even if not in bulb mode, those sonys aren't that great. I'd VERY much be interested in the experience and results of using a cooled astro camera for astrophotography in the 14mm-50mm focal range.
Thanks Nico, great video! I would like to get into astrophotography (I shot star trails once about 10 years ago) but now I'd like to shoot planets and nebulae, which is what got me interested in this mount. I am also very interested in visual astronomy - something I can enjoy with friends and family in the moment looking at the moon, planets, and galaxies, if possible. Are there any recommendations you would make for someone wanting to do a bit of both and get decent quality photos. I'm tempted to start with a decent telescope for visual (I watched your video comparing refractors and reflectors, very informative, thanks!) but I am just not sure how easy it is to connect a DSLR later (I have a Canon 600D and would like to stick with that for now). I know the photographer in me will want photos I can look at later and share! I know these are kind of distinct hobbies and blending them into one is probably asking for a lot! Grateful for any advice you or anyone else here can give.
As someone who currently is using the AZ-GTI this looks like a much easier one to polar align and it has all the other capabilities. Do you know if this will work with the ASIAIR+ that I'm looking at picking up?
Really interested in your vixen plate/rail. Brand and model? Length? Looks perfect to mount the guider that way. Have othetwise been mounting it on an L-bracket at on side of the camera, but this seems more stable regarding where the center of gravity for the rig occurs.
Hello nebula photos, you really got me interested in Astro photography! I used your guide as a reference to take 200 1-2s Orion nebula photos and stacked them. This initial session really got me into the hobby so I made my own automated barn door tracker (which actually works!!) I will use this weekend. Your videos are truly amazing and inspiring thank you! Hoping for clear skies for both is us.
Do you live in a light polluted area? I live in a Bortle 9 city and struggle to get any images.
Ordered a used GTi from High Point Scientific a couple weeks ago and I'm very impressed with it so far. One thing you mentioned Nico, was the loosely attached polar scope cover. I did notice that the tabs on the cover press right against the battery holders, so what I did was very carefully pare down the pointed edge of the two clips where they meet the battery holders. The tabs now fit much tighter. Your mileage may vary of course, but with a used unit I didn't feel bad making a slight mod. I also wrapped a small wire around the elusive battery cover screw and looped it around a knob on my tripod. Hopefully I won't lose it in the dark again! Thanks for all your helpful vids!
Thanks Nico, I got one partly based on your review. The single counterweight has been replaced by 2 smaller dissimilar ones instead. Making balancing smaller payloads now possible. I also found that very old EQ3 style weights work too. I actually keep the included weights as spares for extreme balance situations. Spot on with the relevant details as usual. You can tell the difference between those who have a head knowledge. And those who have an actual practical knowledge. You are so convincing because you are in the last group. Thanks
Interesting. Their media images still show the single weight. Are the two weights white or the more common black color? I'm hoping that if I order one and I get the older single style they will send me replacements since my more common platform will be my mirrorless camera and lenses.
Great video, very nicely put together and great to have that intro added to it. Not like some other "reviewers" tend to do. ;)
Thorough information. Perfectly presented without disturbing background music. Thnx.
Very detailed thank you again can’t wait to see you use it and see some more awesome photos…
Love your vids man
Super informative video, great job Nico! Might have to pick one of these up for myself...need a "mini-me" for the EQ6-R.
The Polarscope LED addition was much needed
Great review Nico!! Looks promising.
Great video and lots of great info. For future project with this mount see if you can get a 60mm telescope (Williams optics, Apratura etc), with field flattner, mono camera, filters, filter wheel, electronic focuser, Guide scope and camera, ASI AIR PLUS and dew heaters. See if the mount will handle it and kind of sub time you can get with round stars. As this would be the perfect portable setup or setup for people with physical disabilities that prevent them from having a much larger mount. You asked for future idea's and I would love to see what this mount is capable of. Keep up the great work.
Alyn Wallace recommended your channel, I suspect you will get quite a few new subscribers from this quality content 🤘🏻
Great review as always. Thank you.
Superb initial overview of the mount Nico!! Great work putting this together and presenting man :-) Can't wait to see more! Clear skies!
Thanks Luke!
Much better in depth explanation then every other channel (not hating, just saying, thank you).
You continue to show your passion and knowledge. Rock on
Thanks for great explanation. Have been looking at AZ GTi for a small refractor but looks like this is much better
price seems significantly higher though
Great review, Nico.. I was able to get my hands on one and finally took it out tonight. I was a little disappointed in the two adjusting knobs/screws for azimuth. They didn't offer much adjustment, and were flimsy. You mentioned the scope cover, and I'm really not sure how that passed into final production. A couple of strategically placed magnets could have been used. Aside from those issues, I'm excited for more time and clear skies!
Thank you as always for the review, got one on order now will be a good mount for when I don't want to or can not bring my EQ6 R pro. FYI weighed my 72 edf with image train came in at 9 pounds.
I would love to see this with the ASI AIR PRO. That would make a super lightweight package to hike with.
So happy to see this new mount! It really fills in a need, and it does look very good for portable setups. Excellent overview Nico! I'd be interested to see if it works with GreenSwamp Server, although I don't see why not. Direct USB connection, which I assume is the same as other SW mounts, should just work with EQMOD or GSS as long as the right COM port is selected, and baud rate is set to 115200!
I thought you were on an astrophotography withdrawal, but glad to see you popping around ;) The mount looks cool but if guiding, I don't think it will perform better than the AZ GTi and is still overall twice the size and weight.. The wedge is much better but here you could get a smaller detachable WO wedge as well (important when carrying it around in a hiking bag). But maybe where this mount can work great is not to have to guide (for beginners or when packing extra light) and as a jack-of-all-trade when you are at a more stable site and want to guide to improve performance.
@@astrodysseus Merci Laurent-Philippe! Yeah I'm still taking a break , I haven't imaged in months!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Looking forward when you do...
Curious to see the debug read-out with SyntaTester (from the GSS group). I would expect a mechanical setup similar to the AZ-GTi. Can't wait to get my hands on this thing and take it apart... :)
Hey, just wanted to say thanks for showing me Green Swamp Server. That is all I use now with the Skywatcher mounts.
You can make simple counter weights using 1/4" lead wire, used for making fishing weights. Simply tightly coil it around the shaft. The lead comes in 1lb and 5lb
Cool Niko! I'm eagerly awaiting this star tracker, to be paired with a 50mm or a 62mm refractor.
The phone connectivity and go to was a selling point for me.
I had considered the Zwo AM3, but at more than twice the cost, minus tripod, pier, asair, polar scope, weight or bar, and battery source (all EXTRA!!!) the choice was easy to make.
($740.00 is not inexpensive, but seems fair for what you get: a great, portable travel rig optimized for light telescopes or cameras.)
Thanks for posting!!!
Thanks for the review, Nico! I’m still looking for my first mount, and while I think this new GTi looks great, going beyond the payload limit is the thing holding me back. It’s going to be easy to surpass once additional equipment gets added or larger scopes get involved. Still, seems like a terrific option for people as a first mount!
yeah, that's why nobody should consider this mount, the EQM 35 is by far a better choice
@@dgv646 Really? NOBODY should consider a mount that is $330 cheaper than the EQM35? Even people who are fine with just using a small scope? You're incredibly self-absorbed.. gross..
Great review. I am a beginner looking to get the gti for my first mount with my dslr and small lens. Would love to see more videos showing all the auto-guiding capabilities and how to connect it to a computer and run the guiding
Awesome review. Thanks.
On my wish list. Great review.
Live stacking with the ASI Air and an iPad is what has me interested in this.
Nico, thanks for great review, will be nice to test it with ASIAIR plus. Thanks for sharing
Great in depth review. I too, would like to see this GTi mount controled with a ZWO ASIAIR Plus with a CMOS camera and guide scope.
That is useful information! Thank you
First, for additional counterweight options, there are 3D print specialists out there making all kinds of photography accessories, including counterweights. Starting a chat with one of them would likely result in them making something to your specs. I recently bought a counterweight set for my SA 2i, in case I need a little more than what it came with. You can fill each cannister with whatever density filler you need, so you can customize the weight. I used fish tank gravel, mostly because it's cheap. But you could use much denser ball bearings for more weight if needed.
Secondly, I'd be interested in seeing, or knowing, how this compares to the AZGTI. Cuiv the Lazy Geek did a couple of videos last fall showing how to (somewhat easily) adapt the AZGTI for astrophotography, and I've been considering buying one, but the availability has been so hit or miss for several months, and the sellers have been jacking the price up 2-4x the MSRP. I'm finally starting to see the prices come down as normal availability is more consistent, but after learning of this tracking system, I would definitely want to see how the two compare before spending the money on either one.
I also want to know how this mount fare against AZ GTI in the Eq mod. I wonder if I should have waited a little longer. I bought AZ GTI with a few extras to make it Eq mount a few weeks ago without knowing this mount coming up.
JUST BUY A 3D PRINTER.
Thanks for a great review. This is the first I have heard of this mount and will definitely buy one. I am currently using an AZ-Gti in EQ mode while travelling. It works nicely but time for an upgrade.
PS. Can you confirm this has spring loaded worm gears like the Az-Gti?
I haven't opened it up to see if they are spring-loaded, but the specifications in the user's manual states the worm gear is copper and has a diameter of 15.8mm, while the wheel gear is aluminum alloy and has a diameter of 92mm.
thanks for your video
Thank you, very comprehensive and useful info
Very interesting mount. Fixing the main reasons why I never went for the star adventurer.
As much as it is a great mount, the lack of DEC and GoTo limited it's uses for me.
1- being lazy. 2-planning multiple targets per night or mosaics.
I "need" more though then what this mount offers.. Cooled camera, asiair, guiding, filterwheel, maybe a dew heater, etc. Drawing quite a bit of power.. So, as I would need a big battery for that already.. and doing all my photography 5 meters away from a power socket.. being "off the grid" isn't high on my list of requirements..
And rather have something like an EQM35 or Celestron VX, and have the additional weight capacity.
Either way, interesting mount. Maybe for the future.
It will be interesting to see how a range of samples of the unit perform. I currently use the AZ-GTI with EQ firmware, reports have shown that unit has great variations in tracking error out of the box. This product does seem to fit a demand that the mods to the AZ-GTI firmware showed great interest in with a bonus of being actually designed for that purpose from the start.
thanks for the review and providing the details of the mount. This certainly apears to be a good travel mount, just 2 pounds heavier than sa2i. I also like the way you mounted the camera and samyang 135mm f/2.. I do have similar vixen dovetails, but it doesnt look so nice and doesnt has those markings.
Go Niko, go Niko, go, go! Great review!
Can't wait for your video on backlash. I hear it in a lot of videos but I have no clue what it is. I have an idea based on context, but I only know what backlash means in regards to fishing, lol.
I genuinely believe this is the "EQ version" of the AZ-GTI, which I absolutely loved purely for observing. I never got into astrophotography other than putting a cell phone camera up against the eyepiece and perhaps only taking a single long exposure photo lasting around 4-7 seconds. Unfortunately, I've sold it months ago just to make some extra cash.
This was prior to realizing a long exposure photo allows more detail and light to be seen, something I've never done before and had an itch for a lightweight EQ setup just for a small refractor. I originally had the EQ6-R Pro and that was well over 50 pounds! It nearly put me off from astronomy altogether hauling that thing from my room to the backyard nearly every night.
This seems like the perfect lightweight EQ package to get back into astrophotography, even if it's just using my phone for longer exposures. I miss not having to deal with field rotation but hated the heavier mounts and counterweights. Definitely considering the Star Adventurer GTi, but I would wait until I gather public opinion after it's available to see what people think about it.
Any more thoughts on the GTI? Did you end up getting it? I am also considering this mount but I'm just starting out and not sure whether to just get a good telescope for visual astronomy or to go for a mount and camera setup. I'd like to do both...enjoy the visual astronomy and observing, but also be able to take decent photos of planets and deep sky objects. I know doing both is difficult at a lower budget so aware I might be asking for too much!
I only recently got my 2i a few weeks ago… didn’t know this was in the works. It’s tempting, but I may hold off for a bigger mount since I’ll eventually want to mount bigger scopes to it.
Great review, heads up - I’ve always used a surveyors tripod, really stable, affordable and light to carry.
Excelente felicitaciones y gracias , saludos desde Colombia
I received a new Star Adventurer GTi this week, vintage 2023, and it has two separate counterweights that weigh 1.5 and 3.5 pounds for the same total of 5 pounds so it would seem that the lighter load balancing issue has been taken care of this time around. There is even a sticker in the user manual in the what's-in-the-box section covering I would presume was last year's 5 pound counterweight. Same crappy polar scope cover though, and there still needs to be a captive screw on the battery cover.
Looks like an interesting mount, would like to see a video with ASI pro compatibility.
For balancing lighter setups I had an extra iOptron counterweight that i used on my 2i.
I took it to a local engineering firm with the GTi's bar and asked if they could mill it out to fit, five minutes and ten pounds later I had a one kilogram counterweight.
I got the star adventurer 4 months ago and then this comes out. An affordable go to mount is exactly what I wanted but I got the star adventurer instead so whoops
Thanks for the great overview Nico! I just picked up a SA 2i a few weeks ago and was hoping that I could use it with my AT60ED and small mirrorless camera (Samsung NX mini). Unfortunately with the small sensor size and the 360mm FL of the scope, it was just a struggle trying to dial in my target. I was thinking it would really be nice if they made a SA that had full goto capability. What great timing for this release!!! I think this mount would be the perfect pairing for my setup as it seems like the perfect grab and go setup. Did you get a chance to test out the battery life using alkaline and/or eneloops?
Great video. I'd like to see how a Polemaster camera fits in.
Very interesting!
I sold my old non-wifi star adventurer mount under a mount ago, after upgrading to a HEQ-5 goto synscan, but Imight get this one again. Glad I sold my old one before the GTI came out, because that might be nearly impossible to get rid off with this new (better) version!!
Good video Nico. For me I am prob gonna stick with the 2i and get an eq6 r Pro to use a big refractor in my bortle 4-5 backyard. This way I retain portability with the 2i; and more extreme capability could be had with the eq6r. I lug the 2i up hillsides and this gti looks heavier. I am a little disappointed the payload isn't more. I recon I might have got it if it had been increased.
So the payload of the gti is the same as the 2i pro?
Just ordered mine!
Would love to see the possibility of ASIAIR compatibility.
My first thought as well. Perhaps it will be seen as an existing mount by Skywatcher?
I hope so too since I have the ASIAIR. Receiving this mount tomorrow. I'm excited.
Of course, forest fires in the west will delay my utilization of this new gear.
@@ThePinoyAggie it is still out of stock. Did you get it from high point scientific?
@@abhisheknamdeo yes, I received my copy. Got to used it once so far and the go-to feature makes framing easy.
Very nice first look at the product, thank you! Do you think this is still usable on an image scale of 2 arc seconds or is this pushing the limits too far? Does it use an RJ45 cable for the hand controller / eqmod or is it the RJ16 found on the AZ-GTI? Since the price is already quite close to the EQ-35 a comparison between the two would be very interesting. I'm very happy to hear that goto accuracy is quite good, it was less than decent on my AZ-GTI sample. Looking forward to further videos and your further experience with it.
Very cool!!!!!
Nico, on the Star Adventurer GTI mount I found if you spread the weights with a couple of inches between them balance can normally be achieved。 I did not have a camera setup but did have the SVbony 60mm guidescope attachedand was able to balance the rig.
Hi!
First of all for sharing your knowledge with us. I am wondering if you would be doing a complete A to Z tutorial on the GTi in a future video? Like from setting it up to the different ways to connect and mount your
camera etc, and also how to use (if someone chose to) an ASI Air Plus and a guidescope with it. I don’t know anything about dithering, guiding etc, so that’ll help greatly. I plan to use my Canon 300mm prime lens with a 1.4x TC with this setup.
Would I need any additional dovetail plates etc to attach a ballhead onto which the camera would go?
Thank you.
If I had not already committed to a EQ5 syn-scan pro I would definitely be giving this some serious thought as a first mount.
Would work good with my Zenithstar 61. Can’t wait for a full review. At least they are headed in the right direction.
I am looking forward to a full review. I need a new small mount for astro outreach. I want to make it has good go to and tracking accuracy, full ASCOM, etc.
Damn you Nico Carver! 😁 Just when I thought I knew what I wanted, you pop up with this with everything I want but at AU $250 extra cost! Looks like a great mount and a definite winner, IMHO. All it needs is a lighter counterweight, which shouldn't be hard to find.
@Nebula Photos Just wanted to say thanks for putting me onto this. I finally got a Star Adventurer GTI. I've yet to use it because there has been way too much cloud here but first chance I get, I'll be out there capturing photons. Right now I'm trying to learn some of the features of the Synscan Pro app.
Honestly, this was the best choice for me. I already had a tripod for it and just made total sense. Thanks again.
Hi Niko, I have really enjoyed your reviews, this set up seems to be really good, love the tracking feature for a dead set newbie like me. Could you give a quick opinion, I have either a Canon D60 with a Eos 10-18mm F4 5-5.6 IS STM wide angle lens plus an EF 70-200 F4 telephoto lens. I also have a Nikon D5200 with a Sigma DC 18-250 3.5-6.3 telephoto lens and wondered if this set up would work for it or if I should go for the Mini AZ-GTi (mainly in relation to the balance issues with the counter weight of the new one). Happy sky snapping. Boofy.
Great video Nico, thank you. Could you add your Redcat 51 , ZWO autoguide scope plus OSC camera and auto focuser on your cheese plate to the GTI or would that be too heavy of a payload?
That would work. I think that would be at about 10 pounds give or take.
Nice overview... have been looking forward to this release.
Here's a use case for you: we're thinking of recommending it as a portable mount for the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse. (1) Can you use the cell-phone SCP boresight (aka "The Rackley Technique") to get a rough daytime polar alignment and/or (2) can you use planetary objects to get a good daytime polar alignment?
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see how accurate I can get polar alignment with those methods. I have tried the Rackley method with other mounts before, but my trouble was the phone compass never seemed to work correctly when it was close to other metal objects (the mount). My favorite daytime polar alignment method, was old-school compass and string plus a magnetic declination adjustment for the location. The other thing I did was just use a solar filter and adjust polar alignment until the sun had very little drift (I assume that's the same as the 'planetary objects method'?) In any case, I'm positive any of these methods would work just as well with the GTi as any other EQ mount.
@@NebulaPhotos Yes, the compass and drift methods do work and are good fall backs. To really take advantage of a GOTO, I was wondering about 2 or 3 object alignment using planets during the day. One would need to be careful about proximity to the Sun of course, but planets are easy targets in full sunlight (even naked eye in some cases), so I've wondered about that for a daytime polar alignment.
The Star Adventurer Mini does have a lot of metal, and it does throw off my cell phone magnet a bit when I use the Rackley technique... but the offset seems to be stable. I can setup during the day, and then check with the polar scope at night, and can get some reproducible results. The key is that the SAM has a nice flat surface upon which I can place my cell phone while I tweak the alt/az polar adjustments. A brief look at your vid suggests this mount has a curved surface, that might be a bit more difficult to repeat-ably position a cell phone.
I'm planning to purchase a mount in the next couple of weeks to try some of these tests... but I'd be very interested in your results, and any tips you might have in this direction!
6:35 You can add tension to the Polar scope cap, heat the prongs individually with a hair dryer until hot, then a little outward pressure, hold until it cools. It will not be falling off when hit. I did it with my Star Adventurer Pro, works like charm.
Oh man, I'd love to see a video on exactly how to do that, the cap is a pain in the butt!!!
@@paulboone714 On the star adventurer you heat the cap by the locking tabs with a hair dryer. When the cap is very warm you add pressure from the inside of the locking tab and move it about 1/16" outward. When the inside of the tab is in line with the outside of the cap when it cools you are adjusted properly. For the GTI you do the same to move the tabs outward, but the tabs are a little TOO LONG and hit the batteries in the holder. Take off 1/16" from the LENGTH of each tab until it locks in place when the batteries are in place. DO NOT TAKE OFF MORE than 1/16" from the lock step on the locking tab. I don't know their Engineers are but they need some tips................
This is what I’ve been waiting for! Does the sky watcher app offer aid in polar alignment?
Great job, Nico ... this one is right up there with your other high standard productions. As for next, are you a N.I.N.A. User? If yes, I would love to see how this mount worked with an automated imaging sequence ... thanks for another great learning experience
I was wonder what dovetail plate you are using, I like the idea of mounting the guide scope like you have pictured.
The specific one I used I believe is a Losmandy V-series Universal 11" dovetail plate. But any brand's Vixen or "V" - type universal dovetail plate that is fairly long will work.
Really appreciate all the superb videos you put out! After going back and forth, I think this would be a good first mount (once it becomes available) though the EQM-35 isn't that much more(?) My S1R and Sigma 150-600 is well under the limit, and still has room for adding some more gadgets I suppose. I know you can get a guide scope with camera, though I have to admit I'm still unclear on what exactly the benefit would be. I would love a super simple (most importantly fast) way of setting it up in terms of quickly locating polaris, not sure if that could be accomplished by that setup? (i.e. guide camera works with pc to do this?)
Yeah they are fairly similar in price and capability. Pros for the GTi: more portable, WIFI. Pros for the EQM-35: comes with hand controller, holds more weight. Personally, I also didn't like the design choice with the EQM-35 to have the partially exposed gearing, and having to connect bulky wires between the motor drives, but this may not bother you at all.
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you for the response! I'm binging on your videos now and figuring out everything about guidescopes, polar alignment, plate solving etc. lol
Excellent first look, thank you! Could you not improve the backlash by using the backlash adjustment in the SynScan Pro app? The hand controller also has that adjustment, to give the Dec axis a short jolt to take out any hesitancy or delay, but still avoiding overshooting. Lots of people will want to know how it works with an ASiair, with it connected to your mobile device, so the GTi can’t be connected as well. Thanks!
Recently bought one of these. Am using it with a short tube 80 for EAA.
Great, and thorough "first impressions" Nico! I just found out about this mount from Dylan's Star Stuff video, and was immediately interested in knowing more.
This looks like an airline transportable unit, so nice to see the SmartEQ comparison. Time to see how bad the Canadian price is....
While I respect Dylan, I don't watch his stuff much anymore.
Very exciting mount. I’d like to see how you polar align then doing the go function all in the dark. Control this from your tablet
Hey Nico, thank you for another great review! You mention the Ioptron Smart EQ being a similar mount/competitor, however, what about Explore Scientific iEXOS-100…that seems to be a portable eq mount, but not much info/few reviews. Any familiarity with that mount…possible review from you? Also, I know you come down to my neck of the woods to image in Charlestown RI/Ninigret…hope to bump into you sometime.
Great vid Nico. Any updates on further testing that you mentioned ie the dec backlash tuning and the use of the USB port with a EQMod/NINA type setup. I have one on backorder and would like to know what to expect ;) Cheers man !
Not yet, but hope to test more on the next clear night
Hi Nico - thanks for the great review. I'm curious if there is an existing adapter, or some other way, to mount a PoleMaster polar scope to this mount? Mike
Thanks Nico, very nice video. Most times you have discussed comms using a windows platform. It would be nice to discuss comms with Apple Mac. Also please display what actually comes with the unit. Thanks would be grea.t
Informative.
Concerning Counterweights there is a 1.1 kg counterweight for Vixen Polarie and an iOptron 1.35 kg counterweight available. Both with a 20mm diameter hole, so they should be usable in theory.
Here I am, again watching "stuff-I -can't-Afford" review video
Thanks Nico. I have the little MSM star tracker and find this super interesting, mainly for the auto guiding. I'm in the southern hemisphere, so wondering how accurate polar alignment would work here? This doesn't have an electronic polar finder like the iOptron. I assume with a guidescope and the SyncScan app you can do some form of plate solving? Really very interested in getting this mount, however only see it worthwhile if I can get accurate (within reason) polar alignment without having to do it optically which can be a hard task in the southern hemisphere.
Great information 👍, what is your settings here ?
Great video and review. Can you do 3 Star polar alignment with the app? Also, with the 2i, I think the two screws at the base of the head you need to turn for polar alignment are rather clunky. Does this one also have those two counter roating screws? I think the 35M has a much more precise spindle/worm gear for turning the head during polar alignment?
Great review! Is this mount comparable to EQM-35 Pro in terms of guiding?
I ended up going with the AZ-GTI: it's officially alt-az only, but lets me mix and match components to go equatorial. May be the wrong choice, but it suits my tinkerer's nature.
Awesome Video Nico! what i would love to know about the mount it is, what the heighest Payload is, for example can it still handle a 80 oder even 90mm Scope? And can you still take good pictures with that? And if you go past that weight can you can still use it for visual astronomy? I ask this because for me and probably lots of other people this will be theyre first EQ Mount for astrophotography and visual astronomie as it has go to functions and overall seems very beginner friendly. Thanks alot for your work Nico :)
Based on the intro video by Sky Watcher, it should handle a 80 or 90mm scope. SW tested it with a 600F4 prime lens and it worked well. An 80 and 90mm scope is under the payload capacity.
How exact do the counterweights have to be? You could use a Manfrotto Super clamp to add a little extra weight. If you needed to adjust it in small increments it has mounting options for anything with a thread.
Great review!! Thank you!
Quick question: does it do auto meridian flip? Thanks!
Yes, it can.
Hi Nico! Have you ever used that QHY533M (or similar) astro-cameras for landscape astrophotography? I currently use the Canon 6D on a star adventurer. I love the RAW quality from the old canon DSLRs and LOATH the raws out of my A7S, A7R II etc for astrophotoraphy. even if not in bulb mode, those sonys aren't that great. I'd VERY much be interested in the experience and results of using a cooled astro camera for astrophotography in the 14mm-50mm focal range.
Just got mine! 😂
Thanks Nico, great video! I would like to get into astrophotography (I shot star trails once about 10 years ago) but now I'd like to shoot planets and nebulae, which is what got me interested in this mount. I am also very interested in visual astronomy - something I can enjoy with friends and family in the moment looking at the moon, planets, and galaxies, if possible.
Are there any recommendations you would make for someone wanting to do a bit of both and get decent quality photos. I'm tempted to start with a decent telescope for visual (I watched your video comparing refractors and reflectors, very informative, thanks!) but I am just not sure how easy it is to connect a DSLR later (I have a Canon 600D and would like to stick with that for now). I know the photographer in me will want photos I can look at later and share!
I know these are kind of distinct hobbies and blending them into one is probably asking for a lot! Grateful for any advice you or anyone else here can give.
As someone who currently is using the AZ-GTI this looks like a much easier one to polar align and it has all the other capabilities. Do you know if this will work with the ASIAIR+ that I'm looking at picking up?
Great video Nico , i havent had good experience with the SW app ,but ill try anyways ,but for reference ,will it work with ASI air pro or plus?
Yes, it should.
Great video, thank you. What is the support you are using underneath the camera? You don't see to support the lens.
Trying out the 'foot' of the QHY533M. It comes like that on that camera. Worked pretty well.
Really interested in your vixen plate/rail. Brand and model? Length? Looks perfect to mount the guider that way. Have othetwise been mounting it on an L-bracket at on side of the camera, but this seems more stable regarding where the center of gravity for the rig occurs.
yes. I think its more interesting
Cool... Ill get this one... What lenses you can recommend for my a7s? Thanks from far NZ
Just wondering which adapter you used to connect the Rokinon to the filter wheel? It looks quite low profile.
Hi Nico, great video. Would you do a video in how to Star align with this GTi? Thanks!
maaan you left the star adventurer turned on!!!