Hi-Tech GO-TO Star Trackers Are Here!

[@adampoll4977]

Just to add a perspective, for Sony cameras the live view still works fine with the camera connected to the Benro. With the camera connected there is a dithering option in the app. I've only had it a couple of days, but can confirm round stars at more than 200mm and over 30 seconds. Testing tonight at 400mm :)

[@NebulaPhotos]

Thanks Adam, I guess I missed the dithering option. I admittedly got frustrated since the liveview is blacked out on Canon cameras when connected to the Polaris so found it near-unusable with a camera connected, since the display through the app was terrible. Cheers, Nico

[@v3rlon]

@@NebulaPhotos The live view also blacks out on Nikon, and with mirrorless, this also kills the viewfinder. Score one for team Alpha, I guess. It looks in the video like you calibrated with your phone pointing in the opposite (yet more intuitive) direction from the instructions I got, where you place the top of your phone (earpiece) close to the base of the camera and the bottom (mic) close to the front of the lens. It can be difficult to align with filters in place, and I do wish there was an option to do 2-3 stars. I didn't know you could do the Messier catalogue or just input the address. Thanks for that. How dark is it at your dark sky site where you got those images? I need to know how far I need to drive. :)

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@v3rlon Huh, I thought I did it right based on the illustration in the app, and it seemed to calibrate correctly for go-tos both during the day (go-to the sun) and at night. Are the instructions you got, the written instructions it came with? I'll have to look again. This was Bortle 3, but I've had pretty good luck with wide-field deep sky with a DSLR/Mirrorless from Bortle 4 as well.

[@stewartlife]

Thanks for sharing. What sony camera do you use (full frame or aps-c)? To understand more context on the focal length you used. As I’m wondering how Benro Polaris would fare when used with Samyang 135mm on APS-C. And if used with William Optics Red Cat 51.

[@adampoll4977]

@@NebulaPhotos yeah, the app image preview is still bad with the Sony as well .

[@kevingumfory]

The guy that could do commercials for the best most expensive gear on the market but keeps it practical ! Ty man.

[@thomasmoffatt]

The Benro is attractive to me for these reasons: 1. My vision is imperfect due to age and polar aligning is extremely difficult. 2. In summer I live where mosquitoes make it torture to polar align. The Benro base sounds like a gift from the gods for this semi-blind guy wanting to capture views of the night sky.

[@malice6239]

I am in the same boat! I live on the equator with mosquitos that want to kill me. I am heavily considering the benro because of this. I currently own a swsa 2

[@nelsongonzalez6898]

Hi Thoms, sorry for this way delay reply. I am with you, mosquitoes are a pain and have made my life difficult trying to align the GTi; which I returned yesterday, not because the mosquitoes thought, it was an issue/defect with the device.

[@theJoeFagan]

I just recently picked up the Star Adventurer GTi as my first tracking mount. This video was quite helpful. While the GTi’s instructions are adequate, they weren’t the most detailed, so I wasn’t sure if my alignment process was correct. Thanks, Nico. Great video!

[@skyenthusiast5573]

New subscriber here and I just have to comment that I really appreciate your clear and straightforward review Nico. This nerd (me) doesn't need dramatic music, click bait titles, or overacting; it's the info presented at a comfortable pace, from someone who knows what they're doing, that got me to subscribe. Looks like I've got a lot of other videos to check out now. I've got similar night sky challenges here in NY so I appreciate all of the viewing conditions tips. Peace!

[@mihailssisovs6983]

Exactly! Finally someone said it. Dramatic music and clickbaits are a menace

[@AlanHowellphotovideo]

You know the astrophotographer is legit when they have dark circles under their eyes. Really appreciate all your hard work in bringing great information to light.

[@gregy.]

Your sound quality is really great in this video!

[@axford696969]

Hey, I don’t often leave comments on videos, but I’d just like to say thanks, your videos are always very informative, big thumbs up Nico…

[@FunBideo]

Thank you so much for all the work you have put in to making your highly informative videos. Though I have done photography for over fifty years, I never did any astrophotography, other than an occasional photo of the moon. You mainly surprised me when you got into teaching about light coming in from the stars arriving in packets of photons and was one of the reasons for shooting so many “lights”. So, I have coined a new word and it is my gift to you. The word is “astrophotonography”. Enjoy! Hope it catches on…

[@OMGTapioca]

I am the backer for Polaris and been using it for 3~4 months, previously a skyguider pro user. For my situation, not able to see North at all from patio, not able to travel far or even just go out during the night because of family and kid… Polaris is a perfect fit for me. In the 3 months, I have captured more than using Skyguider pro in the last 3 years combined. Pretty much everything I can capture in southern sky. Since the setup process is SO fast and no additional laptop needed. Tracking accuracy and drifting over time are still known issues but if Benro can get it improved by 2 star alignment and even adding guiding ability, this might be a game changer :)

[@greygoose3936]

Not having to do a polar alignment is a pretty big deal for me because Polaris is only visible through the trees of my backyard during the winter. I'll definitely consider replacing my Star Adventurer 2 with this.

[@FerdinandTerreros]

Do comment if there are any updates on the benro.

[@Polgnar]

how is it going so far??

[@czechmark0]

I also backed the Benro-Polaris project 612 days ago. Patience is a virtue that can be tested in crowd funding😊. I hope to receive it soon - it looks like it may be worth the wait!

[@Flaxworx]

Literally just got the Polaris today (New Zealand) and hoping it will help me with my constant issues with polar aligning in the Southern Hemisphere...but.. time will tell. This definitely helped

[@OzarkBill]

Thank you for the great video! Since the Benro has an increased payload advertised, I'd be really interested to see how it would do in the 200-400mm range at up to a three minute exposure.

[@DLMVegas]

Thanks for this video. However, after 1 night of using the Sky-Watcher GTI though I sent it back. I have been using a Adventurer 2i for over a year now. I do mostly landscape photography. I have no intentions of getting into telescopes or anything else past my Nikon D810 and 150-600mm lens. During a conversation with someone at Sky-Watcher I found out a couple of things. Items that I think should be said for those just getting into using a GO TO mount. Something I haven't seen mentioned on any KZbin videos. You not only need to align Polaris but 1-3 stars as well. I was told that GO TO trackers are dumb. Until you provide the locations by centering the 1-3 stars in your viewfinder, the tracker has no idea where it is. It was also mentioned that 2 stars would be good enough. I used Live View in Stellarium if I didn't know where the 2 objects I was looking for were at. Moving the tracker to the 2 objects, it is was not very close to even having an object on my viewfinder. The time I spent getting the additional objects centered I could have been almost done photographing the object I initially came to photograph. My Polaris alignment takes me 30-60 seconds to do. After that I've located and I'm photographing the object I came for. For the money you do get more with the Sky-Watcher GTI. The turnoff for me with the Benro was the software not being fully complete. I spent 30 years in Silicon Valley writing software for major corporations. Incomplete applications would never be released to the public.

[@BlkInc1]

Thanks for mentioning this ...im a beginner and its so confusing on where to start to not have to end up starting over later. I was thinking about the Adventure 2i, I think the advantage with this model is it can be used with a guide camera later on?

[@Penwiggle]

This video is exactly what I needed. I have a nice tripod and a good camera (Nikon P1000). But am getting frustrated at the out of focus shaky photos of planets, and want to get a star tracker. But, had no idea where to start, and wanted to get one that I knew would work with a camera and not a tripod. Thank youl

[@Moonlight_Dee]

Easier polar alignment would be amazing for us in Southern Hemisphere!! Benro looks amazing!

[@markwood1660]

Nice review as always Nico, however 500+ extra just to have some newer gadget type tech should push this only towards the “want to have” crowd. I would def prefer the option of being able to connect to a laptop as a choice ( its what we do with main rigs and becomes second nature) and 500 does leave room for lens, 2nd hand scope etc

[@csimet]

I'm a backer of the Benro project (backer 680) and have had cell/astro version for about a month now. The software is still going through changes/updates, so I expect things will improve, as well as see more options. For me it is a perfect fit... I'm *not* a deep sky photographer, rather a landscape and wide field person and like your take on its use for deep sky. It is a perfect fit for me so far and I'm very pleased with its operation, even though the software is not yet matured.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Great! I definitely see lots of potential for improvement through the software side. The hardware was very impressive. What is the benefit of the cellular version?

[@csimet]

@@NebulaPhotos Remote control/access when you and your phone are out of WiFi range of the Polaris (>150 feet roughly). It requires a SIM card, cell data plan and that you be in the carrier's cell network range.

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@csimet Sweet! Have you tested it to see if it works?

[@csimet]

@@NebulaPhotos Not yet (I'm battling my carrier for a plan right now). Others I know of have said it works good... but some have also stated they had issues. I think it is more related to the carrier used than the hardware. I travel to national parks and wanted the option... but also knowing many locations are not in cell coverage. ;) Direct WiFi is always my first choice.

[@Polgnar]

8 months later, how is it going so far?

[@Lord_Volkner]

Thanks for the vidoe. I ultimately went with the GTI. I've taken it out four times now and I've been very happy with it.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

The Polaris looks really neat and really high tech, but I was used to Sky-Watcher AZ GTi, so I just bought a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi as a grab and go equatorial mount a few days ago.

[@Andros_Gaming]

Great video! Newbie at deep sky astrophotography just started a few weeks ago my next purchase is a sky tracker rather than a new lens I have the (18-200mm kit lense). What is the big difference between the GTI and the 2i pro is the auto guiding with the gti vs the regular star tracking with the 2i pro worth the extra cost?

[@kindjalkazad]

I've been using my Polaris for multi row panorama...it's really a game changer :)

[@adityasoni6185]

Benro polaris would be a game changer for tracked multirow panoramas

[@krystlih]

The Benro Polaris is neat, but, seems that Astro was a tacked-on feature. I suppose if you're a photographer that does a lot more than astro it may be worth it. If you primarily do Astro I'd stick with the Star Adventurer. I do like the way the Benro aligned though it would be neat if more astro companies could incorporate something like that into their mounts (I know most mounts don't have 3-axis, but maybe it could calculate how far off polar alignment and help you get a close alignment without a polar scope).

[@bjnslc]

Unfortunately, Benro's software development has treated Astro as the main feature. Other features, aside from the limited panorama mode, are poorly designed and buggy. I want a nice, smooth path lapse mode that doesn't yet exist, and the promise "holy grail" exposure control is nowhere to be seen.

[@stewartlife]

Living in the equator where it’s always not possible to do visual polar alignment to both NCP and SCP, might mean this Benro Polaris is a perfect solution for me to venture into DSO astrophotography and while traveling by plane (as I live in big city of Bortle 9 sky). Am wondering if it can work well with William Optics Red Cat 51?

[@Lord_Whiteley]

Great video Nico :) I decided to buy the Benro Polaris Astro edition, simply because it’s more portable that a normal Astro tracker. I have tried it out properly, only aligned it to one star and the GoTo feature works really well. I had trouble formatting a SD card in that I kept getting a “format failed” error. I eventually went into disk manager on Windows11, deleted the partition on the SD card and then formatted to FAT32 (file explorer kept asking if I wanted to format, but you just ignore that). This time the SD did format and you can then update the firmware. NB you need to connect the 3rd axis (via the supplied cable) for the Polaris Astro firmware to update (otherwise it updates the 2-axis firmware). I too had problems with a canon M6 MkII, when connected to the mount. On turning on the screen on the camera goes blank after a few seconds. I originally thought the battery was low, but unplugging the lead, the screen stays on. Like you, I have a wired intervalometer and power the camera and mount with a typical dual USB output power bank. BTW I am going to use a Samyang 135mm F2 lens with an EF to M camera adapter to the Canon M6 MkII. I am in the process of printing out a Bahtinov mask on the 3D printer (definitely worth getting a 3D if you are an Astrophotographer btw). Hopefully, I can get some decent images from Tenerife which has a latitude of 28deg compared to my South Coast of England 52deg latitude :) . I don’t expect to see any new targets but the Orion, Seagull etc, should all be a lot higher in the sky???

[@fireislandmavic5939]

him i have the canon m6 mark ii also, how has it been working for you?

[@huexley]

I think the results will be those ones : the SA will have a better tracking in the end *but* Benro really paved the way to new clever mounts were you’ll not have to bother align or have a laptop to do the tracking, tons of cables and tens on minutes to install. It’s really a game changer for astro enthousiasts. The GoTo mount really needed a kick in the butt to up their game and tech. Can’t wait to see this one !

[@sunngifuwetzel1197]

No. You would 100%always sacrifise anything to get better tracking.

[@eugennaiman1195]

Yes, Polaris marks the begining of a new type of mounts but it is far from a dedicated mount. I don't have one, I knew about their Kickstarter campaign from the beginning and pledged $1 just to get updates. I always had some reservations about what it can do and I was waiting to be proved wrong (I wasn't) As sophisticated as it may be it is still an Alt-Az mount limited by the field rotation and mechanical move limits (it cannot point to the zenith - it is unable to ho higher than 80 degrees). Considering it was made for short FL fast lenses and cameras able to bump up the ISO it will work very well for short exposure times but if you plan to get namy of them you will run into field rotation. Personally I like the idea but I consider it to be a very expensive device - dedicated mounts will involve a little bit more work to set up and align abut it will cost a fraction of Polaris price

[@huexley]

@@eugennaiman1195 Pretty sure we will have some nice hardware to come in few years.

[@linuxastro]

Alas, as much as I would like to complain that the Benro is as pricey as a standard goto equatorial mount I recently purchased, there is much to be said for the interoperability of mounts with smart phones, tablets and the like. Good job as always with the comparison!

[@KZgun4hire]

And if your in the s.hemi you can get totally frustrated with the polar alignment because the reticle image for the south pole can only be rotated via the RA 190 degrees so it's only good for 6 months of the year. The reticle image is not independent of the RA position.

[@astric.celestiustolls]

I started out with the Benro Polaris as I am here in North Dakota and have a chance to use it for some amazing extremely widefield astrophotography. Admittedly, it is not the best tracker, with maximum exposure lengths of about two to three minutes even with a 22mm lens on an APS-C sensor. The best I was able to do was 32mm (50mm) on an APS-C sensor at three minutes, but when pixel-peeping I could see oblong stars in the corners, so I would say nothing over 50mm (either full frame or 35mm equivalent) for those who want to at least get a couple minutes out of it. However, for everything else, it is immensely fun, and it is a great experimental tool for other types of photography. It can turn many beginner DSLRs such as a Canon Rebel T7 with limited capabilities into a more fully capable camera. I am looking forward to using mine for more cloudscapes, panoramas, and timelapses. The app is a little grainy when in live view, (at least for a Canon Rebel T7 and a Canon M200), so I can attest to that too, but rest assured it is focused if you leave it after focusing your lenses. I decided to get the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi after much consideration and deliberation. I had been using the iOptron SkyGuider Pro for deep sky astrophotography, usually reserving it for the winters when I am less busy as a federal government soil scientist, but it can get bitterly cold here in North Dakota and I was really pushing it staying outside the vehicle trying to find and frame targets. It may be a little bigger with wires galore for autoguiding and connecting to a laptop, but the time saved will hopefully be worth it! Thank you, Nico, for continuing to make awesome reviews!

[@barrymak421]

I don't know... I think anyone getting into the hobby right now, the star adventure just knocks it out of the park. Yes the Polaris has it's use cases, but for the nuts and bolts of AP, the Star Adventure gives you an introduction to all of it. Polar alignment, payload balance, and guiding all cross over to the bigger mounts so developing those skills right at the start are important. Just my opinion though, and the Polaris has its place.

[@lwizzit]

I would strongly suggest that anyone looking at GoTo star trackers check out the threads on Cloudy Nights forums. There’s a lot of variability in user experience.

[@egratudo1974]

just got my star adventurer. love it already so much

[@TheReadDesultory]

hey… just got one myself. Did you guys have to rotate the RA to get the polar scope alignment marks to be oriented correctly? In the home position the etching looks rotated about 5 degrees counterclockwise. Totally new at this so maybe that is normal? Nico didn’t mention it.

[@ericslattery5080]

Nico, thank you so much for this! I am waiting for an 85mm lens (Nikon Z 85mm f1.8 S) to come for widefield shots and I have the GTi. Good to see this comparison and see the capabilities of the mount with an 85mm lens.

[@dicekolev5360]

I have the z85mm but have no star tracker. We should collaborate 😄😄

[@edwarddebruyn8717]

Hi nice review, thank you !!! Was waiting for such a review because I've the Polaris and was thinking the that the GTi was much better and was even considering it. But meanly busy with landscape-astrophotography so will definitively stay with it. By the way also the Polaris can perform dithering and it worked for me. There is also a possibility to do tracked pano's (even with the number of images for each part of the sky you choose). But the setup is rather difficult (easy for normal pano's). An update please Benro !

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Edward, Which camera do you use? I wanted to try the features that only worked with the camera connected, but my Canon Ra was very buggy and the phone display was too low-res/ dim to really work, and the live view was black when connected (limitation of Canon cameras as I understand it). Cheers, Nico

[@edwarddebruyn8717]

Forgot to mention indeed, like Adam Poll I work with Sony. And indeed live view works very well. Can imagine that without live view it must be difficult. Didn't know other brands presented this problem.

[@gihanilangakoon]

Thank you for this review of the GTi, especially. What is the alignment that Southern Hemisphere a/photographers align to, as compared to Polaris?

[@VRzichtbaar]

I liked the review but what you failed to point out is the massive weight and size difference between the two. The Benro Polaris is so much smaller and weighs only 1/4th of the SW-GTi. So this is where the Benro as a travel kit really shines in my opinion.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Good point! Wish I'd included that. I wouldn't call it a massive size difference if using the GTi without counterweights as I did here. It does fit in the same bag that the GTi comes in for example. The weight difference is substantial as you say: measuring just the trackers with no counterweights or accessories, the GTi is about 5lb and the Polaris is 2lb so 40% the weight of the GTi in the configuration I presented in the video.

[@old_guard2431]

Very good review. I have a 400mm Canon lens I acquired decades ago with a view towards making my fortune with wildlife photography (fail) but have wondered about using it for astrophotography. The Skywatcher is rated for 11 pounds - I imagine the 400mm f/5.6 with a DSLR attached is pushing the limits of the mount a bit hard.

[@mustang5132]

So I don’t have the star adventurer GTI but I do have the AZ-GTI. I do all my Astro with my canon 7Dmkii and my 100-400mm ii canon lens. Since it’s an AZ mount, I cannot take exposures longer than 10 seconds (I usually stick to 6) but it can be carried pretty well. I don’t use a counterweight and I maybe that is what leads to it occasionally drifting too slowly but in general it can carry the weight. It’s also rated up to 5kg and it holds it perfectly well. If it works in AZ mode, I’m sure it will be even more stable in EQ with the star adventurer. I’m also planning on buying a star adventurer GTI for this very setup. Other astrophotographers use their Sony alpha iii and 100-400mm lenses on it too so your payload will work no problem I suspect. Nico has also replied to me before that the star adventurer will definitely be able to carry my setup and others have said I could even add a little more weight. Sorry for the long answer but I wanted to cover everything you might want to know :)

[@davegrenier1160]

In the Polaris, does the top mount rotate at all? If not, it should, even if it's only 90 degrees. As-is, it's great for longer lenses that have their own Arca-Swiss compatible mounting foot, but the clamp channel needs to be transverse to accommodate a camera in an L-bracket. (I know it comes with a mounting plate, but to many photographers, that's a kludge compared to the L-bracket they leave on their cameras all the time, as do I.)

[@albertkoscielniak7075]

The fact that the gti can do 2 minute exposures really well whith not the best polar allignment is just amazing to me O_O

[@vivienrajz798]

It can do 2min @200mm, almost 3min as well. It needs to be properly Polaar aligned and balanced. The secret is, that the app's star aligment process makes everything worst.

[@juanchopolo]

Hey Nico, ive managed to get 60 second subs with a canon f4 300mm lens. Some users in the facebook group have done moon tracking with 150-600 lens. Benro is looking into 2 star alignment to improve tracking accuracy as well. Hopefully then it an get into the 3-4 minute range. Btw there is also USB mode which allows you to regain control of your camera even while plugged in which i use for focusing and checking images on the camera.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Cool! I really want them to add platesolving, but that might take awhile. Where is USB mode in the app? I did not see that.

[@juanchopolo]

@@NebulaPhotos its a little plug icon right under the iso icon in the main window. Clicking on it enables you to access the camera sgain and clicking it again enables polaris again. Also they added dithering in an update a while back so hopefully plate solving along with a bigger catalog is in future updates :)

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@juanchopolo Got it, thanks. Where are you getting news about this mount? I looked on facebook, but only found a page that was very old with no recent updates.

[@romaindechamps457]

Very nice comparison! I would be very interested in your opinion about the Omegon Minitrack LX3 / 4 as these are wayyyyyy much cheaper and lightweight, fully mecanical also and intend to be travel mount as well :)

[@vivienrajz798]

I have an LX3, SA 2i and GTi. Sure the LX3 is the most compact and travel friendly one, but it's a bit finicky. The polar scope is thin, so someone like myself with a bith short sight, it's hard to polar align. It's really good bellow 100mm focal length, and the camera needs to be balanced well, otherwise the clock will get damaged, and will have issues with tracking. Like it will stop tracking like somewhere in the middle. It can track maximum 1 hour long, than it needs to be rewind. So be careful with it. Sure if you look in forums another users őush it with even 200-400mm lenses, but yeah the clock utility, since it's made from plastic it's sensitive to the weight balance. Also the unit mounting is tricky as well. First I tried to use it with my D850+Sigmna 85mm Art, the single screw wasn't able to hold it, it was started to slew due to the weight. I solved it with a small arca plate and some screws wich are holding on sthe holes of the unit. But I need to buy a new clock as I mentioned I damaged it, and now it's stops tracking after 20-30 min. Luckily it can be esily replaced and relatively cheap, just since brought the SA 2i, than the GTi, not used it much. I asked about the clock, and got the information that the LX4 and LX3 has the same clock utitly. Eventually I will replace it, since planning some strennous hike+astro panorama, and the LX3 is gold in this manner.

[@fnoffer]

For anyone interested in a bit of DIY and a low'ish budget check out the Open Astro Tracker. It's really smart as well with goto and a rich software and hardware ecosystem like automatic polar alignment, a lens focusser and a DIY guider. I'd still consider myself a newb in Astrophotography but this awesome project got me into the hobby for a reasonable price and learning curve.

[@Fstop5.6]

I have the Benro and love it, my only issue is the star catalog is sparse, which means having to star hop to get to most object I want to photograph. Had a few problems at first but once I got the hang of it I’m getting good images with my canon r and 500mm IS L lens. I had a EF 400mm IS L and a doublers that I liked better, but after dropping it and having it repaired once, lousy repair broke on its own a second time, I invested in the 500 Rf. This lens is difficult to manually focus and wastes so much time, and no doubler yet. With the Benro I found that if you recenter a few times before you starting the shoot it stays centered much better than if you don’t.

[@nelsongonzalez6898]

HI Shaun, have you use it with a telescope; would it be as easy than with a camera?

[@Fstop5.6]

@@nelsongonzalez6898 I’ve used it with a small reflector, it works better that the skywatcher altaz I have. Tried it with my ED 100 refractor but, even though it’s under the max payload it seemed to struggle a bit. Been meaning to try again and see if changing the balance helps but spend more time with my camera than the scopes since I got the Bento Polaris.

[@EVERGREENKR]

What about 200-600mm lens without long exposure but just stacking +100 shots? Would it work for the Benro mount?

[@xophaser]

if you are cluless and haven't done this stuff yet, I guess I will have to go with the benro (if i was in the market). Wonder how heavy of a telephoto lens it can use. Nikon got some big heavy telephoto lenses.

[@nienhuismd]

thanks so much for all your videos! Unrelated question, but which mic do you record these videos with? I see no mic in the frame, but yet it sounds like you're getting the proximity effect with a nice low end to your voice. Just curious!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Thanks. I'm still not fully happy with the audio, but have definitely improved over the years. Let me start by saying, I really enjoy playing around with audio gear, so for anyone reading this, you don't need all this high end stuff to get good audio for KZbin. I always record dual or triple system audio and sync in post. The camera records a scratch track with it's on-camera mic and then I have separate good mics and recorders that I use to sync and replace the scratch audio. I'm always playing around with different setups and mics, but in this video, I was using a Rode NTG2 in a Rode Blimp for the intro. This was on a low tripod below me just out of shot, about 2 feet from my mouth, pointed up directed at my chest. After that first five minutes, I switched to using a Shure SM7B indoors in a semi-treated space (a few blankets up on stands). Both mics were recorded with a Sound Devices Mix-Pre3, 32 bit, low cut filter on. In post, I usually just do a small amount of noise reduction and compression with a limiter.

[@nienhuismd]

@@NebulaPhotos thanks so much for your prompt and detailed response. Very impressive, and much appreciated! Keep up the great work

[@KZgun4hire]

Polar alignment on synscan devices (assuming the help guide is the same for all models, but certainly for the GTi) recommends the Two Star Alignment before doing a Polar Alignment. Three star alignment is not recommended in the help guide!

[@joshuagharis9017]

I'm a headshot photographer, but kudos to yall. Always appreciate 🙏 the craft. And amazing images

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

The automated Panorama is like they can do track-pano ie. Milky Way Arch ? Thanks

[@nelsongonzalez6898]

Hi Nico, this is a very good review for both devices, is there any newer revision on the Benro Polaris Astro Edition, have there been any upgrades to both the device and the app that you know? Thanks!

[@garbageman9145]

I always have problems identifying the stars, anyway to do some plate solving

[@Seanjones1990]

i just bought the EQ3-2 because it costs less then both of these, is a full EQ goto mount with 5kg of counter weights.. and with tweaking people have had it tracking at 0.4 arc seconds..

[@Seanjones1990]

also i;ve personally had a 200mm 15 kg total weight newt on it and managed to get 5 minute photos without trailing. or 1000 seconds (max the asiair would allow) with smaller scopes (360/650 mm focal lengh)

[@NebulaPhotos]

Nice, congrats!

[@mr702s]

How is the Benro with lucky imaging? Is there instability in any of the axis?

[@NebulaPhotos]

No instability that I noticed in my testing. I associate lucky imaging with big telescopes (where seeing matters) so I'm not sure if the Benro Polaris will fit the bill as it can hold at most about 15 pounds and that may be pushing it since there is no mechanism for balancing it. The new cheaper strain-wave mounts from ZWO and iOptron may be a better fit since they can handle a lot more weight for bigger scopes.

[@brianmarkie4667]

Has the Benro updated the connect to include more catalogues?

[@Roland314]

This is a super helpful video. I am interested in trying to get shots with a 159-600mm lens. The Benro website claims that this is within the limits (the lens is under 5 lbs, the camera is 1.5). However, I am still wary. Can you offer any insight into whether this seems strong enough to handle this much weight?

[@hikingphotog]

So I haven't seen a review of the GTi that talked about it yet, but I've still not gotten it to successfully align with 1 star, 3 star, multiple times through 3 star alignments. It either says alignment failed or its about 90 degrees off, or much further. Last time I did a 3 star alignment, the 2nd and 3rd stars it tried to point at the ground. Which then means GoTo won't get you anywhere near your target. I've also noticed the SyncScan app doesn't appear to work without internet, when I was out in the mountains last week, it had a completely different polaris position than the PS Align app, which btw, had the correct position as as soon as I set it from there it stayed exactly where it should have been the rest of the night.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Jeremy, Didn't know the polar clock utility needed data connection, thanks for letting me know. Like you, I also have the PS Align app installed as well. I haven't had any of those alignment issues. When a mount is going to completely the wrong place (pointing at the ground, etc.) that almost always means there is an issue with settings. Double check that the app is picking up your correct GPS coordinates, local time, daylight savings setting, etc. Good luck with it! Sky-watcher USA may be able to help too if you haven't already reached out to them. Cheers, Nico

[@willbrad21]

@Nebula Photos what hardware did you use to connect your DSLR to the GTI. I can’t seem to find anything good. I have a dovetail bar but nothing to attach the camera to it?

[@NebulaPhotos]

1/4" 20 cap head machine screw. You can get them at any hardware store or in variety packs online like this one: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1025090-REG/wooden_camera_wc_173800_assortment_of_1_4_20_screws.html/

[@StarScaperPhoto]

Great thorough review. Thank you!

[@Hal_McKinney]

What brand/size vixen plate do you recommend between gti & Canon R3 with 100-500mm lens?

[@SteveZodiac777]

Great review - thanks!

[@travelthetropics6190]

Would getting a GTI in Bortle 7-8 skies would be useful due to light pollution in long exposures? Also could you please do a video on polar alignment in Southern hemisphere?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Yes, long exposures can be especially useful in light polluted areas because you can use a light pollution filter or even better a dual narrowband filter.

[@travelthetropics6190]

@@NebulaPhotos Thanks mate! I watched your video on filters and it was really informative. I think most of the lamps here are not mercury vapour but LED so CLS filters might not do much as mentioned in the video. I searched for full frame clipon filters but only found Astronomik XL-Clip Filters which are not locally available (Astronomik CLS Clip-Filter EOS XL)

[@bash0774]

Hi Nico great channel 👍🏻 would the redcat 51 with dslr be ok on the benro ? . cheers

[@NebulaPhotos]

I didn't get a chance to test anything but the 85mm lens, but people are reporting using 200mm+ lenses and getting round stars with short-ish exposures (30 seconds). Not sure if I'd want it for my main mount with the redcat, but it may serve you well as a travel mount.

[@ronstewtsaw]

Any chance of a review of the iOptron SkyHunter? Seems very similar, but I cannot find any head-to-head comparisons.

[@old_photons]

A little off topic, but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to know the setup/hardware you use to mount the DSLR... I generally do deep sky but would like to take a stab at some Milky Way shots. I'm thinking a my dovetail place with the appropriate length 1/4-20 isn't the way to go, but I don't know what is (or the right search term for B&H or like store). I appreciate any assistance.

[@Mike-qo8nm]

Can you align the benro manually? My concern is if you need the app to do it and don't have a signal or wifi available

[@biharits]

What do you think about the Sigma fp's performance for astro photography?

[@marangogio]

Hi Nico, thanks for the interesting comparison! Do you think the iOptron SkyHunter qualifies as "Hi-Tech GO-TO Star Tracker"? If it does how does it compare to the Polaris and the Star Adventurer GTi? If it doesn't, why? It seems to be a better version of the AZ-GTi. Thanks in advance!

[@christianbowes7907]

I think you really should’ve done 2 star alignment in the Benro to better assess its capabilities. It’s driving 3 axes with no polar alignment other than the rough phone alignment thing it does.

[@NebulaPhotos]

I didn't see an option for 2 star alignment in the app. Is that already implemented?

[@khaledameer8853]

Why after stacking a number of photos, for example, 30 over a period of 5 minutes, why do the stars not appear as lines, knowing that the shutter speed of 30 seconds makes the stars lines?

[@NebulaPhotos]

The astrophotography stacking software first aligns the photos based on the star patterns before stacking them.

[@Astronurd]

@@NebulaPhotos And here was i thinking it was due to the mount moving at the same speed as the stars(sidereal)

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@Astronurd Yes, but Khaled was asking why if we get trailing at 4 minutes wouldn't that show up in a stack of 2 minutes exposures (for example). You are correct that long exposures are only possible in the first place because of the star tracking. Without it, I'd be limited to 1.6 second exposures with the 85mm lens.

[@vivienrajz798]

Well, I'm an owner of the GTi since Aug. Got a lot of hassle wit it, but finally I know a bit better. Few things to point out. The app is partially useful. Things not working with the app: 1st: bulb mode - as soon as the phone turns off the screen, it goes to haywire, better to forget taht feature 2nd: do not star align, it makes traking worst. Meesed up two good clear night. Polar align it well, and it will be able to track 2-2.5 min easily at 200mm with good balance. Otherwise it will be a mess no matter how many stars it's aligned. Almost 3 min can be pulled out at 200mm with some gain of salt, so it's a bit better than the regular Star Adventurer 2i, which I was able to do 2min @200mm, after it drifted. The mount works well with NINA, but also can be used with Kstars-Ekos but it needs an EQMOD cable, so Raspberry with like Astroberry works. At the moment can't say about it's performance with guiding, since currently trying to solve my power issues. I'm hiking with it and everything else, so big power tanks ar out of questions, and trying to balance out my power banks to give power but not turn off, but if I solve that I'm eager to try out with guiding up till 600mm.

[@AMPhotography]

Thank you for the review. Great information. How did you do star alignment in Benro Polaris without the camera attached to the app? I thought the only way to do star alignment with Benro Polaris is by fine tuning the star in the center. How do you know the star you are pointing is in center without having the camera connected!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Live view on the camera screen. The app doesn’t plate solve so it’s fine to center the star any way you want. You can even use an eyepiece or finder scope.

[@AMPhotography]

@@NebulaPhotos Thank you for your response. Basically the app gives a little circle where we need to put the target star. Without the live view, how would you layer that circle of the app vs the camera? Or are you using just the center point of the camera live view to do the alignment?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Center point of the camera screen. On most cameras you can turn on grid lines as a visual aid like you are talking about with the app

[@AMPhotography]

@@NebulaPhotos Thank you. Indeed, that does make a big difference.

[@marcs9021]

I do not get it. Where is the second camera for guiding? How does the star adventurer GTI or the Benro Polaris guide without a second camera? I am really confused - help XD?

[@NebulaPhotos]

The Benro Polaris doesn't support guiding. For that reason I didn't test it on either. These results show tracking only.

[@ignaciofontes4845]

Hi Nico Carver ,like your astro videos

[@kevinashley478]

Hey Nico. Another great video! Sky-Watcher should put you on their payroll. As always, I have a question. Why did you go from 2 minutes to 4 minutes, and once you saw image failure, why didn't you go to 3 minutes to give a better idea of where the limitation was at? I have looked at the GTi and every single one, besides being backordered, says there is no hand controller. Since it connects via WiFi to your phone, tablet, or computer, does that mean you don't need the hand controller at all? I have to say, I was gonna get the 2i, but then my house flooded, cause why not, and so I have had to put off getting a tracker/mount. I was looking at potentially getting the HEQ-5, but I keep thinking about my disability and if I end up in a wheelchair like I think, I need it to be as light as possible. So then I was looking at the GTi, and I'm leaning heavily toward that, but I still have a hesitation. Primarily because of the capacity. It would have been absolutely perfect if it had a weight capacity between 15-20 lbs. Based on what I have seen, the star trackers, at best, only hold 11 lbs, but we all know that you shouldn't have it weighted to the max. Then the next level of mounts are 20-30 lbs. There is a middle ground that seems left out. With SW going with making the 2i a go-to (essentially what the GTi is), it would have been better to also beef it up by 5-10 lbs, in my opinion. Is there a star tracker/mount that is really good, fairly lightweight, that also has Go-To functionality, and that doesn't break the bank? Say, under $1,000?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Kevin, I didn't test at 3 minutes in the interest of time and fairness (I try to get my comparison tests done as quickly as possible so the object is roughly in the same location in the sky). I think the mount you may be looking for is the iOptron CEM26. The mount head is only 10 pounds, but it is rated for payloads up to 26 pounds, so 15 pounds should be no problem. The only box it doesn't tick is it's $1,298 so a bit over your desired $1,000 price point. Sorry to hear about your house flood!

[@kevinashley478]

@@NebulaPhotos oh ok. Well it's close. And I think I can justify the cost to the wife, lol. You did a great job on the video, and congrats on your lecture coming up in Chicago. Maybe one day I'll catch one of your speeches if you make your way down to the South sometime.

[@kevinashley478]

@@NebulaPhotos does the iOptron CEM26 have all of the connectivity option that the GTi has?

[@NebulaPhotos]

@@kevinashley478 Yes, it has built-in Wifi, has connections for computer control, and it comes with a hand controller (GTi does not, but the app can replace hand controller). For $100 extra ($1398 total) you can get the CEM26 with "iPolar" which is iOptron's electronic polar scope. If you plan to keep the mount permanently installed somewhere and cover it, this isn't necessary, but if you plan to set the mount up each night, you may want this because then you don't have to get in to an awkward angle to look through a polar scope to polar align. It is done very accurately on a computer with iPolar.

[@kevinashley478]

@@NebulaPhotos That sounds great. I live in a city and their are old trees all the way around me, so not only do I have light pollution, but I also have no LOS. So it would be a lot of driving and setting up. I hope, I really hope, that in the next 5-10 years that I can purchase me around 5-20 acres of land. That way I can clear out a spot and have that as my dark site. I even thought about buying a 300 acre plot of land a couple of years ago, and I was thinking of leasing it to some local farmer and just using it to either hunt or setup a viewing spot for astrophotography. Well that CEM sounds great. I'll just have to wait and see when I can convince the wife. LOL

[@joyjoy534]

I have no problem connecting both of my Canon DSLR to Polaris with Live View on. Tested with up to 5000mm which it started to have issue tracking. No need to do Polar alignment and just use a 1-star alignment when Polaris is not available. You do want to align to a star close to your target to help with fine tuning. Benro will be coming up with a 2-star alignment. Not sure if both stars need to be on opposite side of the Meridian or not to improve alignment.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Which models? Every Canon camera I tried it with had a completely black screen when using over USB

[@joyjoy534]

@@NebulaPhotos 5DMk4 firmware 1.2.1, 90D firmware 1.1.1 Benro Polaris firmware 6.0.0.27 and Astro Kit firmware 1.0.2.11

[@NebulaPhotos]

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing. You are saying you had a live image preview in the app and at the same time could see your live view on the camera LCD?

[@joyjoy534]

@@NebulaPhotos Exactly. I can see the image on Live View from the camera and the phone at the SAME time. The Live View is actually more clear so I actually look at the Live View when I move the Polaris with the app on the phone. The issue with Live View is mainly on mirrorless cameras.

[@robeigner4390]

Benro's are compact but damn expensive. I'm actually looking for a star tracker properly sized for my iPhone 14 Pro Max that might or might not use a Sandmarc lens. Would love to try out the 48MP lens shooting Apple ProRAw and see what happens. I'd rather not buy a mount that almost costs the same as my phone.

[@nicholasjasman6550]

phone cameras suck.

[@rayjermyn4541]

Perhaps there are lessons for Skywatcher around alignment? Eventually the ease of Benro's setup will appeal, especially since the polar scope can be hard to view as I get older

[@voederbietels]

thank you for the review. i have q quistion. i only do milkyway shoots . after you do polar alignment how you can turn the camera to to milkyway ? is this by hand or goto . of it is goto what is the name for it in the app.

[@thethirdman225]

Give Benro time. I suspect there will be more capability on offer in future releases. But for portability... wow. That's hard to beat. I'm going for the GTI for myself though.

[@bobslfcu773]

Nice video, I just got the GTi a couple days ago and can't get it to track. It will "go to" correctly, at least close, but will not track. Do you have any ideas on what is wrong, probably user error, but frustrating none the less. Thanx for the info,

[@jameskellam2980]

Wouln't an SW Az GTi with a eq bracket do as good or better? It would be cheaper than the SW you were looking at. I have the az gti and it points a lot better than my heq5 pro. I think I may have to reset the heq5 pro everytime it is used. Got frustrated with it and haven't touched it in 6 months. Will try it again if I am ever off work when the weather is good. Great channel. I have learned a LOT from you.

[@kanedafx1]

Aloha everyone, can anyone tell me if the Nikkon D3200 is good for start, I only have the kit lenses, no sure if buy another lenses or buy a better camera more suitable to AP, my question is so I don't waste money, planing to buy a tracker in a near future. thank you, and thank you Nico for your tutos.

[@cobberwebb]

I would love the GTI, but I haven't seen one in stock here in the UK since the first youtube videos showed up :( Guess I'll just have to stick with the good ol' standard Star Adventurer for now.

[@hornet224]

i think if they could utilize the Celestron StarSsense smart phone dock to their system it would be a breeze for star tracking. It's so simple, convenient and accurate. It has got to happen soon.

[@brentnewton7055]

Oooooo this nicely fills a ultralight niche for me

[@josephbradley7216]

How do I balance with just a camera and lens? The counter weight is 5 lbs and my setup is just a camera and lens

[@SaurabhShukla_22]

has anyone figured out what snap cable to buy to connect the SA GTi to Sony A7X cameras?

[@eugennaiman1195]

Easy answer - always GTi :)

[@doktermaiskorn833]

What adapter did you use to con ect your camera?

[@stevenhoward7083]

Can you use a phone? I just bought a fold 6 that has an astrophotography mode. Ive only turned it on and pointed at the sky. It shows me all the constellations, maybe more. Im not sure yet.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Yes, the best camera is usually a pretty wide field of view, but you can capture constellations as you mentioned or the milky way from a dark sky.

[@JohdagM]

I finally bought the GTi ! Just one question: does it require the polar finder to be calibrated as the Sky Watcher 2i?

[@NebulaPhotos]

The polar scope is very similar. They may or may not require calibration based on how lucky you get.

[@markmorel1721]

Can you provide a link to the matching dovetail used for the lens collar on the git? Thanks!

[@NebulaPhotos]

Here you go: tinyurl.com/greenDovetail They do 3 different lengths 150mm, 200mm, and 300mm, all are available in green.

[@tubedude54]

All these new fangled gadgets people get! LOL I just recently upgraded my old Edmund Scientific Heavy Duty Equatorial mount with digital setting circles and I can't believe how well it works! 4 second accuracy on each axis which after setup and alignment puts any object in a moderate power eyepiece!

[@RetiredFE]

Adam, great video. I'm new to this and am looking at getting the Benro Polaris. My question is I have a good but older camera system. It's is an Olympus E620 system. However, it is a 4/3 camera system. I have a Sigma 105 mm f2.8 lens and an Olympus 40-15-0 f4-5.6. Is it possible to use this system for astrophotography? I'm having trouble finding an answer on the internet. Probably not going to the correct place. I also have a Nikon D5000 but do not have a lens to use for astrophotography. Can you help me? Thanks

[@dougsmith4678]

Hey Nico sorry for this of topic question, but do you plan on doing a review on the sigma FPL? I see that you have been using it, and I am curious about your thoughts on it. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Hi Doug, I own the Sigma fp and briefly tested the Sigma fp-L. I may review one or both in the future, but probably not for several months. In the meantime if you have any questions about them, feel free to email me: nicocarver at gmail dot com

[@joyjoy534]

What is up with the color cast?

[@samofsiam]

They've been around for a while no? How does the ES iExos-100 compare to these two in terms of tracking?

[@NebulaPhotos]

Haven't had a chance to try it yet.

[@hatman50]

Are there sample images?

[@gillyvean]

I know this is probably a little "Heath Robinson" for serious astrophotography but have you done anything with the Nexstar Alt-Az mount at all? I have 3d printed a bracket to allow my DSLR to fit the mount from my 8SE and am just waiting for some clear sky (I'm based in SW England so it is a rare treat) in order to see how it works...

[@NebulaPhotos]

I haven’t, but I’ve seen others use it successfully for deep sky with short exposures and bright objects (Messier)

[@BenGieCruz]

Will they hold the 200-600 with an A74 though?

[@tauritaal]

Oooo you are using Sigma Fp? Mighty lightweight tool.

[@NebulaPhotos]

I do use the fp. In this video it was just my 'model' for the demo section, but I have used it for astrophotography and it works well.