MSM Nomad and Equatorial Wedge First Impressions

Move Shoot Move very generously reached out and offered to send me one of their new Nomad star trackers. I've been spending the last few months using the Nomad tracker to get a feel for it and also compare it to my existing MSM Rotator and Sky-Watcher SAM compact trackers. All units have their pro's and con's, overwhelmingly though I have loved the Nomad, so much so that I even purchased a compact MSM Equatorial Wedge to go with it. In this video I test out the Nomad in some challenging sky conditions and also give my thoughts on its place in the compact tracker line-up.
Website: astroroad.com.au
Facebook: / astroroad.com.au
Instagram: / astro_road
Music by Scott Buckley

[@nightscapeimages.richard]

Great video Dominic. I reckon you'll really enjoy the Nomad on your trip around Australia. You're sure to find some beautiful dark skies out there as well.

[@AstroRoad]

Thanks Richard. It really is a great little device, really looking forward to capturing some Bortle 1 skies if I can make it work with the family agenda 🌌🤔.

[@StarScaperPhoto]

Very thorough look at the Nomad. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@AstroRoad]

Thanks Jeroen! Sure is a great little tracker 🌌

[@nightscapejournals]

Great stuff, Dominic. Always love your timelapse sequences. 👌 Glad you like the Nomad and so far the reviews seem quite consistent, which is a testament to MSM. Mine arrived last week and all being well I’m hoping to give it its first run-out tonight. Thanks for sharing; I always enjoy the channel.

[@AstroRoad]

Thanks Paul, appreciate the feedback. As with everything astro, those few seconds of time-lapse equate to hours of acquisition and processing. The Nomad is so solid, very little I'd change with the unit. Having come from the original MSM rotator, the integrated arca swiss plate and completely reworked camera mount are absolutely mint.

[@matej.mlakar]

Nomad is superb. I got it a few days ago and the test was great :D sooo much smaller and lighter compared to my Fornax for longer hikes. And feels like this star tracker really is popular... so many known astrophotographers have it.

[@AstroRoad]

The Fornax has an incredibly low periodic error for a portable mount, however not so much an advantage when you're shooting wide angle. I rarely track shots above 85mm, so Nomad is perfect for me. Only thing that hasn't seriously impressed me about the Nomad is the janky screw in plate design to attach the polar alignment tools. I think MSM are in a class of their own for super compact trackers.

[@matej.mlakar]

@@AstroRoad I got 3min at 50mm with a laser, which is more than enough for my work :D. I will still use the Fornax, but not on long hikes. I do love taking panoramas and on Fornax you just press a button and you are releveled. This is the only thing I dislike when it comes to my Nomad pano setup, as the levers are quite small on V plate, which I use to get a level base for panos.

[@GrowPhotography]

Thanks for posting your thoughts on the Nomad. Seems like all my favourite KZbinrs are embracing this new offering by MSM. I've also got one on order as I have a photography trip to Indonesia coming up where weight is going to be a consideration. I ended up going with the Vixen mount option so I can mount it on my existing Skywatcher wedge. Bit of a weight/stability compromise - will see how that goes. The trip sounds awesome Domenic, look forward to the possibility of catching up in the west somewhere 😊

[@AstroRoad]

Thanks Greg. Yeah, it's a great little tracker. Will be ideal for your trip to Indo. Their tiny EQ wedge is on the edge of being great too if they can refine that slackness issue out of it. Still, nothing that can't be worked around. Huge few months ahead of me, I'm really hoping we can line up schedules when I hit the mid west coast 👍

[@GrowPhotography]

@@AstroRoad Did you see Richard Tatti's latest video. He added some additional thicker washers to the wedge to resolve some of the sloppiness.

[@AstroRoad]

I did see Richard's video, I had taken mine apart and wondered the same thing. I'm assuming he just used some Bunnings style nylon washer. Will have to find out as that is something I can fix while travelling.