Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi REVIEW!

[@SH_space]

This is a birth of a new generation in astrophotography!

[@mikeclose2279]

Thanks Trevor. This really looks awesome, being able to adjust and guide the Dec axis is such a huge step up. Can’t wait to upgrade to this version!

[@alexandrucurtusan7152]

I love that SkyWatcher is adding more mounts to their collection ( :

[@josephmahlmeister]

Thanks for the review Trevor, this looks like a very promising mount. I feel like I have made it my mission in life to find the ultimate portable EQ mount, and this one definitely ticks a lot of my boxes.

[@AstroBackyard]

This one is pretty close to perfect in my books. As I said in the vid - I've been waiting for something like this for a LONNNGG time :)

[@DrJ_MKE]

Thank for the review Trevor - always enjoyable. I just pre-ordered the GTi on April 28 and am looking forward to my very first star tracker mount. Up until now, I have been using the motor drive that came with my Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ. It is a very basic motor drive, but it did help me get into astrophotography. I recently upgraded to a 70mmED doublet scope, so I am very pumped up and waiting for this mount so I can increase my exposure times and collect more data. I hope the shipping is not too delayed !

[@dersupra]

Mine will be here saturnday! I'm so excited. I just got my first real setup. Redcat51, SW GTi, ASI585MCpro, ASI air, EAF. Can't wait to set this all up and get to shooting the skies

[@RogerFranksSr]

Thanks Trevor! I always enjoy watching your channel and glad you did this short review on the new GTi. I just ordered mine, will be upgrading from the 2i.

[@briansture4353]

The bearings and structure of this design are very tough. Properly balanced you can easily extend the weight load beyond the 11 lbs to at least one-third more. The key is good balance and a very sturdy tripod. Do a thorough test of balance in the range of mount movement the photograph will be taken. Take nothing for granted, do the tests. Your biggest threat to doing this is wind, chose low wind nights. Extra or larger weight will be needed, this will enable you to keep the weight closer to the mount which limits axial inertia. Weight in this position acts like a stabilizer to the mount.

[@melanie_anne_14]

Hi there, im curios to find someone using over the payload with an ED80 and how it goes. Have you tried it at all with larger, how's the balance? I want to swap the RedCat51 for a skywater ed80 (4.1kg) with small guide and scope and dslr

[@BDNADLER]

I am planing on taking a GTI to Sydney, Australia for the 2028 solar total eclipse. Never have I ever used a star tracker. Having purchased one almost four years in advance will provide me with a much needed opportunity to learn the trackerr and practice with it.

[@Dave-ct1jk]

Oh my God. I've been using the star adventurer for 2 years and I've been looking for a goto for me for a year. This will be it I think. Let the research begin!

[@priteshpardeshi5842]

missed the stream! is it really go to? I have the star Adventurer too and it's a real pain to manually find the target 🥲

[@drtools9226]

@@priteshpardeshi5842 you can watch the Video now. ;)

[@priteshpardeshi5842]

@@drtools9226 thanks! just watched it 🤓

[@AstroRDV2023]

Thanks Trevor, your work is wonderful and because of guys like you, there are a lot of fans of astrophotography (me included). I´ve been a frequent user of the Star Adventurer 2i, and today I received my brand new Star Adventurer GTI. A portable GoTo mount is a dream come true. Greetings from Colombia (South America)

[@corinlewis3073]

Great video Travor of the SA GTI goto mount , I enjoyed it , clear skies 🙂🌠

[@jamesdougan8789]

it looks more sturdy than the non-goto earlier trackers congratulations sky-watcher on the first goto tracker looking forward to seeing how it performs another high quality video trevor . great info cheers

[@AstroBackyard]

The wedge design is much sturdier (like a mini EQ mount) Thank you for the kind words!

[@dw.in.michigan]

Great video. Looking forward to more as you continue to use this mount. Thanks for clarifying that it can be easily attached to a regular tripod. Nico touched on it in his review, but didn't really say specifically, so I wasn't sure if it required additional hardware to adapt to a standard tripod.

[@AstroBackyard]

Yeah, no problem! Since the video, I've mounted it to a nice carbon fiber tripod that's a bit lighter and much taller! Works great :)

[@dw.in.michigan]

@@AstroBackyard the Sky-Watcher video cautioned to not use a standard tripod, but I assumed they meant cheap ones that are mostly plastic. I have two video tripods for my SA 2i that are each about 4-5kg, so even heavier than the one the SA GTI comes with. I can safely assume I'll be okay.

[@Wolfie6020]

Thanks for a great review. Very excited to buy one of these as soon as they become available. It will be a nice upgrade from the Az-Gti in EQ mode I am currently taking on my travels.

[@w3tua]

I just received this mount a few days ago and got it all set up with my mini-PC, Canon RP camera and Samyang 135mm f/2.0 lens. Your review helped make up my mind awhile back and I also have an AZ-GTi version which gave me fits when I 'converted' it to EQ mode. This GTi mount makes things so much easier. I can't wait foe the 2023 Okie-Tex Star Party coming up next week to use it in the dark skies!

[@fluxx3671]

I just wanna say thankyou for inspiring me to get into Astro photography, although I have an 11 year old dslr that’s really all I need and although it’s not the best I manages to stumble apon the Orion Nebula aboit a week ago and the amount of joy I felt when I zoomed in on the image and realised it was the Orion Nebula like you really have to do it yourself to feel how good it is to find something like that as a starter astrophotographer. I cannot Thankyou enough cause this is the best thing I’ve ever done. Thankyou, I absolutely love your videos, I hope I can get to your level one day.

[@rogermachler2303]

Ich habe es soeben ausgepackt und drehe fast durch wie grossartig das Ding ist. Vielen Dank für Deine Überzeugung von dieser Montierung. :-) Roger von der Schweiz

[@DragonTalonontop]

I want to be an astronaut when I grow up

[@arabgigachad5420]

Good for u

[@arabgigachad5420]

Do u have a telescope

[@arabgigachad5420]

🔭

[@omkarachiku5100]

All d best ❤

[@rickarmstrong2476]

And I want the McRib to be available year round! We don’t always get what we want…

[@ThePinoyAggie]

I have both the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer and SAM with all the mounting accessories. I use ASI for polar alignment and tracking. I spent more time aiming at my target. This will definitely cut the time on set-up and more time getting more frames.

[@sheraleeparkins8394]

I have just pre-ordered mine. Can't wait to try it out.

[@ZiptiesSimulations]

I’ve been watching your videos for a while, and love your content. I’ve been looking at getting into the hobby and buying the 2i for a while and was just about to pull the trigger until I saw this. I’m glad I didn’t. This looks so much more robust for not much more. I have a standard carbon fiber tripod I use for normal photography. Any idea if a standard tripod for regular photography would be sturdy enough for this?

[@expressivenebulae1188]

I used a feisol carbon fiber tripod with the 2i and approx 5.5kg of gear. It worked fine for 12 months and then the metal base suddenly broke in the middle of the night. Luckily i was stranding next to my rig so I could catch it. If you use a carbon fiber tripod, don't stretch out thr legs all the way and don't use it, the tripod to help yourself back up after polar alignment. Not that I did that everytime, but I did sometimes catch myself doing it. So make sure you don't, I'm certain that it accelerated the demise of my tripod. (It's payload capacity was 38lb)

[@AstroBackyard]

It should be fine, yes. But when it comes to taking a 3-minute, tracked exposure - the more stable the tripod, the better!

[@ZiptiesSimulations]

@@AstroBackyard thanks for the reply! I just went ahead and pre-ordered the kit with the tripod from OPT. Can’t wait for it to start shipping!

[@seanmarczewski4095]

Glad to see you back! Great video!

[@nickwaslen698]

Do you use 2 screws to secure the lens collar to the dovetail plate?

[@rickster434]

Do you need to use a guide scope/camera with this set up?

[@johnfurr8779]

This is a product I wish existed 35 years ago when I used to do time lapse photography on film... I recently bought a telescope for my wife who loves looking at the moon, but I'm sure adding this to my wish list since I still prefer my SLR even though it is now a DSLR. Also cool to see review and immediately see a brick bungalow that just has to be in southern ontario and to hear the reviewer's ontario accent. Makes the review more trustworthy to me.

[@timmbottoni3135]

Thanks! Great video introduction to what looks like a very promising portable sky tracker WITH GoTo. I am very interested in it now.

[@AstroBackyard]

Thanks Timm! It is truly an amazing little tracker.

[@termen111]

Could this Star Adventurer GTi have love with MAK150 ?

[@lukomatico]

Hey Trevor!! :-D "Why are you still using a hand controller!!" LOL 😀 This little mount is so nice looking! lots of great features/upgrades to the general quality of life from a "normal" star-tracker! Loved the video, as always dude :-) Keep up the superb work!

[@AstroBackyard]

Ha! You caught that eh? :D Cheers brother - keep up the great work as well.

[@IcedReaver]

Having GoTo on this mount is an absolute game changer! I started out with the Adventurer 2i last year and trying to find certain targets in the sky without the ability to plate solve along with dim stars made for a frustrating experience.

[@AstroBackyard]

GoTo is HUGE when you want to photograph anything other than the really big, bright nebulae! Ever tried to find and line up the Helix Nebula on a star tracker?

[@entryway]

I'm guessing maximum slewing rate has been improved to allow GoTo? Think it was only around 12x on the old tracker which made slewing quite limited.

[@microflite]

You addressed everything but the most important topic - how good is the tacking?

[@jenniferm6471]

Thank you for the review. My husband just got me the GTI for my birthday and I am just getting started with this new hobby. I was wondering what size plate you are using to connect your canon lens to the mount?

[@dominic-ryan]

I have the 2i and love the idea of being able to guide Dec as well. However, here in the southern hemisphere, fine polar alignment is a pita. If only the they had a package with an electronic polar scope like the iOptron Skyguider Pro. I won't be upgrading until there is an option that allows me to polar align without fuss.

[@bigjimny]

As this has synscan/app control, I thought it did 3 star alignment from the controller????

[@dominic-ryan]

@@bigjimny seems you actually can do 1, 2 or 3 star alignment. I somehow managed to miss that.

[@alexbell3765]

Great vid! Would the usb allow connection to an ASIAIR in the same way you’d connect one to a go to mount via an RS232? That would mean you could plate solve and control the goto on ASIAIR. Clear skies!

[@Osayasir2010]

i have a question does this mount require alignment before go-to or is it similar to the AZ-GTI

[@GrowingAnswers]

Hey Trevor, have you ever set up a permanent allsky camera? I just built one and it runs on a local web server. It automates a lot of stuff that would otherwise be a hassle. I built mine specifically to capture meteors nightly. When meteor showers happen it’s nice to just leave a camera recording and not have to worry about missing anything or worry about weather. If you don’t have one, I recommend it.

[@marccarrier]

Trevor, did you get a sense of how long a fresh set of batteries will last? Thanks. You have done a great informative review as always.

[@AstroBackyard]

The Manual says about 30 hours. I'll always have 8 spare with me whenever traveling!

[@andrebremer7772]

Can't wait to check this one out. I have been using the AZ-GTi in EQ for travel purposes and while it does the job ok it requires a lot of fiddling and tuning to get stable tracking. This looks a lot less janky.

[@SAKinDXB]

Hi Trevor - Thank you for posting this review. It has been helpful. Pls can you advise that how did you bolt your lens on the mount. I understand that you used a vixen style dovetail plate by William Optics. But how did you fix/bolt the lens on the dovetail plate. Is there any recommended brand of screws that you would advise us to use?

[@Ed-yj8ts]

Great video as always. I recently bought the GTi for my wife. Am struggling with how to implement "Go To". In your video it looked like you were using a phone app and instructing the mount to go to Sirius. The footage looks like there is the mount and just a camera body and lens. Do you need a tracking scope and a Pc to implement GO TO, or does the mount simply go to the Dec and RA coordinates?

[@balboadancer751]

Great review! I was just trying out my new SA 2i this last week and thinking how much better of an experience it would be with dec control and goto capability. I should have waited and bought this instead!

[@Hi5Y5]

@Trevor what dovetail mount are you using in this video? I was shocked that this didn’t come with one!

[@hotforit]

Thanks for this very informative video. As an amateur radio operator, I was wondering if in addition to tracking stars it could track the International Space Station and other various satellites?

[@astrocatinfo]

Thanks for sharing Trevor!! Really considering this mount

[@rickarmstrong2476]

How long do the batteries typically last? Is an external power source an option??? I want to buy it but not if batteries are the only way to power it

[@lifeonabike8691]

Batteries are said to last 10 hours, there is a barrel port to power it as well

[@markblanken9973]

Trevor, It appears that at lower latitudes, the counterweight might interfere? I'm sure it clears the tripod and they've tested this, but that was one thing I noticed in the video. You do an excellent job breaking it all down and explaining it well for simple minds like mine. Thanks for sharing as always! I enjoy watching your videos! Give Rudy a pat on the head for me.

[@Tim_the_Astronurd]

if its like other skywatcher mounts, the pin on the tripod that the az adjustment bolts push against can be put in a secondary spot in between the tripod legs, which would then clear at lower latitudes

[@markblanken9973]

@@Tim_the_Astronurd Thanks Tim! I did just look at the Sky Watcher page and as I was looking over the specs I noticed the image right above the table showed the shaft in a second hole position. I confirmed this after watching Nico's video. Thanks for sharing!

[@aknsg1]

Hi Trevor 👋, what lens and camera are you using?

[@oiler772]

Hi I was just wanted to ask if you could make a video on how you store your astrophotography gear like your mount and good practices thanks

[@brianr555]

I really enjoy your videos Trevor! ??Question?? What does “payload” mean exactly? Does it mean just camera/scope accessories? Or total weight combined including the counter wt and shaft, camera/scope accessories etc? Thank you Trevor!!! I also enjoyed your bird photo shoots, i learned a lot!

[@pathdoctor1]

Great review, thanks! I am also disappointed with the 11 lbs payload. Although it likely can handle my current gear (~6 lbs) I am looking for a Go-To mount with a bit more than 11 lbs payload so I get some room for additional gear while still being portable. I am resisting on going into a heavy/cumbersome mount.

[@AstroBackyard]

Yeah, the 11 lbs kind of surprised me too - but if you watched the SW launch video, they loaded it up with MUCH more weight (C6!) and it performed well!

[@gihanilangakoon]

Excellent overview , thank you. Do you think there should be a munimum sensor requirement to the camera for such pics as you have taken?

[@TheInvisibleOrange26]

You do want a decent mid range camera sensor to now have large pixels pop up

[@richardcarner6813]

I just received a GTi. I'd like to know how you are mounting your camera? I have a Fuji XT-3 that I'd like to pair with a Fujifilm 70-300mm for the April 8th eclipse. Any links would be appreciated.

[@infectbnl]

Hi, Trevor. Thanks for the great video. How do you compare the new Star Adventurer to iOptron SkyGuider Pro? Which one do you recommend getting? I do not care about the go to function as I love finding subjects in the sky by myself.

[@sauravvk3393]

I know its hard but can you please upload videos more frequently cuz they're just too good!!

[@markmorel1721]

Trevor, Thus far I have bene focussed on nightcap photography but want to get my get wet with deep sky stuff with existing lenses. Can you tell me what dovetail you used to connect the cannon lenses with? Any recommendations for connecting camera/lenses without tripod collars? Probably naive questions but trying to sort the gear requirements out! Thanks!

[@dschenk952]

Trevor, thanks for the review. Could you tell me where you got your short dovetail, please? I'm not having any luck on Amazon.

[@beatsntoons]

Good video. Any chance you could push the weight limit a bit and see what it's capable of at 5kg/11lb?

[@arthurwiegman5512]

Can you also control this mount via the zwo-asi air Pro and app?

[@lifeonabike8691]

Yes, just bought this and set it up wit the pro, works perfectly with the special usb cable to hand controller port, like 30 bucks on amazon

[@MayfieldCreekObservatory]

Hey Trevor. Do you think this would hold my Meade 70mm Petzval ok with my DSLR or 533 camera? Great video and thanks!

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Nicely upgraded Tracker! I would prefer to get a lightweight tripod. Otherwise beautiful setup. Thanks Traveor!

[@AstroBackyard]

Thanks Ray! I have since mounted this GTi to a nice collapsable CF model - you're right, that's a better configuration. Clear skies!

[@roud11]

This is literally exactly what I've been waiting for. I was not ready to drop 2k into the heq5 as I own no telescope and don't plan to get one

[@rckjiang]

Hi Trevor! Love the video! Quick question: does the GTI do automatic meridian flip? Thank you for your help!

[@AstronomyGuru84]

Would this pair well with the William Optics Triplet APO Refractor and the William Optics 50mm Guiding Scope piggybacked? The OTA and guide scope only weighs 6.05 lbs combined. But I also have to consider my camera, autoguider, etc.

[@KC-wt4fz]

6:20 where is the bubble level?

[@FamiliaColl]

Awesome videoand great content, quick question since the gti with the tripod isn't available anywhere neither the tripod by itself, can I use the ioptron tripod from the skyguider pro for the GTI head?

[@Zero_Point_Energy1]

Oh BOY. Right now their site just says “Summer 2022” - I’ve got a big trip scheduled for early June - hope it’s available by then!

[@karcoms]

Trevor, what is the tripod you have in this video?

[@RickSwartwood]

Wanting to get this setup for my son. Is there a cable that is needed to run from Canon EOS Rebel T7 to the Sky-Watcher? I'm on B&H Photography getting ready to order everything and they're not having any luck finding one.

[@Thephysiquemechanic]

Did you ever find the correct cable to connect your camera to the mount?

[@swsantos]

One of the other reviews here shows that the mount will not balance at all on RA with a light weight payload either with or without the counterweight implying that the supplied counterweight is to heavy for a light payload. Was that your experience?

[@MrVintageValues]

Thank you for the useful content. I have a question. Do you think that this would work for a 102 mm svbony 503 (9lbs) for VIEWING only as a goto and tracker without breaking?

[@johnlathrop123]

I'm totally new to this. I'm trying to confirm the function of a couple of knobs. Is the "ALT Lock" supposed to be locked after adjusting? What does the "AZ adjustment" do?

[@johnconcepcion7000]

Thanks for posting videos for us newbies ✌️

[@jimmydingo4752]

Greetings Trevor. Do you know if Pole Master makes an adapter for the GTI as yet? Love the videos, always learning something from you. Thank you so very much and God bless.

[@NealCavanaugh-b1y]

Hi, sorry if I missed it but what's that orange piece between the lens mount and the tracker?

[@chardpp]

Excellent review. Do you have an idea of how it would perform with a Canon 5Dmk4 and a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens?

[@WwickedWorld]

I tried to buy this mount but every site i went to said i had to preorder and wont receive till 2023,so I couldn’t wait,I got the PMC-Eight iexos-100

[@ianwatson8599]

Awesome vid and image at the end, good to finally see a new video from you. Oh yes I’m definitely getting one of these! I do a lot of holidays in the uk, lugging my heq5 setup I can just about fit everything in the car but this is going to be a game changer! What sort of battery time can you get from the 8 battery’s? Also I assume the asiair can be plugged In like the laptop?

[@deepray4971]

Can we capture California nebula using APS-C camera and 75-300 mm kit lens? If yes, would you be able to post a video of the same?

[@noriosato1002]

Hi Seems like a very good product. The explanation is easy to understand. What is the outside diameter of the weight shaft, 20 mm?

[@nerrelloader4226]

Thanks for this informative video. I think it has swayed me to this product. I'll be using a Canon Mirrorless APS-C camera. I haven't seen a video yet utilising a mirrorless thought. Any problems that you know of? With the App that you use, is that supported on iPhone and what was the name of it please, I missed it in the video. Thank you!

[@kevinhanley3023]

Trevor: those alt/az adjustment thumb screws look not so good?

[@joshrayner7167]

How does this compare to the eqm-35? They seem fairly similarly priced. I am kind of considering one of these two but it is like 2x the price of the 2i pro pack so I might just go back to that.

[@petelopez5826]

I run my mount with the svbony48p with all my Asiair equipment weight at 8.6lbs and it has been petty good so far. But I do have the newer one with two counter weights.

[@ronrotunno522]

Thanks Trevor, awesome review. Hopefully this will push Ioptron into offering something similar.

[@bobslfcu773]

Nice video, do you know what the battery life is? Thanx for the info.

[@Oatsdbl]

Hi! Great fan of your videos! I’ve been slowly collecting stuff I need for starting the astrophotography. Heard about announcement of the new GTI and watched this video, the go-to feature had me sold!! Problem on the OPT site the tripod package is sold out. Should I wait for it to restock? Or just get the mount only and then buy own carbon fiber tripod separately? Let me know what you think!

[@nalingoel6971]

Alyn Wallace just uploaded too

[@ericvanzant5465]

Hey Trevor, have you tried it with your ASIAIR Plus?

[@tallaganda83]

Do you think this would be suitable for us Southern shooters?

[@auntiemary83]

Could you tell me where you got that specific short dovetail and what is the brand? Cheers.

[@TheOneSaskatchewanFarmBoy]

Is there a sub $100 cad star tracker on the market

[@bikevatoart7929]

I'm new to Astro Photography. I do have Canon 100-200mm, 300mm and 600mm excited to purchase my new Sky-Watcher.

[@roopey]

Hi, I was wondering why the manual states to not carry the whole assembly (mount + tracker without telescope)? Is there a real reason or are they just cautious?

[@bobslfcu773]

After you polar align then turn on live view on the camera, should Polaris be in the center of the live view screen or off center according to the position in the app? Thanx for the info.

[@Winkndink]

First, I would like to say I do enjoy watching your videos, thank you for posting them. I purchased the 2i when it first came out and must admit the biggest issue for me is finding the target. I placed an order for the GTi when it was first available for pre-order as I real want a GOTO mount. Can't wait for its arrival to play with it. The only concern I have in my mind, which you didn't touch on in the video is calibrating the aiming of the camera to the mount. I "assume" you have to choose to aim at multiple stars / DSO's and do one at a time until you are calibrated. How difficult is this to do, finding the multiple stars / DSO's? I am sure after that it is cake.

[@Promoter125]

Really like the sound of this but can it be run off a 230v power socket, or even a 12 or 5v battery pack?

[@TheInvisibleOrange26]

Yes As long as the device or cord has a voltage regulator

[@monsyschuller3561]

Hey Trevor nice vid as always! One thing: would be nice to compare the new mount to the existing AZ GTI in eq Mode (for example with the sky adventurer latitude base) - seems the AZ GTI is even smaller and can do all the same things with the same payload. I’m using the latter one and am really happy with it!

[@zborkz]

I second that. I have a feeling that they would perform the same given the great deal of equipment lotto in this price point. For someone just starting out this seems like a great option.

[@mustang5132]

Not sure if this is any help but I have an AZ-GTI that I so far have only used in AZ mode. I love it for visual but with my 3kg payload, it’s not able to track smoothly and many of my subs have trails from the correction manoeuvres it makes. It’s possible it won’t suffer as much in EQ but I think there will be similar issues as the star trails from corrections go in both axis. Maybe if you use a 2.5kg payload it’s better but I don’t know if I trust it. Many of my shots are also done at 640mm and I think the wobble is larger than my pixels when imaging something small. Could just be my example but I’d stick to visual

[@timelapsescapes]

Can you show us how the camera plugin works ? I believe that you can connect a camera and Gti triggers the camera ???? Can you verify this. Cheers Frank