The perfect star tracker for every bagpack? - Omegon LX4 Review

[@NerdAttempato]

Thanks for this review. Very appreciated.

[@stevehauser7486]

Well done, I liked your video. I had one a few years ago though it was branded by another name which now eludes me. I liked it but was quite fiddly. I found the hardest part was to get and keep the tripod straight and level. I did use an older Canon 40d (quite heavy) aps camera and balance was an issue so no zenith shots. I sold it to a photographer who wanted to start doing night scapes and not interested in DSO's. And I think that is where the market for this item will be. Btw sir; lol,I have found a way to live stack with astroberry. I feel it would be a very good subject for you to do a video on. In a nutshell I set up the samba server in astroberry and created a share file to my win 10 home computer. Then I run the images in that share file through sharpcap for the stacking. I have only simulated the process, still need to take it out under the stars but looks promising. In astroberry I have it to download the images to my remote file share folder residing on a M.2 Mvme ssd I have plugged into one of the usb3 ports. So no overhead load added to astroberry. Cool uh! Hey keep up your good work, I love the way you present yourself. Just another guy like the rest of us poor smuchs. :) CS

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

It was fun reading your comment! You wont be able to do extreme DSO stuff with such trackers, therefore should be aware of your intentions when going for these leightweight trackers 🙂 Glad you found a way to livestack! I've looked into it back in summer too (still got one promising tab open 😄) but did not get much done. Last weeks have been quite exhausting and didnt find much time to do astro stuff / set up the big scopes. Recently updated my astroberry, too, maybe I can look into some stuff in that direction, but I cant promise (we recently had a mini black out and my smart home Pi got shut down forcefully...the databank was corrupted...had to troubleshoot this issue too to get it back up and recover with a backup😄). But as you said, there were many updates on the Astro Pi! Lets see what the future brings :) Thank you Steve! CS!

Klasse Vorstellung! Vielen Dank! :)

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Danke für den netten Kommentar!☺️ Beste Grüße & CS

[@kholov_photograph]

Cool vlog buddy. Does it support Milky Way Timelapse shooting? The spring runs 1 hour only?

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hey! Well, it is fully mechanical, so it will track with a constant rate and follow your target continously - so I guess it doesn't support timelapse shooting. And yes, roughly 1 hr shooting untit you have to load it up again. CS!

[@ickebins6948]

Thanks for the video. Subbed :)

[@rizaradri316]

How to do polar alignment in the equator? I live in Java and the Polaris are practically invisible, even in higher elevation it barely rose from the horizon.

[@AndreasHoecker]

Bought the Omegon MiniTrack LX2 a few months ago. But sadly didn't get the time to test or use it.

[@harrison00xXx]

Interesting, the mechanical design sounds very interesting for basic milky way shots anywhere without much weight/size. But i just dont like the price. I would rather carry my big ass telescope and equatorial mount into the field, make autoguided deep sky imaging and just attach the small full frame camera and prime lens on the telescope additionally.

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

I'm definetely on board with your last point about the piggy back setup, a good DSO setup can carry the camera on top and eill do the job. But I see a good use case for the device for these instances where you cant go by car, such as hiking in mountain ranges (e.g. alps) or packing it in your luggage for flight. Clear skies! ✨

[@ernestosacristao6634]

Danke für das sehr informative Video! Ich fahre im Dezember nach La Palma und möchte dort erstmals intensiver einsteigen in die Astrofotografie. Den LX4 habe ich gerade bestellt, mal schauen... Ich habe eine Fujifilm XT-4. Setzt Du Deine Fuji auch für Astro ein? Wenn ja, würde mich interessieren, welche Objektive Du verwendest. Schöen Grüße!

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hi und danke für den Kommentar! Dein Vorhaben klingt schon mal sehr gut! ☺️ Ursprünglich hatte ich ne Fuji X-S10, bin jetzt aber voll auf Sony umgestiegen, daher könnte ich dir lediglich hier meine aktuellen Objektive nennen. Bin auf jeden Fall Freund von Sigma (das 20mm DG DN ist Spitze) und das Samyang 135mm F2 (manueller Fokus) ist sowas wie ein "Klassiker" in der DSLM Astrofotografie. Auf Fuji-Systemseite hatte ich glaub ich ein Samyang 20mm F2 mit manuellem Fokus, aber war nicht primär für Astrofotografie. Ich war 2022 übrigens auch auf LaPalma und hab ein Video online, vllt kannst du dir ein paar Tipps abschauen :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/eH_Mp6hvp8qneqMsi=5Oq_DjYkApO_3QZa Ich rate dir auf jeden Fall in der Nähe von Roque de Los Muchachos unterwegs zu sein - Und mit der LX4 daheim etwas zu üben. Hoffe da waren ein paar Tipps dabei, VG und CS!

[@ernestosacristao6634]

Lieben Dank für die schnelle Antwort und hilfreichen Tipps! Da bin ich gleich negierig auf das Video...

[@maboleth]

Do you think this mount would be precise for Canon 90D and Samyang 135mm? The combo is around 1.6kgs? I'm interested in deep space objects and nebulae - I have done them untracked, so thinking to buy this one to get even better results. But good precision is what I need the most. Thanks.

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hey! Great question and luckily I have the Samyang 135mm myself, but with the Sony E-Mount. Officially the LX4 supports up to 4 kg so it would be inside the limit, but one important aspect is the center of weight here, because I'm not too sure if it can handle such an offset. Compared to my other lenses, the 135 is quite front heavy and I have not paired it with the LX4, because of the weight offset/balancing. Because even if the total weight is below the trackers limit, the leverage and resulting torque might be too much to handle. => If you have a lens mount that supports the weight of camera + lens somewhat in the middle (good balancing), it might work out, but to be frank (and not to give bad advice) I would not recommend it for this case, especially if it is your first tracker and you want to go for deep sky targets and not only milkyway panoramas, it might save you some headaches. Hope this input is helpful! Clear skies!

[@termite3926]

Mine arrived today, it came without the transportation srewed in, the spring is really hard to turn around (cant even get pass the second knob in the negative side) ans the big plate seems to not be in direct contact with the gear. I tried to see if it would still work but when I wind up the mschine it does nothing :( I've asked a refund and hopefully the next one i will buy will arrive working 😢

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hey there, sorry to hear that, I havent had that problem so I cant really compare with my device. Have you removed the screw for fixation during transport? (Or was this the missing screw you mentioned?) Shipping it back sounds like the most plausible approach, I would agree. Hopefully the next one works normally! Clear skies!

[@matej.mlakar]

You said you had a 80mm with you in La Palma? Did you get good exposure times?

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Yeah, it was a zoom lens set to 80mm and worked fine, no negative findings. The 80mm image I was talking about is only shown in my LaPalma video, but I have a 61mm image uploaded on Telescopius that consists of 180s subframes: telescopius.com/pictures/view/124219/wide_field/the-pipe-nebula/B/78/dark-nebula/by-chrizzlys_observable_universe

[@hubertcislo2100]

nice telecaster :)

[@mostlymessingabout]

i don't see the point if a MSM is the same price

[@siddharths5983]

Can I know which tripod and ballhead you are using

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hi, I use a Zomei Q666 tripod and a generic 20€ ballhead. CS!

[@Jonyiii]

I am trying to take a photo of a comet which is located north above polaris but I can't point my camera high enough because the ball head limits me to only point as high as Polaris, also I can't point at the top of the sky, how do I fix this?

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hi, I purchased this tracker without a ballhead and bought mine seperately. I can point it straight upwards, so maybe you need a different ballhead? Also, I dont know if you can track comets that well with this tracker (with higher focal lengths), as the mount is meant to be used with sidereal rate. This means, it follows the stars, a comet has its own relative velocity so it might get a bit blurry (havent tried photographing comets yet). CS!

[@UNLKYHNTR]

Du kannst den ISO wert ruhig bisschen anziehen bei der a7III. ich mach mit genau diesem setup verdammt gute Bilder bei ISO 600 und 2-3 Minuten Belichtung.

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Ja das stimmt, wollte nur vermeiden dass das Bild ausbrennt bzw. die Lichtverschmutzung zu stark zu sehen ist. Für Deepsky Objekte gehe ich normalerweise in ISO Bereiche 800-2000. Aber danke für den Kommentar und Input!

[@termite3926]

I was wondering if the LX4 is capable to track comets? Like not tracking stars but in another direction

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hi, I think thats a difficult endeavour, as comets do not move at the sidereal rate. You can change the tracking speed (decrease and increase), but its more "experimental" I would say. Have not tried it myself.

[@termite3926]

@@ChrizzlyUniverse Fair enough! Also can you wind up the gear thingy just before it goes ringing?

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

@@termite3926 Yeah sure, I usually wind it up once or twice close before it would ring. Of course you should stop the camera taking images during that step. Clear skies!

[@horse._]

would this work with a small refractor telescope? Im thinking about buying it but in not sure my telescope would mount to it. the telescope mount looks almost identical to the one on the bottom of the LX4

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

Hey! I'm quite sure your scope has a Vixen-Rail at the bottom (that and Losmandy rails are the most common for telescopes), the LX4 also has a Vixen shape at the bottom. I think the LX4 comes in multiple variants (with + without ball head), but there is no variant for a Vixen rail. You could use an Arca Swiss plate (standard connection for tripods/cameras) and put a Vixen clamp on that....but to be honest, I think there is a reason why the LX4 only comes with an Arca Swiss/Ballhead connection: I would not recommend putting a telescope on there - sure, you could try with a very small refractor (e.g. William Optics Redcat) but it is more designed for camera + photo lens. Even with a full frame camera and a big lens I think its on the limit. Some options where I think it might be possible would be some of the Askar scopes (Askar FMA180 etc.). The main difficulty would be to get everything nicely balanced, with a huge weight offset this is not really possible and cannot be counter-acted by guiding. So dependa on the size of the telescope, but I would not directly recommend it Hope I could help you out! Clear skies!

[@horse._]

@@ChrizzlyUniverse yup i figured that, ill probably save for a better motorized tracking mount. I was looking for a cheaper option because im 15 with no job lol! Thanks for the help!

[@ChrizzlyUniverse]

@@horse._ Ah I see👍🏻 I like my LX4, but would not want to put anything bigger than my DSLM onto it 😉 For astrophotography the mount is the most important puzzle piece, maybe you could start with a cheaper tracker + DSLR? Its also easier that way (low focal length). Or find something used? Cheers!

[@crazyobservations3080]

kind of expensive for a wind up clock

[@maxmeier205]

Rede Deutsch

[@zalllon]

Not a really great review, and definitely not an endorsement of the product.