The Z and V Star Tracker Platforms are GAME CHANGERS

[@NebulaPhotos]

Wow, nice price on these! I have a Frankenstein version of this that offers the same functionality, but it's a lot more bulky/heavy.

[@quarkyman1]

Well done Alyn, master astro photographer, and now an inventor. Good luck with it all. 🤘🏼👍🏻

[@Artsmitica]

Just ordered one. Looks very well thought and built, and coming from Alyn, a teacher of many of us, will surely be very useful. Thank you Alyn.

[@wespacewalk]

This is really neat and I'll probably order them tonight! One feature I'd like to see addressed in V2 would be a "storage" port for the 3/8 inch thread adapter - just a thread in the plate itself that you could screw in that adapter so you don't lose it in your pockets/camera bags constantly.

[@AlynWallace]

Great idea thanks!

[@amitsalvi]

awesome design...and just what a photographer would need...Thanks Alyn

[@johndolson8342]

Just received my two Z mounts. Planning to use one on my macro mounting setup to give camera tilt without the height gain that a ball head would require. If I may Alyn...one small correction. They are indeed a friction based system. The mounts do not "lock" when tightened, but the leverage from the thumb lever seems to allow enough torque on the nut to create good holding strength in the hinge.

[@evolvingphotons]

Interesting idea, and nice to see some good engineering Alyn.

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

Great solution to a annoying problem! Great work Alyn et al ! Wes, Liverpool, UK.

[@KGi4]

Excellent collaboration Alyn, you used your background engineer knowledge work with company you admire and help them to improve their product what shown how much you love of what you do and how better it could be for everyone ; )

[@anitarussum4590]

right! i love how he comes up with these ideas and acts on it. the engineers brain is always turned on:)

[@Rwm18]

Already ordered mine 🙌🏻 Great idea to fill the tracker ballache issue I always have when aiming up. Might start using the tracker all the time now... Cheers Alyn, stay safe 👍🏻

[@gerryphilpott9766]

Thanks Alyn. My family got me the MSM tracker last Christmas and haven't had a chance to use it yet. Going up to the Big Bear Lake, CA near me to try Milky Way during the new moon in a few weeks. I ordered the Z & V pack with your discount and get free shipping so worth a shot for more options as I pretty much will be fumbling around figuring things out. Wish me luck.

[@darkskyimages5911]

Fantastic video, Alyn! And these platforms just may be what we all need. Congratulations! 👏🏻

[@fklucid5097]

Wow Alyn, this could be revolutionary!

[@mexmax1657]

Bought the Z, realized how good it is, ordered a second one. ;) Very high quality. I didn't expect this to be honest. Good work to you and your team.

[@Crazygabry89]

Wonderful production! It really takes into account the design of each detail along with the real use on field. Really impressed since it's so minimal but efficient. I might use it one day, thanks for the effort Alyn

[@edsassler]

I am always looking to be able to do more with my camera support. One thing that’s always been a challenge is getting a camera really low to the ground while still having full control. Even low profile ball heads aren’t really low, but a V platform is.

[@MannyG32968]

I bought the z platform and is great. From the hinges, levers, adapters & levels this product is genius!

[@anitarussum4590]

wow, this is amazing! you the man. thanks Alyn

[@ilikeglobox]

Amazing work, Alyn! I have just ordered the V. Have a great day!

[@rayganrambles]

These will be useful for macro photography too!

[@JeffreyMcPheeters]

As soon as I saw them on at the MSM site I ordered them. I have the V as the wedge and the Z on the rotator with a panning base instead of a ball head, which keeps the gear a little closer to the exact center of the rotator, reducing the moment of inertia significantly. The Z + panning base is only a little less than the 450 gram ball head I prefer, but again, the camera sits a little closer to the rotating base, which is important. I may replace that with a small leveling base to make quick Milky Way panoramas a little faster workflow. Anyway, thanks so much Alyn for your great idea and kudos to MSM for adopting it because the execution is so well thought out. It's such a great implementation. Clear skies in 2021!

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

Thanks Alyn, I would like to see this kit in action in the field as well. Hope to see your video about this soon. Cheers

[@MARQUESPhotography]

This is awesome! I was thinking using two ball heads to fix this problem 🤣 but this is a lot more lightweight and practical 😁 Just order the V and Z and can't wait to try them 🤩

[@peterwoolliams1283]

Placed an order for one... help make using mounted binoculars a bit more balanced when observing near the zenith!

[@neilllewellyn8338]

Excellent Alyn had mine delivered before Christmas superb bit of kit 👍

[@TheTiredPhotographer]

Thank you Alyn and MSM for your efforts in helping Astro Photography move forward with such a great yet seemingly so simple idea. 🙌🏼

[@exploresouthwest]

I wish I had seen the V mount used as a equatorial wedge before I bought the second ballhead for the same purpose. That cuts down on my weight and packing issues even more, not to mention a most stable platform. Oh well, I guess I just have an extra ballhead to put on a spare tripod.

[@speygeek]

So nice to see a company take ideas directly from photographers 👍

[@Rad_Travels]

Congrats on the new product. Must be exciting. Just ordered the Z one. Thanks.

[@dallasroberts3206]

Congrats. Very satisfying to design exactly what you need and see it come to fruition.

[@graysmith9496]

Ordered the Z version Alyn. Looks like a great bit of kit that has been designed someone who knows what’s needed. 👍

[@olivierrethore9097]

Very smart design Alyn! Great product. I have ordered 2 Z!

[@EVLitterPicker]

I keep coming back to many of Alyns videos to further my knowledge and sometimes just to chill... But I am always left saddened by his passing :( Have been researching nomad setup options and can not believe I wasn't aware that I could pull on the Z/V mount handles to re-orient their position... I've hurt my fingers so many times trying to get the grip/ leverage in awkward angles... 🤣💩🙈

[@UmbertoUderzo]

Just ordered one because i need something compact and light for the MSM alignment. I planned to use a video head but i realized there's too much stuff in my backpack. And this Z mount is way cheaper than an equatorial head so... cannot wait to test it!

[@woodywoodman4309]

Good stuff, just what I needed. Just placed my order.

[@alisonfairley5444]

Roll on the end of Lockdown! Cant wait to try my Z platform out - huge thanks as always Alyn

[@jamiesythes6172]

Hi Alyn, I bought both the V and Z platforms on preorder. They make the move shoot move so much easier. One question on Panorama’s - would you do a video on doing one using these as I’m still not sure if I should correct for the rotation after a tracked shot before rotating slightly?

[@AlynWallace]

It's on my list to do in the next 1-2 months

[@Mainuh]

Just got mine yesterday. I think it’ll quickly become a valuable asset in my astrophotography arsenal. My only suggestion would be a thin rubber/neoprene type pad where it attaches to my sky guider pro. The 3/8” screw thread bottoms out before the MSMZ plate actually come into contact with the sky guider pro mount plate. Nice work overall Alyn and a reasonable price too.

[@eurocharger]

Mine came today thank you and I like the AW logo on it too. Nice touch

[@dimitri.scripnic]

Z platform is fantastic, you can save some weight by replacing your Ballhead and L Bracket and still be able to put your camera in a vertical orientation. Also, you can use it as a panoramic head for a single row pano with no parallax effect!

[@arunakalu]

I bought the V and Z platform, I like it, very sturdy, light weight and easy to lock. However for Polar alignment and lock it precisely with the laser or the scope is a not that easy. Don't get me wrong, you can still do it, but I think a tilt & pan head would be better suited. I ordered the one from MSM. But still I have great uses for V and Z. They are well made.

[@JulianDay483]

Hello Alyn, this might be a dumb question, so apologies! You are talking about correcting the rotation of the v/z mount when it reaches a certain point. I presume you only do that when you have stopped shooting a particular sequence, as if you move it back to centre, you would be changing your composition. Thank you

[@AlynWallace]

When doing a panorama you change your composition every shot. After a while, the rotation from the star tracker causes the platform to no longer be level with the horizon so you can easily reposition it so that it stays level

[@JulianDay483]

@@AlynWallace Thank you very much, I was not thinking of it in the context of a panorama! Hopefully, I will get to try the move shoot move soon. I have had it for 5 days, and not a clear night sky yet!!

[@Chorge1972]

This guy gave us so much!! RIP

[@CuriousAdam23]

Really good gear Alyn 👏👍

[@CharlieWoodwardMedia]

Got mine! Just need the clear skies now 👍🏻

[@StevenWesson]

Just ordered both. Great idea and just what’s needed. 👍

[@petripuurunen]

There is also another location for arcaswiss plate on MSM. Solves that problem partially.

[@johnoconnell6667]

And here I expected to see it priced at $200 like a RRS bracket would be. I'm so impressed that you all market this at a reasonable price for what it is!

[@AlynWallace]

Making astrophotography easier and more accessible comes before profit. Glad you think the price is reasonable :)

[@JeffreyMcPheeters]

I think I will also use the Z plate with panorama work to create a simple 'shift' platform as I don't have a tilt/shift lens for my mirrorless camera system. It's might be possible to use the Z to create an off center mount and simply rotate it 180 degrees and rotate the camera so I can get two overlapping but identical perspectives with a wide angle lens. Certainly would be significant for near ground elements and architecture.

[@AlynWallace]

Interesting! I look forward to the results

[@sgurrtours]

Nice one Alyn, just ordered a Z to use with my MVM if I can actually ever get out to use it! Good luck with the sales mate 👍🏻 All the best Ryan Raymond.

[@arunakalu]

Great explanation, now I know what to order. Great implementation and great video. Thank You!!

[@drubber007]

Excellent design Alyn. Going to order the Z now 🙂 Cheers

[@DavidSafanda]

Looks very helpful. Couldn't decide so I ordered both.

[@sabrinam.8387]

That looks great! I have a MiniTrack LX3 and I have problems pointing my camera to certain regions in the sky, so this might be the solution. I thought it was probably too expensive for my tight budget, but I went to the product page anyways and wow, I could get both for the price limit I set myself! Can't wait for them to arrive, but I'm "afraid" they arrive long before the next clear sky...

[@sabrinam.8387]

Still waiting for my order to be shipped. Got a tracking number last week and it's still not shipped. Quite disappointing. I trust you so I'm sure I'll get them one day, but it's frustrating when you get an email saying it's on it's way when it's not...

[@stachu4726]

Just ordered one. This is something that I was looking for.

[@iSpike]

BRILLIANT 👍🏻

[@jcbouden]

Ordered a V platform ! Perfect to replace a syrp tilt platform which is sooo expensive.

[@X_Paul_X]

Just what I've been looking for and a reasonable price(one of each for less than £52 delivered). Hope they're as sturdy as the look, thanks Alyn!

[@regularathom]

Glad someone finally realized there is a problem and designed a commercially available solution. I had to design and have one made from metal myself.

[@zZola_Photography]

Tried to set up my camera for the first time on the MSM and immediately found an issue in having the camera be level espectially if pointing N... Wish I had seen these plates when I initially ordered the MSM ordered 1 of each and can't wait to test em out. It will be so nice to have a star tracker that I don't have to counter weight. I love my iOptron but it's such a pain to lug into landscape photo locations with its counter weight and all

[@paynescaping8957]

Just ordered 2 x Z platforms, one for son and one for me. Awesome thanks

[@jaycaprica]

Something I really needed. Thank you.

[@jonpenton9091]

That is amazing, Alyn!! I’ll definitely be getting one of each. I reached out to MSM about solutions for allowing us to photograph in vertical/portrait mode without the camera slipping out of tightness - do these address that challenge?

[@drkvdreamer]

Can’t wait to get my Z platform... this solves so many problems.

[@avt_astro206]

Nice Overview of The Star Tracker Alyn👍🔭

[@joedavies1524]

Great idea Alyn, have put in my order for a Z.

[@alanleightley880]

Looking forward to mine coming Alyn, ordered on Thursday 😀

[@peterlution]

Very good design. Thumbs up!

[@stevenrobinsonpictures]

Alyn this looks great. I am using a star adventurer 2i and a manfrotto x pro ball head. Would this work with this or is it only compatible with the MSM tracker? Ps which indexing rotator do you use to simplify overlaps in the dark?

[@YD0316]

it looks like great! i have just ordered both V and Z!

[@mauriceaustin3442]

I just got my Z mount the other day, Great idea and well made

[@tjh44961]

IMO, ball heads cause more problems than they solve. Because of their height, they add length to the moment arm (lever) and make more weight pulling on the pivot of the tracker platform than the weight of the camera would suggest, making it necessary to over-tighten the hinge. Most people use Arca mounts on their cameras these days, so why not either build an Arca clamp directly into the top of the platform, or use the 1/4-20 screw to attach a separate Arca clamp base to the top of the platform? This will cut down on weight, eliminate things that can get out of adjustment, and just be more efficient from a design standpoint. Maybe this can be your v.2?

[@nachojr99]

Have you taken a look at the Sigma 100-400 DG DN OS? That's a native E-Mount for less than $1000. Thought it'd fit the theme of your channel.

[@Sidecontrol1234]

I had this very same issue last year, what a game changer piece of equipment, I'll definitely be buying this! Edit: Just pre-ordered mine!

[@hgillung]

I bought the Z mount, the Complete Kit, and an extra ball head. So, I am all in. I am encountering a problem that there doesn't seem to be a way to tighten the Z mount to the Rotator because the setscrew on the Z mount cannot clear the Rotator. There does not seem to be a way to increase the space between the Rotator mounting plate to allow for clearance of the setscrew. This reduces the turning radius of the setscrew to 1/2 turn. Therefore, the only configuration the Z mount could be used is mounting directly to the tripod. I feel that this is less than ideal and that the Wedge, because of its fine-tuning capabilities, is a better choice for the base of the mount for polar aligning. I am frustrated because the KZbin videos out there are using a hodgepodge of variations to this product. I have not found any comments expressing the same problem. What am I doing wrong? Thanks

[@AlynWallace]

You can pull the screw out and reposition it so that it doesn't clash with the body of the tracker. I demonstrate that in the vid :)

[@hgillung]

@@AlynWallace Thank you for your speedy reply. Yes, that did the trick, thank you. I missed that on your video, I watched it from my phone and I totally missed that part. I am excited to give it a try with the Wedge, Rotator, Z Mount, Ball Head, and camera configuration! Thanks!

[@blackpanda7612]

NEED ADVICE: Is Move-Shoot-Move an ok device to use for taking deep sky images of Orion nebula and other deep sky objects at 85mm focal length? I'm interested into getting into deep space astrophotos and don't want to spend unnecessary money if a device like MSM is adequate for getting good images.

[@veholic1]

Thanks Alyn! I have purchased other Zmounts that use allen key to tighten and it doesn't hold strong enough, allen key no good, maybe Alyn is the key, LOL. Just ordered this from MSM with preorder discount, any idea when they will begin shipping these?

[@Rui_Fonseca]

Thank you Alyn

[@josemanuelgalvanrangel1517]

Niiice!! Mine will arrive next week, along with the MSM tracker!! 🤩🤩

[@CookedLight]

Genius, well done 🤘🏻

[@funtrain23]

What happened to that space station flying over the moon shot? I can't find it anymore...

[@Alchimaera]

Hi, where can you buy the MSM star tracker and mounts in the UK? Ta

[@conniechristenson4833]

I have been searching for something like this. Perfect! How do I then connect the Z tracker to my camera with a L bracket?

[@orcharddweller1109]

So do you do the polar alignment through the camera, not using a laser pointer?

[@jamesfulton7454]

Hi mate. I am considering this for use in Australia for astrophotography. I am comparing against the much more expensive ioptron skyguider pro with ipolar. My main concern is getting accurate polar alignment. Do you think with the phone mount for msm that you can get accurate alignment here is the Southern Hemisphere or do I need to spend more and get the ipolar?

[@urosfink1471]

Just order Z bracket👌 I hope it will have enough payload for my panorama setup. Now i am using Sirui L20s, for leveling my pano setup above tracker, but it is a bit heavy and big. Good work💪

[@daveovenden9801]

Brilliant!! Ordered Mine

[@BenLovell80]

These look great 👍 planning to buy a MSM once lockdown lifts, which is the best MSM kit for use in the UK?

[@AlynWallace]

Depends what kit you already have. You'll need a ballhead to go on top of the MSM. Then if you're just doing wide angle stuff a ballhead underneath as well along with the laser kit. But if you want to do telephoto easy deep space targets then it would be worth getting the polar scope and wedge.

[@BenLovell80]

@@AlynWallace cheers Alyn, I've got a couple of ballheads so just the laser kit. Sticking to wide angle as I'm scared to start on the path of deep space as I know I'd end up remortgaging my house! I guess the MSM can handle a 135mm but not something like a 100-400?

[@lordofming]

Thanks alyn, small little question, when you have the Platform leveled, do you still need to level your tripod?

[@brianeibisch6025]

Brilliant idea!! Well done son.

[@geonerd]

Try a 3 way tip-tilt head like the Bogen 3025. It's much sturdier than a ball + Z bracket, and can be found on Fleabay for around twenty bucks.

[@AlynWallace]

The bogen 3025 is big, chunky and will inevitably clash with gear and tracker with those huge knobs. But similar principle yes

[@end_theinflu]

Hi, I read in several reviews that if you want to use a focal length above 50mm, don't buy it. I have a 75mm 1.2 lens for astrophotography. And my question is, won't it really handle a 75mm lens for Orion or the Milky Way? :) Thank you

[@helencogan2187]

You are amazing!!! MSM is on my list ....thank you!!!

[@drandrewclarke]

Very sturdy. Very little movement compared to when I was using a ball head. The micro bubble levels are a waste of time however, shows centre even when on significant slope

[@carlreid4161]

If you already have the MSM wedge Alyn which would you recommend the V or Z?

[@asliaydin7740]

instead of a wedge i would go for a z platform i suppose. seems like a cool solution as a ball head as well👍

[@Bee0213]

Great explanations, something I was waiting for. My platform is already on the way 🤓

[@TeddyD802]

How you do tighten this to the MSM without turning the whole motor assembly , just got mine and I want it snug and tight but it wants to turn the whole device around

[@redkb]

Super cool!

[@ariantoby7359]

InstaBlaster.

[@2ShoesPhoto]

Take my money, just take it all... I'm ordering all the things!