This is quite a surprising result given how much smaller the wheel gear is - 36mm diameter on the Mini vs 86 mm on the Star Adventurer. It would make a lot of sense to read this in conjunction with my earlier (and similar) review of the larger Skywatcher Star Adventurer. I assume the weight of the mini is less than the bigger one but is it as good/useful. The Skywatcher Star Adventurer Mini can do that, and here is our review for you. Of course, if you intend to do astrophotography with the SAM, you have to consider you will need some extra equipment, namely: If your gear is lightweight, though, you can ditch the counterweight and declination plate, opting for a more travel-friendly ball head+adaptor combination. Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer is particularly favourable with lightweight glasses that can have a camera designed for astrophotography attached to the end with the help of adaptors. If you already own a Star Adventurer PRO, you can use the accessories you got with the big brother for when you need to be on the move. The only way to control the Star Adventurer Mini is to use the console App which is free to download for Android (in my case) or iPhone. Once I moved up to 80mm focal length, I found I needed exposures of ~2 minute or less for pin-sharp stars and at 200mm I was using 60 second exposures (shorter still if you want more reliable results). The SAM Console app has a Polar Clock Utility to help you polar align the SAM in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. You can use both alkaline and rechargeable batteries, such as the Panasonic Eneloop Pro. -, Spinning SAM - Skywatcher Star Adventurer Mini Demo, Great American Eclipse from Idaho and the Tetons, The Moon in Motion - Great American Eclipse from Idaho and the Tetons, Eclipse over the Tetons - the view from Table Mountain, In praise of encoders: Review of the SkyWatcher EQ8-Rh, Red Hot Summer - Experiments with the Canon EOS Ra, Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4 License. While the illuminator doesn't provide even illumination it does the job somewhat better than trying to shine torches down the tube and can be dimmed down to very low levels, unlike most illuminators. Sagittarius Star Clouds setting over trees, Canon 6D, 200mm lensSingle 1 minute exposure, f3.5, ISO800, M31 Andromeda Galaxy low in the north, Canon 6D and 200mm lensSingle 1 minute exposure, f3.5, ISO1600. With the App based control of the Star Adventurer Mini, it performs more like other single axis timelapse motion control units on the market, as opposed to the larger Star Adventurer which had more rudimentary timelapse controls via dials etc. So, before you go shopping for your new star tracker, let’s discuss some of the SAM characteristics more in detail, keeping an eye on the practical aspects. Options that are ticked below have been manually set (e.g. Using a Star Adventurer also eliminates two problems highlighted earlier. These sequences were captured quickly and easily from home and also at Camp Cooinda on the Gippsland Lakes and the Astronomical Society of Victoria Star-Be-Que. While fitting the polar scope is not a big deal, you cannot leave it mounted while imaging: either you polar align or you photograph. I'm interested to here of any reviews of the following two mounts that will sit on top of my Manfrotto 190XPRO tripod Skywatcher Star Adventurer or the Mini version Star Adventurer. From those inputs, the number of photos has been automatically calculated at 480 and likewise for the panning speed of 17 degrees per hour. The SAM comes with a polar scope and a polar illuminator (the same flimsy one used by its big brother). Two sequences with stationary foregrounds were captured in Astro-Timelapse mode. To have it you may need to update your unit firmware to the latest version you can find here. video time span 2 hours and frame period 15 seconds). When loaded up with a big camera/lens combination like this there was some backlash or play in the main gear but aside from occasional trailed frames (particularly at the start of sequences) it didn't seem to affect the results. The easiest approach for mounting the camera is to use the included ballhead adapter, which slots into the Vixen style dovetail on the Star Adventurer Mini. I am not sure about others but this is one solid mount you can rely on. In the image below, the components on the right hand side are included in the standard (minimal) purchase, while the latitude base and equatorial head and counterweight can be purchased as part of a bundle. These portable tracking mounts are really designed and suited to wide-field photography. This SkyWatcher Star Adventurer review and set up guide conclude my series of astrophotography articles. What Color Are The Stars: An Astronomer’s Guide, Best Glove Liners (Photographers Best Friend in Cold Weather), Best Photography Gloves (Cold Weather Camera Gloves). Overall, the Skywatcher Star Adventurer Mini is a great little tracker that will let you improve your astrophotography experience with ease. The Star Adventurer Mini is a significant evolution in Skywatcher's tracking and timelapse motion control units. This is particularly true if you begin with “full-grown” astrophotography equipment. at Sidereal Trading VIC or Astro Petes QLD.) Has anyone used either or both? With the maximum payload being limited to 3kg and the polar align procedure not optimal for doing astrophotography with long focal lengths, the counterweight is rarely needed. But why would you want to complicate your life by learning how many expensive pieces of equipment must work together? All of these examples are shot with a standard (not modified) Canon 6D DSLR. Enrico Righetti ci parla del Mini Star Adventure della Skywatcher, marca specializzata in telescopi, montature equatoriali ed astro-inseguitori. The mount weighs only 680gm, it fits in the palm of your hand, and it comfortably goes inside any travel bag, photographic bag, or backpack. 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