Leighkb

13 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Hi and welcome to SGL, you seem to be doing it right , as you say when you have a view of Polaris rotate so 6 is at the bottom then adjust as necessary to get Polaris in position  as shown by a Polar align app then leave well alone, you can have a squint up the polar scope during imaging to check Polaris is tracking round the circle.

Balance should be achievable in any position and not alter to any great extent when rotating to target but you can rebalance if necessary when on target.

Wouldn't worry about buying filters.

Deep Sky S tacker is ideal  free software for processing DSLR images ready for further processing in Photoshop.

There is a thread on here called imaging with the Star Adventurer with lots of great images so no need to spend any more money.

Dave

 

Thank you! I’ll keep trying!

4 hours ago, Chefgage said:

With that size lens you should indeed be getting longer than 15 seconds. My suggestion is possibly you are not aligning with Polaris but with another star??  Easy mistake to make especially as like you say you can see quite a few bright stars through the polar scope.

Oh it’s totally possible I was on the wrong star! Lol. But I was pretty sure it was Polaris initially -  as this last attempt I went out at dusk and there was only one star in the polar scope. Once it wandered away, and there were lots of stars in the reticle when I tried to realign... who knows!

4 hours ago, Chefgage said:

You also state you cannot see Polaris from your yard. So are you always going to be imaging at another location?

I would be very limited imaging from home. My house is north facing - so I can see Polaris from my front yard. But trees, my neighbor’s homes and street lights give me few options. My backyard has a great view of the south skies, but my house blocks Polaris entirely. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Beginner here who is really struggling!  Apologies in advance if this is long!  I only began pointing my camera up about two months ago. I have a Canon T7i. Last week my Star Adventurer Pro arrived and the frustration began. I’ve watched countless videos and know what I’m “supposed” to do - but it seems to all go out the window when I’m fumbling in the dark. I realize these questions are probably silly, but I can’t seem to find an answer online.  I’ve only had three clear nights so far to practice and there’s been some improvement, but I’m way off!  A pole master and/or guiding is not in the budget right now.

 Polaris - tripod pointing north.  Level it properly.  Set altitude.  Look through and see so many stars and they look almost equally bright.  How do you know you’re on the correct star? Last night I went out at dusk (can’t see Polaris from my yard so I have to lug everything to a different location) and that helped tremendously, as it was the only star there.  But that’s not practical long term... can’t always head out that early.  Should I get a laser pointer? Any other tricks or tips?

PA - last night was the first time I had even marginal success.  With 0 up and 6 down, I  used an app to get the correct position of Polaris.  I was not perfect, but close, which was a huge improvement in itself for me! I set up my camera with a Rokinon 135mm lens, balanced it, moved it to roughly the position I wanted to shoot, checked my PA and it was slightly off so I readjusted.  Some time goes by and I’m noticing anything over 15 seconds has very noticeable trailing.  Polaris is way off when I look in the scope.  My axis is obviously turned to position the camera and I had no idea if I’m supposed to be repositioning Polaris to where it should be on a clock face - ignoring where the 0, 3, 6 and 9 are actually showing  - or to realign to where it would be in relation to the numbers.  I hope that makes sense! I ended up positioning Polaris where roughly 9 would be (as it was shown on the app by this time) and ignored that the number 9 was in a totally different position in the scope.  Still could not get any images over 15 seconds  without trailing.  I’m sure my polar alignment wasn’t perfect when I started - before it all went totally to hell - but I really thought I was close and should’ve been able to get longer exposures.  Any help or advice appreciated! It’s so frustrating when you go through your checklist and think everything was done correctly only to realize you screwed up bad somewhere. 
 

Balance - thoroughly understand and am able to properly balance my camera and counterweight. But I am certain that I was throwing my balance totally off when I would loosen the clutch underneath and rotate the actual camera to point in a certain direction. How do you compensate for that? The idea of moving everything back to “home” position and starting over can’t be right! Lol

 Anyone who stuck with me this long - thank you!!! This is completely new and overwhelming - yet very excited to learn. I don’t have the gear to get the amazing pics I see here, so trying to learn with what I do have before investing any more money.   Have recently purchased the tracker, ordered a new tripod and bought two Rokinon lenses. Hubby has had enough! Lol

Equipment - canon T7i, Star Adventurer Pro, relatively inexpensive tripod until the Star Adventurer one arrives, have only tried using my Rokinon 135 lens. Need to master that before I attempt anything heavier. I also have an intervalometer. 
 

Last suggestions needed - clip in filters? Which are a must? I have photoshop and Lightroom but see so many other programs. What should I consider getting down the road for post processing?

 Thanks again!