Hello everyone,
First post here. I recently got the Skywatcher Star Adventurer Pro pack and I've spent the last few weekends trying to use it for photography with a 55-250 mm lens and my DSLR (Canon EOS 80D). I watched lots of tutorials on how to properly set up the tracker and do the polar alignment and I also read the manual. Still, I am getting star traces in my photos instead of pointy stars and I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if there's a problem with my SA. These are the steps I am following:
1) Set tripod and equatorial wedge up facing north. Set latitude and level. (I have a relatively heavy Manfrotto tripod)
2) Install tracker body on the wedge and camera directly on the declination bracket/fine tuning mounting assembly. Use the counterweight and extension arm to level.
3) Polar alignment. First, I place the reticle correctly (0 up and 6 down) using the graduated cirlces, as explained in the manual. Then, I use the Polar Scope align pro app and the screws on the equatorial wedge to place Polaris on the reticle as accurately as possible. 4) Frame target and check that Polaris is still where it's supposed to be. I check the difference in RA between my initial set up and the current one to calculate the RA rotation and I input this number into the Polar Scope align pro app to see where Polaris should be on the rotated reticle. It's normally still in the right place, but sometimes it does move a little (less than half a fraction of a division in the reticle).
5) Start taking photos.
The pic has some examples from last night. There was a full Moon, so I am certain the only star I was seeing through the polar scope was Polaris. There was no wind whatsoever.
Throughout the session, Polaris did not move from where it was supposed to be (I checked regularly). Something that I find really intriguing is that I seem to be getting almost equally long traces every time (!!!), regardless of how long my exposure times are, up until 3 mins or so. This makes me think the problem is in my camera, but I have tried using mirrow lockup and the self-timer and I still get these traces (I always use an external intervalometer/controller to shoot, I don't touch the camera). I use rechargeable 1.2V batteries, could this be the problem? (I've heard they're not recommended if you have heavy equipment). The other thing I've thought of is that my 55-250 lens does not have its own mount/base, so there's a fair amount of weight off the declination bracket.
Any ideas on what may be wrong here will be greatly appreciated!