Sky Watcher AZ GTi and Tripod

[Yubnub]

Looking to get this in bundle with the 127 Mak but concerned that the tripod will let down the observations at higher magnification.

Is it worth swapping out for a more solid tripod or have owners seen good results with the standard?

[SuburbanMak]

22 minutes ago, Yubnub said:

Looking to get this in bundle with the 127 Mak but concerned that the tripod will let down the observations at higher magnification.

Is it worth swapping out for a more solid tripod or have owners seen good results with the standard?

Short answer - Yes its worth swapping the tripod long term.  

Longer answer - an uprated tripod made an appreciable difference for me (Berlebach Report 312 vs the standard SW Aluminium job that comes with the Mak AZ GTi combo), the other transformative upgrade to stability was changing the clamp on the AZ GTi to the ADM dedicated version:   https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-replacement-saddles/adm-dual-dovetail-adaptor-for-az-gti.html

I hummed and hahhed far too long over doing this as £54 felt like a lot & I was nervous about tinkering, but have found it worth every penny in added stability and security. Also turns out to be dead simple to fit with a couple of Allen keys.  It was only after this upgrade that I noticed there was still a bit of Az play in the supplied tripod, but in terms of impact I'd say it was 70/30 in favour of the uprated clamp. 

Good choice though, its a great rig .  

Edited January 27, 2022 by SuburbanMak

[Yubnub]

Wow this is great advice thanks!

[Zermelo]

You might want to follow this one too :

 

 

[AstroNebulee]

I had the same bundle as you are thinking of and found the tripod quite suitable, there is some wobble at high magnification but settles very soon. Now I'm imaging I don't extend the legs atall, so if you wanted to further stabalise it sit on acinfty stool and observe. But yes a skywatcher 3/8 inch steel tripod would be a good choice. 

I too changed the supplied skywatcher saddle for the more robust and better security of clamping adm one as suggested above and is worth every penny. 

Lots of good advice on here for all things AzGti,plenty of owners with this set up. 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[Stu1smartcookie]

As above , and something that i am actually thinking of doing , the 3/8" SW steel tripod can only be a good thing , with one caveat ... ie the weight of moving the gear around . But that is a very small minus against the undoubted plus points of having a sturdy mount . As people on here regularly comment , the mount is the most important part of a succesful set up .

Also if your rig is close to its weight limit a better tripod really helps . Going slightly off track the AZ5 mount head can take up to 9kgs when paired with a steel tripod whereas the payload is only 5kgs with the skywatcher alluminium tripod . ( its in the Blurb that ships with the mount) . 

As for the clamp , yes , a good upgrade , ... if you can find one at the moment , they sell out really quickly .

Stu

Edited January 27, 2022 by Stu1smartcookie

[Yubnub]

Well i'm a sucker for a flashy bit of kit and was just looking at carbon fiber photographic tripods with the 3/8 thread. Will help keep the weight down when i drag this up Leith Hill 😆

[Yubnub]

8 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

I too changed the supplied skywatcher saddle for the more robust and better security of clamping adm one as suggested above and is worth every penny.

I’m surprised the clamp can effect the result so much. I guess it says more about the lacking quality in the stock item. 

[AstroNebulee]

19 minutes ago, Yubnub said:

I’m surprised the clamp can effect the result so much. I guess it says more about the lacking quality in the stock item. 

It does with this clamp, as with the stock one there's only the bolt end holding the dovetail in place against the saddle so could pivot a bit. But with the adm saddle it's clamped all the way along the dovetail and no marking of your bar either. 

[Yubnub]

Ah well that seems like a classic budget decision from SW

[Elp]

7 hours ago, Yubnub said:

Well i'm a sucker for a flashy bit of kit and was just looking at carbon fiber photographic tripods with the 3/8 thread. Will help keep the weight down when i drag this up Leith Hill 😆

I use a 2ft odd carbon fibre tripod with mine, it's light fairly sturdy and dampens within 2s or less, folded down it's only around the length of my forearm.

[Yubnub]

On 27/01/2022 at 11:34, Zermelo said:

You might want to follow this one too :

Thanks for the tip Zermelo 😄

[Yubnub]

14 hours ago, Elp said:

I use a 2ft odd carbon fibre tripod with mine, it's light fairly sturdy and dampens within 2s or less, folded down it's only around the length of my forearm.

Wow that sounds perfect!

[Yubnub]

What is the make, do you know?

[Elp]

It's a Leofoto (253 I think). They used to be a decent price, mine was only around £100, prices have changed a lot since. Bought it due to its compact size and the telescope is sat higher via a skywatcher azgti extension pier.

[MonsterMagnet]

On 28/01/2022 at 13:02, Elp said:

It's a Leofoto (253 I think). They used to be a decent price, mine was only around £100, prices have changed a lot since. Bought it due to its compact size and the telescope is sat higher via a skywatcher azgti extension pier.

 

Apologies for starting up this thread again but the Leofoto 253 you mention above, is it this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leofoto-LS-253CM-Professional-Carbon-Tripod/dp/B07Y2W6XL4

I am looking for something more stable than the stock SW AZ GTI tripod and if it's smaller for luggage purposes that would be ideal.

Cheers.

MM

[Elp]

1 hour ago, MonsterMagnet said:

 

Apologies for starting up this thread again but the Leofoto 253 you mention above, is it this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leofoto-LS-253CM-Professional-Carbon-Tripod/dp/B07Y2W6XL4

I am looking for something more stable than the stock SW AZ GTI tripod and if it's smaller for luggage purposes that would be ideal.

Cheers.

MM

That's the one, I got it without the ball head as I already had one, but gosh, the price has more than doubled since I got mine. For that price maybe look at a Innorel but they'll be longer but  more comfortable for you to use standing upright.

[Ed the Fox]

You could always do what I did and fill the legs with kiln dried sand.

[paulferris1964]

Thinking of using my carbon fibre photography tripod with this mount for a Skymax 127. It's a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3, sturdy, and is rated to 9kg. It's fine for my medium format cameras. Any thoughts / experience on suitability?

Edited November 5, 2023 by paulferris1964
clarification

[Tiny Clanger]

12 hours ago, paulferris1964 said:

Thinking of using my carbon fibre tripod with this mount for a Skymax 127. It's a Manfrotto 055CXPRO3, sturdy, and is rated to 9kg. It's fine for my medium format cameras. Any thoughts / experience on suitability?

I've been using a 127 mak on my old alu. 055 pro  Manfrotto for 3 years now, very happy with it, I keep the centre column right down and locked tight, only usually need the top two leg sections extended to observe comfortably. You may find the setup seems a bit top heavy with a lighter cf tripod, but as the 127 is short I don't think it will feel precariously 'tippy'.

The AZ5 head that goes between them is awkward at times though, as the fixed dovetail is positioned in such a way that to get the finder shoe on the upper side of the tube, the 'scope has to be mounted 'backwards' with the AZ5 arm at the nearest to vertical setting. With the 'scope pointed at more than about 60 degrees alt., the diagonal hits the slo mo cable. Not an insurmountable problem, if necessary you can remove the diagonal (or the slo mo ), shift the tube, then replace and carry on, but it's a faff.

The 127 mak which comes bundled with the AZ5 has its dovetail differently placed to that of the OTA you can buy on it's own, it is correctly set up for the mount and so will not have this problem. It is also actually cheaper to buy the package of 127+AZ5+flimsy tripod than a stand alone AZ5 and a stand alone 127 mak. I'd buy the package version, save £5, not have problems at higher alt, and use your manfrotto instead !

Heather

[paulferris1964]

Thanks for the tips, Tiny Clanger. I already have the Skymax 127, which came with the old AZ GOTO mount. I was thinking about replacing it with the AZ GTi (which looks to be more stable), rather than the AZ5 arm, but you raise an interesting point about finderscope positioning that bears thinking about.

I can't imagine why anyone would think about using any of these mounts with the centre column extended!