To focus your camera lens or telescope, you can use the live-view mode on your camera, and zoom in 10X. You could also try using a Bahtinov mask, which will create a useful star pattern as a reference. Before the Star Adventurer GTi was released, the only comparable “GoTo grab and go” mount from Sky-Watcher was the AZ-GTi. However, this was an altitude-azimuth mount designed for visual use, not astrophotography. The Star Adventurer GTi combines the best of the AZ Gti and the Star Adventurer 2i into one mount.

Overall with just a few minor adjustments on the RA freeplay, everything worked a treat, practically straight out of the box, and with autoguiding via a ST-4 lead, through PHD Guiding I was achieving 0.4 RMS on the guiding values which is very impressive performance for a lightweight portable mount. Attention DSLR and Mirrorless Photographers! Are you ready to transcend traditional photography and venture into the realm of astrophotography? The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer series is not just a tool; it is your gateway to mastering astrophotography. From capturing outstanding Milky Way results to venturing into deep space astrophotography, this lineup is specifically designed to transform your night sky images from ordinary to extraordinary. The Star Adventurer GTi is also available as a mount head only, code 20326 to fit your own tripod with 3/8 fitting). The Skywatcher Star Adventurer provides an excellent route into astrophotography for those using DSLR cameras with wide-field and medium focal length DSLR lenses. Its ease of use and aircraft-friendly size will also appeal to those wanting to travel to dark-sky locations.The polar scope illumination is accomplished by clipping in a small red LED light on the front of the polar axis. The simple device runs on a small battery and can be switched on and off. I would have preferred the light to be inside of the mount at all times because it would be very easy to misplace such a small item when traveling. Polar Aligning The Star Adventurer using the PS Align Pro app. Other Methods To Achieve A Precise Polar Alignment Astrophotography is a beautiful, rewarding, and educational hobby. But it can be frustrating and needlessly expensive if you don’t do your homework and let the “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” get you. The mount body is the workhorse of the Star Adventurer 2i. It contains the integrated polarscope, control selection knob and various ports, yet is quite lightweight and can be used when it’s attached directly to a tripod – with latitude adjustment done via the tripod’s tilt head – or with the supplied equatorial wedge. Equatorial wedge

the tripod is sturdier than I expected, but the flip side is you're probably not going to be taking this tripod on a plane With its 5kg payload capacity, the Star Adventurer GTi is well-equipped to handle your DLSR or mirrorless camera sporting a wide-angle or telephoto lens plus accessories, a small aperture astrograph with a dedicated astronomy camera, or simply an OTA for visual use via its 45mm dovetail saddle. The included adjustable height stainless steel tripod is a stable platform for the mount and includes a handey accessory tray.

Quick Setup Guide

To polar align the mount at 3 a.m. of January 31st, in time zone zero, you have to put Polaris on the red cross in the image. I've got WIFI working very easily with my old laptop and my smart phone, using the dedicated Synscan Pro App, but you can use any Syscan handset, using the hand controller port as well. If needed, reframe your target using the motor controls and the micrometric screw on the Fine-Tuning Mounting Assembly. Here is how you should work. Unassisted Polar Alignment: Using the Star Adventurer’s Graduated Scales For Deep Sky Astrophotography

As an added benefit to amateur astrophotographers, this tripod includes a spreader for added stability and a handy eyepiece tray.The Auto Guider port is where you plug the ST-4 cable to guide the Star Adventurer (only in right ascension). Rotating the control knob, you can select a range of presets, which include the usual ‘Lunar’, ‘Solar’ or ‘Sidereal’ options, but there is now an interesting ‘App’ addition. With its 5kg payload capacity, the Star Adventurer GTi is well-equipped to handle your DLSR or mirrorless camera sporting a wide-angle or telephoto lens plus accessories, a small aperture astrograph with a dedicated astronomy camera, or simply an OTA for visual use via its 45mm dovetail saddle. When you choose the tripod for your Star Adventurer, prefer beefy ones, with maximum payload well above the actual weight of the equipment you will put on it. The exciting new Star Adventurer GTi features a built-in illuminated polar scope for precision alignment, interfaces for USB, autoguider, optional SynScan hand controller, and SNAP shutter control for your DSLR (programmable via Sky-Watcher’s free SynScan Pro app for iOS and Android). The Star Adventurer GTi also includes a dual-position counterweight for use at low latitudes as well as full smartphone control via Wi-Fi.

It comes in two pieces: the illuminator itself and an adaptor base. While the illuminator fits in the Star Adventurer body, you need the adaptor to mount it on the declination plate. If you want to shoot with longer lenses or a telescope, you can safely get away with 1-2-minute exposures if the wind is still. There are different ways to set up your gear and to polar align your mount, depending on the kind of gear you use and the kind of astrophotography you intend to do. We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface.

Now features WiFi

You can connect USB for computer connection, and it has a great snap port, so that you can control your DSLR camera using Synscan PRO app. The tripod I use is the Manfrotto Element Big Traveller, which you can buy here. The great thing about this mount is that it comes with a very sturdy ball head, which you can mount on directly on to the Star Adventurer with the ball head adapter for wide-field Milky Way shots.