Had to pick between a $200 star tracker or a new lens for my Canon. Went with the tracker and my first deep sky shot is a blurry mess.

2 comments

2 Comments

Oh man, I feel that. My first tracked shot looked like someone smeared Vaseline on the lens. I was so sure I had polar alignment perfect, but apparently "close enough" still gives you star trails that would make an abstract painter proud. It's a special kind of frustration when the gear works, but the user is the problem.

stella_roberts6d ago

Yeah, I read this article about how even a tiny bit of wind can mess with a tracker on a tripod. It said your alignment can be spot on, but if the whole setup is wobbling a little, you get those soft trails. Makes you want to throw a blanket over the whole rig sometimes.