SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro: How to Set up and First Light

great video - thanks. Just to be clear - you tracked the sun and the moon without polar alignment?
I've had this exact tracker for just about a year, but unable to use thus far - it just so happens that my balcony is perfectly placed for observing Orion all night long, BUT the building obstructs my view of Polaris - so I can't align from my balcony. (I take care of my dad full time, so it's not often I get the opportunity to get out through the night)

What ball head do you use?

how can you power the tracker?

what tripod did you use?

can i use this star adventure with nikon p1000
?

whats the tripod?

I’m a beginner getting into astrophotography. Would you say this would be an easy to understand beginner mount?

Great video with all the details. Thank you!

It's pretty cool. I own a Celestron 8se. I am really starting to link along the lines of astrophotography and I have a Canon Rebel T3. This stuff is all new to me. Thank you so much for the video.

If I'm not able to see Polaris due to tree obstruction, is there any helpful tips on how to align?

Is it possible to do polar alignment when dslr is on the mount?

Would you recommend this for beginner like me? Or should I proceed to the GTI version ?

I understand better after watching this. Thank you :)

For moon and sun tracking, do you still need polar alignment?

I received my star Adventurer 2i pro in the mail today. I am setting it up tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for the video on the setup. this was really helpful.

How well do you like the Ioptron tripod? I’m looking for a tripod for my star adventurer. That carbon fiber types can get really expensive and this one I can find for less than half the price or even less.
So if it works well it seems a no brainer.

Thank you for the tutorial. I just got my Star Adventurer 2i and I’m going to test it when I have a clear sky.

I'm totally lost with polar alignment way over my head as a newbie a video on that be good

It's nice to see a review that doesn't trash the week points as so many other reviewers do.

Hi, thank you for that. I am thinking of buying one but have a question. I have a synscan from a goto skywatcher maksutov, can I plug that in and turn the tracker into a goto?

Thank you! The in box instructions were not ideal. Would have had 0 idea what to do without this

Great video. Is the Polar light illuminator needed to operate this? I picked up a whole used kit, bit was missing that battery operate polar light illuminator. Contacted Skywatch but no reply.
That piece not even listed on their site. And help or advice would be great. Thx

Thanks for this video. I was feeling a little lost without it.

Hi Wido, thanks so much for this video! Do you know if it is necessary to get a ball head in order to adjust the vertical tilt of the DSLR once it’s connected to the mount, and would using a ball head mess with the balance in any way?

I recently bought the 2i pro pack and attached my DSLR to the fine-tuning plate but noticed that 1.) it would take an awkward combination of rotating the entire camera along the R.A. axis and swiveling it left/right on the plate to get the framing I would want for almost any given shot and 2.) swiveling the camera from side to side would throw off the balance in the declination axis. Would getting a ball head negate these problems?

thanks wido , its under the christmas tree as we speak . Thanks for getting me into this hobby

Good review. I just started looking at motorized eq mounts again. (I have an old Meade telescope I bought used, but it's missing a few components of the drive, and picked up a motorized eq tripod and mount at a thrift shop, but the motor is dead). Figure it's time to just buy new, but am trying to keep it in the 3 digit price range.
This one caught my eye, so now I'm researching it.

I dont really know where to go with this, but i set everything up, and use the knob to turn it on the star setting, and set the switch to N and press the arrow and i do not hear the motor going. I know its supposed to rotate really slow, but would i hear the motor at all? I tried contacting the company but they havent got back to me. Im just concerned i got a defective unit

Do you need to use the app to use the mount? I see it’s only available for Android, so I don’t want to buy it and then get stuck because I have an iPhone.

I'm new to the Star Adventurer 2i. I live in Alaska and I want to take 24 hour time-lapse of the sun, TRACKING IT through 24 hours and keeping it centered in the frame. I can find nothing in the instruction manual about tracking the sun. Does the "Sun" setting on the unit automatically track the sun? I ASSUME (because it doesn't say anything about that in the instruction manual), that if the Sun setting actually does automatically track the sun, that I need to polar align first. The manual doesn't say if I have to polar align first either. If I do need to polar align before tracking the sun, (how could I NOT?), how am I supposed to polar align with 24 hours of daylight? Any help you can provide would be well appreciated.

Great video. I have the 2i as well and am currently on the hunt for a more stable/sturdy tripod. What are your thoughts on the Sky Watcher one?

Very good explained Wido, I have also one here, have it for about a few months now but still not used it, new in the box.
Few weeks ago I saw the release of the new Skytracker GTI, different tracker and different purpose but looks a nice little go-to mount.
I contacted Skywatcher and they are planning to keep producing both trackers side by side, they said they are built for completely different purposes.
I guess I will use mine mostly on holiday, but have to try it out first, so looking forward to your upcoming videos

I've had mine for a while now just recently been playing around with the Astro time lapse mode! Got two minutes exposures with a Canon 6d with a 12mm lens

What a great option for on the fly. Also great way to introduce people to the night sky with instant photos. Thanks Wido .

To be honest I never got to use my astro gear away from home ... That is with any success 😂... Simply too much gear and troublesome...
I wish those trackers had included a good sturdy mount and ballhead in the package and since the new version is out I had hoped they would bring the price of the 2i down so that it could be more affordable :)
I have seen a bunch of people use them with great success and I wish you all the best with it!
Thanks for the video and opening my appetite for a more mobile solution!