iOptron SkyTracker Pro Camera Mount with Polar Scope, Only

Great product and nice upgrade form the previous version. The only problem I had with this (bought for the eclipse) is the rubber cushion where the swivel head is supposed to mount slips and makes it impossible to tighten down a heavier load. The simple fix was to remove it, and that worked pretty well, but there is a tiny lip around that area that limits the amount of surface area in contact with the swivel head or camera base. I plan to file it off on mine, or look for a different "cushion" material and glue. I did slightly exceed the load capaicty with a D800 and 300mm f/4 and 1.4X converter, so this is not entirely iOptron's fault, but my gear did highlight the [only] weakness in the design. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier with the product and price.

Works great for those exposures longer than 30 seconds... I did up to 4-5 minutes on a few with good results... Just had some difficulty in getting exact alignment with the built in device. in particular if you do not have a clear line of sight to Polaris. Remember to flash or layer in your background for those longer exposures as the camera is moving.

Okay, so I own the older version of this as well. I picked this up because smaller form factor and it has its own contained battery. Pros: - Tracks as well if not slightly better than the old one - Size - Internal Battery that can also run via a USB battery pack Cons - The bottom does not spin freely, I had to use my pano head so I could easily align north - The mount feels really cheap compared to the older version, like extremely cheap Honestly the bottom plate not spinning with a lock is what knocked it down two stars, it makes aligning north a pain if your tripod isn't setup to spin you physically have to turn the tripod. The tracking does work really solid once its setup properly though.

This was a great addition to my camera setup

I have owned the older Gen-1 version, the non-pro, as well as this new updated "Pro" version. This newer version is hands-down better than the old SkyTracker. There are a lot of differences in looks and features, but the basic function is exactly the same. The first thing I noticed was that while a lot of the components have been changed from cast metal to injection molded plastic, I find the new version much more robust feeling and stable. The form factor is much easier to work with and there are so many more knobs for fine tuning the alignment which makes setup up so much faster and easier. The price of these trackers is not cheap, but when compared to buying large fast glass the tracker can be a bargain. Although it was frustrating to pay $300 for the mount and then have to buy a seperate app $3 app to know where to put the north star in the alignment scope. I tried to use my 200-500mm with a D7000, which is right at the 3kg weight limit, and it worked but struggled. So I bought the counterweight ( iOptron SkyTracker Pro Counterweight Package ) now it works really well. Im annoyed that one would need to purchase another ballhead to work with this mount, I already had an extra, but that is another ~$50 that someone would need to pay out on top of the tracker purchase price. TL;DR - New 'Pro' version better than old version PROS - Almost silent - Integrated rechargeable battery - Jog (forward/reverse) button - 4 tracking speeds (Sun, Moon, Full Sideral, Half Sideral) - Many fine tuning knobs - Dimmable scope LED CONS - Lots of plastic - Large lenses 70-200, 200-500, etc will need the counter-weight - Mildly expensive - Will need to buy a ballhead - Separate App purchase needed to know where to align the moon in the scope.

Used it in the field a couple of times so far with my Canon EOS R and the rather largish EF 16-35mm L lens. I do not need the counterweight with this combination. Getting beautiful tracked Milky Way images with pinpoint stars. Very happy. I will not go back to stacking images.

I am not a professional photographer, but I'm more than a beginner. However, astrophotography is new for me. I figured out quickly that having a tracker was going to make a world of difference in my night photos. The iOptron SkyTracker Pro with polar scope was hard to track down due to low inventory. This seller came through and delivered quickly. The SkyTracker Pro does everything it claims. I do not regret the money spent on this at all.

I have had my STP mount now for 1 year 5 months and have used it about 20 times. The dovetail saddle is now loose and slips during altitude adjustment causing polar alignment to be nearly impossible. I can align it, but the vibration of the cameras shutter release is enough to cause it to slip and drop away from the center in the polar scope. It takes some doing to initially align it with Polaris but then to have to go through that process again is extremly disappointing. I bought this hoping I could get some long exposure shots with out star trails, and have had some good results (not perfect but good) but now it is horrible. To fidget with the little knobs to get it back into alignment is a chore especially when it is cold outside. It basically was good for a year, now it is as frustrating as a gun that won't fire consitently. Sad, I was hoping to enjoy astrophotograpy, and have been up until now. I will have to upgrade but not sure it will be with ioptron.