What should I look for in a motorized equatorial DSLR mount for astrophotography?
Asked 10/26/2015
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I’m getting started in astrophotography and want advice on choosing a motorized equatorial mount for a Nikon D7100 with lenses ranging from 10–20mm up to 150–500mm. I’m interested in both wide-angle nightscapes and longer-focal-length deep-sky shots. I don’t need a very high payload if it’s mainly supporting a DSLR and lenses, and I’m trying to stay under about $1000. What features matter most, especially for tracking accuracy at different focal lengths?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
4
Matt,
If you're looking at AP with just your camera and a couple of lenses, you should be able to get buy without a heavy, megabucks mount. For exactly the same purposes as yours, I use an iOptron SkyTracker which sits on a camera tripod, and uses a ballhead to support up to 7.7 lbs of total weight. This runs off 4 AA batteries or an external 12VDC supply.
This won't be a problem at all for the 10-20mm because in actual fact, you could image with this lens even without a tracker, by following the 500-rule (500/35mm-focalLength = slowest exposure) to control star trails. With the 150-500 however, under the assumption that you'd like to shoot at 500mm some of the time, this is equivalent to 750mm which would limit you to 2/3 second exposures, which in turn would probably not give you the details you want.
This is when you need a tracker. Here's a picture taken by a friend using the Tamron 150-600 @ 600mm, on the SkyTracker, of the Orion Nebula
right now, it's selling for $299, so it's well within your price range.
Originally by user46107. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46107
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The key feature is tracking accuracy, and how much you need depends heavily on focal length.
For wide-angle work like 10–20mm, you may not need much mount precision at all; short lenses can often be used untracked for modest exposures, and a small tracker can work very well.
For longer lenses, especially 150–500mm, mount precision becomes much more important. The longer the focal length, the more accurate the tracking must be to avoid star trailing. A lightweight camera tracker can be fine for DSLR-and-lens setups, but at 500mm you’ll quickly run into the limits of entry-level trackers.
So, when shopping, prioritize:
- accurate sidereal tracking
- payload capacity that comfortably exceeds your camera + heaviest lens
- compatibility with a solid tripod/head
- practical power options for field use
If your goal is wide-field shots and brighter targets like Andromeda, a compact tracker can be enough. If you want faint nebulae at long focal lengths, expect to need a more precise—and usually more expensive—mount, potentially beyond this budget. In short: buy based on the longest focal length and faintest targets you realistically plan to shoot.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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