Celestial mount search

First, my apologies. No doubt this has come up before, but I haven't had any luck finding what I'm looking for.

And that is a camera tripod head that tracks with the earth's rotation (I'm assuming it'd be battery operated or plugged into an electrical socket) so I can take long exposures of the heavens (mostly wide- to medium-angle) without motion blur.

I've done a lot of searching online with less than fruitful results.

Thanks in advance for not ripping on me if I've been boneheaded in missing previous topics on this, and for helping a fella out.

stevefossimages wrote in post #9677583
First, my apologies. No doubt this has come up before, but I haven't had any luck finding what I'm looking for.

And that is a camera tripod head that tracks with the earth's rotation (I'm assuming it'd be battery operated or plugged into an electrical socket) so I can take long exposures of the heavens (mostly wide- to medium-angle) without motion blur.

I've done a lot of searching online with less than fruitful results.

Thanks in advance for not ripping on me if I've been boneheaded in missing previous topics on this, and for helping a fella out.

From what I understand this is a very good camera mount setup for astro imaging.

http://www.sciencecent​er.net …h/kenko/skymemo​/track.htm

No apologies necessary Steve, glad to help.

If you want something portable for a camera and lens outfit the Astrotrac is a good choice. Though the price my seem steep, the alternative would be a german equatorial mount that would be far less portable but serve the same purpose. The Astrotrac has less load tolerance than most equatorial mounts but is more than sufficient for a DSLR and the lens ranges that you mentioned.

Astrotrac site. Scroll down and note that there is a polar alignment scope available which I highly recommend. A valuable tool for accurate alignment and will make set up much quicker and less frustrating.
http://www.astrotrac.c​om …e&product=TT320​X&p=tt320x

US dealer, very reputable company.
http://www.optcorp.com​/product.aspx?pid=1202​6

A bit more pricey unit but the Takahashi name is undeniably top notch for astro gear.
http://www.optcorp.com …w=Takahashi%20t​eegul&st=2

I hope this helps some and if nothing else you can google these and read more on them and their reviews. Good luck and keep us posted.

How much are you looking to spend, Steve? Do you like building things? Because for wide-angles, a Barn Door Tracker might be an option, and basic ones can be home-made for very little.

Thanks folks! I could spend a fair amount of change on it. The Astrotrac is within my price range, while the Takahashi may be but is probably stretching it a bit.

On the other hand, I'm a handyman, carpenter and woodworker, so the barn door tracker looks pretty darn good for what I have in mind.

Try some of the smaller EQ mounts from Orion if you only want to put a camera on top. Otherwise, get a bigger one with a telescope and plug your camera on the end.

http://www.telescope-service.com/OrionUSA/m​ounts/mounts.html

Baz.

The Astrotrac is a nice piece of kit and very portable. Am considering one myself as lugging a big EQ6 to a dark site is really a no-no. Just make sure you get a pan head as it really is too much for a ball head. Saw a setup using the Astrotrac portable pier a while back and that is very nice indeed. With the wedge on top it takes the Astrotrac to a whole new level. Guy I saw using one was having no problems with 5 minute subs using a 200mm lens.

Hi,

I am using the SkyMemo for the last two years and I am more than plase with it. The Heq5 pro now is used with the Mewlon. Construction is solid. Precise. The polar finder is a work of art.