[Red] Now I can get even longer exposures. Works Great. Had to make some changes to allow for heavier lens that the 3lb counterweight was not enough for. Found video that suggests changing the cw bar to opposite side.

[Red] The SkyGuider Pro is very easy to use. I have been using mine every clear night I get. The hardest part is getting a perfect polar alignment but with time it keeps getting easier.


Highly recommend with a tripod without a ball head. My ball head tripod barely holds the weight of this set up with my camera.

[2.9 µ] Well made, good price point. Three minute exposures with a 50mm or one minute with a 200mm give excellent results. Whether a serious astrophotographer who will stack and process or a photographer looking to expand their field of opportunities/ creativeness, you won't be disappointed. This easy to use, well made tracker is a charm.

[Rolling Shutter] After reading reviews & watching videos on Mfg's sites and of course checking many online sources I chose the iOptron over the the other two popular choices and am incredibly happy with the sky guider. PROS: First off it's solid and well built. Second it's easy to set up and start using. The main negative I'd read was regarding the Alt-Azimeth base and I agree it could be finer and smoother but with small and patient moves it worked well and accurately. I especially like that I can align the base, add the counterweight arm & recheck/align then add my camera and again adjust the alignment. I've bought this for wide angle MilkyWay landscape shots and have not tested that yet but my very first test was from my driveway, 300mm lens, 20 sec exposures and I'm really pleased with my starting point, knowing I have not even learned to use this yet. Lastly, everyone sells this product for the exact same price. BH ships quickly and for free. If you sign up for their credit card they also pay the taxes. Win!

[2.9 µ] This is one of the most informative books I have seen on Astrophotography! Explained in detail everything you want to know and how to get those amazing,spectacular astrophotography shots you have been dreaming of but thought impossible or out of reach. Very clear and precise directions to the stars, galaxies,planets, and anything else you would want to look to the heavens to capture. Love this and I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in astrophotography!

[12 Ke] I got this a few weeks ago and set it up in my heavily light polluted back yard just to see how it worked. I was heading to the beach and wanted to get some good shots of the Milky Way and didn't want to figure it out there. Did a bunch of 30 second exposures and it showed no star trails at all. Once at the beach, the first night was the only good night due to the moon and clouds but managed to get one great 2 minute exposure. I did five 2 minute exposures but 4 had clouds go through. Tried a wider angle for additional shots and got clouds again, but the tracker held true for all 10 shots at 2 minutes with no star trails at all.

The polar alignment cap can be tricky to get out. I'm sure it will get easier over time but you might need a small pair of pliers to get it out at first. Alignment is not difficult but picking out Polaris while looking through the scope can be tricky when you see a lot of stars in the eyepiece.

After setting it up the first time I couldn't get a good balance so I ended up getting a second counterweight which was perfect so you might want to add a second one to your order. I was using a Canon 5D Mark III with a vertical grip and a 16 - 35mm f/4 IS lens (IS and AF turned off) so it wasn't a super heavy load but the one weight just wouldn't level it out.

Overall I'm happy with it but I definitely need more time working with it to get better at using it, which is fairly easy but, like anything, takes a little repetition to become used to it and faster to get set up. Can't wait until I can get out to some much darker skies and try a few more Milky Way shots as well as other celestial objects.

[80%] I have a larger Losmandy tripod and tracking mount for my telescope and astrophotography, but for more portable situations and times where wide-angle views are being taken, like typical Milky Way shots, this is perfect.

[1.25" / 31.8 mm] I previously had a different brand tracker that died afted 3 months, plus I could only get 1.5 minutes of exposure with it. With the iOptron Skyguider Pro I can get up to 5 minutes of exposure time tracking targets. I also have a ZWO ASIAir and guide camera that I use with it. If I make an accurate polar alignment the ZWO after calibrating tells me the stars haven't moved enough to require guiding. I use this with a Rokinon 135mm and Radian Raptor 61. I do recommend getting a different ALT/AZ mount though as some others recommend.

[12 Ke] This is my first startracker mount, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it works very well. I took it out that night, got it aligned, and I was able to get 2 minute exposures with only a little star trailing. It was my first time, so I'm obviously not gonna get a great polar alignment. But it the tracker worked well.


Side note, But I dropped it about 5 feet onto the floor, and everything still worked perfectly. So, I can at least say it's build quality is quite good!

[Rolling Shutter] Just started reading but just glancing through it I can see it covers just about everything. It covers the sky as well as photographing it. A really good technical manual. Good purchase.