So I picked one of these up two days ago. A few initial issues. The RA axis has a lot of play. It can be adjusted by a screw hidden under the patent label. First problem solved. The built in USB port has numerous retries while slewing. I have passed this on to Skywatcher. Using the hand control port with the Synscan USB adapter works flawlessly. The mount is also quite noisy when new but a few hours of operation seem to have helped. I like the form factor. If we can get the USB issue fixed with a firmware update it will be a great mount.
Hi Alyn, I read some of the comments and I agree with most. I have received my S/W GTi last week and I agree with you about the cover. I filed the tags to make them deeper it helped but not enough I may file some more off. When I started in hobby I thought the same of the eye piece screws if I drop one I may never find it, so I looked around on web and found a company called Element 14 and they have got a range of thumb screws that will fit the eyepieces, and fortunately if you get one the right size it will fit the battery cover 3mm x 5mm x 0.5. (there is a 0.7mm also) There are washer faced thumb screws which is one of the types I got and I could use if I loose my cover screw. Cheers Robert Aust'
Thank you Alyn. This answered so many questions particularly the GoTo process which wasn't obvious. Sounds like after scanning to the three stars one adjusts a star to center frame by adjusting the mount screws. And I totally agree trying to find even Andromeda in a dark sky while fidgeting with the camera mount while standing on your head is super frustrating. Thank you so much.
No, you don't adjust that by fidgeting with the mount screws. When using the GoTo function, pull up the touchpad in the app, and the arrows that need to be tapped to correct will lighten up (as long as you are close enough, within a few mm). When choosing 2 or 3 star alignment the tracker only allows you to proceed to the next star when the first is in the middle of the screen.
You hit the nail on the head with your comments about beginner’s frustration with finding/getting my subject in the frame correctly. I stepped away from astrophotography for about a year now because I was spending half my night trying to deal with this. And having less fun and getting more frustrated. Thanks for the review and looking forward to getting one and getting back into the night!
I control mine with a ZWO ASIAir mini, which not only gives really good polar alignment but has a good plate solving function negating the need for the three star alignment, it even has a framing tool, at just over £200 its one of the best bits of kit I've bought.
I live in a Bortle 6 region with a lot of light pollution and I have cataracts, so star hopping is difficult for me. So, I bought a motorized go to conversion kit for my CG-4 mount. Being elderly and feeble, I found hauling the mount and my 150mm Newtonian reflector with a total weight of 46.5 pounds to be difficult. So, I bought an Orion 130mm Newtonian and a Star Adventurer GTi, total weight 21.5 pounds. Better.
Hope you’re feeling better. Thanks for the review. I have a Star Adventurer 2i. I was thinking of adding a GOTO mount. Now I have another option. Thanks.
I finally got my GTI a few weeks ago. This weekend has phenomenal weather for late October in Wisconsin USA, 70 degrees and. CLEAR! your video is the first one I found that just uses the mount and syncscan APP on a smartphone, without confusing everyone. Others are using a computer with Ascom or an ASiair etc. Modeling the waters. I just want to start with the basics. Doing the 1,2,3 star alignment is what I needed to know how to do! THANKS! Your awsome Alyn.
@@arthurwiegman5512 I posted this comment 4 months ago. I think it was ordered in June, and showed up late September, or October. By the way, I'm now working on getting the asiair (which took about 3 months, backordered) to receive.
Great video! It's too funny that you, Nico Carver and Trevor Jones all released reviews on the same day. I haven't checked yet, but I'm guessing the Sky-Watcher USA channel also released a video since Friday is there weekly video day. Watching you crouch to look through your polar scope makes my back hurt. I'm assuming you're aware of Move Shoot Move's right angle adapter with a 2x magnifier. For your other subscribers, it fits the Sky-Watcher polar scope with no problem. It also has adapters for camera viewfinders. I just bought one. That is such a game changer. I've been looking at AZGTIs since last fall when Cuiv the Lazy Geek posted a couple of videos on how to adapt the AZGTI for astrophotography, but the release of this changes that. I'll have to see how expensive this is in comparison.
Take my money NOW Skywatcher!!! You're right about the frustration in finding small objects Alyn! I use a Nikon 2.8 80-200 for most of my deep sky astro so I get it pointed close to my target fully zoomed out and center it that way. Once I get it I then zoom in and get final focus. This will make that soooo much easier!
Hi Alyn. Mind blown !! The ability to align via the app is fantastic ! Not sure I'll be lugging this up Pen Y Fan anytime soon but who doesn't love a shiny new toy? Thanks for sharing.
Excellent review, thanks! Just to point out that I think the trailing you showed on the Heart Nebula image was north-south in declination, not east-west in RA. So it wasn’t from periodic error in RA per se. The RA gear and drive was periodically pushing the mount up and down in Dec. Running the mount for several hours - even a day or two - might smooth out the grease on the gears and reduce that mechanical drift. Check your test set to see if the bad frames all have the errors in the same direction. And see if it reduces with continued use. And it does seem dumb that the screw holding the battery cover on doesn’t have a D-clip on it to make it captive.
I have been struggling for months to figure out how to use my GTI. This video made it look so much easier. I can’t wait to try it tonight. Thanks for the great info.
I've been eagerly awaiting reviews of this ever since I saw a picture of something I first thought was an elaborate prank or april fools joke. I already have a Star Adventurer Pro 2i, a Move-Shoot-Move and an EQ6-R Pro. I've been looking for something inbetween, and up until I saw this one announced, I had my eyes set on the EQM-35 for travel/portability. I found this to be a very good and helpful review, even the sponsor of the video was interesting and very relevant. Thanks for doing this Alyn.
From my balcony I can't see the celestial star*. With the multiple star fine tune option am I going to skip this* alignment procedure once and for all?? Lovely device 😍
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🔭 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi is a telescope mount with Wi-Fi and Go-To capabilities, making it easy to control and track celestial objects using a smartphone. 01:22 🌌 The device has motors for both right ascension and declination, allowing precise movement and tracking of telescopes and cameras. 02:18 💡 The built-in polar scope illuminator in the GTi is a significant improvement over its predecessor, the Star Adventurer Pro. 03:29 🔋 The device can be powered using 12-volt DC or eight AA batteries, but there's a concern about a detachable thumb screw that could potentially be lost. 04:52 ⏳ The GTi offers a battery life of up to 36 hours on continuous tracking, making it suitable for extended astrophotography sessions. 06:20 🧳 The device can be powered using a portable power station like the Jackery Explorer 1000, which provides additional USB ports for charging other devices and a 1000-watt AC outlet. 08:22 🌟 Setting up the GTi involves polar alignment, balancing the device, and choosing stars for alignment using the SynScan app. 10:46 🌠 The Go-To capability of the GTi makes it easy to align and frame celestial objects, eliminating the need for manual star-hopping. 15:07 📷 Despite limited testing due to unforeseen circumstances, the GTi showed promise in astrophotography, with potentially improved tracking performance compared to the Star Adventurer Pro. 19:47 🌌 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi is suitable for both beginners and seasoned astrophotographers, offering portability and Go-To capabilities. Made with HARPA AI
Hi Alyn, some weeks ago my skywatcher Az-GTi got a damage, now i bought the SAGTi. Last Night i could test it with autoguiding and DuoNarrowband filter. I get pinpoint round stars taking 300sec Subframes. The guiding error in both axes are between 0.67-1.25 arcseconds. I can highly recommend guiding.I`m looking forward to the next La Palma holiday with hat mount, aashootimg under good conditions. Chears Jörg always clear skies!
I've recently treated myself to an heq5 pro and a 150mm refractor. Got some learning ahead but my wife was very impressed with her view of Saturn through the scope.
Very impressive little mount. I’ve been looking for a mobile set up I can take when we go camping. The Go To capability is a game changer because I refuse to use star hopping. Great video Alyn
Hi Alyn, Last weekend I finally bought a Starwatcher adventurer GTI mount. I planned to take with me when I travel to San Antonio Texas Texas in November and to the island of Barbados, Latatude 13 degrees, but under Bortle 4 skies. Thanks Alyn, great video on the Starwatcher GTI, by the I agree with you on the screw 😉😎🌙
I have preorderd this mount. As of now it is due to be delivered at the end of May. However, due to lockdowns in China and tight container capacity I wonder if it will not be heavily delayed.
That looks awesome for deep space, with app control do you need cell reception? I usually shoot in dark no service areas. Hope you’ll feel better soon for finish your shot
Definitely my next target for deep sky. It is really frustrating doing it with the MSM just because it is not built for DS. So thank you very much for the review and good luck with your next steps into DS :)
Excellent review Alyn.....I have a Nikon DSLR and several fast Nikkor lenses, plus an old heavy weight Bogen tripod and an ASIAIR. The GTi seems a perfect fit. Thanks!
There are two 'reviews' right now here on YT about the SAgti. This one here really is a review, the other is just enternainment and advertisement. So: Thumbsup for Alyn! Great job. Great that you pointed out the PEC@16:35 It looks quite similar to the iOptron smartEQ, which is is used for years now (2 axes, GoTo, portable, affordable, 8x AA batteries...). So a nice, but not tecnically new product (beside the app).
Cheers Alyn, your insight has been really useful. I've just received my GTI this weekend & awaiting some clear skies here in SE England to give Astro-photography a whirl for the first time. Procrastination has been a good thing for once with the arrival of this product in to the market. Keep up the good work. Pete.
very interesting package, especailly with a 70-200 F2.8 allready in the pocket its very interesting to start shooting deeper sky objects, or milkyway shots with more stars visible due to longer exposure times instead of the 5-10sec shots with current high MP cameras
I see that you are using the Sony 100-400mm on the SA-GTI. (1) What's the Sony camera you are using to shoot the DSO? (2) Have you ever (made a video) explaining why you did not go for a Sony 200-600mm? Is it because of the higher f stop at 600mm? (3) What is the ASIAir on the table at 14:50"? I was looking at the new ASIAir Plus but it does not support Sony mirrorless. (4) Can you make a video explaining how you setup the autoguide system to reduce periodic error? I am also a Sony user, and would like very much to know how you solve the problem of using a Sony system with the GTI. Peter Zelinka, Nico, and AStrobackyard have other (nice) cameras/systems (e.g., RAD) they can use with the ASIAir Plus, but not we Sony users. 😔
I have a few questions: 1. I don't see any manual control dials, so is it now app-only control? 2. Do you have to do the in-app polar alignment if your manual alignment is already very good? 3. Do you think the in-app alignment possibly increases your success rate? 4. I see all the ports are on the top panel. Is it weatherproof?
Alyn, have you able to add autoguiding to your setup yet? I am eagerly waiting for that video as I am also using a Sony camera. I was sad to learn that ASIAir autoguiding does not (yet) work with the Sony cameras.
Another thought. Bought ASiair. I'm wondering if I can do the same 3 star alignment, to fine tune the polar alignment, as you showed with just phone app and GFI?
I’m assuming that the EQ mode of ASIAIR pro will work with this…it did with its predecessor! I modded Az-GTi for equatorial mode, the downside of the AZ-GTi is that it has no polar scope. But…ASIAIR has a polar alignment function so that’s ok. And I use it with skywatcher 72 ED, ASIAIR and autoguiding. What I like about this new Star Adventurer GTi is the build quality, the goto, abs built-in polar scope. I may get one, tempting.
For those with trouble finding objects manually, I have a reflex sight mounted to my camera hotshoe. Much easier to see where the camera is actually pointed. I still have the original Star Adventurer, so I either have to star hop and/or do some kind of platesolving. Thankfully with widefield shots you don't have to be perfectly centered to get a good shot.
Hi Alyn, I could highly understand your joy unsing this new mount. With ASIair you not only have a guiding device, with better, longer exposed images. You also have a polar alingment routine, and tools like platesolving for perfect framing. I will use a modded Skywatcher Az-GTI in June at my trip to La Palma. Ive testet it with my little Apo Refractor and 300 or 600 sec subs no Problem with that.....nice job your clipp, all the best to you and clear skies, Jörg
Payload is only 11lbs. My current rig is “right at” that weight inclusive of counter weight. It is something I’ll think about but there are limitations to growing with it. Thanks for your video Alyn. Much appreciated.
@@easy56wedge Erm, on the Star Adventurer the counterweight definitely IS included in the payload capacity, take it from someone who has used one for 3 years. If you try and put on a setup weighing over 4kg (before the 1kg counterweight) then you will not be able to balance it without further counterweights, which would take you over the 5KG payload capacity.
@@ringod123 I’ve used an iOptron SkyGuider pro for several years and payload capacity includes counter weights. Thanks for you information. I ordered the GTi in any case. Lol.
Hi Alyn. Useful video. Regarding the Sky Watcher I have a question: The Manual says that the RA and DEC clutches must be disangaged when balancing equipment. ¿The RA and DEC clutches must remain disgangaged all the time even when we already have pointed to an object?
I always felt the thing missing from the star adventurer was goto - like you, I found it difficult locating and framing small objects with it. In the end I went down the AZ GTi road with a sky watcher wedge and asiair guiding - for me it was a transforming step. So this mount is probably 12 months too late for me , otherwise my name would be on the waiting list. Its definitely an option for lightweight goto astro imaging. (I think newbies may find some of the alignment process frustrating at times) It is good to see skywatcher address some of the issues from the original star adventurer - the screw on the battery cover is better than that rubbish black clip but as you said, the screw seems easy to lose. The polar scope cover still seems to be rubbish , but not a deal breaker. The built in wedge and polar scope illuminator are welcome improvements. I use the AZ GTi on battery power sometimes and that takes 8 batteries and easily copes with a session or 2 but its still better to externally power it so I guess this will apply to this mount as well. (Interesting the expected time on the star adventurer was 72 hours with 4 batteries but half as much, 36 hours with double the amount of batteries - shows how much more the extra motor on the extra axis can take out of the batteries) Nice to see you using the solar charger up by the rocking stone :-)
Yes the pain of finding the target on a zoom once you’ve got it in a round about polar alignment ha this piece of kit looks awesome. Class content as always dude
Hey great review. ! The tracker is perfect but the GO TO function I never been able to make it work so far. I used the 3 star alignment but it goes crazy wherever it wants. It will never go to the proper celestial object after the alignment. I am perfectly Polaris aligned , long exposure tracking works but the go to function does not work. Any suggestion what I might be doing wrong will be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to think my unit is defective:)). Thanks
Alyn, your videos are wonderful. You are a good presenter and teacher. I have a question regarding the GTI. I am new to astral photography. Recently purchased the GTI. I have two cameras both with a Swiss Arc l bracket. But the Swiss art does not fit correctly on the mount provided by the GTI. So what camera mounting plates can one purchase that will fasten the camera to the GTI mount securely. My Swiss Arc actually has the camera at a slight angle and not seated into the GTI mount. Thank you for your suggestions.
Looks good , if you ever go down the road of a scope , get an Altair , each scope comes with a test cert , plus it’s a British company so any issues they sort it very quickly 👌🏻
Great video, thanks for taking a detailed look and hands on review. I subscribed and searched through your archive, perhaps i missed it, but I'm very intersted in autotracking with the camera and this mount. Is that a RaspberryPi based solution? I'd really like to see more!
Nice review Alyn, well explained. And at the end you said this will fill up the gap between a star tracker and a go-to mount, well you hit the nail there. Exactly my thinking, this SA-GTI will sit perfectly between the SA-2i and a go-to mount, easy to carry and easy to handle (if you used to handle a go-to mount). I think I'ill wait a while till the newer firmware will resolve some issues and then I'll get one, it will sit perfectly between my SA-2i and my EQ-6R PRO. So, you mentioned a telescope .... watch out for that money pit 🙂, I know what it is, always some new things to have in that hobby ....
Thank you for putting it in kg and not pounds lol. Keen astrophotography guy my current heq5 is to heavy as I have back n legs issues. Can you attach the zwoasi plus to it?
Well after watching your video and the other 2 videos (Astrobackyard & Nebula Photos) yours was the most informative of how things work with this new tracker. Can't wait to get mine.
Good review from you, and everyone you've mentioned, and now it's frustrated me as in what to do! I currently have the skywatcher (SW) mini for portability, and a SW 130 telescope on the goto mount with a T2 adapter for my Sony A7iii, for any use at home. (Actually I'm not too far from where Alyn is). Then they've come out with this perfect all rounder. . . .! Think first I'll try and combine the L bracket from the mini with the telescope goto mount and see what tracking is like with my 600 lens. But I will say that this set-up does look very good, so I might sell some stuff to buy it! Just remember for anyone new to this, the learning curve is steep, and setting your current location is important, so get there early if you're traveling with it as you'll need time to input where you are. Also that Jackery looks like a must for anyone traveling. Or some sort of power supply.
I got one a short time ago, and am still trying to figure out how to use it step by step...Im using it with a Celestron C5 as a prime lens and Nikon D5500. I want to know however, is it possible to lock onto any moving object like a plane, helicopter, ufo etc and have it follow it??
can I forego polar alignment when using 3-star alignment?... should be possible but I can't find the manual yet. This would help me a lot since polaris is blocked most of the time in my backyard.
Alan thanks, great tutorial, I have just purchased a GTI last week, still getting accustomed to it. It appears that the camera does not stay level when using the GTI (and why should it, there is no horizon as such in space) if I am to image an AP with the landscape included what steps would I take to level the camera? Thanks again great vlog.
Looks like a great piece of kit. I've got the Star Adventurer Pro 2i... and whilst it is great (I really do love it), the polar alignment routine I find absolutely horrendous since it's virtually impossible to get the approximate alignment via the cut-out notch when you're short-sighted and a glasses wearer. If you can get it somewhere near, then the illuminated optical alignment process through the centre of the mount itself is fine.... but that first pass using the sighting notch? It drives me crazy!
I'm worried about the Denmark stores are actually in UK 😬 I would use this for Pleiades, no doubt 💪 and andromedia. But do you think I'll get anything good with 800mm f6.3?
Whenever I try to do any of the star alignment function my GTi likes to try and do a full 180 and then hits the hard stops.. Is there a way to reset the home first so it stops doing that? It's so far off from where the stars should actually be..
I just purchased the mount and tripod. How do you employ auto guiding? How do you adjust brightness of the polar scope I can’t seem to find it in the SynScan pro on my phone, thanks
Can you get a DC to USB cable so that we can use battery packs? Many big USB battery packs (I have a 28,000 Anker one) don't have the little DC socket so just wondered. Noticed you have it plugged in here.
Awesome video clearup a couple of questions that I had, but 1 more, does connecting my dslr to the jack in the mount to control thru the app is worth or is it better just to use a shutter release cable?
I ended up canceling my order. Ridiculous to have to inquire monthly for status and continually be told “we’re expecting shipment mid-(insert month) to late (insert month). I waited since April 15! I realize the Chinese manufacture all things astrophotography including the Star Adventurer GTi and they’ve disrupted the supply chain in their quest for world domination with enforced pandemics and threats against Taiwan, but I’m done with ordering a new tracking mount. GoTo or not! Screw it! I’ll just go back to landscape and wildlife photography and untracked astrophotography.
Great review Alyn! Looks like your location for testing it was a lot nicer than mine.
Still watched from start to end Nico 😉
No, my friend, you make Astro fun and easy. RIP legend 🌕☀🌟❤
So I picked one of these up two days ago.
A few initial issues. The RA axis has a lot of play. It can be adjusted by a screw hidden under the patent label. First problem solved.
The built in USB port has numerous retries while slewing. I have passed this on to Skywatcher. Using the hand control port with the Synscan USB adapter works flawlessly.
The mount is also quite noisy when new but a few hours of operation seem to have helped. I like the form factor. If we can get the USB issue fixed with a firmware update it will be a great mount.
There’s suppose to be a firmware fix for the USB dropping. Have you updated to the latest firmware?
Hi Bill, yes I did the update and that fixed the USB dropping. It so working quite well now 👍
Hi Alyn, I read some of the comments and I agree with most. I have received my S/W GTi last week and I agree with you about the cover. I filed the tags to make them deeper it helped but not enough I may file some more off.
When I started in hobby I thought the same of the eye piece screws if I drop one I may never find it, so I looked around on web and found a company called Element 14 and they have got a range of thumb screws that will fit the eyepieces, and fortunately if you get one the right size it will fit the battery cover 3mm x 5mm x 0.5. (there is a 0.7mm also) There are washer faced thumb screws which is one of the types I got and I could use if I loose my cover screw.
Cheers Robert Aust'
Thank you Alyn. This answered so many questions particularly the GoTo process which wasn't obvious. Sounds like after scanning to the three stars one adjusts a star to center frame by adjusting the mount screws. And I totally agree trying to find even Andromeda in a dark sky while fidgeting with the camera mount while standing on your head is super frustrating. Thank you so much.
No, you don't adjust that by fidgeting with the mount screws. When using the GoTo function, pull up the touchpad in the app, and the arrows that need to be tapped to correct will lighten up (as long as you are close enough, within a few mm). When choosing 2 or 3 star alignment the tracker only allows you to proceed to the next star when the first is in the middle of the screen.
You hit the nail on the head with your comments about beginner’s frustration with finding/getting my subject in the frame correctly. I stepped away from astrophotography for about a year now because I was spending half my night trying to deal with this. And having less fun and getting more frustrated. Thanks for the review and looking forward to getting one and getting back into the night!
What an excellent mount!
I control mine with a ZWO ASIAir mini, which not only gives really good polar alignment but has a good plate solving function negating the need for the three star alignment, it even has a framing tool, at just over £200 its one of the best bits of kit I've bought.
I live in a Bortle 6 region with a lot of light pollution and I have cataracts, so star hopping is difficult for me. So, I bought a motorized go to conversion kit for my CG-4 mount. Being elderly and feeble, I found hauling the mount and my 150mm Newtonian reflector with a total weight of 46.5 pounds to be difficult.
So, I bought an Orion 130mm Newtonian and a Star Adventurer GTi, total weight 21.5 pounds. Better.
Hope you’re feeling better. Thanks for the review. I have a Star Adventurer 2i. I was thinking of adding a GOTO mount. Now I have another option. Thanks.
I finally got my GTI a few weeks ago. This weekend has phenomenal weather for late October in Wisconsin USA, 70 degrees and. CLEAR! your video is the first one I found that just uses the mount and syncscan APP on a smartphone, without confusing everyone. Others are using a computer with Ascom or an ASiair etc. Modeling the waters. I just want to start with the basics. Doing the 1,2,3 star alignment is what I needed to know how to do! THANKS! Your awsome Alyn.
How long did you wait from purchase to delivery?
@@arthurwiegman5512 I posted this comment 4 months ago. I think it was ordered in June, and showed up late September, or October. By the way, I'm now working on getting the asiair (which took about 3 months, backordered) to receive.
Great video! It's too funny that you, Nico Carver and Trevor Jones all released reviews on the same day. I haven't checked yet, but I'm guessing the Sky-Watcher USA channel also released a video since Friday is there weekly video day.
Watching you crouch to look through your polar scope makes my back hurt. I'm assuming you're aware of Move Shoot Move's right angle adapter with a 2x magnifier. For your other subscribers, it fits the Sky-Watcher polar scope with no problem. It also has adapters for camera viewfinders. I just bought one. That is such a game changer.
I've been looking at AZGTIs since last fall when Cuiv the Lazy Geek posted a couple of videos on how to adapt the AZGTI for astrophotography, but the release of this changes that. I'll have to see how expensive this is in comparison.
Take my money NOW Skywatcher!!! You're right about the frustration in finding small objects Alyn! I use a Nikon 2.8 80-200 for most of my deep sky astro so I get it pointed close to my target fully zoomed out and center it that way. Once I get it I then zoom in and get final focus. This will make that soooo much easier!
Thanks
Hi Alyn. Mind blown !! The ability to align via the app is fantastic ! Not sure I'll be lugging this up Pen Y Fan anytime soon but who doesn't love a shiny new toy? Thanks for sharing.
This is what excites me about it as I struggle to align the sa1
another great vlog! glad you are feeling better, you look so happy!
Excellent review, thanks! Just to point out that I think the trailing you showed on the Heart Nebula image was north-south in declination, not east-west in RA. So it wasn’t from periodic error in RA per se. The RA gear and drive was periodically pushing the mount up and down in Dec. Running the mount for several hours - even a day or two - might smooth out the grease on the gears and reduce that mechanical drift. Check your test set to see if the bad frames all have the errors in the same direction. And see if it reduces with continued use. And it does seem dumb that the screw holding the battery cover on doesn’t have a D-clip on it to make it captive.
I have been struggling for months to figure out how to use my GTI. This video made it look so much easier. I can’t wait to try it tonight. Thanks for the great info.
Balance a touch east heavy with the counter weight. This keeps tension on the gears which eliminates much of the play in the gears.
I guess east heavy since everything rises that side hmm nice tip ima try it out instead of trying to get impossible perfect balance
You can add a star washer to the battery cover screw.
I've been eagerly awaiting reviews of this ever since I saw a picture of something I first thought was an elaborate prank or april fools joke. I already have a Star Adventurer Pro 2i, a Move-Shoot-Move and an EQ6-R Pro. I've been looking for something inbetween, and up until I saw this one announced, I had my eyes set on the EQM-35 for travel/portability.
I found this to be a very good and helpful review, even the sponsor of the video was interesting and very relevant. Thanks for doing this Alyn.
Thanks Alyn. Not sure if I missed it or not but have they announced a price?
From my balcony I can't see the celestial star*. With the multiple star fine tune option am I going to skip this* alignment procedure once and for all?? Lovely device 😍
Feel better Alyn 🙏🏽 Really enjoy your videos
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🔭 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi is a telescope mount with Wi-Fi and Go-To capabilities, making it easy to control and track celestial objects using a smartphone.
01:22 🌌 The device has motors for both right ascension and declination, allowing precise movement and tracking of telescopes and cameras.
02:18 💡 The built-in polar scope illuminator in the GTi is a significant improvement over its predecessor, the Star Adventurer Pro.
03:29 🔋 The device can be powered using 12-volt DC or eight AA batteries, but there's a concern about a detachable thumb screw that could potentially be lost.
04:52 ⏳ The GTi offers a battery life of up to 36 hours on continuous tracking, making it suitable for extended astrophotography sessions.
06:20 🧳 The device can be powered using a portable power station like the Jackery Explorer 1000, which provides additional USB ports for charging other devices and a 1000-watt AC outlet.
08:22 🌟 Setting up the GTi involves polar alignment, balancing the device, and choosing stars for alignment using the SynScan app.
10:46 🌠 The Go-To capability of the GTi makes it easy to align and frame celestial objects, eliminating the need for manual star-hopping.
15:07 📷 Despite limited testing due to unforeseen circumstances, the GTi showed promise in astrophotography, with potentially improved tracking performance compared to the Star Adventurer Pro.
19:47 🌌 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi is suitable for both beginners and seasoned astrophotographers, offering portability and Go-To capabilities.
Made with HARPA AI
Hi Alyn, some weeks ago my skywatcher Az-GTi got a damage, now i bought the SAGTi. Last Night i could test it with autoguiding and DuoNarrowband filter. I get pinpoint round stars taking 300sec Subframes. The guiding error in both axes are between 0.67-1.25 arcseconds. I can highly recommend guiding.I`m looking forward to the next La Palma holiday with hat mount, aashootimg under good conditions. Chears Jörg always clear skies!
This particular video made me ur fan ❤ eagerly waiting for the more vlogs on astrophotography with tips like these.....plss bring it fast..
I've recently treated myself to an heq5 pro and a 150mm refractor. Got some learning ahead but my wife was very impressed with her view of Saturn through the scope.
Very impressive little mount. I’ve been looking for a mobile set up I can take when we go camping. The Go To capability is a game changer because I refuse to use star hopping. Great video Alyn
Hi Alyn,
Last weekend I finally bought a Starwatcher adventurer GTI mount.
I planned to take with me when I travel to San Antonio Texas Texas in November and to the island of Barbados, Latatude 13 degrees, but under Bortle 4 skies.
Thanks Alyn, great video on the Starwatcher GTI, by the I agree with you on the screw 😉😎🌙
All of you guys are lucky! Can’t wait for further full reviews
I have preorderd this mount. As of now it is due to be delivered at the end of May. However, due to lockdowns in China and tight container capacity I wonder if it will not be heavily delayed.
That looks awesome for deep space, with app control do you need cell reception? I usually shoot in dark no service areas.
Hope you’ll feel better soon for finish your shot
Great question - I am wondering about that myself!
the unit has built-in wifi so no cell service needed!
@@barrera1943 what wifi would it connect to tho if I’m somewhere I can’t get hotspot from my phone?
@@NatanielsArt direct connect from unit to phone
Good review Alyn. Get well soon!
Definitely my next target for deep sky. It is really frustrating doing it with the MSM just because it is not built for DS. So thank you very much for the review and good luck with your next steps into DS :)
Excellent review Alyn.....I have a Nikon DSLR and several fast Nikkor lenses, plus an old heavy weight Bogen tripod and an ASIAIR. The GTi seems a perfect fit. Thanks!
The Benro polaris interests me, direct drive brushless motors rather than geared, that should stop periodic error
thanks for the review, very useful, take care in getting over COVID.
There are two 'reviews' right now here on YT about the SAgti.
This one here really is a review, the other is just enternainment and advertisement.
So: Thumbsup for Alyn! Great job. Great that you pointed out the PEC@16:35
It looks quite similar to the iOptron smartEQ, which is is used for years now (2 axes, GoTo, portable, affordable, 8x AA batteries...). So a nice, but not tecnically new product (beside the app).
Lol, gee, wonder who the other reviewer is…I do agree though!
For the screw put a rubber o ring on it inside 👍
Many thanks Alyn ... great introduction to this equipment. I'm still getting to grips with the basic model so very tempted to upgrade.
Best video so far I’ve seen about the mount. Great job! I can’t wait to see your review of the Benro Polaris.
Cheers Alyn, your insight has been really useful. I've just received my GTI this weekend & awaiting some clear skies here in SE England to give Astro-photography a whirl for the first time. Procrastination has been a good thing for once with the arrival of this product in to the market.
Keep up the good work. Pete.
How long did you wait from purchase to delivery?
@@arthurwiegman5512 less than a week, the shop had them in stock at the time. I was very lucky.
very interesting package, especailly with a 70-200 F2.8 allready in the pocket its very interesting to start shooting deeper sky objects, or milkyway shots with more stars visible due to longer exposure times instead of the 5-10sec shots with current high MP cameras
Could this Star Adventurer GTi have love with MAK150 ?
Very nice and interesting video.Also very informative about star adventure GTI
I see that you are using the Sony 100-400mm on the SA-GTI. (1) What's the Sony camera you are using to shoot the DSO? (2) Have you ever (made a video) explaining why you did not go for a Sony 200-600mm? Is it because of the higher f stop at 600mm? (3) What is the ASIAir on the table at 14:50"? I was looking at the new ASIAir Plus but it does not support Sony mirrorless. (4) Can you make a video explaining how you setup the autoguide system to reduce periodic error?
I am also a Sony user, and would like very much to know how you solve the problem of using a Sony system with the GTI. Peter Zelinka, Nico, and AStrobackyard have other (nice) cameras/systems (e.g., RAD) they can use with the ASIAir Plus, but not we Sony users. 😔
Hey :) Hope everything is ok. This is what we need Alyn. Ahh this will be so good to have. Looking forward to get it in the mail :)
Cheers
I'm a beginner at this type of photography and this looks like an invaluable piece of kit. Thanks for sharing Alyn.
I have a few questions:
1. I don't see any manual control dials, so is it now app-only control?
2. Do you have to do the in-app polar alignment if your manual alignment is already very good?
3. Do you think the in-app alignment possibly increases your success rate?
4. I see all the ports are on the top panel. Is it weatherproof?
Just got my GTi star tracker! this video helped a lot, thanks Alyn.
Any plans to make a video dslr + star adventurer GTi + ASIair plus?
Alyn, have you able to add autoguiding to your setup yet? I am eagerly waiting for that video as I am also using a Sony camera. I was sad to learn that ASIAir autoguiding does not (yet) work with the Sony cameras.
thank you for the helpful review, clear skies!
Another thought. Bought ASiair. I'm wondering if I can do the same 3 star alignment, to fine tune the polar alignment, as you showed with just phone app and GFI?
I’m assuming that the EQ mode of ASIAIR pro will work with this…it did with its predecessor! I modded Az-GTi for equatorial mode, the downside of the AZ-GTi is that it has no polar scope. But…ASIAIR has a polar alignment function so that’s ok. And I use it with skywatcher 72 ED, ASIAIR and autoguiding. What I like about this new Star Adventurer GTi is the build quality, the goto, abs built-in polar scope. I may get one, tempting.
Just ordered one today can't wait for it to arrive and be able to take exposures longer than 18sec.
Really excited by this little mount! Superb overview Alyn! :-)
For those with trouble finding objects manually, I have a reflex sight mounted to my camera hotshoe. Much easier to see where the camera is actually pointed. I still have the original Star Adventurer, so I either have to star hop and/or do some kind of platesolving. Thankfully with widefield shots you don't have to be perfectly centered to get a good shot.
Hi! after you find your desire object with go to utility, how do you start the tracking and the shooting?
Thanks.
Hi Alyn, I could highly understand your joy unsing this new mount. With ASIair you not only have a guiding device, with better, longer exposed images. You also have a polar alingment routine, and tools like platesolving for perfect framing. I will use a modded Skywatcher Az-GTI in June at my trip to La Palma. Ive testet it with my little Apo Refractor and 300 or 600 sec subs no Problem with that.....nice job your clipp, all the best to you and clear skies, Jörg
Payload is only 11lbs. My current rig is “right at” that weight inclusive of counter weight. It is something I’ll think about but there are limitations to growing with it. Thanks for your video Alyn. Much appreciated.
Counter weight is not included in the rated payload capacity.
@@bhushansahasrabudhe1347 thank you for that info! I’d always thought payload capacity included counter weights. That changes EVERYTHING!
@@easy56wedge Erm, on the Star Adventurer the counterweight definitely IS included in the payload capacity, take it from someone who has used one for 3 years. If you try and put on a setup weighing over 4kg (before the 1kg counterweight) then you will not be able to balance it without further counterweights, which would take you over the 5KG payload capacity.
@@ringod123 I’ve used an iOptron SkyGuider pro for several years and payload capacity includes counter weights. Thanks for you information. I ordered the GTi in any case. Lol.
Great video. I pre-ordered today. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Alyn. Useful video. Regarding the Sky Watcher I have a question: The Manual says that the RA and DEC clutches must be disangaged when balancing equipment. ¿The RA and DEC clutches must remain disgangaged all the time even when we already have pointed to an object?
Unfortunately, Alyn is no longer with us. He passed away last March.
Just watched Astrobackyard, he showed it off aswell. Pretty sick set up
Is that slick??
@@herblapp6134 not sick as in 🤮 🤮 sick as in mighty cool set up.
I
Love watching your videos Alyn ...Thanks for the review!
Hi Alyn .... informative video, thank you. Does the Adventurer GTi alignment software accommodate Southern Hemisphere?
I always felt the thing missing from the star adventurer was goto - like you, I found it difficult locating and framing small objects with it.
In the end I went down the AZ GTi road with a sky watcher wedge and asiair guiding - for me it was a transforming step. So this mount is probably 12 months too late for me , otherwise my name would be on the waiting list. Its definitely an option for lightweight goto astro imaging. (I think newbies may find some of the alignment process frustrating at times)
It is good to see skywatcher address some of the issues from the original star adventurer - the screw on the battery cover is better than that rubbish black clip but as you said, the screw seems easy to lose. The polar scope cover still seems to be rubbish , but not a deal breaker.
The built in wedge and polar scope illuminator are welcome improvements.
I use the AZ GTi on battery power sometimes and that takes 8 batteries and easily copes with a session or 2 but its still better to externally power it so I guess this will apply to this mount as well. (Interesting the expected time on the star adventurer was 72 hours with 4 batteries but half as much, 36 hours with double the amount of batteries - shows how much more the extra motor on the extra axis can take out of the batteries)
Nice to see you using the solar charger up by the rocking stone :-)
Yes the pain of finding the target on a zoom once you’ve got it in a round about polar alignment ha this piece of kit looks awesome. Class content as always dude
Hey great review. ! The tracker is perfect but the GO TO function I never been able to make it work so far. I used the 3 star alignment but it goes crazy wherever it wants. It will never go to the proper celestial object after the alignment. I am perfectly Polaris aligned , long exposure tracking works but the go to function does not work. Any suggestion what I might be doing wrong will be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to think my unit is defective:)). Thanks
My Star Adventurer 2i arrived this week😕 Wonder if I can send it back as I think I'll be getting this, if the price is right...
Gud luck with that.....
Great review. Really appreciate you making this 😊
Alyn, your videos are wonderful. You are a good presenter and teacher. I have a question regarding the GTI. I am new to astral photography. Recently purchased the GTI. I have two cameras both with a Swiss Arc l bracket. But the Swiss art does not fit correctly on the mount provided by the GTI. So what camera mounting plates can one purchase that will fasten the camera to the GTI mount securely. My Swiss Arc actually has the camera at a slight angle and not seated into the GTI mount. Thank you for your suggestions.
Like always, like your video!
Excellent
Best Regards
Willi
Wish you a quick and complete recovery!
Thanks for a great review. Looking forward to getting one of these.
I'd love one, polar align via smartphone. I've got an ioptron tracker with ipolar and hate dragging the laptop out to get accurate polar alignment.
Looks good , if you ever go down the road of a scope , get an Altair , each scope comes with a test cert , plus it’s a British company so any issues they sort it very quickly 👌🏻
Great video, thanks for taking a detailed look and hands on review. I subscribed and searched through your archive, perhaps i missed it, but I'm very intersted in autotracking with the camera and this mount. Is that a RaspberryPi based solution? I'd really like to see more!
Nice review Alyn, well explained. And at the end you said this will fill up the gap between a star tracker and a go-to mount, well you hit the nail there.
Exactly my thinking, this SA-GTI will sit perfectly between the SA-2i and a go-to mount, easy to carry and easy to handle (if you used to handle a go-to mount).
I think I'ill wait a while till the newer firmware will resolve some issues and then I'll get one, it will sit perfectly between my SA-2i and my EQ-6R PRO.
So, you mentioned a telescope .... watch out for that money pit 🙂, I know what it is, always some new things to have in that hobby ....
Thank you for putting it in kg and not pounds lol. Keen astrophotography guy my current heq5 is to heavy as I have back n legs issues. Can you attach the zwoasi plus to it?
For us Americans too lazy to Google a conversion, we are looking at about 11 pounds max payload.
A go-to mount and an ASI Air? Welcome to the dark side.. you've entered the Rabbit hole of deep sky imaging!
Great review, thanks.
I've had a Jackery for awhile now. Did you get the two solar panels with it? As others here I'm on pre-order. Thanks for the video.
A P.S. to this post after ordering and being told that this was coming in May I now got an email saying mid to late June.
Well after watching your video and the other 2 videos (Astrobackyard & Nebula Photos) yours was the most informative of how things work with this new tracker. Can't wait to get mine.
drill a small hole in the thumb screw on the battery cover and attach a small cord tether to the main body.
I wonder if you could use a lens cap keeper? Wouldn’t have to drill a hole.
Can you share the link to the steel tripod that you use?
Something I learnt with the GTi is that before the star alignment you have to level it off and facing north it will only be a little bit off the star.
Good review from you, and everyone you've mentioned, and now it's frustrated me as in what to do! I currently have the skywatcher (SW) mini for portability, and a SW 130 telescope on the goto mount with a T2 adapter for my Sony A7iii, for any use at home. (Actually I'm not too far from where Alyn is). Then they've come out with this perfect all rounder. . . .! Think first I'll try and combine the L bracket from the mini with the telescope goto mount and see what tracking is like with my 600 lens. But I will say that this set-up does look very good, so I might sell some stuff to buy it! Just remember for anyone new to this, the learning curve is steep, and setting your current location is important, so get there early if you're traveling with it as you'll need time to input where you are. Also that Jackery looks like a must for anyone traveling. Or some sort of power supply.
So you don't need to aim at the polaris to do the polar alignment?
I got one a short time ago, and am still trying to figure out how to use it step by step...Im using it with a Celestron C5 as a prime lens and Nikon D5500. I want to know however, is it possible to lock onto any moving object like a plane, helicopter, ufo etc and have it follow it??
can I forego polar alignment when using 3-star alignment?... should be possible but I can't find the manual yet.
This would help me a lot since polaris is blocked most of the time in my backyard.
Alan thanks, great tutorial, I have just purchased a GTI last week, still getting accustomed to it. It appears that the camera does not stay level when using the GTI (and why should it, there is no horizon as such in space) if I am to image an AP with the landscape included what steps would I take to level the camera?
Thanks again great vlog.
Sadly he can’t answer. He recently passed away sadly.
Looks like a great piece of kit. I've got the Star Adventurer Pro 2i... and whilst it is great (I really do love it), the polar alignment routine I find absolutely horrendous since it's virtually impossible to get the approximate alignment via the cut-out notch when you're short-sighted and a glasses wearer. If you can get it somewhere near, then the illuminated optical alignment process through the centre of the mount itself is fine.... but that first pass using the sighting notch? It drives me crazy!
Where in the UK can you obtain this Skywatcher mount?
Do we have to do the basic polar alignment?
I'm worried about the Denmark stores are actually in UK 😬
I would use this for Pleiades, no doubt 💪 and andromedia. But do you think I'll get anything good with 800mm f6.3?
Whenever I try to do any of the star alignment function my GTi likes to try and do a full 180 and then hits the hard stops.. Is there a way to reset the home first so it stops doing that? It's so far off from where the stars should actually be..
Hi Alyn, I was curious as to how loud are the motors on the mount when slewing to target?
I just purchased the mount and tripod. How do you employ auto guiding? How do you adjust brightness of the polar scope I can’t seem to find it in the SynScan pro on my phone, thanks
Can you get a DC to USB cable so that we can use battery packs? Many big USB battery packs (I have a 28,000 Anker one) don't have the little DC socket so just wondered. Noticed you have it plugged in here.
Even if such a cable exists I don't think it would work as most power banks operate at 5V which wouldn't be enough to power this device
@Alyn Wallace true good point. I think mine does 12volt; a rarity but I see most are at 5v
Awesome video clearup a couple of questions that I had, but 1 more, does connecting my dslr to the jack in the mount to control thru the app is worth or is it better just to use a shutter release cable?
I’m still waiting for my GTi and I ordered April 15!
I ended up canceling my order. Ridiculous to have to inquire monthly for status and continually be told “we’re expecting shipment mid-(insert month) to late (insert month). I waited since April 15! I realize the Chinese manufacture all things astrophotography including the Star Adventurer GTi and they’ve disrupted the supply chain in their quest for world domination with enforced pandemics and threats against Taiwan, but I’m done with ordering a new tracking mount. GoTo or not! Screw it! I’ll just go back to landscape and wildlife photography and untracked astrophotography.
very nice presentation, what app do you use to operate the device? thanks
Great video 👌
What would be the biggest telescope you can use with this mount to get a decent photos?