I am glad I found this tutorial and video and you showed all the other options that could be used on this mount, this will be the tracker to get even though it does not do a 360 movement I rather buy a quality item. Thanks Tom
Hi Tom, thanks for the feedback, it is really appreciated. There are a lot of different needs in astrophotography, and the LighTrack II definitely aims to fill the need of heavy-duty portable tracker.
@@PMP5240-e3i Hi Tim, yes, Fervent Astronomy is the Fornax distributor for all of North America. As of today the LighTrack is out of stock and we are awaiting a fresh production run from Fornax, but my hope is that it will not be too much longer.
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Lightrack II, I just don't know which tripod to get. I don't want to overkill it since I'll be hauling the kit internationally, but not too light as to resonate with wind and what not. What do you recommend?
Hi there, It really depends on your restrictions re: weight and length. You don't need to go overboard but a super light weight travel tripod isn't probably the way to go. I wish I had more experience with something like the Manfrotto BeFree so I could give you a "ye or ne" on it, but the lightest weight ones that I can personally vouch for are a couple versions of the Manfrotto 055. We now are shipping the new Fornax FMTP-10 tripod which has very stable legs and a half-ball head for easy leveling. It is roughly 27 inches long when collapsed and isnt too heavy, but it definitely is more of a full tripod. If you end up needing to go smaller/lighter you can always try to compensate by not extending the thinnest leg sections and giving the tripod a low stance, which will increase it's stability. I hope that helps, and feel free to email us at info@ferventastronomy.com if you need more help!
@@FerventAstronomy which tripod/bowl head were you using in this video? could you comment on how the tripod in the video compares to the FMTP-10? Thank you!
@@azamgarner2849 Hi! I was using a Manfrotto 525MVB in the video (the FMTP-10 was brand new and I didn't have one in hand yet). The Manfrotto tripod is a video tripod that has an integrated half-ball. It's lightweight but extremely bulky. The FMTP-10 from Fornax has more of a conventional tripod construction with thick, sturdy legs, but it folds up into a comparatively compact package. It also features a half-ball, so functionally they are equivalent in that regard.
What are the dimensions of the mount fixing plate on the Lightrack II? Specifically the distance between the M6 screws and the 3/8" tripod head mount. I am looking to purchase a Lightrack and I am figuring out a mounting solution for my fluid head so I can use more than one screw for attaching the Lightrack to the quick release plate. Thank you! Edit: I emailed support and they were quick to reply. For anyone else wondering, the distance between the 3/8" hole and each M6 hole on the bottom of the mount is about 22mm, center to center.
Hi, apologies as I did not see this comment. I believe you may have sent an email that I responded to yesterday, but for anyone else that is curious the distance is about 22mm.
Hi, apologies for the delayed reply. We sell a power bank from TalentCell as an optional accessory when customers buy a LighTrack II. They are available online from AliExpress, Amazon, etc.
Hi, it's some variation of the Manfrotto 525mvb, but I've since switched to the Fornax FMTP-10 tripod which can hold a lot more weight. I posted an overview of it on the channel if you're curious.
Would the ball head method work with a 300mm tele lens on an aps c dslr, with a total weight of around 1.9-2kg, or do u need to mount it on the dec bracket - counterweight thing, to have reasonable results :) Sry for the silly question!
Hi! It’s not a silly question at all. Rather than just the weight of the lens, it depends more on the physical length of your setup and how it is mounted to the ballhead. A DSLR with a compact 70-300mm will mount fairly easily. A 300mm f/4 or f/2.8 prime will be physically longer, and depending on the location of the mounting point on the lens and your specific ballhead you may find that there isn’t enough clearance between the camera and mount to allow you to compose every angle on the sky. Using a geared head like the Manfrotto 410 can provide better clearance, and make framing your images a lot easier because of its ability to make micro-adjustments. Trying to frame a patch of sky at a 450mm focal length with a ballhead can be challenging to one’s patience. The counterweight kit is always the ideal solution when mounting long optics, but it isn’t a necessity for more compact setups. My recommendation would be to try things with the ballhead first before looking into other accessories. If it works for you then you’re all good, if you find you need a bit more clearance you can go from there.
Great video. It's good to see the wedge in use. I started with a ball head, but found the limited joint mobility made some areas of the sky very difficult to photograph. Using a Bogen 3025 now, which is - I think - very similar in function to the geared head demonstrated. (One rotary bearing and two orthogonal degree hinge joints.) The RA clutch is, of course, kinda necessary when using the LT2, and the first hinge axis give me Dec. If I align the camera's optical axis with the rotational axis of the second hinge, I get very welcome field rotation, something the ball head didn't offer at all in many orientations. How well do those geared heads lock up? I'm kind of leery of them, fearing that all the complexity will leave them susceptible to slight flex, even when tightened.
Tarun Kottary Depends on your equipment, but reframing is done manually. As only the R.A. axis moves during reset, you only need to readjust that axis’ position. If using a ball head or other tripod head I often just loosen the knob that controls that axis on my ballhead, hold on tight to the camera, and then hold the reset button until it’s fully reset before tightening the knob again. It usually requires minimal tweaking that way.
Many thanks for a simply & to the point setup guide. Just received my LighTrack II and can't wait to set it up when the torrential rain clears!
My pleasure! Have fun out there!
Thank you, Darren. Brilliant. I appreciate the thorough information.
Nice overview. Thanks!
I am glad I found this tutorial and video and you showed all the other options that could be used on this mount, this will be the tracker to get even though it does not do a 360 movement I rather buy a quality item. Thanks Tom
Hi Tom, thanks for the feedback, it is really appreciated. There are a lot of different needs in astrophotography, and the LighTrack II definitely aims to fill the need of heavy-duty portable tracker.
@@FerventAstronomy Thanks for the reply, maybe do a video when you get time on the QHYCCD Polemaster alignment.
Thanks again
Tom
Good video,, thanks
My pleasure!
@@FerventAstronomy so I want to order one.. I see you are the North American rep?
@@PMP5240-e3i Hi Tim, yes, Fervent Astronomy is the Fornax distributor for all of North America. As of today the LighTrack is out of stock and we are awaiting a fresh production run from Fornax, but my hope is that it will not be too much longer.
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Lightrack II, I just don't know which tripod to get. I don't want to overkill it since I'll be hauling the kit internationally, but not too light as to resonate with wind and what not. What do you recommend?
Hi there,
It really depends on your restrictions re: weight and length. You don't need to go overboard but a super light weight travel tripod isn't probably the way to go. I wish I had more experience with something like the Manfrotto BeFree so I could give you a "ye or ne" on it, but the lightest weight ones that I can personally vouch for are a couple versions of the Manfrotto 055. We now are shipping the new Fornax FMTP-10 tripod which has very stable legs and a half-ball head for easy leveling. It is roughly 27 inches long when collapsed and isnt too heavy, but it definitely is more of a full tripod. If you end up needing to go smaller/lighter you can always try to compensate by not extending the thinnest leg sections and giving the tripod a low stance, which will increase it's stability. I hope that helps, and feel free to email us at info@ferventastronomy.com if you need more help!
@@FerventAstronomy which tripod/bowl head were you using in this video? could you comment on how the tripod in the video compares to the FMTP-10? Thank you!
@@azamgarner2849 Hi! I was using a Manfrotto 525MVB in the video (the FMTP-10 was brand new and I didn't have one in hand yet). The Manfrotto tripod is a video tripod that has an integrated half-ball. It's lightweight but extremely bulky. The FMTP-10 from Fornax has more of a conventional tripod construction with thick, sturdy legs, but it folds up into a comparatively compact package. It also features a half-ball, so functionally they are equivalent in that regard.
Fervent Astronomy thank you!!!
very well done
Thank you kindly
What are the dimensions of the mount fixing plate on the Lightrack II? Specifically the distance between the M6 screws and the 3/8" tripod head mount. I am looking to purchase a Lightrack and I am figuring out a mounting solution for my fluid head so I can use more than one screw for attaching the Lightrack to the quick release plate. Thank you!
Edit: I emailed support and they were quick to reply. For anyone else wondering, the distance between the 3/8" hole and each M6 hole on the bottom of the mount is about 22mm, center to center.
Hi, apologies as I did not see this comment. I believe you may have sent an email that I responded to yesterday, but for anyone else that is curious the distance is about 22mm.
my Light Track II gonna be delivered by next week. Please suggest me a very portable power bank for this tracker. I will be thankful to you
Hi, apologies for the delayed reply. We sell a power bank from TalentCell as an optional accessory when customers buy a LighTrack II. They are available online from AliExpress, Amazon, etc.
Can you specify which Manfrotto tripod you are using? Thanks!
Hi, it's some variation of the Manfrotto 525mvb, but I've since switched to the Fornax FMTP-10 tripod which can hold a lot more weight. I posted an overview of it on the channel if you're curious.
@@FerventAstronomy Thank you
What geared head are you using?
That would be the Manfrotto 410, which I can personally recommend.
Would the ball head method work with a 300mm tele lens on an aps c dslr, with a total weight of around 1.9-2kg, or do u need to mount it on the dec bracket - counterweight thing, to have reasonable results :) Sry for the silly question!
Hi! It’s not a silly question at all. Rather than just the weight of the lens, it depends more on the physical length of your setup and how it is mounted to the ballhead. A DSLR with a compact 70-300mm will mount fairly easily. A 300mm f/4 or f/2.8 prime will be physically longer, and depending on the location of the mounting point on the lens and your specific ballhead you may find that there isn’t enough clearance between the camera and mount to allow you to compose every angle on the sky. Using a geared head like the Manfrotto 410 can provide better clearance, and make framing your images a lot easier because of its ability to make micro-adjustments. Trying to frame a patch of sky at a 450mm focal length with a ballhead can be challenging to one’s patience. The counterweight kit is always the ideal solution when mounting long optics, but it isn’t a necessity for more compact setups. My recommendation would be to try things with the ballhead first before looking into other accessories. If it works for you then you’re all good, if you find you need a bit more clearance you can go from there.
Thx for the help :)
I use the same geared head on mine, makes centring targets much easy than a standard ball head.
Great video. It's good to see the wedge in use. I started with a ball head, but found the limited joint mobility made some areas of the sky very difficult to photograph. Using a Bogen 3025 now, which is - I think - very similar in function to the geared head demonstrated. (One rotary bearing and two orthogonal degree hinge joints.) The RA clutch is, of course, kinda necessary when using the LT2, and the first hinge axis give me Dec. If I align the camera's optical axis with the rotational axis of the second hinge, I get very welcome field rotation, something the ball head didn't offer at all in many orientations. How well do those geared heads lock up? I'm kind of leery of them, fearing that all the complexity will leave them susceptible to slight flex, even when tightened.
@@geonerd I can personally vouch for the Manfrotto 410, however I know of some other folks who have had mixed success with some other makes.
how do you realign with fov after the 2 hour reset ?
Tarun Kottary Depends on your equipment, but reframing is done manually. As only the R.A. axis moves during reset, you only need to readjust that axis’ position. If using a ball head or other tripod head I often just loosen the knob that controls that axis on my ballhead, hold on tight to the camera, and then hold the reset button until it’s fully reset before tightening the knob again. It usually requires minimal tweaking that way.
I just purchased it from guys.
Thanks very much, we'll get your order shipped out here very soon.