Thanks for watching and commenting Jonathan. This was a real game changer for me. In the summer the sky never gets dark enough to use my telescope so I always had about 3 months wasted. When I got this tracker I realised I could still take great pictures just using my dslr, even though the sky wasn't really dark. I hope you get the same pleasure from yours 🙂👍
@@thecampingastronomer8554 thank you, I just found it and sent a request to join. Subscribed to your channel. Really enjoyed that review of the Omegon. Thanks.
@@percynolan6198 Been in high light pollution lockdown area(10 on the can't see shit scale) 🙄🙁 Seems to work great, no streaks on what I got 👍 May well wait for 2022 when the Vaonis Vespera is launched, that seems amazing
@@percynolan6198 I'm really impressed with mine. For minimum outlay (at least in astrophotography terms) it makes a huge difference to your photos. My tripod is a really cheap one and seems to work OK, although I'm sure that if I had a heavier duty one it would be even better.
I saw some adverts for this device and was a bit sceptical, but have been very pleased with what it can do. All I need now is for clear skies to coincide with a wild camp. Many thanks for watching and commenting- its greatly appreciated 🙂
This is a good device for minimal outlay and will not disappoint. There is also another version now available called the LX3. I think that this has a greater payload (about 3kg I think) which allows bigger camera lenses and I suspect longer exposure times Thank you very much for watching and commenting Roger, it is very much appreciated 😀
If you haven't got a telescope or are going to a location where it isn't practical to take one, then I hope that this video has shown that it is still possible to take pictures of the stars.
As always a great video . I have been looking at these on and off for a while and seems a good alternative to batteries or power packs and just wanted to know do you have to set it up to polaris or can you just set it up to where you are going to shoot your images . Thanks .
Hi Steven, Thanks for your nice comment. You need to set it up pointing at Polaris, although this doesn't have to be super accurate. On my one ( the LX2) you get a little sighting tube to look through. This has a diameter a bit bigger than you would have looking through a straw. The idea is that if you can see Polaris through it, that is good enough. I ended up replacing this with a £5 finderscope which does the same thing. I think that the later LX3 version, and the latest LX4 probably have a better Polaris finder system than my old LX2. I have my camera fitted to the LX2 via a ball head. Once I have adjusted my tripod to put polaris in view in the finder tube I rotate my camera on the ball head to point where I want it to, wind the tracker up and off you go. The concept of this device is very good, and it produces good results. I wish you success in your future astro endeavours 🙂
@@thecampingastronomer8554 , thankyou so much for your reply . I have seen the LX3 version for sale at the moment its around the £100 mark will keep my i on it but will have to purchase 2 ball heads for it . Keep up with the great content you bring us all .
Great video, quick question, does taking multiple 2 min shots help get a better photo by stacking those images? And how many do you need? I already have an AVX mount but it’s to heavy to take camping so this sounds like a great option! Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated. Yes, stacking multiple exposures does make a difference as it helps to reduce the noise in your picture. Noise is typically random so it appears in different places on different exposures. Thus when multiple images are stacked the noise gets cancelled out yo some degree. I have found that for widefield milky way type shots that about 20 shots works well.
Hi Sam. I have mine fitted to a ball head, which is in turn fitted to the tripod. I find this the easiest way of aligning the tracker with Polaris. I use another ball head on the upper side of the tracker on to which I fitt my camera. If you go to about time 1:20 on the video it shows what I have done. Thanks for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it 🙂👍
Thats a really interesting looking device as it may solve my need to purchase a Telescope Go To Mount without the hassle of Batteries or a Power Bank. I have a Paragon + Tripod and Parallelogram which i can remove the Pmount from so im hoping I can attach a Panhead or Ball Head to this. Looking at your Setup i see a Panhead attached to the Tripop, Then a BallHead, attached to the Panhead, then the Tracker and then another Ballhead to hold the Camera. I havent used a Panhead or Ballhead before so Ive looked at a couple of videos and the Panhead was recommended for Landscape photography. Are all these pieces needed or is there a less costly and simpler setup ? Thank you.
Hi Stephen, thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. I have a two ball heads in my set up you say (one connecting the Omegon tracker to my tripod, and the other connecting the camera to the tracker. However, strictly speaking you don't need the one connecting the tracker to the tripod as you can use the rotational and elevation adjustment on the tripod to get the tracker pointing at Polaris. My tripod is a very cheap one though and the elevation adjustment has become stiff, which is why I use the extra ball head. Technically the whole set up would be more rigid without thos extra ballhead, so really I should invest in a better and more rigid tripod with rotational and elevation adjustment.
@@thecampingastronomer8554 I see they've released the LX3 now with claimed 60% more precision and 3kg weight capacity and an optical polar finder so I'll probably end up going for the new model but will have to consider a panhead that supports that weight.
@@itsfahys yes the LX3 has a bigger payload which will enable people to use bigger lenses, or even a very small telescope like the redcat 50mm scope. I think that the spring system used to balance the mount is more sophisticated on the LX3, which probably gives longer potential exposure times.
I think that if your camera is pointing south you can leave the spring loose. I have found that the second spring setting seems to work on most cases. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂
That's a very good question. You don't have to be super accurate with Polar Alignment especially if using a wider lens like 24mm, but you do need to get it approximate. However, if you can't readily see polaris from your viewing site then I reckon there are a couple of things you can do. You can set your latitude manually using an inclinometer app on your phone. There is one called "simple inclinometer" which seems to get good reviews. This will help you set the latitude up to where you need it to be for your location. Then you just have to point North,which can be done using a standard compass. This was, even if Polaris is hidden behind a building you can get the mount set up approximately. I would then have the suggested maximum exposure time for whatever lens you are using and see if you get any star trailing. If not, increase the exposure time in incremental steps to achieve optimum. Thank you very much for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it 😊
@@thecampingastronomer8554 Thanks! Btw, does the tripod have to be perfectly level, or as long as the LX2 is aimed at the north star, that's all that matters?
The latest versions have certainly gone up in price a lot. My early version works well with a camera and a small lens (24 - 50mm), giving exposure times of 2-3 minutes without too much of a problem. The latest versions are around double the price of mine. However, it appears from reviews of these, that they can get exposure times of about 2 minutes with a 300mm lens, which is in the ballpark of electronic trackers. I would say that my older Omegon LX2 is not in the same league as my Star Adventurer, but Omegon do appear to have closed this gap somewhat.
Thanks for your question. I bought a cheap finderscope from amazon, sized about 25mm I think. To make it fit I had to buy an Omegon finderscope adaptor for tge lx2. I think this was about £20. Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and comment, its much appreciated 👍
So glad I've come across your video. I was thinking about buying this and you've helped me make up my mind.
Thanks for watching and commenting Jonathan. This was a real game changer for me. In the summer the sky never gets dark enough to use my telescope so I always had about 3 months wasted. When I got this tracker I realised I could still take great pictures just using my dslr, even though the sky wasn't really dark. I hope you get the same pleasure from yours 🙂👍
I forgot to mention that there is a very good Omegon mini track Facebook group which will inspire you 👍
@@thecampingastronomer8554 thank you, I just found it and sent a request to join. Subscribed to your channel. Really enjoyed that review of the Omegon. Thanks.
@@GardenAstronomy thanks for the subscription Jonathan, I really appreciate it 👍
Thank you, this video has helped me decide.
Glad you found the video useful Dan, and good luck with your astro journey 👍
Impressive pictures.I love your laid back presentation and subscribed,thanks.
Thank you for that Shaun, its really appreciated. Glad you enjoy the videos 🙂👍
That's great, just ordered one.
Like the fact it's mechanical, no worrying the battery is flat when you need it.
Cheers mate, appreciated 👍👍
It is the mechanical aspect of it that fascinates me also. Its really nice to hear it ticking away. Hope you get lots of enjoyment from it 🙂👍
Whats it like? Great video! Struggled to find one where they show two normal tripod heads. Answered my questions.
@@percynolan6198 Been in high light pollution lockdown area(10 on the can't see shit scale) 🙄🙁
Seems to work great, no streaks on what I got 👍
May well wait for 2022 when the Vaonis Vespera is launched, that seems amazing
@@percynolan6198 I'm really impressed with mine. For minimum outlay (at least in astrophotography terms) it makes a huge difference to your photos. My tripod is a really cheap one and seems to work OK, although I'm sure that if I had a heavier duty one it would be even better.
@@borntraveller007 oooh, I'll have to look at the vaonis unit.
Great Pictures, perfect set up for camping.
I just need to coincide camping nights with a clear sky 🙂.
Thanks for watching and commenting 👍
Very interesting. Not heard of this. Great camping potential.
I saw some adverts for this device and was a bit sceptical, but have been very pleased with what it can do. All I need now is for clear skies to coincide with a wild camp.
Many thanks for watching and commenting- its greatly appreciated 🙂
Great channel
Thanks for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it.
That'd given me something to think about...cheers John 👍👍 ‐ T🙂
60+ years amateur astronomer, sold his beloved Vixen VC200/Skywatcher HEQ5Synscan 3 years ago. Must get back, this looks a good bet for me.
This is a good device for minimal outlay and will not disappoint. There is also another version now available called the LX3. I think that this has a greater payload (about 3kg I think) which allows bigger camera lenses and I suspect longer exposure times
Thank you very much for watching and commenting Roger, it is very much appreciated 😀
If you haven't got a telescope or are going to a location where it isn't practical to take one, then I hope that this video has shown that it is still possible to take pictures of the stars.
Awesome video, thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment, I really appreciate it.
Best wishes to you and your family for 2022.
@@thecampingastronomer8554 thank you! Wishing the same for you. 😄
As always a great video . I have been looking at these on and off for a while and seems a good alternative to batteries or power packs and just wanted to know do you have to set it up to polaris or can you just set it up to where you are going to shoot your images . Thanks .
Hi Steven,
Thanks for your nice comment. You need to set it up pointing at Polaris, although this doesn't have to be super accurate. On my one ( the LX2) you get a little sighting tube to look through. This has a diameter a bit bigger than you would have looking through a straw. The idea is that if you can see Polaris through it, that is good enough. I ended up replacing this with a £5 finderscope which does the same thing. I think that the later LX3 version, and the latest LX4 probably have a better Polaris finder system than my old LX2.
I have my camera fitted to the LX2 via a ball head. Once I have adjusted my tripod to put polaris in view in the finder tube I rotate my camera on the ball head to point where I want it to, wind the tracker up and off you go.
The concept of this device is very good, and it produces good results.
I wish you success in your future astro endeavours 🙂
@@thecampingastronomer8554 , thankyou so much for your reply . I have seen the LX3 version for sale at the moment its around the £100 mark will keep my i on it but will have to purchase 2 ball heads for it . Keep up with the great content you bring us all .
@@steviejohn22 thanks Steven, yes I ended up buying two ball heads from Amazon for my LX2.
Great video, quick question, does taking multiple 2 min shots help get a better photo by stacking those images? And how many do you need? I already have an AVX mount but it’s to heavy to take camping so this sounds like a great option! Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated. Yes, stacking multiple exposures does make a difference as it helps to reduce the noise in your picture. Noise is typically random so it appears in different places on different exposures. Thus when multiple images are stacked the noise gets cancelled out yo some degree. I have found that for widefield milky way type shots that about 20 shots works well.
Hey, I want to buy this tracker but I don’t know how to mount it to my tripod, do I need another ball head or what exactly do I need to buy? Thank you
Hi Sam. I have mine fitted to a ball head, which is in turn fitted to the tripod. I find this the easiest way of aligning the tracker with Polaris. I use another ball head on the upper side of the tracker on to which I fitt my camera. If you go to about time 1:20 on the video it shows what I have done.
Thanks for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it 🙂👍
@@thecampingastronomer8554 Thank you very much, you just earned a subscriber :)
@@rewindfpv9414 thank you, I really appreciate that.
Thats a really interesting looking device as it may solve my need to purchase a Telescope Go To Mount without the hassle of Batteries or a Power Bank. I have a Paragon + Tripod and Parallelogram which i can remove the Pmount from so im hoping I can attach a Panhead or Ball Head to this. Looking at your Setup i see a Panhead attached to the Tripop, Then a BallHead, attached to the Panhead, then the Tracker and then another Ballhead to hold the Camera. I havent used a Panhead or Ballhead before so Ive looked at a couple of videos and the Panhead was recommended for Landscape photography. Are all these pieces needed or is there a less costly and simpler setup ?
Thank you.
Hi Stephen, thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. I have a two ball heads in my set up you say (one connecting the Omegon tracker to my tripod, and the other connecting the camera to the tracker. However, strictly speaking you don't need the one connecting the tracker to the tripod as you can use the rotational and elevation adjustment on the tripod to get the tracker pointing at Polaris. My tripod is a very cheap one though and the elevation adjustment has become stiff, which is why I use the extra ball head. Technically the whole set up would be more rigid without thos extra ballhead, so really I should invest in a better and more rigid tripod with rotational and elevation adjustment.
@@thecampingastronomer8554 I see they've released the LX3 now with claimed 60% more precision and 3kg weight capacity and an optical polar finder so I'll probably end up going for the new model but will have to consider a panhead that supports that weight.
@@itsfahys yes the LX3 has a bigger payload which will enable people to use bigger lenses, or even a very small telescope like the redcat 50mm scope. I think that the spring system used to balance the mount is more sophisticated on the LX3, which probably gives longer potential exposure times.
How do you set the spring ?
I think that if your camera is pointing south you can leave the spring loose. I have found that the second spring setting seems to work on most cases. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂
Can u get the aim without seeing the north star? Especially latitude?
That's a very good question. You don't have to be super accurate with Polar Alignment especially if using a wider lens like 24mm, but you do need to get it approximate.
However, if you can't readily see polaris from your viewing site then I reckon there are a couple of things you can do.
You can set your latitude manually using an inclinometer app on your phone. There is one called "simple inclinometer" which seems to get good reviews. This will help you set the latitude up to where you need it to be for your location.
Then you just have to point North,which can be done using a standard compass.
This was, even if Polaris is hidden behind a building you can get the mount set up approximately.
I would then have the suggested maximum exposure time for whatever lens you are using and see if you get any star trailing. If not, increase the exposure time in incremental steps to achieve optimum.
Thank you very much for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it 😊
@@thecampingastronomer8554 Thanks! Btw, does the tripod have to be perfectly level, or as long as the LX2 is aimed at the north star, that's all that matters?
@@deeber35 I always try to get mine pretty well level, but often it's not perfect.
These seem more expensive than actual proper tracks now. How accurate was it?
The latest versions have certainly gone up in price a lot. My early version works well with a camera and a small lens (24 - 50mm), giving exposure times of 2-3 minutes without too much of a problem. The latest versions are around double the price of mine. However, it appears from reviews of these, that they can get exposure times of about 2 minutes with a 300mm lens, which is in the ballpark of electronic trackers.
I would say that my older Omegon LX2 is not in the same league as my Star Adventurer, but Omegon do appear to have closed this gap somewhat.
@@thecampingastronomer8554 really appreciate your advice and in depth reply ty so much
Where did you get the finder scope from? The one that comes with thr lx2 is awful lol
Thanks for your question. I bought a cheap finderscope from amazon, sized about 25mm I think.
To make it fit I had to buy an Omegon finderscope adaptor for tge lx2. I think this was about £20.
Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and comment, its much appreciated 👍