Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack – Motorized Dslr Night Sky Tracker Equatorial Mount for Portable Nightscapes, Time-Lapse and Panoramas – Wi-Fi App Camera Control – Long Exposure Imaging

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For our review we used lenses that ranged from 18mm to 400mm with our Canon 50D and modified 300D DSLRs, and then swapped to our Equinox 80ED refractor with the same DSLRs.

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. We took a 30–minute exposure of the constellations of Cassiopeia down to Perseus with only slight star trailing. Although light pollution and a slightly hazy atmosphere did not help, a 20-minute exposure revealed pin sharp stars. Polar alignment is vital and the Star Adventurer 2i has a built-in polarscope, which can be used for both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and we found it worked without any extra calibration. The external polarscope illuminator does its job well, but it does need to be removed before adding the camera equipment for wide-field imaging. Vital stats

Once polar-aligned, we programmed a range of timings using the app with the Canon 50D and its 18–55mm lens set at 18mm. If I could request one change to the Star Adventurer mounts, it would be to have an effective illuminator built-in to the core of the mount and which can be dimmed to very low levels. If more product and equipment designers tried to do astrophotography in the southern hemisphere this might be less of an issue ;-). The App based alignment is easy for northerners with no need for the illuminator if you align during twilight once you can see Polaris. If you want to shoot with longer lenses or a telescope, you can safely get away with 1-2-minute exposures if the wind is still.

The exciting new Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i adds now adds WiFi functionality to the immensely popular Star Adventurer astro-imaging platform, whilst retaining all the important original features. The WiFi features are operated via the free Star Adventurer Mini Console App for Android and iOS platforms.

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Finally, on the night before Jupiter and Saturn’s Great Conjunction we tested the mount and our Equinox 80ED refractor, using both a DSLR and ASI 224 colour camera, to capture the close encounter. The process of setting up the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i can seem daunting, but if you follow these simple steps, I promise you’ll have your Star Adventurer up and running in no time! A fine-tuning mount assembly can be added, which allows for a small telescope to be attached either for visual or guiding use, and it has its own manual slow-motion control for declination. A second ball-and-head adaptor can also be added for dual-imaging purposes along with a counterweight bar and counterweight. Polarscope

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us.

By adding an in-built Wi-Fi adaptor, Sky-Watcher has brought the Star Adventurer into the 21st century. Many people are familiar with Wi-Fi control of gadgets and this is appealing to astrophotographers who enjoy using a lightweight and portable mount and controlling it with a smartphone.