Wasted $300 on a star tracker that barely worked with my camera

I bought a cheap star tracker off Amazon back in March for astrophotography, thinking it would save me money over the name brand ones. Took it out to a dark site near Flagstaff three times and couldn't get it to hold alignment for more than 5 minutes. The motor kept stuttering and the polar scope was basically a joke. I ended up with 200 blurry shots of Orion before I gave up. Lesson learned: you really do get what you pay for with gear like this. I'm now saving up for a proper iOptron or Sky-Watcher setup. Anyone else get burned by a budget tracker?

2 comments

2 Comments

rodriguez.cora20d ago

Yeah, I had a similar experience with a no-name tracker from eBay. The thing just couldn't hold a star for more than a few minutes. I ended up tossing it in the trash after one night of pure frustration. Stick with the well-known brands, anything else is a total gamble and you'll just waste your money.

the_wesley20d ago

Maybe it's just me but is it really that big of a deal? I've had a cheap one from Amazon that tracks fine for like 15-20 minutes at a time, and honestly thats enough for most of my quick shots. Throwing it in the trash after one night sounds like you might have just gotten a dud or maybe had the wrong expectations for a budget tracker.