Used Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack

2024-06-03T14:54:09

This thing is great, made a massive difference in my pics on the first night of using it. Super easy to align with Polaris, and pretty flexible. Getting used to all the tightening rings takes some time. I bought a Z mount to give myself even more flexibility when it comes to orienting the camera on the rotating section. Balancing can get ... creative if you stick something heavy on it like the 600mm Sigma I was playing with. One issue is using an USB battery pack to power it - a newer higher capacity pack I have won't work, but an older crappy one tucked in a flashlight does. I've since read that this unit pulls so few Amps the newer banks shut themselves off because they think they are not in use. And as an extra bonus there is extra room in the solid foam in the box so you can cut chunks out and add more stuff!

Michael B.

2023-04-06T11:20:16

In general, everything was good. My only issue was the quality of the illuminator for polar alignment. The light level was very low and not even across the field of view. I did some work on the light pipe since there was excessive glue on the internal side, and changed the LED to one with higher efficiency. It works well now. Since I'm older, bending down to look through the polar scope is difficult. I have ordered a used Nikon DR-3 right-angle viewer which I will adapt to the polar scope and it should be good. There are multiple choices for a right-angle viewer but this was the least expensive option.

LARRY M.

2022-09-10T19:25:31

This is a great starter star tracker. You won't be able to do super long exposures on deep space objects, but for milky way, or even some beginner deep space, this is a great option. I take this camping vs my heavier go-to mount and it serves its purpose well. I've tracked at 550mm 30 second exposures no problem as long as its not too windy out and you do a good job with alignment and balancing.

Ryan S.

2022-07-15T11:53:47

The overall quality feels better than a $500 device. Tracking is solid, consistent. Mounting options are numerous. I would definitely buy this again!

CARL R.

2022-01-04T07:58:24

This is a very good star tracker to start your journey among the stars.

JOSH D.

2021-06-29T08:28:23

Does what it claims with no prior knowledge necessary. Made like a rock. The pictures look plasticky, but There?s very little if any plastic here!

ROBERT L.

2021-02-22T07:26:26

I am amazed at what a star tracking accessory can do for night time photography. Setup for the Sky Watcher was pretty straight forward.....the light used to illuminate the reticule is a little hinky but, nonetheless, alignment is easy with the help of the polar clock utility smartphone app. Once aligned, tracking precision appears to be very good. My first test was a series of 20 sixty second starfield exposures (just pointed the camera straight up) that I then stacked using Sequator and the results were really good.....so very pleased with this purchase.

MICHAEL F.

2021-02-11T07:14:59

Very nice package, comes with most everything you need for astrophotography. A good tripod & ball head look be all you need. I had sideload the software from their website as they don't seem to keep the play store up to date. Now if only the clouds would go away for a couple nights.

DAVID H.

2021-01-31T11:25:16

Perfect for those who travel. Very probable.

CHASE F.

2021-01-15T19:41:31

Everything about it seems to be good. This is my first star tracker. First night out I got a shot of the Orion's belt and got a color shot of a nebula. Reviews warned of misaligned screws and possible filings in the clutch but, it is clean and built well. The calibration test recommended in the manual revealed it was correct right out of the box. I am going to have major fun with the Star Adventurer 2i. I am only using a Canon T5 with a kit lens so far and got a few really nice shots the first time out at 150 second exposure.

VICTOR R.

2020-12-31T15:18:45

Great bang for the buck! It's reputation is well earned. It's nice and compact, a decent payload capacity it's designed mainly for cameras but small scopes will work but I wouldn't go above 6 pounds or so. Note: if you are using Android 11 the Play Store app will not work. You have to download the app from their website.

Brent F.

2020-10-25T09:29:12

I wanted to venture further into astrophotography than what was capable from just my camera strapped to a tripod, so I purchased this star tracker. The product was unfortunately back ordered so I had to wait but I figured it meant it was popular for a reason. While waiting for it to arrive, I spent time watching YouTube videos of how it worked and how to polar align it. It seemed a bit daunting and confusing. Fast forward to my first night using it, the red light that came with the kit was dead so it was impossible to see the retical at night. I ended up shining my phones flashlight from the other end and was surprised I could make out Polaris and the retical. Once I figured out what I was doing, it was incredibly easy to set up. I ran multiple exposures at 3 minutes long and was blown away by how sharp and clear my images were. I’m just getting started with this unit but am utterly impressed by such a simple addition to my bag. Thank you Adrorama, your customer service was on point!

ANDREW M.

2020-07-23T14:25:16

You bring the tripod and camera (and a ball head for maximum convenience) and this kit has everything you need to do both tracked Milky Way and deep space photography. I had mine up and running in 30 minutes. Now I can go out, get polar aligned and imaging in just 2 to 3 minutes a night. Highly recommended as a relatively inexpensive tool to up your game. Plenty of YouTube vids on how to setup and use.

STEVEN S.

2020-07-06T08:15:55

This was a fathers day give for my husband. He was thrilled to receive it. It contained everything needed.

Jane K.

2019-12-15T07:30:06

I really love this star tracker. It is packaged with a counterweight, it can help with panning for time lapse and is powered with AA so I don’t have to depend on recharging for backpacking.

JOE L.

2019-04-10T14:10:41

Well made unit for tracking with the stars, pretty easy to use and with the full package you have everything you need to photograph the Milky Way or other star groups.

Jeff K.