Vixen 35505 Polarie Star Tracker, 8.9 Deg. Field of View
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Vixen 35505 Polarie Star Tracker, Astrophotography Compact Mount.

SKU: VXPOLAIEBODY

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Q&A

Questions & Answers

KEVIN M : can this work with a regular ball head tripod or do I have to purchase it packaged with their tripod to make it work best?LORRI C : Short answer is, as long as your tripod mount can support the weight,.... Yes. It will work just fine. It is pretty much designed for it. HOWERVER....sturdier is better. This is not saying anything good or bad about the packaged mount. I do not have it. I originally used it on my camera tripod and will continue to do so as necessary for portability. Like most I wanted something lightweight and portable. For wide field shots it will work just fine. For more precise stuff I use a Celestron Heavy Duty Alt?Azimuth Tripod. It is light and portable and a little easier to target the celestial north for more precise alignment. If I really really need a solid steady mount, I use an old telescope tripod, but that is much less portable.DIANE M : It works fine with any tripod, however the tripod they sell you in the kit is ideal because of the "arm"it has. If you don't want to spring for the kit though, it works fine with your own tripod.BRYSON P : I use my own ball head tripod. Remember that you'll need to buy another head for it.SCOTT D : It will work with any sturdy tripod.MIKE F : I used my manfrotto ball head and tripod it worked fine. I attached the camera to the Polarie with another ball head.HAL G : You can use any ball head. You will probably be best served by buying 2 ballheads: one for the tripod and a second to attach to the Polarie to mount your camera to. But the Polarie can be attached to any tripod head. The Polarie needs a ballhead to be attached to it for the camera to mount to.STEVE S : I use this with a RR-55 and their release with no problems. You might get a few extra quick release plates to interface with the Polarie. There are several sites showing setups... lots of options without their tripod.ROBERT C : Any ball head will work but there is one issue. The Polarie wants a 1/4" female socket on the ball head. Many ball heads come with 3/8". You can buy an insert to knock down the 3/8" socket to 1/4. Easier to buy a 1/4" ball head.RONALD G : I use it on GItzo tripod with RRS ballhead and have not experienced any problems. Simply need to make sure that initial polar alignment is done carefully.BRIAN H : You can use your own - you may need a 3/4 to 1/4 bushing Depending how stale your tripod is you will be limited to shorter focal lengths and/ or exposuresCHARLES P : Any ballhead will work. It doesn't come with one.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2020-01-07T07:49:37

Rated 3 out of 5

nice try

the device works but alignment is imprecise not easy to use

DANIEL H.

2015-09-16T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Works great

Everything you need in one convenient pacage

DANNY B.

2014-06-30T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great product

The Polarie came well packed with instructions and I just had to add 2 "AA" batteries. I used the simple polar alignment and set up my camera to try different areas of the sky. Using the wide angle lens on my camera I got some amazing images of the Milky Way. Each exposure was around 60 to 90 seconds. I varied the ISO on the camera and found that the best image was at ISO 1200. I have to say the Polarie is very well built. It is a solid device unlike some China made copies on the market that I've played with.

Astro J.

Vixen 35505 Polarie Star Tracker, 8.9 Deg. Field of View Specifications

  • Tracking Mode

    Celestial tracking rate, 1/2 of celestial tracking rate. Solar tracking rate (Mean solar time), Lunar tracking rate (Mean lunar time): Usable in both northern and southern hemispheres

  • Wheel Gear

    57.6mm diameter aluminum alloy axis with full-circle 144-tooth

  • Worm gear

    9mm diameter high tension brass

  • Bearings

    2 pieces

  • Drive

    Pulse Motor (Stepper Motor)

  • Polar sight hole

    About 8.9 Deg. field of view

  • Working voltage

    2 x AA-size batteries: DC2.4 - 3.0V
    External power supply: DC4.4 - 5.25V

  • Duration of operation

    About 4 hours: At 20 C (68 F) degrees temperature, a 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) loading weight with use of Alkaline batteries

  • Maximum Loading weight

    3.4 lbs / 1.54 kg

  • Dimensions

    95 x 137 x 58 mm (3.7 x 5.9 x 2.3")

  • Weight

    Without Batteries: 1.4 lbs / 0.63 kg

  • UPC Code

    4955295355051

About Vixen 35505 Polarie Star Tracker, 8.9 Deg. Field of View

FEATURED REVIEWS

Great product

By Astro J.

The Polarie came well packed with instructions and I just had to add 2 "AA" batteries. I used the simple polar alignment and set up my camera to try different areas of the sky. Using the wide angle lens on my camera I got some amazing images of the Milky Way. Each exposure was around 60 to 90 seconds. I varied the ISO on the camera and found that the best image was at ISO 1200. I have to say the Polarie is very well built. It is a solid device unlike some China made copies on the market...

View full Review

Works great

By DANNY B.

Everything you need in one convenient pacage

The Vixen 35505 Polarie Star Tracker is designed for Astrophotography. This compact mount platform allows you to capture night scapes and star images with ease. The Polarie attaches to a standard camera tripod and can accept any digital camera weighing up to 3.5lbs. Using the included compass on the Polarie, orient the mount to face north.

The Polarie features a North Star alignment window that you point at Polaris. The Polarie can also use a polar scope for alignment. Once set, the Polarie tracks with the motion of the stars to eliminate "star trailing" on your images resulting in sharp images of the Universe. The Polarie uses very accurate stepping motors and operates on 2 "AA" batteries.

Polarie is designed to not only be functional, but also to be compact and attractive. The Polarie has a smooth, good looking design. The unit has no visible screws and although, not waterproof, it is designed to function in most weather conditions.

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