I know there are some on the forum doing astro and deep sky photography. I assume you're using a star tracker of some sort.

What are you using? And would one be worthwhile for the solar eclipse in April?

How well do they work with long lenses? Like 500mm?

Your post reminded me that I bought an iOptron SkyTracker Pro seven years ago, but I put it on the shelf and have not actually used it yet.

Maybe I should remedy that situation while there are still clear winter skies, as well as before the April eclipse.

This is the model that I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/iOptron-SkyTracker-Camera-Mount-Polar/dp/B01LYZIVQB

I would like to try some basic astrophotography. I don't have any lenses larger than 300mm for my Nikon, though. I also would like to try out my 14mm semi-fisheye (for which tracking may not be necessary, at least for certain types of short exposure shots).

(Although in my current location I have some difficulty actually seeing Polaris (for alignment) due to a nearby steeply-rising hill, which is probably why I put it on the shelf in the first place. I should check into the possibility of positioning it in a different location on my property from which I may be able to see Polaris.)

I don't think a star tracker would be of help with the eclipse. I used a basic tripod and my 400mm lens. The exposure times were still quite short, even though the it was full eclipse.

Yeah,  your exposures are going to be very short for an eclipse.  I don't do enough astro to get a star tracker,  I just take multiple exposures and stack and try to subtract noise in post.

One way to help with is to shoot brackets. One recommendation  is to shoot -2. to +2 in steps of one. A camera that can be set to this would be best. And set the mirror to locked up.

B+H has a very good article on it. Go here for good info.  There is a chart for settings and when to make shutter speed changes depending on focal length and ISO you are using for the different phases of the eclipse.

Now I'll be using a star tracker. Just arrived yesterday.

The center of the eclipse is going to be about 40 miles north of my summer home in NH. So I figured it was a good excuse to spend some more money. I'll use it for astro photography as well' Something I always wanted to do.

What camera and lens are you planning to use with that Star Adventurer?

I going to shoot my D500, as for lens I'm going to test some and pick the one that gives the best results.

1. AF-S NIKKOR 300mm 1:4E PF ED
2. AF-S  NIKKOR 500MM 1:506E PF ED

I may also try the SIGMA 150 - 600 F5-6.3

I have a 35mm prime but don't think I'll test it.

If I feel the need toss in a couple kit zoom lenses I have in the bag.

I have a bunch. iOptron & Celestron equatorial mounts & a SkyWatcher camera tracker.

No need to use one for the eclipse.

True enough.

But a total eclipse from first touch to last touch is about 3 hours Long. I want to enjoy it. To I'll set the camera up for F-stop, ISO and shutter speed. Then let the tracker trigger the camera at the rate I program it for. Then all I have to do is watch the eclipse and check the camera memory and change the card if needed and replace a battery when needed and reset the shutter speed at the times required. The rest of the time I'll just sit and enjoy the experience.

The Skywatcher Star Adventurer one is nice. Only thing you need is a solid tripod. I would think a new set of AA Lithium batteries would last the entire event.

This is what I'm thinking about. I'll have two cameras shooting the eclipse, my R6 mkII and my newly acquired R7. I was thinking about putting one on a tracker to get a time lapse of the different stages. Have it shoot automatically so I only have to deal with one camera and can enjoy the event a bit more.

Is that the same thing as what used to be called a "clock drive" to keep the stars from streaking on a long exposure?

Yes, but the modern versions are by far superior with what they can do.

I never messed with a drive. Pictures of the sun and moon don’t take any exposure at all (1/125, etc). It would be handy for long exposure night.

200 mm, 5 minute interval.

Eclipse 200mm 5-Minute Interval by FredMan, on Flickr


120mm, 6 minute interval

Moon 120mm Transit 6 minute Interval by FredMan, on Flickr

16mm, 4 minute interval

Sun Moon Track 16mm 4 min by FredMan, on Flickr

11mm, 5 minute interval.

5-minute Interval by FredMan, on Flickr

You guys are gonna cost me more money... I'm going to have to acquire a StarTracker now.

Will you at least wait until I buy mine first?  

Yes.
I am about decided I won't be using it for the ecplise.
Long sleepless nights trying to catch the Milky Way instead.
Our cabin is remote enough there is zero light pollution.

If you get a tracker you can shoot other deep space objects like the Horse Head nebula near Orion. Use a long lens, shoot a about 100 shots, cull out the fuzzy ones and stack the rest. That's the basic post process, the rest is color management and such.

Astro gear is not as bad as having a boat.

Yeah, but I sold my boat.
Traded my hole in the water for little boxes and tubes full of darkness. Don't open the box and let all the dark leak out!

You guys that have star trackers...

What's the limit for lens length?

I'm looking at either a Sigma 150-600mm or a Canon RF 100-500mm lens. Are those too long? Or should I get a Canon 100-400mm?

I'm looking at the Star Adventurer GTI.

It's not lens length that matters except for what you can take a picture of. It's weight. Every mount has a weight limit. For instance the Star Adventure gti has a limit of 11 pounds. Good for most camera setups. But if you want to shoot really deep space objects you'll need a telescope. Most good ones exceed that weight.

If you are only going to use a camera and lens the GTi will do what you want. If you want to use a telescope some mounts will compensate for the length when it moves so the scope doesn't hit the tripod legs. And if your want is to get into that area of the hobby you start to get deeper into your bank account.

I have the GTi mount. If I may make a recommendation, get the kit that includes the tripod($680) and the hand controller($146). The hand controller has over 40,000 targets programed in. So all you do is align the scope and do a go to. No hunting around for the object you want to photo.

If in the future you want to go deeper into the hobby with bigger scope the stand will handle big mounts and the hand controller works with many of the mounts.

Edit to add:  I  got my mount kit from B and H photo. They were out of stock on hand controller so amazon had one..


Second edit to add pics of the setup.

Here is the GTi on the stand that is in the kit. It's a beast compared to regular photo stands.