I bought a cheap star tracker and it was a total waste of $150

I saw one online for a price that seemed too good to be true. The first clear night, I set it up in my backyard and tried a 2-minute exposure of Orion. The whole picture came out as a blurry streak because the motor kept slipping. I spent the whole night fighting with it instead of taking photos. Has anyone found a decent tracker that actually works without costing a fortune?

3 comments

3 Comments

adams.river29d ago

Sounds like you bought a glorified paperweight with a motor. I've been there, watching a little plastic gear give up on life while my stars turned into spaghetti. That feeling when you realize you just paid to babysit a broken toy all night is the worst. Honestly, for that price, you might as well have taped your camera to a record player and hoped for the best. The cheap ones are basically a lesson in frustration sold in a box.

miaprice29d ago

That record player idea is actually starting to sound pretty good right now.

tessarodriguez29d ago

Ever feel like you're just paying to watch a machine have an existential crisis?