Tripod for star tracker use

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kartracer

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I need to purchase a tripod for star tracker use. I was looking at the Manfrotto 055 and wondering about alternatives. The 055 has the centre column and while that's handy for photography I wonder if it's rock solid. I also found the Acrtise AS80C which has a bowl head adapter. Carbon not strictly necessary but certainly a nice to have as it would make for portability (kit in/on a backpack). I'm going to buy used and £200 absolute max, preferably less. Main requirement is a stable tripod for use with a star tracker. Weight capacity needs to be 5-7kg or so to have a good margin for excess capacity (expect 2-3kg actual). If I can find something with a bag and maybe a head so I can use for photography that would be great. Does anyone have experience with the Arctise? Any suggestions please?
 
IDT the Manfrotto will be up to the task. And in this case I think that CF would be detrimental... it absorbs vibrations quicker, but it is also more prone to twist/flex (really depends a lot on weave/quality of tubes).

If I were looking for a tripod for this on the cheap; I would look to convert a used wooden surveyor's tripod.
 
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That is a good tripod but not really portable. I need something I can strap to a backpack.
 
what are you doing with the tracker? Milky way or deep space stuff?

For MW and a widei'sh lens then a normal camera tripod will suffice.. if you;re using a telephoto lens and camera for deep space then you'll want something more substantial if you're looking for multiple minute subs etc.... i have the manfrotto 190 somthing or other carbon fibre and its not great for deep space stuff... way too much movement and wobble in it
 
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I use the manfrotto 055 series with the ioptron tracker (light) and my other 055 series (newer) with the skywatcher star adventurer pro (heavier) tracker. I would say they are adequate but if it was windy I would be wanting to add extra weight, tho lowering the tripod mitigates my concerns, as with a long lens mounted some days I do worry it might tip. With the ioptron it is more than enough. Guess it depends what tracker you plan to use and also how portable you want your setup to be. Two nights ago I had my Nikon d810a and 150mm adapted mamiya lens and a Fuji xt2 with Nikon 70-200 2.8 mounted on the star adventurer (and two heavy ball heads), and had no issues at all, was steady all night
 
Obv on the manfrotto don’t use the centre column, leave it lowered as otherwise it would
Be useless with a tracker as the centre wobbles too much if raised. Fine for normal stuff, not astro
I also have a small travel mefoto tripod which is tiny which I’ve used once or twice in a pinch with the ioptron tracker and a light camera/lens combo - not deep sky stuff and it was ok. But it has a lot of limitations.
 
Thanks. Do you have the 3-section or 4-section 055? I have an iOptron tracker and would be using a fifty, a zoom, and a small light OTA (not decided yet - probably 250-350mm or thereabouts), overall, nothing too heavy. Sounds like the 055 might suffice. I'd be inclined to attach a weight anyway to keep it from toppling. I've read some reports that the Neewer Carbon Fiber 63 (also 4-section) is fairly stable and has a stability hook (not sure if Manfrotto has that?). I'd really prefer a tripod without a centre column, or at least one that can be removed. iOptron do a stainless 1.25" steel tripod that weights 2.7kg and measures 670mmx150mm folded. However, if I can get a tripod that works for photography too that makes more sense.
 
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