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A couple of shots from last weekend. Shot with my K-50 using astrotracer to track the stars.

I really need to work on getting astrotracer going.

Superb.

Super images Francois, you even caught a meteor!

Indeed! A really neat device. My motorized EQ-1 has been in storage ever since!

Thanks!

Thanks Pete, probably my first perseid of the year!

NOICE!

Heh. And here's me saving for an iOptron CEM-25 because of struggles with AstroTracer. But I absolutely adore it for landscape/astro work. (The research-subject sessions to afford it were uncomfortable and tedious, but between the Samyang 14mm and the AT that resulted...well worth my time.)

I'm curious about the second (landscape + MW + Perseid) image. Did you shoot a non-tracked frame and composite? Because that foreground stuff is mighty sharp for 60 seconds' worth of sidereal motion.

[Customary plug for Topaz ReMask here]

Thanks! Yes I took a shot with o-gps1 off. In PSE 14 I just selected the foreground of that shot and pasted it on the tracked frame, using refine selection tool. Works great on simple foreground like this one.

The sky is finally darkening enough that it is worthwhile doing some astro work now. Set up the K-1 in Astrotracer mode with the old M28/2.8 @ f/4, ISO3200, 50 seconds. Here is the summer triangle region and my first Perseid meteor at the bottom. Too bad the moon will put a damper on the Perseids this year.

@SunValley, wanted to add that the colors in your images look very natural. What do you use to process?

Have never been able to get the tracer to calibrate on the K3ii...normal GPS seems to work fine...no real big deal...didn't really buy the 3ii for the tracer "function"...

I hear that from a few people. I wonder why some evidently have great success and others don't. Unit to unit variation? Nearby environment (metals, etc.)? Geographic latitude? Phase of the moon (just joking)?

One thing I've noticed might have an i fluence on the calibration/performance is a mobile phone. I have no problems with a 50sec exposure at 200mm - check my 13x50sec @ 200mm Andromeda photo here: Andromeda, K-70, M200 f4 lens - Astrophotography - PentaxForums.com

Hello every one!
this thread make me feel like I should stop complaining and focus on mastering my Astrotracer rather than trying to squeeze motorised mount into my tiny photo budget

Meaning that if you have a phone nearby it may affect the calibration?

It's just something I've observed once or twice - I have not done anything to prove whether it's a fact, I was more focused on shooting some stars rather than initiating a root cause analysis
I'll keep an eye on it.