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Bought a $400 star tracker, moon filter fell off and it caught nothing for 3 nights
I finally saved up for a Sky-Watcher star tracker and drove 2 hours to a dark site near Bakersfield, but the little plastic moon filter clip popped off during the first setup and without it my shots were all washed out, so I wasted the whole weekend fiddling with phone apps instead of shooting, has anyone else had a cheap accessory ruin a whole trip like that?
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carter.joseph1mo ago
That plastic clip is like the universe's way of testing your patience, honestly. Sounds like it cost you more in gas and frustration than the $400 tracker itself, which is always how these cheap parts get you. Your phone apps probably gave you better star maps than that filter ever would, so maybe you didn't miss much. At least now you know to bring a backup piece of tape or a rubber band next time, that's the real astrophotography hack. The Bakersfield light dome probably hated that filter anyway, so consider it a blessing in disguise. Better luck next weekend, unless the moon decides to personally attack you again.
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lily571mo ago
my buddy had the exact same thing happen with his mount last year, the little dovetail screw just stripped out mid session and his whole rig nearly took a dive off the tripod. he ended up driving 45 mins home for a zip tie and came back to find the sky had clouded over completely, just sat in his car eating gas station jerky until 2am. honestly the clip breaking probably saved you from worse, like a full camera tumble down a hill. bring a roll of gaff tape next time and youll be golden, thats what he does now.
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