Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack review might sound like a review of specialist astrophotography equipment, but this little tracker is actually one of the pieces of equipment that helped me move from simple photographs of the Moon into more serious night-sky photography.

I have used my Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i for several years. During that time I’ve made mistakes with it, learnt how to polar align it, discovered why camera balance matters, replaced a tripod that wasn’t strong enough and gradually learnt how to get better results.

So this isn’t simply a list of specifications. It is based on my own experience using the Star Adventurer with a Canon 550D DSLR and lenses ranging from wide-angle to telephoto.

Why I Bought the Star Adventurer

I wanted to get into astrophotography in a bigger way.

I had already photographed the Moon several times, sometimes with Mercury or Venus nearby, and felt that a star tracker would be the logical next step.

After researching the Star Adventurer and watching other amateur astronomers use it, I decided it offered a sensible way of moving into tracked astrophotography without immediately buying a large and more complicated equatorial GoTo mount.

The Star Adventurer sits somewhere between a normal photographic tripod and a full astronomical mount, which makes it a useful stepping stone for somebody who already owns a camera.

What Is the Star Adventurer?

The Star Adventurer is a portable equatorial tracking mount.

When correctly polar aligned, its motor slowly rotates the camera to compensate for the rotation of the Earth.

Without tracking, stars gradually move across the camera sensor during a long exposure and eventually appear as trails rather than points.

By following the apparent movement of the sky, the Star Adventurer allows the camera shutter to remain open considerably longer before trailing becomes obvious.

That gives the camera sensor more time to collect the faint light from stars, nebulae and galaxies.

What Comes in the Pro Pack?

My version is the Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack. Most of the principal hardware needed to start tracking a camera is included.

• Star Adventurer 2i tracking mount
• Ball-head adaptor
• Built-in illuminated polar scope
• Declination bracket and dovetail mounting assembly
• Equatorial wedge
• Counterweight shaft
• 1kg counterweight

You will still need a suitable tripod, camera and lens.

Setting It Up for the First Time

I found the supplied instructions reasonably easy to understand and the physical assembly of the Star Adventurer was straightforward.

The difficult part wasn’t putting it together.

It was learning how to set it up accurately.

Two things are particularly important: polar alignment and balance.

Ignore either one and you may wonder why your stars are still trailing, despite owning a tracking mount.

Learning Polar Alignment

Polar alignment was difficult for me at first.

The rotational axis of the tracker has to be aligned with Earth’s rotational axis. For observers in the UK, Polaris provides the reference for finding the north celestial pole.

The built-in polar scope contains a reticle that helps position Polaris correctly.

My problem initially was more basic: I wasn’t always confident that I had identified Polaris correctly through the polar scope.

After several attempts it became much easier.

The Star Adventurer app can help indicate where Polaris should be positioned on the polar-scope reticle for the date and time.

Like many things in astronomy, polar alignment looks much more complicated the first time you read about it than it does after you’ve actually done it several times.

Helpful Astrophotography Channels

When I was learning to use the Star Adventurer, I found YouTube extremely helpful.

Several astrophotography channels explain setup, polar alignment, balancing, camera settings and equipment in a way that is much easier to understand when you can actually watch somebody doing it.

Three channels I found particularly useful were Kamil Pekala, Nico Carver and Peter Zelinka.

Their channels contain a large collection of previous videos covering astrophotography equipment, beginner techniques, setup procedures and image processing. They also regularly review newer cameras, mounts, trackers and accessories.

I found these videos especially useful when I was trying to understand polar alignment and balancing the Star Adventurer, and I would certainly recommend that beginners use good video tutorials alongside the manufacturer’s instructions.

Watching somebody carry out a procedure can sometimes make far more sense than reading about it.

Attaching and Balancing the Camera

This was another lesson I learnt the hard way.

Balancing the camera seemed difficult, so initially I decided not to bother.

The result was star trailing.

I went back and studied how other astrophotographers balanced the camera and counterweight correctly.

Once I understood the procedure, it became considerably easier.

I have used my Canon 550D with several lenses, including a 25mm lens, a 70–210mm telephoto and a generic 210–800mm telephoto.

As the lens becomes larger and heavier, correct balance becomes increasingly important.

For somebody learning the mount, I recommend beginning with a lighter, shorter focal-length setup before trying a large telephoto lens.

My First Tracked Photographs

One of my early tracked astrophotography subjects was Orion.

That was an important stage because I was no longer simply taking one photograph of the night sky. I was beginning to use the techniques involved in astrophotography: tracking, repeated exposures and eventually stacking.

What I Got Wrong

The short answer is: quite a few things.

Some of my early mistakes included not recognising Polaris correctly, failing to balance the camera properly, going outside without planning the session and using a tripod that was not substantial enough for the complete setup.

That last mistake gave me one of my more memorable lessons.

I initially used a photographic tripod that had been perfectly adequate for taking photographs of the Moon.

However, once the Star Adventurer, wedge, counterweight, camera and lens were added, the load was very different.

One night the tripod broke.

That was the end of that night’s astrophotography.

I subsequently bought a much more suitable Sky-Watcher tripod for the Star Adventurer.

View the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Tripod →

What Can You Photograph With It?

The Star Adventurer opens up a wide range of possible targets.

Depending on the camera and lens, these can include wide star fields, constellations, the Milky Way, star clusters, large bright nebulae and large galaxies such as Andromeda.

The particular targets available depend strongly on focal length.

A short lens is considerably more forgiving of small tracking errors. A long telephoto lens magnifies those errors as well as the astronomical object.

M42 – The Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula is an excellent example of what can become possible once you begin combining tracking with multiple exposures.

This image was produced from ten two-minute exposures, together with calibration files. The frames were stacked in AutoStakkert! and the resulting image was finished in GIMP.

For a beginner, don’t worry about mastering all of those techniques at once. We will look at polar alignment, exposure settings, ISO, calibration frames and stacking separately as our astrophotography series develops.

Learning From Mistakes

Not every astrophotograph needs to be a success to be useful.

One of my early photographs was intended to show part of Cygnus. The tracking mount was doing its job, but the stars were badly out of focus.

It demonstrates an important lesson: tracking cannot correct poor focus.

Take your time focusing before beginning a long imaging sequence.

Another Deep-Sky Example

This second star-field image was made from 25 exposures of 30 seconds, again using calibration frames and stacking.

Using External Power

A power bank is another accessory I have found particularly useful.

The Star Adventurer can be powered externally rather than relying solely on batteries, and suitable power arrangements can also support other equipment in the imaging setup.

I still recommend keeping spare batteries available.

Astrophotography has a remarkable ability to discover the one item you forgot to charge.

Using a Smartphone

A smartphone holder is another inexpensive accessory worth considering.

It can provide a much steadier platform for photographs of the Moon, bright planets or the evening sky than simply holding the phone by hand.

What I Like About It

The first thing I like is its portability.

It is relatively easy to transport, assemble and dismantle.

Once you understand what the different positions on the control dial do, operation is straightforward.

The Star Adventurer Console app adds useful control functions, while the SNAP connection allows compatible camera shutter control.

There is also one surprisingly useful part of the package that people may overlook: the original foam packing.

Keep it.

The shaped foam already fits the equipment and can potentially be reused inside a suitable hard carrying case.

What Don’t I Like?

No piece of equipment is perfect.

The Star Adventurer 2i doesn’t provide the full Right Ascension, Declination and GoTo system of a conventional computer-controlled equatorial mount.

That means locating and framing faint targets can require more manual work.

I also found the polar-alignment markings confusing when I first began using the mount.

Once you understand what they mean the system becomes much clearer, but there is still a learning curve.

For short exposures such as lunar or solar photography I would normally control the camera directly, use its timer or an intervalometer rather than expecting the tracking system to do everything.

Is It Suitable for a Beginner?

In my view, yes.

It is particularly useful for somebody who has begun taking night-sky photographs and wants to progress into tracked astrophotography without immediately purchasing a large equatorial mount.

But suitable for a beginner does not mean there is nothing to learn.

You will need to learn how to identify Polaris, polar align the mount, balance the camera and counterweight, focus accurately and plan your imaging session.

Those aren’t wasted skills.

They are precisely the skills that become even more important if you eventually progress to a larger astrophotography setup.

Original Star Adventurer and Newer Models

The Star Adventurer family has developed considerably.

My own experience is with the Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack, and that is the equipment reviewed here.

Newer versions such as the Star Adventurer GTi add features such as full GoTo control.

That doesn’t make the 2i obsolete.

For somebody whose priority is a relatively straightforward portable camera tracker, it remains a very capable piece of equipment.

My Final Verdict

Overall, I have found the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack to be a versatile and useful piece of astrophotography equipment.

It is reasonably easy to assemble and dismantle, and its basic operation is straightforward once you understand the controls.

The two most important skills are learning to polar align correctly and learning to balance your camera setup.

Once those begin to fall into place, the Star Adventurer becomes much more rewarding to use.

I have used mine for a number of years now.

Perhaps the most telling part of this review is that despite newer models becoming available, I haven’t yet felt a compelling need to replace it.

For somebody beginning tracked astrophotography with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, I would certainly consider the Star Adventurer 2i worthy of a place on the shortlist.

Review note: This review is based on my own experience using the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack over several years. Product specifications and packages can change, so check the current seller’s listing before purchasing.