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Vixen Optics 35505 Polarie Star Tracker (White)
Brand | Vixen |
Color | White |
Compatible Devices | Cameras |
Mounting Type | Picatinny Mount |
Special Feature | Water resistant |
About this item
- Maximum loading weight is 7 lbs
- Polar sight hole About 8.9 Degree field of view
- Optional accessory A dedicated polar axis scope for Polarize
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From the manufacturer
Vixen Optics 35505 Polarie Star Tracker (White)
About Product
Everyone can be an Astrophotographer! Use Your Polarie with your Digital Camera or our smart phone adapter. The Polarie Star Tracker Mount attaches to a standard camera tripod and can accept any digital camera weighing up to 7 lbs. Using the included compass on the Polarie, orient the mount to face north. This easy to use mount features a North Star alignment window that you point at Polaris. The Polarie Mount can also use a polar scope for alignment. Once set, the Polarie tracks with the motion of the stars to eliminate “star trailing” on your photos resulting in sharp images of the Universe.
The Polarie Star Tracker from Vixen is designed to not only be functional, but also to be compact and attractive. The unit has no visible screws and although, not waterproof, it is designed to function in most weather conditions. In the March 2012 edition of Sky and Telescope Magazine Richard Tresch Fienberg wrote ‘Vixen definitely has a winner here. Polarie makes long exposure constellation phtography easier than ever ‘. No camera needed.
Features:
Type: Star Tracker.
Tracking Mode: Celestial tracking rate、1/2 of celestial. tracking rate. Solar tracking rate (Mean solar time).
Lunar tracking rate (Mean lunar time):Usable in both northern and southern hemispheres.
Wheel Gear: 57.6mm diameter aluminum alloy axis with full-circle 144-tooth.
Worm gear: 9mm diameter high tension brass.
Bearings: 2 pieces.
Drive: Pulse Motor (Stepper Motor).
Maximum Loading weight: 7 lbs.
Polar sight hole: About 8.9° field of view.
Standard accessory: Compass.
Working voltage: 2 x AA-size batteries:DC2.4~3.0V.
External power supply:DC4.4~5.25V.
Duration of operation: About 4hours: At 20 C (68 F) degrees temperature, a 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) loading weight with use of Alkaline batteries.
Dimensions: 95×137×58mm (3.7x5.9x2.3 inches)
Weight 1.4 lbs (without batteries).
Optional accessory: Dedicated polar axis scope for Polarie, QHD-43 Ball head、QHD-33, Polar Meter, Time Lapse Adapter, Polar Scope PFL, Fine Adjustment Unit.
Product guides and documents
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Product Description
Product Description
Polarize Star Tracker Mount - This compact mount platform allows you to capture night scopes and star images with ease. Set up is simple. The Polarize attaches to a standard camera tripod and can accept any digital camera weighing up to 3.5lbs. Using the included compass on the Polarize, orient the mount to face north. The Polarize features a North Star alignment window that you point at Polaris. The Polarize can also use a polar scope for alignment. Once set, the Polarize tracks with the motion of the stars to eliminate “star trailing” on your images resulting in sharp images of the Universe. The Polarize uses very accurate stepping motors and operates on 2 “AA” batteries. Polarize is designed to not only be functional, but also to be compact and attractive. The Polarize has a smooth, good looking design. The unit has no visible screws and although, not waterproof, it is designed to function in most weather conditions. Type Star Tracker Tracking Mode Celestial tracking rate、1/2 of celestial tracking rate. Solar tracking rate (Mean solar time)、Lunar tracking rate (Mean lunar time):Usable in both northern and southern hemispheres Standard accessory: Compass Dimensions 95×137×58mm (3.7x5.9x2.3 inches) Weight 1.4 lbs. (without batteries)
From the Manufacturer
Polarize Star Tracker Mount - This compact mount platform allows you to capture night scopes and star images with ease. Set up is simple. The Polarize attaches to a standard camera tripod and can accept any digital camera weighing up to 3.5lbs. Using the included compass on the Polarize, orient the mount to face north. The Polarize features a North Star alignment window that you point at Polaris. The Polarize can also use a polar scope for alignment. Once set, the Polarize tracks with the motion of the stars to eliminate "star trailing" on your images resulting in sharp images of the Universe. The Polarize uses very accurate stepping motors and operates on 2 "AA" batteries. Polarize is designed to not only be functional, but also to be compact and attractive. The Polarize has a smooth, good looking design. The unit has no visible screws and although, not waterproof, it is designed to function in most weather conditions. Type Star Tracker Tracking Mode Celestial tracking rate、1/2 of celestial tracking rate. Solar tracking rate (Mean solar time)、Lunar tracking rate (Mean lunar time):Usable in both northern and southern hemispheres Standard accessory: Compass Dimensions 95×137×58mm (3.7x5.9x2.3 inches) Weight 1.4 lbs. (without batteries)
Product information
Product Dimensions | 5.9 x 2.3 x 3.7 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1.6 pounds |
ASIN | B006ZSRHKC |
Item model number | 35505 |
Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
Customer Reviews |
4.3 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | January 1, 2012 |
Manufacturer | Vixen Optics |
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance, appearance, versatility, and portability of the portable electronic device mount. For example, they mention it's reliable, perfect for astrophotography, and easy to transport and setup. That said, opinions are mixed on ease of use.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the performance of the portable electronic device mount. They mention that it is a solid piece of equipment, reliable, and simple to set up. They also say that it performs as expected, is very stable, and built like a tank. Customers also say it works great for finding the north star.
"...It is a solid little unit. As you've probably seen, it can run on two AA batteries or AC power...." Read more
"...The Polarie worked great and I've gotten some really good results...." Read more
"...Again though, great product. I love using it, because it works so well and is so infinitely easier to transport and setup than my telescope." Read more
"...when I saw it online, but after trying it out I can confirm it is very stable, though you will want a strong tripod to hold it up...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the portable electronic device mount. They mention it has a beautiful finish, is well designed, and executed. Some say that the product is pretty sweet and cool.
"Very cool, very easy to use, gets great pictures!..." Read more
"This tracker is pretty sweet. I'm very inexperienced at astrophotography and found the setup and alignment to be a simple enough affair...." Read more
"Beautiful finish! No problem to have you 250mm lens got sharp stars in less than 1 min without the polar scope." Read more
"Well designed & executed device..." Read more
Customers like the versatility of the portable electronic device mount. They say it's perfect for astrophotography, easy to use, and gets great pictures. Some customers also mention that it took 3 min exposures with no star trails.
"...Well let me tell you I was getting usable photos with no star trails on my first try! Do your homework before taking the plunge...." Read more
"Very cool, very easy to use, gets great pictures!..." Read more
"...All in all it is perfect for astrophotography if you want to keep costs down and get high quality with just a DSLR" Read more
"Built like a tank! Perfect for astrophotography😬..." Read more
Customers find the portable electronic device mount easy to transport and setup. They say it's compact and ruggedly constructed. Customers also mention that it'll be the best portable star tracker on the market.
"...using it, because it works so well and is so infinitely easier to transport and setup than my telescope." Read more
"...It is easily transportable, a solid piece of equipment and tracks very well...." Read more
"The polarie is compact & ruggedly constructed...." Read more
"Absolutely the best portable star tracker on the market." Read more
Customers find the alignment of the portable electronic device mount easy. They say it has a head on your tripod, yet it gives them fine adjustability for their latitude. Customers also appreciate the clever lighted level that adjusts for latitude
"...It eliminates the need for a head on your tripod, yet gives you some fine adjustability for your latitude...." Read more
"...attainable with a visual line up with Polaris & the clever lighted level to adjust for latitude...." Read more
"Makes it easy to align and do long exposures." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the portable electronic device mount. They mention that it produces good shots, and wide-angle test shots are great. They also say that alignment for excellent wide angle photos is easily attainable with a visual line up.
"...My wide-angle test shots were great and I hope to experiment more this weekend. At this point, I'm very happy and would recommend it to my friends." Read more
"...It’s easy and quick, and I’ve gotten some pretty good shots as a result." Read more
"...and has easily handled my Canon G12 or 5D. Alignment for excellent wide angle photos is easily attainable with a visual line up with Polaris & the..." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the tracking capabilities of the portable electronic device mount. They mention that it tracks well and is pretty sweet.
"...It is easily transportable, a solid piece of equipment and tracks very well...." Read more
"It tracks well. I was tracking the milk way and left the camera for an hour...." Read more
"This tracker is pretty sweet. I'm very inexperienced at astrophotography and found ......" Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use of the portable electronic device mount. Some mention it's pretty simple to use, while others say the instructions are less than clear.
"Very cool, very easy to use, gets great pictures!..." Read more
"Works outstandingly well, easy to use, and I am very happy to have gotten it...." Read more
"...It's actually pretty simple to use but the instructions are less than clear...." Read more
"...This is a well-build product and is VERY EASY to set up for tracking - Just point to Polaris through the "peep hole", setup and mount your..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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There is nothing that feels cheap about the Vixen Polarie. It is a solid little unit. As you've probably seen, it can run on two AA batteries or AC power. TIP #1: Don't buy the "official" Vixen AC power supply. Purchase a charger like is used for phones or tablets that has a USB port. It must output 4 to 5.25 Volts. Then purchase a USB to USB mini B cable. The USB side goes in the charger and the mini-B side goes in the polarie. The charger gets plugged into an extension cord. TIP #2 If you are away from home, but have a car or car battery, you can get an AC adapter that plugs into your cigarette lighter and converts 12V to AC.
The unit must be polar aligned. (This would be true of ANY of the options I was considering earlier like the iOptron or AstroTrac units). The Polarie gives you a small viewfinder for "rough" polar alignment (to get you in the neighborhood). TIP #3 If you live in an area where you can't see Polaris or you want to polar align in daytime (to take images of sunspots for instance) there are apps that you can run on your phone that help you polar align. You can download such an app and hold the phone flat against the back of the Polarie to perform your alignment on the pole. TIP #4 The more precise your polar alignment, the longer your tracking time capability will be. The longer the focal length of your lens, the more important polar alignment becomes. (Since you are magnifying the scene, errors are also magnified). But the flip side of that is the shorter your focal length, the more forgiving the set-up will be. If you are wanting to get big wide Milky Way shots, for instance, worrying about super precise polar alignment might be overkill. (But good polar alignment is never a mistake.) There is an optional polar alignment tool sold by Vixen which you might want (I'll suggest a couple of tips that might make that unnecessary for you). The camera mount must be taken off the Polarie to install the Vixen polar scope. Once aligned, it must be removed, and the camera mount put back on. You should only need to do this once, at the start of your session, assuming you don't kick the tripod or otherwise knock it out of polar alignment as the night progresses (which is easy to do). There is also the possible problem of sagging, depending upon how solid your set-up is (tripod, tripod head, etc). If you camera/lens/ballhead is heavy the whole thing might sag a bit after your "precise" polar alignment, meaning it is not so precise any more. This may not be an issue for you unless you are putting heavy camera & lenses on it but I mention it as an issue that you will want to be aware of.
The image (below) of Comet Lovejoy, taken in Jan. 18, 2015, had the roughest polar alignment you can imagine. I set the Polarie's angle at my latitude (My town is latitude 40.86 N) and only visually lined-up on Polaris. I took a 2 minute exposure and saw my stars looked like little dashes, so I pivoted the whole tripod very slightly and took another 2 minute exposure. I was able to "dial in" on a good alignment this way, using no scope whatsoever. It would definitely be faster to do a real polar alignment, and there are two possible ways you can do this:
TIP #5: The Polarie has a handy "shoe" in the top, like a 35mm camera. Scavenge the bottom off an old flash unit or get a metal one on eBay. Now you can fashion a way to attach a laser pointer or a more traditional polar alignment scope (Google "Celestron Polar Axis Alignment Scope") to see what I mean. I'm in the process of doing this now, using a PVC tube to serve as a set of "tube rings" for the Polar Axis Aligment Scope. This may all be overkill, and a laser pointer or a Red Dot Sight mounted in the shoe might be good enough for you and the focal length lens you are using.
TIP #6: If you look at my setup photo below, you might get some other ideas that you want to adopt. I think the "wedge" is a particularly good idea. It eliminates the need for a head on your tripod, yet gives you some fine adjustability for your latitude. I was able to use a cheap telescope tripod for the base, saving my photographic tripod for other uses (perhaps using it at the same time).
TIP #7: Once you know how to get decent exposures with your Polarie set-up you will want to learn about stacking images in software. You can get superb results by "stacking" multiple exposures of the same star field using software like DeepSkyStacker, RegiStax, RegiStar, etc. Some are free and some are commercial products. You can effectively turn a stack of short exposures into an image that looks like it was taken with a longer exposure (with reduced noise and cumulative detail). It is amazing what can be done with such modest equipment by the amateur astrophotographer today.
I should also note that the Polarie has a dial on top that has different tracking speeds for the stars, the sun and moon. You don't need the Polarie to take images of the sun or the moon (since exposure times are brief and require no tracking), BUT these are handy settings if you want to set up your camera intervalometer to take images over an extended period of time. You could let it run for hours snapping images of the sun as the Polarie tracks it across the sky while you do other things.
Looking at the current reviews for this product, I see that one fellow gave it "1 star" because he thought he had to buy a bunch of additional equipment in order to "make it work". He clearly didn't understand some of the basic principles of astronomy or astrophotography. Or perhaps he felt by looking at the other Vixen accessories (like the Polar Alignment Scope or the Polar Meter that he HAD to buy these things). Hopefully this review will help you to see that (while you might want to purchase those things) they are not absolutely necessary.
The one thing you WILL need is (a tripod *obviously*) and your choice of ball head to go between your camera and the Vixen Polarie. (This is necessary if you want to have the ability to point your camera in any direction once it is mounted on the polar-aligned Polarie.) Obviously, the better the ball head you use, the more weight it can support (etc.) For myself, I did purchase a very good one, the Arca-Swiss p0 monoball. I liked it for it's weight capacity and the fact that I could manipulate it even when wearing gloves. Particularly if your camera/lens combination weighs less you could certainly start with a much more modest (and inexpensive) ball head than I did, but the choice is yours.
I highly recommend the Vixen Polarie unit. Like any tool, you may find that the longer you use it the more adept you become at taking advantage of what it can do, but what it can do is a LOT.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2015
There is nothing that feels cheap about the Vixen Polarie. It is a solid little unit. As you've probably seen, it can run on two AA batteries or AC power. TIP #1: Don't buy the "official" Vixen AC power supply. Purchase a charger like is used for phones or tablets that has a USB port. It must output 4 to 5.25 Volts. Then purchase a USB to USB mini B cable. The USB side goes in the charger and the mini-B side goes in the polarie. The charger gets plugged into an extension cord. TIP #2 If you are away from home, but have a car or car battery, you can get an AC adapter that plugs into your cigarette lighter and converts 12V to AC.
The unit must be polar aligned. (This would be true of ANY of the options I was considering earlier like the iOptron or AstroTrac units). The Polarie gives you a small viewfinder for "rough" polar alignment (to get you in the neighborhood). TIP #3 If you live in an area where you can't see Polaris or you want to polar align in daytime (to take images of sunspots for instance) there are apps that you can run on your phone that help you polar align. You can download such an app and hold the phone flat against the back of the Polarie to perform your alignment on the pole. TIP #4 The more precise your polar alignment, the longer your tracking time capability will be. The longer the focal length of your lens, the more important polar alignment becomes. (Since you are magnifying the scene, errors are also magnified). But the flip side of that is the shorter your focal length, the more forgiving the set-up will be. If you are wanting to get big wide Milky Way shots, for instance, worrying about super precise polar alignment might be overkill. (But good polar alignment is never a mistake.) There is an optional polar alignment tool sold by Vixen which you might want (I'll suggest a couple of tips that might make that unnecessary for you). The camera mount must be taken off the Polarie to install the Vixen polar scope. Once aligned, it must be removed, and the camera mount put back on. You should only need to do this once, at the start of your session, assuming you don't kick the tripod or otherwise knock it out of polar alignment as the night progresses (which is easy to do). There is also the possible problem of sagging, depending upon how solid your set-up is (tripod, tripod head, etc). If you camera/lens/ballhead is heavy the whole thing might sag a bit after your "precise" polar alignment, meaning it is not so precise any more. This may not be an issue for you unless you are putting heavy camera & lenses on it but I mention it as an issue that you will want to be aware of.
The image (below) of Comet Lovejoy, taken in Jan. 18, 2015, had the roughest polar alignment you can imagine. I set the Polarie's angle at my latitude (My town is latitude 40.86 N) and only visually lined-up on Polaris. I took a 2 minute exposure and saw my stars looked like little dashes, so I pivoted the whole tripod very slightly and took another 2 minute exposure. I was able to "dial in" on a good alignment this way, using no scope whatsoever. It would definitely be faster to do a real polar alignment, and there are two possible ways you can do this:
TIP #5: The Polarie has a handy "shoe" in the top, like a 35mm camera. Scavenge the bottom off an old flash unit or get a metal one on eBay. Now you can fashion a way to attach a laser pointer or a more traditional polar alignment scope (Google "Celestron Polar Axis Alignment Scope") to see what I mean. I'm in the process of doing this now, using a PVC tube to serve as a set of "tube rings" for the Polar Axis Aligment Scope. This may all be overkill, and a laser pointer or a Red Dot Sight mounted in the shoe might be good enough for you and the focal length lens you are using.
TIP #6: If you look at my setup photo below, you might get some other ideas that you want to adopt. I think the "wedge" is a particularly good idea. It eliminates the need for a head on your tripod, yet gives you some fine adjustability for your latitude. I was able to use a cheap telescope tripod for the base, saving my photographic tripod for other uses (perhaps using it at the same time).
TIP #7: Once you know how to get decent exposures with your Polarie set-up you will want to learn about stacking images in software. You can get superb results by "stacking" multiple exposures of the same star field using software like DeepSkyStacker, RegiStax, RegiStar, etc. Some are free and some are commercial products. You can effectively turn a stack of short exposures into an image that looks like it was taken with a longer exposure (with reduced noise and cumulative detail). It is amazing what can be done with such modest equipment by the amateur astrophotographer today.
I should also note that the Polarie has a dial on top that has different tracking speeds for the stars, the sun and moon. You don't need the Polarie to take images of the sun or the moon (since exposure times are brief and require no tracking), BUT these are handy settings if you want to set up your camera intervalometer to take images over an extended period of time. You could let it run for hours snapping images of the sun as the Polarie tracks it across the sky while you do other things.
Looking at the current reviews for this product, I see that one fellow gave it "1 star" because he thought he had to buy a bunch of additional equipment in order to "make it work". He clearly didn't understand some of the basic principles of astronomy or astrophotography. Or perhaps he felt by looking at the other Vixen accessories (like the Polar Alignment Scope or the Polar Meter that he HAD to buy these things). Hopefully this review will help you to see that (while you might want to purchase those things) they are not absolutely necessary.
The one thing you WILL need is (a tripod *obviously*) and your choice of ball head to go between your camera and the Vixen Polarie. (This is necessary if you want to have the ability to point your camera in any direction once it is mounted on the polar-aligned Polarie.) Obviously, the better the ball head you use, the more weight it can support (etc.) For myself, I did purchase a very good one, the Arca-Swiss p0 monoball. I liked it for it's weight capacity and the fact that I could manipulate it even when wearing gloves. Particularly if your camera/lens combination weighs less you could certainly start with a much more modest (and inexpensive) ball head than I did, but the choice is yours.
I highly recommend the Vixen Polarie unit. Like any tool, you may find that the longer you use it the more adept you become at taking advantage of what it can do, but what it can do is a LOT.
Here's a couple of tips I've learned so far:
1) The weight limit of the Polarie is actually 7 lbs. as stated in the Amazon listing. Most other sources list the weight limit as 4.4 lbs. I checked the Polarie web site and that also says 7 lbs. To be sure I contacted Vixen customer support and they verified that the weight limit is 7 lbs.
2) Make sure you use a really solid tripod with a good head. Once you align the Polarie and attach the camera you don't want the tripod head moving AT ALL or you'll ruin your alignment.
3) Make sure you have (or buy) both a second ball head and a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter. I bought the Manfrotto 088LBP adapter which works just fine. The second ball head mounts on the Polarie and is used to carry the camera.
4) As stated in other reviews the optional polar scope can be a challenge to master. It's actually pretty simple to use but the instructions are less than clear. Read the manual a couple of times and check Vixen's web site for a link to a blog that explains, in different terms, how to perform the setup. In a nutshell you have to determine your time zone offset and dial that in on the inner ring which is also the date ring. The hash mark you're lining it up to is actually on the barrel of the scope right above the ring. Then align the date ring to the time ring, insert the scope into the Polarie and rotate it until the bubble level shows level. Another thing that tripped me up at first was the 4 stars etched on the scope view. Was I supposed to match these to stars near Polaris? Turns out (and it's in the manual) that these are only used when the Polarie is being used in the southern hemisphere.
Top reviews from other countries
However.....if I had thought this through more, I may not have bought it but I have worked around the one issue I found. When the Polarie sight hole is lined up with the north star, you have to look through it from underneath which means that your tripod either has to be really REALLY tall, or you have to crouch down in an awkward position with your head tilted back to see through the site. then you have to get up without bumping the tripod which would knock it out of alignment. The first couple of times I tried to use it really did not go well and I considered returning it.
But I really like the features and quality so I looked for solutions. My solution was to get a right angle viewfinder which allows me to look through the sight hold from above . It is not ideal and takes a bit to line up the viewfinder on the sight hole but better than crouching beneath my tripod. I don't understand how anyone is using this without a right angle viewfinder.....? Regardless, simply on quality and featues this item deserves 5 stars.
Here is a link to the right angle viewfinder, conveniently sold on Amazon :)
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0187AAYUK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1