I have a canon 6D OG, which did a decent job in the 2024 eclipse, coupled with the 11lb skywatcher 2i tracker (i guess 11lb isnt the actual weight, maybe 5lbs unsure) + a 17" 65 watt laptop and a zoom cheap lens (https://www.amazon.c...sk_ql_qh_dp_hza) and eclipse orchestrator script, i also had a power bank to power everything.
For this last eclipse i was using an older (20 years or more) sony aluminum tripod that worked well, but isnt portable.
Recently been testing this tripod but i feel like with the ball its not super stable (national geographic)
https://www.amazon.c...e?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I think the ball cuts the weight in half, so if its rated at 20, its really 10lbs and my current setup is around 15 lbs
I was also going to try this $100ish tripod (carbon fiber), looks more solid:
https://www.amazon.c...e?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was trying to plan ahead for a flight in 2026 possibly, trying to minimize things. I'm not super skilled in the DSLR realm, so using the orchestrator script made things pretty easy.
I guess in theory i could take a 100 watt hour power bank (limit) (carry on) + the laptop (maybe carry on or has to be) + the 11-13lb? case with the skywatcher (checked luggage) + camera bag (i guess checked luggage though that would make me nervous).
What do others do for going abroad. I think i've seen some setups that are just two cameras and doing "bracketing"/intervalometer but i'd rather be able to script things since im not super skilled/experienced with the dslr and eclipses.. or maybe there is a more portable way to script
I dont know that there is an eq tracker lighter than 11lbs either (or 6lbs my number was wrong i think)?
I suppose to reduce weight i could just get the skywatcher mini (forget why i went with the 2i, i think to get extra weight capacity or setting modes without the phone), i think this might drop 2-4 lbs (not sure it really saves much).
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Edited by markm75c, 23 April 2024 - 11:15 AM.