Thanks to Mr.Steven who kept pushing us on this, also thanks to Stephen Dyer, he suggested this mount from last year.
Finally, it's ready!
If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, this phone mount is a must-have.
Please feel free to contact us anytime, any questions.
Cheers,
John
2020.08.01
Why do I need it?
Actually, there are many cases when laser pointers or polar scopes are not possible in field, so polar alignment with phone apps is quite convenient from this aspect and a phone mount is in need then.
Here are some common situations when you would like to use it:
in countries like Australia and Switzerland where laser pointers are mostly banned
when buildings, mountains, etc. blocking the sky ahead of you that you could not point to Polaris
in locations such as airports and observatories where laser pointers are not allowed
For polar alignment with phones, the Phone Mount is adjustable, easy to use, and light-weight, with the phone-holder part free to rotate.
free to rotate the phone-holder part
extendable grip enabling to adjust the phone-holder part for your phone size
soft padding to securely holds your device
fit for both 3/8"-16 and 1/4"-20 screws
Specifications:
Wide compatibility: 60mm-93mm, 2.36”-3.66”
Arca-Swiss compatible: Yes
Max load: 2kg
Item weight: 0.352lbs(0.16kg)
Material: aluminum alloy
How to mount it?
For NOMAD,
Please choose the option of phone mount + phone mount adapter, then you can use this phone mount on NOMAD.
This option is for preorder, it should be ready around 15th Dec.
1) Please remove the red cap on the backside of NOMAD first
2) Attach the phone mount adapter to the backside of NOMAD by the red cap
3) Slide the phone mount into the phone mount holder part and tighten it by the nylon screw
4) Attach your phone to the Phone mount holder, align the edges of phone to the edges of NOMAD
5) Use apps like Stealrium or Photopills to find the alignment target Polaris/ NCP Northern Hemisphere or SCP for the Southern Hemisphere.
6) Follow the arrow guide of the app then adjust the setup for polar alignment
For MSM tracker:
Please use the 3/8 screw coming with the tracker to attach the phone mount to the bubble level side.
I would love to review it but I have yet to use it. I will be going to Alaska soon, so when I return.
C
Cornelia O. (Starnberg, DE)
Polar Alignment - the easy way
With this alignment it is far easier to find the polar star on the night sky, and in case the use of a laser is questionable, that's the way to go for polar alignment
M
Mark Smith (Burlington, CA)
Great Value
This is a nice rigid phone mount. I have used it with my MSM rotator with great success. One downside was trying to find fasteners which would allow me to attach it to the rotator. What I found was acceptable but not good. MSM should either add them to the mount [which I would have paid extra for] or offer them as an optional addon.
B
Barry Wetherilt (London, GB)
Brilliant bracket
I thought I'd just add my technique for aligning as some people have problems getting the phone lined up with the MSM. First I mount the MSM on a tripod and make sure it is level (I use the side mount method and a leveller to make this easy). Then using a bubble level app I get the phone perpendicular to the MSM on the bracket. I then use the Daytime/No Polarscope Align function in PS Align Pro to align the MSM with the Pole star (Sth or Nth as appropriate). A great piece of kit!
E
Enrique Azcarate Ascasua (Donostia / San Sebastian, ES)
Sencillo, cómodo y practico.
Comocia el tracker MSM porque se lo había visto autilizar a un amigo que me lo recomendó. Realmente es el tracker que necesitaba cómodo y ligero para transportar y muy preciso. Lo he utilizado con opticas de hasta 85 mm y me ha sorprendido positivamente. Funciona juy bien.
B
Brien Richards (Auburn, US)
Great tool!
I was surprised at how easily I was able to install and use this tool. It is great and is really going to add to my MSM night photography shots. Allows for quick setup.
K
Kev Robertson Robertson (Bridgend, GB)
Phone Mount for Polar Alignment & Milkyway Photography
I love my new phone mount which I used with the Photopils app Night AR which makes polar alignment much easier
P
Pete Cochrane Cochrane (Penrith, GB)
Polar Alignment made easy.
I tried my bracket for polar alignment using my mobile phone for the first time, and what a brilliant idea it is. By fixing the bracket to the rotator, making sure the phone is secured squarely to the bracket and then using the Spot stars AR facility in the PhotoPills app, alignment with the polar star is easy. Thoroughly recommend this item and the other MSM products I have for Astrophotography.
J
Jose Serrano Garcia (Elche, ES)
Una gran ayuda
Este soporte me ha facilitado el camino para alinear mi star tracker ya que la zona por la que voy tiene un paso frecuente de aviones, de momento con objetivos angulares muy bien. Este mes probaré con un 50 mm.
Un saludo
R
Ramey (Berkeley, US)
Works well
I don’t do polar alignment in the orthodox manner. I use PS Align Pro’s “No Polarscope Alignment” feature. I put the iPhone in the holder with the top of the phone parallel to the back of the rotator and the face of the phone parallel to the top of the rotator. I lock down the mount’s ballhead. Now the phone is parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotator. I then align with PSAlign Pro. I haven’t gone beyond two minute exposures with a 24mm lens, but this method works well for that and there’s no stooping this way!!