Phone Mount for Astrophotography Polar Alignment On NOMAD /MSM Trackers
- Free worldwide shipping above $99
HANDLE TIME
All orders will be scheduled for shipment in 1 to 3 business days, excluding holidays.
COUNTRIES
We ship worldwide.
WAREHOUSES
Currently, we have 4 warehouses.
🇺🇸 US warehouse, for our US users, parcel usually arrives in 1-7 days.
🇪🇺 EU warehouse, for most EU countries, parcel usually arrives in 1-7 days.
🇦🇺 AU warehouse, for our Australia and New Zealand users, parcel usually arrives around 1-7 days.
🇨🇳 CN warehouse, for all countries, parcel arrives in 4-7 or 8-20 days, please check below for details.
Hi friends,
The phone mount adapter for NOMAD, also called as 3-in-1 adapter, is finally open for preorder, it is estimated to be ready around 15th December 2023.
Please scroll down the page to check how to use it. Please feel free to contact us (support@moveshootmove.com) if you have any questions.
Move Shoot Move Team
December 2023
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi friends,
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 Stellarium 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.
How to do polar alignment with phones?
Please directly check the video guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ycn7IuChTIWYfyvZxAaVLttTkx5GaibM/view?usp=sharing
- Set up well your Rotator and camera.
- Mount the Phone Mount to the Rotator, your phone to the Phone Mount.
-
Open a planetarium app and go to its AR feature, look for North/South Pole(depends on the hemisphere you're in) with the app.
There you go, ready to shoot!
Phone Mount Adapter to Polar Scope
Thanks to Steven Barnes and Dylan O'Donnell, a new phone mount adapter has been developed to make polar alignment simpler and more efficient.This adapter allows you to securely attach a phone mount to a polar scope, enabling initial alignment through your phone, followed by precise adjustments using the polar scope.
Product Specifications:
-
Color: Black
-
Included Screws:
-
M4-8 screw × 1
-
M6-8 screw × 1
-
M2-6 Phillips Flat Head Screw × 4
-
-
Weight: 51.8 g
Key Features:
-
Stabilized Fit: The bottom of the polar scope end is trapezoid-shaped, ensuring stability and preventing slipping.
-
Anti-Loss Blocker: The phone mount end has a blocker to prevent accidental drops or loss.
How to Use the Phone Mount Adapter:
1. Attach to the Polar Scope: Position the adapter on the polar scope with the logo facing upward, then secure it with the top screw.
2. Insert the Phone Mount: Slide the MSM phone mount into the adapter from the top, and fasten it with the side screw to lock it in place.
3. Align and Fine-Tune: You’re now ready to perform your polar alignment! Start with basic alignment using the phone mount, then fine-tune using the polar scope.
Customer Reviews
I used to use a laser to align my MSM tracker to polaris but I would often have difficulty because of objects in the way such as trees or houses. With the phone mount, this issue goes away and worked flawlessly with my phone app to get my MSM tracker alignment just right. Photo take with MSM tracker, using Phone Mount for Astrophotography, 120 seconds, 1 photo (no stacking), Nikon Z8 with Nikon Z 14-24mm S-line
What a great product to assist me with my astrophotography, I will be using this on all the night sky photoshoots which I undertake.
Thanks, MSM
The MSM Polar Align device is useless for polar align forthe following reasons
1. The metal in the startracker throws the compass off and leads to incorrect alignment
2.With tightening screws on both sides the elignment is dependent on whic screw you tighten the most
3. In order to polar align the phone must sit at. either a 90 degree or 180 degree to the tracker. With a ball head the phone can be moved in any degree making it difficult to align to 90 or 180 degrees
An interesting idea but needs serious redesign
Bought the Nomad to supplement my existing MSM tracker but it’s great to use - much less complicated than the original and the increased weight limit allows me to use a variety of lenses comfortably-used with both Nikon d850 and the Nikon z8 - no trails when using only the laser to align up to 240 seconds!
I am very pleased with my MSM phone mount for my tracker. It is exactly what I needed in order to make my polar aligning much easier. The mount sets up quickly, is easy to use and is sturdy. Definitely is a handy device to have when using a star tracker.
For polar alignment you need only two positions 90 degrees or 180 degrees on the device. The ball mechanism complicates the process in that it becomes difficult to find these positions. Better device would either have stops at these positions or a hinge with stops at these points
Also wonder if batteries in the tracker interfere with the compas in the phone
Love the ease of use and polar alignment is super easy, even here in the southern hemisphere. For a tracker that fits in the palm of your hand, you can't beat the Nomad for travelling light. highly recommend this tracker!
Rewelacyjny uchwyt. Jakość wykonania na najwyższym poziomie. Sprawdza się idealnie. Co ciekawe za pomocą tego uchwytu można zamocować smartfon również na statywie. Idealny zakup.
Really pleased with the phone mount for my nomad tracker. I can’t always use the laser for polar alignment as there are trees in the garden that block my view. Thought I would give this a try and can say it works really well. Easy to attach and super easy to use with a phone app to polar align. Highly recommended for situations where you can’t use a laser or polar scope. Great work MSM team! 👍🏻
Excellent product, made rough polar alignment very easy.