Wedge for precise polar alignment
- 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.
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
Wedge:
- Total height: 77.5 mm
- Base diameter: 58.8mm
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Net weight: 0.70 pounds (318.2 g)
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Maximum load: 11 lbs (5 kg)
- Arca Swiss Plate: Included
- Screw Hole on the bottom: 3/8 Screw Hole
GENERAL TECHNICAL DATA
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Color: Black
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Material: CNC-Milled Aluminum Alloy
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Tilting Adjustment: 0°-60°
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Compatibility: Any Rig with ARCA Swiss on the Bottom, for example, MSM Rotator, MSM NOMAD, Seestar S30, Seestar S50, Dwarf 2, Dwarf 3 and so on.
Panning Base
Diameter of the base: 60mm
Height:19mm
Weight: 13.5g
Scale markings:
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Each major gap represents 15°
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Each minor mark represents 2.5° (15° divided into 6 equal parts)
The adjustment knob of the panning base extends slightly below the base, so it may not be compatible with tripods that have a large, flat mounting surface, as the knob could come into contact with the tripod.
Description of Wedge
The MSM Wedge is designed for precise polar alignment, similar to a ballhead but with finer adjustment capabilities. It features four knobs and one handle, for multi-directional adjustments, allowing you to set your tracker or camera at various angles. On top of the Quick-Release Plate has a standard 1/4"-20 threaded screw so that you can attach anything with a 1/4"-20 threaded screw upon it.
How to set up NOMAD with MSM wedge:
How to use it?
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Knob A Lock or Unlock the Quick-Release Plate on the top
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Knob B & Handle:
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Knob B controls the altitude adjustment.
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The handle locks and unlocks the altitude adjustment when turned in the direction of Knob B or the opposite direction, respectively. Simply pull the handle out to adjust its direction and this action will not affect the locked or unlocked status.
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Knob C & Knob D adjust the azimuth for precise left and right movements in tiny increments.
- Knob E Factory screw for base connection only, no user function
Wedge + Panning Base. Why this combo?
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The panning base lets you rotate your gear freely in any direction without moving the tripod—perfect for quick setup, especially in unfamiliar locations.
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The wedge provides fine-tuned, precise adjustments, making polar alignment smoother and more accurate.
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Together, they simplify both coarse and fine alignment, saving you time and effort in the field.
How to use Panning Base with Wedge?
Customer Reviews
Great products combined together, my only issue was tightening them. They were a bit hard to get them tightened to stop any wobbles. I succeeded but they were a little harder to tighten than I expected (certainly not a show stopper!) They are definitely great products and deserving of 5-stars.
I’m very impressed with the quality of service and the products from move shoot move. I now own a number of their products and would certainly recommend them to anyone else, the nomad especially is a fantastic piece of equipment, great company all round.
Great for really dialing in precisely! Leveling base really helps… Great quality, don’t hesitate...
I use this wedge with my Seestar S50. The adjustments are smoother and more precise than the wedge I was using before. Polar alignment is much quicker with this one. The altitude adjuster makes small changes easy.
Wedge for precise polar alignment
This wedge is a good match for the Seestar S50. It’s sturdy, easy to adjust, and helps achieve more accurate alignment. Happy with the performance so far.
I was surprised by the size, smaller than I had imagined, but that's not a flaw, as the wedge is quite firm and gave more stability to my setup. The panorama screw seems a bit fragile compared to the others, but I'll check it better in the field. Now it's time to carry out field tests and check for better results.
Wedge for precise polar alignment
This is the perfect solution to the problem that I had which was an EQ mounting arrangement for my Seestar S30 "smart" telescope. It's very well made, with a precise "feel" to it's operation. I wish all my astro gear was built to these standards. No regrets, other than not finding it sooner.
I'm using this with a couple of different camera tripods, one attached to the usual head with a 1/4"-20 screw and the other directly connected to the top of the tripod with the 3/8 stud. The adapters I also ordered make this easy to do.
Before sharing my experience, here are my observed measurements:
MSW wedge net weight: 325g
MSW wedge with 1/4” to 3/8” adaptor: 327g
Panning base: 130g
MSM wedge with panning base: 457g
Making fine tilting and panning adjustments is essential when using the equatorial mode (EQ) for astrophotography. I have bought the MSW wedge with the panning base for setting up a smart telescope in EQ mode. Besides enabling tiny controlled movements using a screw-based mechanism, this package is light, compact, sturdy and reasonably priced. I have found it easy to use the MSM wedge with the panning base to quickly achieve polar alignment.
The panning base is not a must for using the MSM wedge but may be complementary. I have bought the panning base after a friend’s advice and I have not regretted. By considering the direction of force from the weight of the smart telescope, a screw-based mechanism may be more important for making fine tilting than fine panning adjustments. The panning base is not screw-based, but it enables both big (hence quick) and fine adjustments in the panning plane. Without the panning base, the MSM wedge can only make tiny controlled panning adjustments.
Although it has been suggested that the tripod should be horizontally levelled in EQ mode and the MSW wedge may not be used when the latitude is less than 30 degrees, I have successfully used the MSW wedge in Hong Kong (latitude is 22°08′ North to 22°35′ North) by deliberately and slightly shortening the tripod leg pointing towards the North.
If your tripod comes with a ball head that does not allow controlled tilting and panning movements, you may find the MSM wedge and panning base very useful for astrophotography in EQ mode.
