Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Photo Package Star Tracker Mount

Product Overview

The Star Adventurer 2i is a portable equatorial tracking mount built for photographers who want their exposures to follow the sky. The head weighs 2.69 lb with the ball head adapter fitted and carries an 11 lb payload, so a camera, a fast wide lens or a short refractor, and a ball head all sit within its rating. Tracking runs at sidereal, solar and lunar rates, and built-in Wi-Fi connects the mount to the free Star Adventurer Console app for iOS and Android.

This is the Photo Package configuration. It supplies the Star Adventurer 2i mount, the polar scope illuminator and the ball head adapter. The EQ base is available separately, and the camera, tripod and optical tube are not part of the package.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you already own a sturdy photo tripod and a DSLR or mirrorless body, and you want to move past the limits of untracked exposures — Milky Way frames that hold round stars at 30 seconds and beyond, wide-field deep-sky work with camera lenses, and tracked time-lapse sequences.

It also suits travellers and anyone observing from a location that requires carrying the whole rig. At 2.69 lb the head fits in a camera bag alongside the lenses, and the same tripod that carries your camera by day carries the tracker at night.

Key Features & Design

• Built-in Wi-Fi control: the 2i connects directly to a phone or tablet running the free Star Adventurer Console app for iOS and Android, so exposure programming happens on a screen rather than through a knob and a stopwatch.
• 11 lb payload capacity: 5 kg covers a full-frame body with a fast 135 mm or 200 mm lens, a ball head, and a guide camera, or a small refractor in place of the lens.
• Built-in polar scope: polar alignment happens through the mount itself, and the Photo Package includes the polar scope illuminator that makes the reticle readable in the dark.
• All-metal gearing: the drive train is metal throughout, which is what allows a mount this small to hold tracking accuracy under an 11 lb load.
• SNAP port for camera control: the 2i fires a DSLR through the auxiliary shutter release cable using its own programmable exposure settings. Once a sequence is started it repeats the programmed exposures until the cable is removed, so no separate intervalometer sits in the chain.
• Dual 3/8-inch thread panoramic plate: the base threads to a 3/8-inch tripod stud, and a 1/4-20-inch adapter is included for tripods with the smaller thread.
• Sidereal, solar and lunar rates: the same platform tracks stars, the Sun and the Moon, which matters for eclipse and transit sequences as much as for deep-sky work.
• 24 hours of continuous use on four AA batteries: or unlimited running time from a 5V mini-USB supply, which is the practical choice for all-night imaging runs from a power bank.

Optical / Mechanical Design

The declination assembly carries a specialised Vixen-style saddle plate. That single interface is what makes the mount flexible: a ball head bolted to the Vixen plate lets the camera be aimed anywhere in the sky while the right ascension axis keeps tracking, and the same plate accepts a Vixen-dovetailed optical tube when a lens is not enough reach.

Underneath, the tracking platform attaches to a tripod through a 3/8-inch thread socket, with the 1/4-20-inch adapter included for the smaller standard. The panoramic plate is dual 3/8-inch threaded, so the mounting interface is the same one photographic heads already use.

Weight is 2.69 lb (1220 g) with the ball head adapter fitted. Against an 11 lb payload rating that gives a payload-to-mass ratio unusual for a tracker this size, and it is the all-metal gear train rather than the mass that carries the load.

Recommended Uses

• Nightscape and Milky Way photography: tracked exposures at 14–35 mm hold stars round for minutes rather than seconds, which is where the noise floor drops away.
• Wide-field deep-sky imaging with camera lenses: 85 mm to 200 mm glass on a tracked platform reaches large emission nebulae and the broad Milky Way star fields.
• Small-refractor astrophotography: a short apo on a Vixen dovetail sits comfortably inside the 11 lb rating.
• Time-lapse of the night sky: the preprogrammed long-exposure modes and the SNAP port drive the camera through a sequence without an external timer.
• Solar and lunar sequences: the solar and lunar rates keep the disc centred through an eclipse or a long imaging run.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The Vixen-style saddle plate on the declination assembly is the attachment point for everything above the mount — a ball head, a tripod head, or a Vixen-dovetailed optical tube. The included ball head adapter is what bridges a photographic ball head onto that plate.

Below the mount, a 3/8-inch thread socket is the primary tripod interface and the supplied 1/4-20-inch adapter covers tripods built to the smaller standard, so most photographic tripods already in a kit bag will take it.

The 11 lb figure is the total above the saddle: body, lens, ball head and any guiding hardware together. A full-frame body with a 200 mm f/2.8 and a mid-size ball head lands well under that; a 300 mm f/2.8 does not. If you are unsure where your combination falls, send us the body, lens and head you plan to use and we will work out the loaded weight with you.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The Photo Package contents are the mount, the polar scope illuminator and the ball head adapter. Those three items define this configuration.
• The EQ base is optional and sold separately. Sky-Watcher lists it as an available option rather than part of this package.
• Camera, tripod and optical tube are not included. The mount supplies the tracking; the imaging chain and the support under it come from your own kit.
• Power is not included. The mount runs 24 hours on four AA cells, or indefinitely from a 5V mini-USB source such as a USB power bank.
• Payload is 11 lb (5 kg) total. That covers everything carried above the saddle plate, the ball head included.
• Sky-Watcher does not state whether the auxiliary shutter release cable ships in this package. The cable is camera-specific; send us your camera model and we will confirm which one you need before the order goes out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

The sequence is short: thread the mount to a tripod through the 3/8-inch socket, level it, sight Polaris through the built-in polar scope with the illuminator fitted, and set the tracking rate. The ball head adapter goes onto the Vixen saddle plate and the camera onto the ball head. Most of the learning is in the polar alignment, and the built-in polar scope is there precisely so that step does not need extra hardware.

What exactly comes in the Photo Package?

The Star Adventurer 2i mount, the polar scope illuminator, and the ball head adapter.

Can it carry a telescope rather than a camera lens?

Yes, within the 11 lb payload. The declination assembly's Vixen-style saddle plate accepts a Vixen dovetail directly, which is the standard fitting on small refractors.

How long will it run on batteries?

Four AA cells give 24 hours of continuous use. A 5V mini-USB supply removes the limit altogether.

Do I need a separate intervalometer?

No. The 2i has programmable shutter exposure settings and a SNAP port that triggers the camera through the auxiliary shutter release cable. Once a sequence starts, it continues shooting the programmed exposures until the cable is removed.

What tripod does it need?

Any photographic tripod with a 3/8-inch stud, or a 1/4-20-inch stud using the included adapter. Stability matters more than the thread — the tripod carries the mount, the camera and the lens together.

Bottom Line

A 2.69 lb tracking head with an 11 lb payload, a built-in polar scope, Wi-Fi control from a phone, and camera triggering built in. The Photo Package pairs the 2i with the polar scope illuminator and ball head adapter, which is the combination that gets a camera tracking on a tripod you already own.