Scotch Mount Adventures

[drlit]

Hi:

I am kind of new to the whole Scotch Mount Cult. I built one according to instructions I found online, but didn't like the way my heavy Canon Rebel DSLR made it off-balance on the tripod.

I found a site that explained that it could be mounted on a short piece of wood beam, cut with the angle of the local latitude. I am lucky to live at 44.17, so it was easy to make a 45 degree cut and sand it a bit to get close to 44.17. The beam centers the balance better, but also it is possible to set the Scotch Mount on a flat surface and line it up with the north star.

I also learned that the camera mount MUST be rock solid. Since making these simple adaptations I have begun to shoot some lovely wide angle sky photos.

Is anyone else on this forum skilled or experienced with Scotch Mounts (AKA Barndoor trackers)?

I'd love to find out what you're doing and how you are doing it.

DRLIT

[RickJ]

Mine no longer exist but I used a two hinge one in the 50's with good results. It was modified such that a 30's era wind up alarm clock turned the screw at the right rate. I had a guide scope and slow motions on it so took film shots using up to a 400 mm lens with good results. They take a lot of work to get to work but you learn a lot along the way that pays big dividends as you move up.

Rick