Polar Alignment – Mounted to the polar scope arm is a QHYCCD Polemaster camera. It uses the QHYCCD Universal Adapter to hold it in place. The Polemaster camera plugs directly into my laptop computer’s USB connection where I run the Polemaster software to get polar alignment in just a few minutes. I have pretty much given up on optical polar alignment scopes as they are so awkward and difficult to use. I also feel I get a much more accurate and reliable alignment with the Polemaster.

Mounting Heads – Attached to the tracker is a Really Right Stuff BH-40 ball head. I previously used an Arca-Swiss Z1. However, I transitioned to the BH-40 due to its lighter weight and shorter profile, which helps lower the center of gravity of the camera, lens, and gimbal . Like the Z1, the BH-40 locks up tightly without any creep under load. On top of the ball-head is a Wimberley WH-200 gimbal head that adapts to the ball-head arca-swiss rails via a Really Right Stuff  TH-DVTL-40 round dovetail plate.

I have used both side and cradle mounts for the gimbal head. I generally prefer the cradle mount as it tends to keep the weight of the camera and lens assembly lower toward the Fornax Lightrack II drive point.

Camera – The camera I use is a Nikon Z7 II. It is an excellent performer for astrophotography with its high resolution, low noise sensor. Controlling the camera is a wireless Vello Shutterboss II. The Shutterboss II receiver is cold shoe mounted to the top of the camera with a cable connected to the camera’s accessory terminal. With the wireless remote I can program in whatever timing sequence I like and start the cycle without touching or walking near the camera.

Lenses – For most of my deep-sky astrophotography, I use the Nikon 600mm f/6.3. I have also found that the Nikon Z 1.4x TC works very well with this lens for an 840mm f/9 combination. Although 600mm is the maximum recommended focal length for the Fornax LighTrack II, I have found that the 600mm + TC combination still produces excellent performance. From a resolution standpoint, using focal lengths beyond this range with this setup is generally not beneficial, regardless of the mount. This is due to the limiting effects of atmospheric distortion, which typically limits usable resolution to around 1 to 2 arc-seconds per pixel. The Nikon Z7II has a 4.35 µm pixel pitch, resulting in approximately 1.5 arc-seconds per pixel resolution at 600mm. At 840mm the resolution is about 1.1 arc-seconds per pixel.

I have previously used both the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF and the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VRII. Compared to the newer 600mm f/6.3 PF, the performance of the 500mm f/5.6 PF is quite similar. I, however, now prefer the 600mm PF since it gives me a little more reach, works very well with the 1.4x teleconverter, and does not require an FTZ adapter for use with the Nikon Z7 II.

The Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR II is a fast and versatile lens, but it’s also quite large and heavy. In practice I have also often found 300mm to be a bit short for astrophotography, which meant I was almost always using it with teleconverters—either the Nikon TC-14E III for a 420mm f/4 or the TC-20E III for a 600mm f/5.6 combination. At this point the Nikon 600mm f/6.3 S definitely offers a far better solution as it is considerably smaller and lighter, optically superior, all while only giving up 1/3 stop of light compared to the 300mm f/2.8 + 2x TC.  Comparatively, the new Nikon 400mm f/4.5 S also offers a far better alternative to the 300mm f/2.8 with 1.4x TC. It too is a far lighter and optically superior solution. Because of these much better lens offerings,  I have since sold off my old 300mm f/2.8.

That’s it for the basic setup. All this (except the tripod) can be easily transported in a Pelican 1510 rolling case as shown below in figure 2. The case holds the Fornax tracker with wedge attached along with the gimbal and ball-head. The turquoise pouch holds the Vello Shutterboss II. I use the mesh pouches in the 1510 lid to store most everything else like the USB battery, cables, lights (headlamp with red LED and red-filtered flashlight), small tools, spare batteries, and a green laser pointer for locating star targets.