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That $2,500 tracking mount I bought on a whim was a complete waste of money

I got into astrophotography about a year ago and thought I needed a fancy tracking mount to take good pictures. I dropped $2,500 on a used one from some guy on Craigslist who said it was barely used. Turns out the gears were worn and it couldn't hold a steady lock for more than 30 seconds. All my photos came out blurry and I spent 3 weekends trying to fix it before I gave up and sold it for $800. Now I just use a simple tripod and take shorter exposures of the moon and planets. Has anyone else gotten burned by buying used gear from strangers?
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2 Comments
patricia_singh81
Bruh that sucks so bad, I feel for you. Getting scammed like that on used gear is the worst feeling, especially when you're all excited to try something new. I paid a guy $600 for a "mint condition" telephoto lens once and it had fungus inside I didn't notice until it was too late. The Craigslist hustle is real and some people are just shady. You honestly made the right call ditching the mount and just working with what you've got. Short moon shots can look amazing with a basic setup, way better than blurry mess from a broken tracker.
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the_joseph
the_joseph21h ago
800 bucks for a broken tracker is a brutal life lesson in used gear.
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