Skywatcher AZ-GTI GOTO Mount Review

My Review on the Skywatcher AZ-GTI GOTO Telescope Mount

Price as of 2023: £249

The Skywatcher AZ-GTI was the first GOTO tracking mount I purchased on my Astrophotography Journey. Here is my review of it.

Pros	Cons
Affordable	Limited Payload of 5kg
Lightweight & Portable	Some AZ-GTI's perform better than others
Easy to connect and use	Requires additional accessories for EQ Mode

The AZ-GTI mount is originally designed for Visual astronomy. However, if used correctly, it can make a fantastic entry level star tracker!

Synscan App

There is no physical controller to control the AZ-GTI, you need to install the Synscan app. This app is available on Android, iOS & Windows. The Synscan app is essentially the brain of the mount.

Star Aligning the mount to the night sky.

Not to be mistaken for Polar Alignment, Star alignment essentially tells your mount where it is positioned. Although it can be tedious if you are not familiar with the night sky, it becomes easier over time. I would recommend reading up on the stars and constellations around you. First set your location, then perform star alignment. There are different options of Star alignment, I found the North Level Alignment the most accurate and easiest option. More details on alignment can be found on the Synscan Manual here.

Photographing in Alt-Az

Before using the AZ-GTI mount, I was capturing the night sky using a fix tripod and DSLR camera (Untracked Astrophotography). The AZ-GTI was a gamechanger. I was able to accurately track my chosen target. The mount tracks in Alt-Az. (Altitude & Azimuth) this means the mount tracks the target without taking the earths rotation into account. Because of this, your target will rotate as it travels across the night sky. This is known as field rotation. You are therefore limited to exposures of around 5-15 seconds. (Depending on your focal length and what part of the sky you are shooting from).

M51 Captured using DSLR and AZ-GTI Alt Az Tracked

Alt-Az Astrophotography is considerably better than untracked astrophotography, but it does limit you. The benefit of Alt-Az is that you do not need to polar align. I continued to use the AZ-GTI mount in Alt-Az and managed to image the Whirlpool galaxy & Pinwheel Galaxy.

Unlocking the AZ-GTI's full potential

Now this is where it gets interesting. The AZ-GTI is capable of tracking the night sky and taking field rotation into account. In order to do this, we need to position the mount so it is facing the north celestial pole. I needed additional accessories and had to install the EQ Mode firmware. The accessories I needed were a Polar Wedge and counterweight bar and weight.

North America Nebula taken with a stock DSLR, Camera Lens & AZ-GTI in EQ Mode

Skywatcher sell an individual polar wedge for around £65, or you can get a more heavy duty one like the William Optics. The wedge allows you to set your latitude and tilt the mount so it can point towards the North celestial pole. The counterweight helps to balance your setup and improve tracking accuracy. With the firmware installed on the AZ-GTI, I can now set the Synscan app to EQ Mode and perform a polar alignment within the app.

The results...

Skywatcher AZ-GTI Polar aligned In EQ Mode

Now I am pointing at the North celestial pole, I can take longer exposures. The AZ-GTI is capable of taking around 30-60 second exposures before tracking errors kick in. (This can vary depending on each mount. Some users within the community have been able to take longer exposures without the need to auto guide) If you choose to add auto guiding into the mix, then you can take exposures of around 2-3 minutes! Autoguiding would require you to connect the mount to a PC using the Synscan app for windows or an EQ Mod Cable.

M33 Galaxy Unguided 30 second exposures. (Total exposure time 1 hour)

I was able to take exposures of around 2 minutes autoguiding and 30 seconds unguided. You can still capture great images unguided. But the true potential of the AZ-GTI is truly unlocked by using auto guiding.

Should you buy the AZ-GTI? If you are looking for your first Star tracker mount and have either a DSLR & Lens setup or a small lightweight Telescope, then yes, it is a great mount to get started with. You may need to upgrade in the future, especially if you want to start increasing your payload. (Such as purchasing a larger telescope) However the AZ-GTI can still remain part of your Astro collection. Either as a portable travel mount or a visual astronomy mount.

The Leo Triplet 4 Hour Exposure. (120 second each guided exposures)

I hope you found this review helpful. Please also check out my Tutorial pages and other reviews.

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