Shop by Price
Shop by Brand

Benro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro Edition

Benro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro Edition
  Zoom
Benro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro EditionBenro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro EditionBenro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro EditionBenro Polaris Electric Tripod Head WiFi Astro Edition
Price:  £1,199.00(Inc. 20% VAT)
+

Model:  POLARIS-ASTRO-WIFI
Brand:  Benro

Availability  

  

Generally In Stock, Please Confirm Before Ordering



2 Year Warranty On All New Items
(Excluding Batteries & Globes)



The World’s First Electric Tripod Head with Camera Interface Controller, Remote DSLR Preview & Configuration through WiFi - ASTRO EDITION

Note: The tripod stand, mobile phone and camera are not included.

Remote Shooting - From Anywhere
As the world's first electric tripod head with camera interface controller, the Benro Polaris enables remote precision - whether you're adjusting the composition of a photo - or programming the geared head and camera to capture a series of photographs to create a high resolution motion timelapse. The head also supports WiFi or Cellular connection (depending on which version you buy) - you can preview, review, and download files quickly and from anywhere.

Easily Capture the Best Moments
The intuitive app based pre-programming and electromotion system allows you to customize your own shooting schedule or routine. Simply frame the shot by adjusting your pitch and pan angles - then check and input your parameters like ISO, apeture, shutter and more. After that - let Polaris take care of your pro-level shooting without the need to even snap the shutter. Moreover, the Benro Polaris is so smart that it analyzes your shots and automatically dials in exposure values and sharpens details in your creations, saves you from the time consuming hassle of image retouching like focus stacking and time-lapse, etc.

Smooth and Precise
More than just a remote head, the Benro Polaris contains high-precision brushless motors that allow you to have control over micro adjustments to framing both vertically and horizontally. Even a novice can tune in the perfect composition by adjusting the head through the app or manually using the physical knobs. Make the fine details in your photos even finer and capture enrapturing videos without missing a degree of what you were trying to capture.

Also, the built in GPS & compass can easily determine celestial paths and adjust the camera angles for you to capture your perfect starry sky shot or hone in on a breathtaking timelapse of a stunning landscape during sunrise or sunset.

Strong, from inside out
Engineered to withstand the harsh elements outdoor shooting presents, the Benro Polaris is made with aluminum alloy that endures severe working environments. Having a bad weather day? With an IPX6 waterproof level, Polaris resists water and dust even when it comes as a splash, light rain, or a heavy storm - your inspiration is no longer limited. Polaris's weather resistance makes every event you want to capture possible.

Moreover, driven by a high-efficiency power supply system with low consumption, Polaris ensures you an outdoor shooting experience that is both concise and reliable; The unique power-saving design further prolongs Polaris's battery life for ultra-long outdoor shooting.

Star Tracking
The Benro Polaris makes setting up for starry sky shooting quick and easy. Normally, a long-exposure is needed to capture the brightness of stars, even on the clearest of nights. However, due to the rotation of the earth, the stars in pictures often show tailing or streaks. Before Polaris, the equatorial mount was typically used by photographers, knowing it could not rotate freely and severely limiting composition in hopes of getting a clearer image.

When capturing the night sky – Polaris uses the built-in GPS, compass, and astromaps to move the head precisely to prevent tailing or streaks. This feature will allow you to capture perfect shots of the Milky Way or your favorite constellations. Using the built-in features you can also adjust your shooting angle at will.

We know that most stars are very hard to spot with the naked eye, and even harder to spot when looking through a camera viewfinder. To help frame your shot - the Polaris app uses Astro maps, AI, and the sensors in your mobile phone to make framing a breeze. Just point your phone at the sky. Move it around to see every star your camera could capture. Once you see the shot – press the shutter button – your Benro Polaris will automatically rotate and begin capturing the area your phone was framing.

How does Polaris track stars?
NO TRADITIONAL POLAR ALIGNMENT NEEDED.
The Benro Polaris has a built-in GPS, an accelerometer, and an electric compass. By using these in concert Polaris can get its latitude, longitude, and orientation data. With this data, the processor inside Polaris can calculate the rotation of the polar axis. This means there is no need to do a polar axis calibration - which is a critical and time-consuming step when using traditional equatorial mounts.

CALCULATION AND AUTO TRACKING
In order to enable the Benro Polaris to trace stars, we designed more inside, not only just those sensors.

Even exposures as short as 20 seconds can cause the final image to be blurry due to a mix of the earth’s rotation and the magnification effect of the camera lens. Since the rotation angle of the earth in 20 seconds is relatively small - the electric compass and GPS aren’t able to necessarily determine the change. In order to properly trace the stars and prevent streaks - a high-precision hall angular sensor inside Polaris, together with a reduction gearbox structure, can reach an extreme control precision of up to 0.01˚ (36 arc seconds) - which is equal to the amount the earth rotates in 2.5 seconds. This means that we can capture the stars with a longer exposure, and can get the same result as you would get with a 2.5-second exposure. Your shots will be clear, sharp, and leave out the blurry star trails.

INCREASED TRACKING ACCURACY
After additional verification - the tracking accuracy of Polaris is able to be increased by four times. That is 0.0025 ° (9 arc seconds). This is achieved by increasing the deceleration ratio of the transmission structure.

We have added a visual correction function to Polaris. When you use Polaris for long exposure deep-sky shooting, the Benro Polaris will take a set of photos, each of which is a long exposure. After each photo is taken, Polaris will recognize the precise position of each star in the frame and correct for the movement/direction of the camera. This helps to avoid shooting for tens of minutes or having to continually reset positioning and restarting shots for hours. After the shooting is complete - Polaris will align and stack the photos captured to create an ultra-long exposure photo.

People / Pedestrians Remover
Every notable landmark seems to have one thing in common: tourists, and lots of them!

Removing tourists or any unwanted moving objects from a photo used to be incredibly slow and tedious work. With the Scene Retouching feature built into Polaris, all you have to do is to take several shots of the same scene, and Polaris will automatically remove tourists or unwanted objects from photos and finally generate a clean photo as if they were never there

Holy Grail
Being challenged to capture a landscape or subject with a day-to-night (or vice-versa) timelapse? Instead of sitting next to your camera all evening checking and adjusting exposure, and then carefully adjusting and tweaking exposure in a post-production studio for hours - use the built-in "Holy Grail" mode.

"Holy Grail" tackles this extremely technical and time-consuming scenario by automatically analyzing every photo and adjusting the exposure between every shot. Your camera can easily get perfectly exposed and smooth transitions without any manual work. Use Polaris to make your day-to-night timelapse standout!

Preview Your Shot Even Before You Take It
When shooting a sunrise or sunset, photographers need to choose the most suitable shooting location and angle for the best composition, but sometimes the search takes too long. In conjunction with the mobile app, Polaris can simulate the sun's movement, and you can compose the picture before the sun has risen or is close to being set. The composition is simulated by using the mobile phone’s accelerometer, camera, and AI. You only need to select where you want the Sun framed above the horizon and send it to Polaris. Polaris will take photos at the exact time the sun hits that desired angle.

Focus Stacking
Polaris uses your camera’s autofocus abilities to the max. The smart controller can take a set of photos with different focal points, and using the AI can synthesize these into photos without blur. This means that every photo will have perfect focus throughout the image, and you can get creative with it or choose your optimal focal point later.

Enhanced Exposure
Both RAW and HDR files are designed to preserve details, but these technologies sometimes fail to meet requirements during long exposures. the Benro Polaris will review each photo after an exposure is complete, and adjust the camera parameters if needed. If the photo is partially overexposed or underexposed – Polaris will shoot until every part of the image is properly exposed, synthesizing one perfect picture for you!

Multi Exposing & Auto Stacking
Let the camera automatically take multiple shots and then auto stack them to compose a bright and sharp night scene.

Timelapse Photography
Timelapse photography is one of the more eye-catching shots to integrate into a video, and they help immensely in storytelling. Polaris uses the smartphone app to make setting up the interval between shots, duration, and exposure easy. Polaris can even adjust the timelapse settings during capture to ensure that the timelapse comes out exactly as you hoped it would.

Dynamic Timelapse
Polaris allows you to bring even more creativity into your timelapse photography. Thanks to the built-in programming functions, everything about your camera is controllable. Use this expanded ability to record timelapse videos with dynamic changes in the direction of view and speed. At the same time – dial in your ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and even your focal length from anywhere.

During the capture of time-lapses, you can freely set the key frames of a timelapse video to highlight the subject by changing the ramping up or slowing down speed.

Polaris also has an exposure smoothing function. This avoids overexposed or underexposed scenes when shooting time-lapse videos in manual mode. This function also avoids jitters in the brightness of timelapse videos due to exposure changes over time.

Fully Automatic Panoramas
Before the Benro Polaris, you’d need to take multiple photos by continuously turning the camera manually, unload the SD card, and then import the photos into the computer to load onto a stitching program. When shooting a large number of photos for a high-resolution panorama, this can be a heavy and time-consuming task. Plus, you won’t know the outcome of the pano until running them through the program. With the help of Polaris, automatic panoramic shooting can be realized and reviewed in near real-time. After the automatic shooting is completed, the stitched pano can be checked through the app on your phone.

Customise Your Panorama
The Benro Polaris supports automatic multi-line panoramic photo shooting, you can choose the number of rows and columns of the photo - everything else is done automatically. This mode also supports enhanced exposure. Polaris can take multiple exposures of each section of the panorama to avoid under or overexposure in any section of the synthetic panorama.

Programmable Functions
The Benro Polaris is more than just an electric tripod head or camera controller. Taking these concepts to the next-level, Polaris takes the rotation capabilities of geared heads and combines them with AI and the ability to remotely control and program shooting parameters. What does this mean? It means that movements can be preprogrammed, camera settings can be tuned and dialed-in during rotation to get the perfect shot, and AI can change exposure while capturing a full-day motion timelapse to make sure nothing is blown out. This not only brings convenience, but it can reduce your workload while trying to capture the ideal shot. What used to be complicated shots are now made much simpler thanks to Polaris.

Within the app, we have worked to make setting up the exact shot you want to capture quick and hassle-free. We did this by introducing an easy-to-use graphic interface with adjustable controls. Through this interface, you can add custom control nodes. Each control node can individually set the parameters of the camera, the time interval between each shot, and the precise angle of the camera, or the rotation speed of the head. By making setup stress-free, we put no limits on where your inspiration can take you.

Remote App Control
With the Benro Polaris, there is no need to be near the camera all the time. You can shoot the sunrise and sunset while staying warm in your car , and you can sit on your sofa and capture images of the starry sky. There are two versions of Polaris. One version has integrated Wi-Fi remote control. The other adds cellular capabilities to extend your control distance to any place within network coverage.

The supported frequency bands of Polaris Cellular version:

FDD: B1/3/5/8 TDD: B34/38/39/41 WCDMA: B1/8 EVDO: BC0

Media Sync
Every photographer wants to see their creation the second that shooting is completed. With Polaris’s wireless connection and app, you can transfer files right to your phone for preview and inspection without a card reader and computer. You can even process and send these shots to your favorite social platforms.

No Need To Wait
The Benro Polaris can remotely send images after they’re captured – you’ll even get a notification after the shot is complete.

Convenient Shooting in Harsh Envirtenments
Since the Benro Polaris is mainly comprised of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, its ensured to work in even the harshest environments. Adding to this, Polaris has also rated to IPX6 water-resistant performance, allowing the head to work even in torrential downpours.

Be the first to Write a Review for this item!

Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.

The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.

Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services. 

Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.

If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.

Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!

We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.

 

The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs. 

We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this. 

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope.  We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. 

Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.

We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface. 

You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. 

Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us. 

All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html

Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.

For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.

 


Related Products
Baader Quick Release Plate for Astro & Nature Tripod

Baader Quick Release Plate for Astro & Nature Tripod£22.00

Allows quick changing of accessories such as Cameras, Spotting Scopes, Binoculars or small telescopes on the Astro & Nature tripod

Baader Astro & Nature Tripod

Baader Astro & Nature Tripod£202.00

Ideal for comfortable observation while standing (or sitting) and using binoculars and spotting scopes, suitable for a very impressive weight of up to 3 kg!
This tripod is designed to utilise extremely fluid and precise motion control and pointing of your equipment.

Skywatcher Star Adventurer 2i Wifi Photo Pack Head Only

Skywatcher Star Adventurer 2i Wifi Photo Pack Head Only£265.00

The exciting new Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i adds now adds WiFi functionality to the immensely popular Star Adventurer astro-imaging platform, whilst retaining all the important original features.