> Pentax Astrotracer
Astrotracer is a great way to take advantage of the Pentax DSLR camera in-body shake reduction mechanism. It is available since Pentax k5 and track celestial bodies by moving the sensor. Here is what is it ablout:
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/o-gps1/astrotracer.html
It is most suitable for low power panoramic astrophotography with focal lengths from 35mm to 135mm. Thus could be used with longer telephoto lens but it's calibration is a real challenge and it is hard to achieve good tracking result. For wide angle shots this tracking is boosting comma and distortion effects as sensor is going beyond the calculated filed of for the specific lens. Also it is mostly suitable for single shots. After the shot is taken, the sensor is getting back to it's original position and if you need to do a series of shots you need to readjust the camera position. The main advantage of this technology is that very compact and you could have it always with you. Sometimes the best shots are those we do not plan. Here are my examples:
35mm, 120s. Astrotacer On
35mm, 500s. Astrotacer Off
Below is a shot with a 500mm lens:
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