The Move Shoot Move Nomad star tracker

 The MSM Nomad: The Star Tracker that's a pocket-sized time machine

If you’ve ever stood on a windy cliff in South Devon, staring at your camera and muttering “Why do my stars look like they’re trying to escape the frame?”, the Move Shoot Move Nomad might just be your new best mate. It is certainly becoming mine. 

This little tracker is basically the astrophotography equivalent of a very polite but determinedly helpful butler or PA:“Don’t worry, sir, I’ll rotate the Earth for you. You just press the shutter and then step back.”

It’s tiny, it’s light, and it’s surprisingly capable - like a proper equatorial mount got shrunk in the wash but came out still fully functional.

Sounds unbelieveable? Well, let’s dive in and take a look. to be transparent - I have had the MSM Nomad tracker for around six weeks now; and no I'm not being paid or sponsored in any way at all. 

First night out with the MSM Nomad star tracker.              

This is at Wembury Point on the South Devon coast. A tracked, stacked and blended photography comprising a tracked and stacked sky shot and then a separate foreground landscape selfie with a little light painting and illumination 

Are the stars pinpoint? No not quite. Is this the fault of the tracker? No! Its my failing eyesight - even when using live view x 10. And, its also the silly design opf the Samyang 14mm lens with its stupid petal surround that prevents secure use of a bahtinov mask. 

What is the MSM Nomad?

The Move Shoot Move Nomad is a compact star tracker designed for nightscape photographers who want longer exposures without lugging around a heavier mount like the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. Its particulary good, as I have been finding out, for milky way landscape photography. 

It weighs around 400–450g, supports roughly 3.2kg, and seems happiest with wide-angle to short telephoto lenses (14–50mm). Powered by an internal battery - USB‑C charging - it has a run time around 5 hours, uses a laser for polar alignment, and is built for travel, hiking, and those “I don’t want to carry a SkyWatcher across Dartmoor” situations.

Is it the Swiss Army Knife of star trackers?  

Well, it’s not the biggest, probably not the strongest, not the most versatile in one sense because it can't do some of what my skywatcher star tracker does - but it is incredibly handy, portable and always there when you need it -especially for milky way landscape astrophotography. 

St. Michael's Chapel on Rame Head in SE Cornwall

Tracked and stacked sky; separate foreground

Canon 800D astromodded with Samyang 14mm on the MSM Nomad and William optics equatorial wedge. Benbro Mach 3 CF tripod. 

Stacked in Sequator; edited firstly in SIRIL and then finished in Affinity Photo 1

So, what can it be used for?

Milky Way Photography

This is where the Nomad shines. Expect 1–4 minute exposures with crisp stars and dramatically cleaner files. This seems to be the Nomad’s sweet spot. Photographers reviews routinely report achieving 120–240 second exposures with crisp stars, even on full‑frame bodies and f/2.8 lenses - and I can confirm after a few months using it - 3 to 4 minutes is achieveable with good laser polar aligning. 

To me, from my limited experiences with it thus far, the tracker seems perfect for:

• Milky Way arches
• Tracked sky + untracked foreground blends
• Reducing ISO from “grainy soup” to “actually quite lovely”

Travel, hiking and a little more ...... 

If you’ve ever tried stuffing a Star Adventurer into a backpack, you’ll appreciate the Nomad’s “I’ll just slip into this side pocket, cheers” attitude. It really, really is lightweight and compact. However, add in a ball head and a base swiss-arc plate on the bottom and it starts to bulk up a little. 

Laser alignment means you don’t have to squint through a polar scope - something I have always found rather 'back breaking' on my my other two trackers.  A polarscope with mount iis an optional extra set up from MSM and this is where I start to have reservations. With the SWSA2i and my ipton skytracker - you get everything you need. With MSM - its the tracker base unit and then you have to start paying for the extras - the wedge; then the laser pen; don't forget the polarscope and its holder; oh and the phone holder; and should you desire some heavier lenses - then the counterweight system. 

It is endless! And it all adds up to a hefty price tag. 

Another tracked, stacked blend of separate sky and foreground images shot on the same night at the same locaiton using same equipment as previous photograph

Strengths & Weaknesses

Based on my experiences thus far (and you can read about these in future posts) -

Strengths

• Ridiculously portable - perfect for travel, hiking, and spontaneous Milky Way sessions.
• Laser alignment - fast, intuitive, and brilliant for beginners. From arrival at location to shooting images takes me around five to eight minutes max; and the laser alignment removes the steep learning curve of traditional polar scopes. 
• Great for wide-angle Milky Way - consistently sharp stars at long exposures.
• Short Telephoto Deep-Sky Attempts can be done with the counterweight system - dabble in 85–135mm deep-sky shots, but remember the Nomad is not a full-blown astrophotography mount. It’s more “dabble politely” than “go full nebula hunter”. 
• Affordable compared to bigger mounts - if you restrict ytour spending on accessories and just go with the basics - the tracker and the laser pen. 
• Plenty of free 3d printer plan downloads for phone holders etc - you can use various apps to actually polar align accurately - when for example you have a restricted viewing of Polaris and so can't sight on it. You can also get 3d free download printer plans for the polarscope holoder as well. 

Weaknesses

• Low payload capacity - heavy cameras or long lens are a no-no - although to be fair I haven't tried the otional counterweight kit
• Not for serious deep-sky - no autoguiding, and I suspect, only limited torque.
• Laser restrictions - some locations frown upon lasers; polar scope is extra, as is a smartphone holder – as I mentioned above - you can use a polar alignment app – so there is versatility
• Battery life ~5 hours -  fine for a session, but bring a power bank for all-nighters.
• Panoramas can be tricky - rotation geometry isn’t ideal for multi-panel Milky Way mosaics.

Verdict

Reviewers say the MSM Nomad is one of the best ultra-portable star trackers for nightscape photographers, especially those who hike, travel, or simply don’t want to carry a mount that weighs more than their enthusiasm; and I concur with most of this.

It is also a relatively budget‑friendly entry point for photographers who want to improve their night sky images without investing in heavier, more expensive mounts.

I am amazed at how many really professional phtographers on social media use one and get astonishing images. It has a beginner friendly design – helping new astrophotographers get better milky way images, longer exposures and cleaner files, much more quickly than perhaps with other star trackers.  

It’s not a deep-sky rig, but for wide-angle astrophotography, it’s a joy - simple, reliable, and capable. So, if your shooting style involves wandering across the South West coastline at silly o’clock, like me, then the Nomad fits right in. 

Now, I have tried to put a summary table together – but don’t hold me to complete reliability for some of the statistics – hope it helps though in working out where the MSM Nomad sort of sits in the world of trackers:

 

Comparison Table (Now Including the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i)

Wide‑Angle & Lightweight Star Tracker Comparison (2026)

Feature / Reviewer Insight	MSM Nomad	SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)	iOptron SkyTracker Pro	SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i
Weight	0.45 kg — ultra‑light, pocketable	0.65 kg — portable	1.1 kg — heavier	1.3 kg — significantly heavier
Payload Capacity	3.2 kg	3 kg	3 kg	5 kg — best in class
Best Focal Length Range	14–50mm	14–85mm (can push to 135mm)	14–85mm	14–200mm+ — proper telephoto capability
Polar Alignment	Laser alignment (fast, intuitive)	Polar scope	Polar scope	Excellent polar scope + wedge
Ease of Use	Beginner‑friendly	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate–Advanced (more parts)
Battery Life	~5 hours (USB‑C)	~24 hours (AA)	~24 hours	~24 hours (AA)
Deep‑Sky Suitability	Low	Medium	Medium	High — can handle small refractors
Portability	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor–Moderate (heavier, bulkier)
Reliability (2026)	Much improved	Very reliable	Very reliable	Very reliable
Price	£170–£220	£250–£300	£250–£300	£330–£380
Best For	Travellers, hikers, beginners, nightscape shooters	Beginners wanting more capability	Users wanting stability + portability	Serious nightscape + entry‑level deep‑sky
Worst For	Heavy setups, long lenses	Heavy setups, long lenses	Ultralight travel	Backpackers, travellers, minimalists

 

Postscript update

I have now used the Nomad for a total of 15 nights out under the stars. 

I LOVE it! 

It is a Ronseal tracker - "does exactly what it says on the tin".

So portable and easy to set up and there are some quick fixes you can do to speed up this process further:

• On my tripod I have a circular, rotating swiss arc clamp - into which I clamp a William Optics Equatorial Wedge. This give the whole outfit great stability. More importantly, it also allows me to quickly rotate the wedge to line up with Polaris - no twiddling knobs here to rotate the wedge - its is done instantly. 
• The tracker is attached to a slightly longer swiss-arc plate which fits better into the Williams optics wedge and allows me to keep the centre of gravity of the entire rig directly over the central column of my tripod - so better stability. 
• On the tracker itself, I have an Alyn Wallace 'Z' bracket which gives me all sorts of flexibility and positioning. On top of this is my ball head. The bracketr helps with panoramas line up.

I have yet to find any difficulty positioning the camera in any angle of viewpoint I want - it is dead easy to keep the weight of the camera and lens over the centre of gravity of the tracker. This gives more accurate tracking and sharper stars. 

The tracker with 'Z' bracket and ball head stays assembled in its own little purpose made bag. 

On arrival at site - set up tripod and level it; attach equatorial wedge and rotate it to align with Polaris. Slip the tracker onto the wedge, do laser alignment with Polaris. Attach camnera - check alignment once more. Orientate camera to shooting position and bumph - first test shots in the bag. 

Fast time I have done this in? Six miniutes from unzipping my camera bag! Seriously!  Game changer! 

Over the next few weeks I will share some of my recent trip details and also the images I have taken along with a revised workflow for processing my milky way images. 

For now, take care out there, stay safe, and as always, don't forget to look up! 

Steve 

#plymouthastroboy