The MSM Nomad: brilliant tracking, tiny body, big personality — and yes, I did lose one of the laser caps in the grass. Here’s what a full summer taught me.
MSM Nomad Star Tracker – A Summer Under the Stars
When I first reviewed the Move Shoot Move Nomad star
tracker, I’d only owned it for a couple of weeks. It was new, shiny, exciting,
exotic.
You can read about my first impressions here: https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-move-shoot-move-nomad-star-tracker.html
Now, after a full summer of Milky Way chasing across South
Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, I’ve gathered enough extra observations to reach
some valid conclusions about it.
“My first observations – the need for extra accessories
doesn’t half mount up the costs of the overall package.”
“And some of those recommended additional accessories can
complicate set up”
This update is the additional bit of the original story review: the frustrations, the
surprises, the joys, the workflow, the gear.
The Accessory Avalanche
Or: “how can a simple tracker become a Russian nesting
doll of extras?”
The Nomad itself is compact, clever, and capable. But the
accessories? They multiply like gremlins after midnight. And if you’re not
careful during set up routines - they can also scatter across your shoot site.
“Some of the small bits such as the various screw on
caps to the laser pen - are so easy to drop – and lose! Go on ask me how I
know – no don’t bother!”
The Optical Polar Scope
If you want to shoot with longer lenses - say the Samyang
135mm - you’ll need the polar scope, and probably the counterweight kit, and
then the phosphorescent cap for the polarscope (that glows somewhat radioactively - placed
over the front of the polar scope, it lights up the field allowing the reticle
to be seen in silhouette.) You also need a bracket to attach the polarscope
to the Nomad. I
Basically, it is a complete additional accessories kit. Another
add‑on to the basic price of the Nomad.
(As an aside - I have a polarscope from another small
tracker which might work; and access to a 3D printer – and I can find 3D free
plans for printing off the bracket; all I would need is the polar illuminator cap
thingy – I will let you know how it goes!)
The Smartphone Holder
A clever idea: use your phone for polar alignment when
Polaris is hiding or if you are in the southern hemisphere. There are some
really good YouTube videos which extol the value of using the smartphone
holder. It is an extra cost though. My son-in-law 3D printed one for me and it
fits perfectly but my Pixel 6A seems to think Polaris is some way off where the
laser ends up being.
The Laser Pen (and its disappearing caps)
The Nomad laser is brilliant… until you drop one of its
caps. Then it becomes a treasure hunt in the dark. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Compactness: A Blessing and a Curse
Small body, big personality
The Nomad’s tiny size is wonderful - until your ball head
knob starts jousting with the tracker body.
I found that various ball head and ‘Z’ plate knobs and
levers can get in the way of the nomad body and/or the laser pen sighting line.
It’s annoying!
The Alyn Wallace Z‑Plate
A game‑changer… mostly. It helps aim the camera toward the
pole or zenith more easily, but one of its knobs (the small rotation one) loves
to collide with the Nomad top.
And yes - the Z‑plate blocks the laser beam. So, I have to rotate
everything out of the way to do a polar alignment – accessories which actually
interfere with each other – mildly irritating! Finally, I have had to 3D print
some extended levers to ensure that the plate screws on the hinges are tightly
locked down.
MSM recommend you get one. But, I wonder whether or not it
is really necessary? Is there a stability issue with it? I do wonder about
that. Using longer lenses? Then yes, in conjunction with counterweight kit, I
can see it being helpful. With just short lenses? Um – jury out!
The Swiss‑Arc Plate Problem
The supplied plate is tiny more “Swiss‑arc canapé” than
“Swiss‑arc plate”. It didn’t raise the Nomad tracker up sufficiently on my
wedge. A larger plate solves many issues, especially stray knobs hitting the
Nomad’s top. It raises my Nomad clear of the wedge for a start and that helps
lift the ‘Z’- plate higher as well.
“The one supplied is too small and too shallow.” Just
an opinion – I can easily accept it may be a case of operator error.
The Power Switch Surprise
Handle your rucksack roughly and the Nomad may switch itself on. The upside? You discover it can run happily from a USB power bank.
Milky Way Landscapes: A Beginner’s Puzzle
I tried foreground + sky from the same tripod position - and
the universe said “nope”.
Post editing the two together seemed so complicated and
always ended in failure – with strange artifacts at the edgers of the sky photo.
I couldn’t quite work out how to do the foreground shot and then then tracked
shots immediately after.
Move a few metres from foreground location to shoot the sky
component? Suddenly everything works. Why? No idea. But it’s not the Nomad’s
fault - just one of those astrophotography mysteries, like why clouds appear
the moment I step outside. Again, I suspect it is operator error here.
Marketing: A Slightly Controversial Opinion?
After a season, I’m a bit disillusioned with MSM’s marketing? The website makes the Nomad look like a simple, low‑cost beginner tracker… until it then begins to subtly hint that you need a wedge, a Z‑plate, maybe a phone holder, maybe a polar scope, maybe a counterweight kit… and then it always seems to be discounted prices – which really aren’t …….. I come away feeling it is a slight con job! You buy the basic tracker and then discover the extras begin to build up. It isn’t quite the low-cost tracker you thought it was, or that was being hyped to you on the website and social media.
SkyWatcher sells a complete kit. MSM sells a menu – which
can be difficult to navigate for a beginner.
And now the Positives? Oh, There Are Many
This is where the Nomad shines
Ease of Setup
Once you’ve practised, it’s fast. Really fast. I can set up
– shoot – dissemble – move location and repeat – several times in one night.
Tracking Accuracy
Pinpoint stars. No grinding. No backlash. Up to 4‑minute
exposures? Easy. Just ensure that the Camera, Ball head, Z-plate – all sit at
the centre of gravity above the Nomad.
Battery Life
Several nights per charge. Laser battery lasts ages. Awesome.
Simplicity
It tracks. That’s it. No modes, no half‑speeds, no faff. No
extra switches. Bliss.
Portability
It’s tiny. It’s light. It’s a grab‑and‑go Milky Way machine.
Final Verdict
“Still brilliant - just buy it with eyes wide open”
The Nomad has transformed my Milky Way landscape
photography. I recommend it wholeheartedly - but with a healthy awareness of
the ‘accessory’ ecosystem.
Make sure you have a bigger rucksack than you think – for
all those accessories!
My Full Setup Workflow
Tripod & Mounting first:
- Benro
Mach 3 carbon fibre tripod
- Circular
rotating Swiss‑arc clamp on top
- William
Optics equatorial wedge on the rotating clamp
- Nomad
with upgraded Swiss‑arc plate on the wedge
Mounting the wedge on the rotating base means less knob
twiddling when polar aligning.
On the Nomad – secondly:
- Alyn
Wallace Z‑plate
- Ball
head on that; along with 3D printed longer handles
- Laser
pen attached
Setting up Workflow
Set up the tripod ensuring it is level and that you have
feet appropriate to the ground conditions. I weigh mine down with my camera bag
for added stability.
Attach the wedge to the rotational base and roughly align
with Polaris.
Attach the Nomad – I leave it set up with the Z-plate and
ball head left in place – but I always check that all locking nuts and levers
are tight.
Add the camera to the ball head and then rotate the camera
and Z- plate to one side to do the laser polar alignment… Polaris is not the
true centre of rotation… but a laser pen sighted onto it is good enough for
lenses up to around 80mm.
Return the Camera assembly to its home position and then
orientate the camera towards the target.
Other tips – I use a WiFi intervalometer and dummy battery for
my Canon, linked to a power bank.
Eric has a great pictorial blog post about how he sets up his Nomad - you can read it here: https://www.ericwilkesphotography.com/taking-photos/setting-up-the-msm-nomad-for-an-astro-shoot
Useful YouTube Setup Guides
