Is AVX a step down from HEQ5?

[jason32]

Hey guys,

I just bought the AVX mount and tripod mainly for photography and I paid £695. It hasnt been delivered yet but reading different forums people are saying HEQ5 is better? The price difference is only £50 but I like the more modern look of AVX and the fact that it could be controlled from a mobile phone.

Some people say they are the same but the general buzz is its more like CG5? The payload for heq5 is 16kg and avx 15kg so that shouldnt be a big deal?

Should I cancel and get the HEQ5?

Originally I thought I would get the 200pds but it would be too heavy to move around so I am now planning to go for either 150pds or 130. Or might even go with a smaller 80mm refractor.

Any suggestions guys?

[PeterCPC]

Can't comment on the HEQ5 but I have been delighted with the performance of my AVX.

Peter

[jimjam11]

Me too, and I cannot fault the performance of the avx with a 150p. It easily copes with 150p, st80 and ef 200 all mounted together. My biggest problem is flex induced by the plastic tripod collar for the 200mm. I like the aspa which makes alignment easy, and I am always skyfog limited with my setup.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[Tinker1947]

I would go for the HEQ5 as this is supported by EQMod a piece of software that makes viewing/imagine a real pleasure.....i don't know if this support extends to the AVX

[Owmuchonomy]

Looking at your original post I would suggest you carefully consider what it is you wish to photograph. The scopes you mention in your shopping list offer up different challenges and scenarios for photography. Once you have settled on your objectives for imaging, and thus your scope and capture set up, then decide what mount you need to deal with that.

[jason32]

EQmod is not that important at least at this time, I dont have a laptop, however, if there is a mobile app I'd certainly like to use that.

If the payload is similar then why is heq5 preferred?

[jason32]

Looking at your original post I would suggest you carefully consider what it is you wish to photograph. The scopes you mention in your shopping list offer up different challenges and scenarios for photography. Once you have settled on your objectives for imaging, and thus your scope and capture set up, then decide what mount you need to deal with that.

Yeah originally I thought I would go for etx125 but then decided it would be wastage of money because photography is my primary objective. Also I am considering one thing, if I buy a cheap nikon 70-300 lens and use it on my m43 camera with X2 crop factor that will give me a 600mm lens, could that be used instead of a telescope? camera lenses are always sharper.

[Owmuchonomy]

I think if you are considering astrophotography then I would steer you to the book 'Making every photon count' by Steve Richards. It is available from FLO, the sponsors of this site. In that way you will make a small investment before committing substantial funds to the hobby. If you buy a 300 mm lens and put it on a crop sensor you will still have a 300 mm lens but it will give you a smaller field of view than that of a full frame sensor. What is critical in this hobby is your arc second per pixel ratio and how you manage that with your set up and your local sky condition.

[MattJenko]

I have the HEQ5 and have seen a few AVXs in action as well. I had a similar decision to make between the two, although I didn't flip between the two as much as you are doing  . There is precious little between them in terms of end result I think. EQMod is indeed very nice, but it is by no means a showstopper in using NexRemote instead. I think you will be happy with either, as there really isn't much between them from what I can see. If I had to choose again, I would actually go for the AzEQ5, as the AltAz option seems a nice touch and it also fixes a few of the niggles with the original HEQ5.

[Gazabone]

I have an AVX and I then bought an NEQ6 (non GoTo). I seriously dislike the AVX, I cannot get it to hold an alignment for long but, ironically enough it seems to stay on a target longer than the 6 does. I've come very close to sticking the AVX in the loft but it's only got as far as my bedroom so far!

[Tinker1947]

I have an AVX and I then bought an NEQ6 (non GoTo). I seriously dislike the AVX, I cannot get it to hold an alignment for long but, ironically enough it seems to stay on a target longer than the 6 does. I've come very close to sticking the AVX in the loft but it's only got as far as my bedroom so far!

I would look to the power supply if its not doing as it should...

[orley]

EQmod is not that important at least at this time, I dont have a laptop, however, if there is a mobile app I'd certainly like to use that.

If the payload is similar then why is heq5 preferred?

Hi,

It may simply be that the HEQ5 has been around longer - relatively speaking the AVX is still a baby.

I have noticed a tendency on SGL for members recommend the HEQ5 by default - that always concerns me because I wonder how many of those members have actually used the HEQ5 they recommend, or if they have then have they used an AVX? Are they merely repeating the wisdom that has come before? Who knows? I never recommend anything I haven't tried for myself.

I've used both and liked both but in the end went for the AVX, partly because I preferred the Celestron software, partly because I liked the look of it better, partly because I had a lot of happy use out of the CG-5 I had before, partly because I just liked the idea of something newer. So far I've not had any reason to regret my decision.

To me the AVX is certainly not a step down from the HEQ5. No doubt some one will post about the superiority of this, that and the other, but in use I noticed very little difference - both tracked equally well, both carried the payload fine, no difference in setting up. I would say that to me the HEQ5 slews a little more quietly, but not enough to be a deal maker.

I suppose if you are that concerned about whether you've made the right purchase, see if you can test a HEQ5 - it's the only way you'll know for sure.

Regards,

Tom.

[brantuk]

I agree with Tom above. The AVX is more a step up from the CG5GT goto which I had. I also had the HEQ5. My only preference was for the Celestron software which had a larger database of objects and felt slightly more intuitive to use. Otherwise there isn't a lot to choose between them in terms of tracking and capacity - neither would be a mistake imho.

[jason32]

Thanks guys Ok I guess I should just keep the AVX and see how things go. I like its more modern look and the mobile connection would also help for a newbie like me. I live in Anglesey so sky is pretty dark here would still have to go about 15 miles from my place to use the telescope.

Now I still have to decide on the telescope and a power tank please suggest me something that I could use with my Panasonic G7, its a m43 camera with X2 factor. I am interested in DSO photography. I was thinking if I get a 75-300mm canon lens with X2 factor that will give me a focal length of 600mm max and would always be sharper than a telescope I guess. Should I go for that? It's cheap. But I'll certainly will do some planets and moon shots too so a telescope for that maybe 130pds?

[almcl]

Originally I thought I would get the 200pds but it would be too heavy to move around so I am now planning to go for either 150pds or 130.

Not sure I follow your thinking here?  The 200pds OTA is quoted as weighing 8.5kgs, which is about half the weight of the mount and tripod.  If you can move those two then surely the weight of the OTA, which gets carried out separately once the mount has been positioned, isn't going to be the deciding factor is it?  There may be other reasons or choosing the scopes you mention like which target, what camera, what f ratio &c but the weight of the OTA might not be the most important?

[jason32]

Not sure I follow your thinking here?  The 200pds OTA is quoted as weighing 8.5kgs, which is about half the weight of the mount and tripod.  If you can move those two then surely the weight of the OTA, which gets carried out separately once the mount has been positioned, isn't going to be the deciding factor is it?  There may be other reasons or choosing the scopes you mention like which target, what camera, what f ratio &c but the weight of the OTA might not be the most important?

I meant would 200pds at 8.4KG too heavy for AVX or HEQ5 mount for long exposures? 8.4kg plus camera plus adapters plus guidecam and cables...this would become around 11kg...and thats already out of the comfort zones of those mounts isnt it?

I placed my order for a 130pds...now lets see how it goes, hopefully I'll be able to post photos in January.