Neil27

Wow, stunning. Looks like it’s in 3D 👍

Thanks Dave, My thoughts exactly. Thanks for the advice, appreciated.

Hi thank you for the reply @Laurin Dave I was going to get an Atik horizon but after reviewing my choice and learning of the QHY 268c I think that will be my preferred option. So just to recap I don’t need a flattener just a reducer for my esprit 120 with the QHY 268c? Thsnks,

Curious to know, is a flattener and reducer required when using with an esprit 120mm. Just working out costs for my imaging train. Thanks,

Can’t beat a 4 inch refractor, great review @ScouseSpaceCadet 👍 Out of curiosity who did you purchase from?

Thanks for the advice Martin and Dave, camera is being mulled over and reconsidered. At least I got the mount and scope choice right 👍😉 And to everyone that has messaged me with advice, David, Adam, Martin and Jon I thank you all. More questions to follow no doubt.

Have you considered one of these - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sharpstar-telescopes/sharpstar-94edph-f5-5-triplet-ed-apo-telescope.html Similar to the Esprit, around £450 cheaper, may leave some pennies over for a nice secondhand C8? Good luck hunting, always love spending someone else’s money 😉

I did dally with the possibility, but it’s a no from me! Thank you Skipper, I did 👍😉

Good evening everyone. I am seriously considering purchasing a Mesu mount for my ROR observatory. This will be a set up and forget mount as many of you have alluded too. I have spent quite a substantial amount of time pondering over in my mind the many telescope combinations and what I enjoy looking at and would like to photograph on the astronomy tools website. So with the mount, I would pair an esprit 120 with a suitable wide field scope of around the 60 to 70 range and around 350 to 450mm focal length. The sharpstar 61 seems to fit the bill and with the option to fit a reducer, the scope can go even wider. The esprit is a well loved instrument but the Sharpstar scopes are fairly new so I would welcome any feedback from new owners. The Mesu, what can I say? From pouring over various owners posts and threads these past 12 months and seeing the impact on ‘relatively’ trouble free use, it is undeniably worthy of consideration. My only concern is the sitech control system and the numerous ‘niggles’ users have encountered over the years on this forum. Another consideration is the Gemini EFric but for the price and a little bit more money, the Mesu makes a very good case for itself. Do I need 50kg carrying capacity, probably not. Possibly like the majority of current owners. And lastly the Ogem (now the Trident), it’s difficult birth and delays on production and delivery have made me a little wary to be fair. The final piece of the jigsaw is the camera. Not too sure but the one shot colours are preferred due to time and the different objects I want to view / image. Thinking along the lines of the Atik Horizon II. The star of the show though is clearly the mount in the equipment list. Just been speaking to Bernard at MA and he has one left in stock (pre Brexit stock) and I am sorely tempted. I don’t have the funds at the moment I’m about 2 months away from having the money, do I - get a low rate loan and pay it off when the money arrives or pass it up and wait until the money is here and the mount is likely sold and wait for the next one (post Brexit). Not sure 🤔 Update - deposit now paid! As always your thoughts are welcome.

Apologies I refer to the Mark 1 Mesu mount., of which there are several documented posts on this forum relating to teething problems. My point was even £5k + mounts (including the Mesu) ‘can’ sometimes suffer from minor glitches.

I hope you can work something out, it would be a shame if you left this hobby. I can only wish you find a suitable solution. All the best and clear skies,

Hi, yes I have followed the same thread on cloudy night. I believe the user bought a new saddle from another supplier. Regarding the RA motors, they have since been repaired by Andras, with the user now fully endorsing the mount as one he would recommend. One of the selling points for me is the 5 year warranty on the Gemini mount, which in this hobby is quite generous, bearing in mind the frequency we sometimes use our equipment. Just to put the issues with the Gemini mount into context, in a previous life I owned a Paramount ME mount and the solidity, engineering quality and ease of use was sublime. Possibly 2 years into the ownership, I had 2 failed motherboards that I had to pay for and get shipped at my own cost from US to UK. I admit after the second failure I had a serious chat with the Bisque brothers and managed to negotiate a reduction in costs. However the conversations were always responded to very quickly and offers of video calls and phone calls was very welcome. I had my mount working within 2 weeks, so bravo SB. My point is there are ‘teething issues’ with many products, I find it’s how the manufacturer or supplier deal with those issues and then respond. I would certainly have no issue buying or recommending a Paramount, and hopefully the same can be validated for a Gemini mount as the feedback and quality of both products and customer service from either appears to be very good. IMHO of course 😊 Have you considered the MyT mount or perhaps the Mach 2, both very capable portable mounts. The MyT was on my list before the EFric popped into view. Clear skies.

I’m curious to know what the issues are with the EFric mount, as this is a mount I am very interested in and would appreciate you sharing them. After speaking to several owners myself they comment on amazing guiding / tracking and often used as a portable set up? The mount is ‘quirky’ to look at and uses non proprietary controllers so may not be to everyone’s tastes. The Mesu mount often venerated on this forum as the ‘one to buy’ in the 50kg capacity range, has had its fair share of problems and teething issues. I hope you find something suitable for your needs. Clear skies.

Possibly something to do with a worldwide pandemic and Brexit several weeks away, just a hunch!

I can’t answer your question but would like to congratulate you on the purchase of a wonderful mount 👍 Clear skies my friend 🔭

I currently use a celestron spotting scope and decent tripod at the moment. It’s the one with a zoom eyepiece and although it is quick and easy to set up, aside from views of the moon and bright planets don’t expect too much. It’s ok on brighter DSO’s but it’s not as good as a small refractor.

Hi Spaced, I am in the process of putting together my AP set up, after building my roll off a few years ago. Your equipment line in your signature looks remarkably like my shopping list and the mention of the esprit 150 piqued my interest as well as that is one scope I covet and desire above the rest (In a Gollum type voice 😂) Its your money but I would sit out the wait for the esprit, as stated it’s a known quantity and many on this forum have bought / used one and can vouch for its quality. Also it’s a lot of glass for around 4K and should provide a lifetime of use and pleasure, both visually and AP. Good dilemma to have though, we truly are in a golden era for the amateur astronomer 👍 Clear skies,

Hi Paul, Welcome to the forum from a fellow Lincolnite 👍 A smallish refractor of around 80mm, and a basic mount like the star adventure or eq35 / eq5 is the standard way most people go when starting out. You already have a DSLR, plenty of folks on here willing to help out with advice. Good luck on your journey, and clear skies.

Yes it is this post - looks a great mount with the flexibility of being able to use whatever controller you wish, Sitech, Onstep, or their own pulsar controller from Gemini. Having spoken to Andras the owner he is courteous and very knowledgable and helpful. Good luck in your search.

Have you considered this mount, someone on this forum is using it as a portable set up. http://www.geminitelescope.com/efric-friction-drive-mount-german-equatorial/

Hi Yves, I contacted Andras a few months ago and was ready to pull the trigger on an E-Fric mount at the introductory price, but alas personal circumstances got in the way and I had to pull away from the deal, my loss but hey ho! It certainly tracks like a good un' and the innovative design, build quality and looks certainly mark it out (to me anyway) as a mount to consider in this price point / weight capacity. Looking forward to more updates, some mount pictures might be nice as well, are you using a permanent set up?

Yep understood, and for the price they are extremely good value, also on my radar as a grab and go visual companion 👍

And the thread it relates too - Its certainly a lot of scope for the money and you can always get the odd lemon.

There was a recent (last year) thread on its merits and I know several people had concerns with the focuser and sent them back for replacement. If you do a search it may pop up. It looks a cracking scope for the price though 👍

I think anyone looking at these mounts have a pretty good idea of their respective prices, both new and on the used markets. Slightly higher to some people maybe interpreted as significantly higher to others. The OP appeared to understand my original comment which was ‘Significantly’ about the drive systems. Cheers,