New Skywatcher Allview Multi-Function Computerised Mount.

[FLO]

The new Skywatcher Allview mount is now in stock and available for overnight delivery

The Skywatcher Allview is an innovative (winner of the prestigious 2011 International CES Innovations award for design and engineering excellence) and highly versatile mount that serves a number of imaging and observational needs including GOTO astronomy, 360° panoramic or still time-lapse photography, video capture, or simply a stable motorised platform for a spotting scope or binoculars. It is also a useful tool for security and surveillance applications.

A number of camera shutter release cables are available.

When used as a GOTO mount for astronomy telescopes up to 4kg can be mounted to either the 45mm dovetail or the supplied L-bracket via a standard ¼-20 tripod bush. Longer telescopes can be mounted on the outside of the mounting arm allowing complete freedom of vertical movement. The supplied Synscan handset has a database of over 42,900(!) celestial objects, and commands the mount to locate and track those objects automatically. The patented dual-encoder design means the mount can also be moved by hand without losing alignment or positional information.

[FLO]

In a nutshell

[ismangil]

So is the advantage of this if bought with separate OTA, more functionality than if say we bought a Goto model of such OTA?

What scope would you pair with it, comfortably within its capacity?

On mobile (excuse the strange predictive words...)

[FLO]

So is the advantage of this if bought with separate OTA, more functionality than if say we bought a Goto model of such OTA?

What scope would you pair with it, comfortably within its capacity?

We received our first delivery only today so it will be a while before we set one up and have a play but our current thinking is - if you intend using it only for GOTO astronomy you will probably find the more affordable Skywatcher AZ GOTO mount sufficient. If on the other hand your other hobby is photography then the extra features and capabilities of the new Allview mount will be appealing.

Not sure about the load bearing capacity (manufacturer's tend to exaggerate) but we'll look into that and report our findings.

We like the idea of the new dual-encoder design that allows the mount to be moved by hand without losing alignment or positional information.

[Helen]

The dual encoder on the goto dob is brilliant, it really provides the best of both worlds. I find its really useful that you can move to close to your target manually and then just let the goto do the fine tuning, that makes it so much quieter and neighbour-friendly

Helen

[Psychobilly]

Certainly looks interesting and I guess you can add user objects to the database and goto between them .... hmmmm....

The user manual is available for download on the Celestron site... (If like me you like to read up on new kit before adding to the shopping list)

http://www.google.co...1Rb8zXQI4stkwmA

The user manual gives a max 4kg payload? Some interesting features for doing panos including a routine for determining the FOV of the optics setup if you dont know it... and doing layered spherical panos... HMMMMMM....

Peter...

[FLO]

Not sure about the load bearing capacity (manufacturer's tend to exaggerate) but we'll look into that and report our findings.

The user manual gives a max 4kg payload?

We discussed this during a phone call this morning with Skywatcher's importers. In the US the Allview is marketed as a Celestron, here in the UK it is Skywatcher. Establishing a payload is tricky because there is no industry-standard method and 4kg of Maksutow (for example) is quite different to 4kg of Newtonian.

'Celestron' say 4kg, 'Skywatcher' say 5kg. For now we shall quote the more conservative 4kg (my original post has been edited) but we will revisit this after we have had time to play

I think it safe to say the Skywatcher Allview will carry at least as much as a Skywatcher AZ GOTO.

Steve

[Psychobilly]

It certainlly looks interesting and I never got around to buying a Merlin mount so this looks like it will have to go on the list

There was no info on the mount on the sky-watcher.net website... So i let google do it's stuff...

Is the camera control port a 3.5mm Stereo jack ? if it is then it will be fairly easy to get the cable for other cameras as its almost a "de-facto" standard for shutter cables to use with remote control units .. they are fitted with a 3.5mm stereo jack and you get the cable to match your camera...

[allcart]

Hi Steve, if I understand this correctly, I can use this for wide field long exposures, and telephoto long exposures as it will track as well as find subjects. I have been thinking about how I can do long exposures without star trails without having to buy a GOTO scope etc. This may be an answer. I may even add a scope later.

[misterp]

Hi Allen,

You will get field rotation as the is an alt-az mount, unless there is a wedge available.

Ian

[FLO]

You will get field rotation as the is an alt-az mount, unless there is a wedge available.

What he said

Alt-Azimuth mounts are not well suited to astrophotography, consider instead a German Equatorial Mount (often referred to as GEQ mount).

Having said that, you can achieve exposures around 60 seconds using a DSLR with standard lens before star trailing becomes noticeable.

HTH,

Steve

[JB80]

Wonders if it might be useful with the PST mod, maybe that would be stretching is limits?

[ismangil]

Curious, I went to find what other GOTO mounts can you get with similar budget. I found at least one http://www.altairastro.com/product.php?productid=16466&cat=280&page=1.

[Pikey]

Hi, going off this mount (slightly), i wandered if you knew if you are able to use a different mount on the Skywatcher Skyliner 200p Dobs?

i find the original wooden version very clumbersome and would like a tri-pod of some description? i've tried searching & asking but to no avail

Can you help?

[FLO]

i've tried searching & asking but to no avail

Can you help?

Hi,

The Skywatcher Allview would not be suitable for your Skyliner 200p's 8-inch Newtonian telescope, you would need something larger like a Skywatcher EQ5 or Celestron CG5-GT German Equatorial Mount.

Looking thorough your previous posts I see you asked the same question back in March in SGL's welcome section. JamesM's response was a good one, here it is again

HTH,

Steve

Hi and welcome to the forum. You can mount this scope on an equatorial ytpe of mount but you will first need to buy the appropriate sized rings that fasten around the outside of the tube, which in turn are then attached to a dovetail bar (vixen or Losmandy type). It is this bar that secures the whole scope setup to the mount. The tripod is the legs section and the mount is the gear head that sits on top of the tripod legs. I would suggest talking to FLO to get some suggestions and costs regarding the size of mount you will need to carry the load of the scope along with the rings and dovetail bar.

Just as a footnote to changing the mount. Many people change the mount because they wish to pursue an interest in imaging as the equatorial style of mount makes tracking easier. If this applies to you, can I recommend that you read Steve Richards' '"Making Every Photon Counts"(FLO £19.95) which will provide a comprehensive guide to everything you need and why you need it to achieve consistently good results. I hope you don't mind my suggestion, but it is in part also for the benefit of other people starting out who might read your question with interest as they too would like to expand their scope's capacity.

Clear skies

James

[FLO]

Curious, I went to find what other GOTO mounts can you get with similar budget. I found at least one

Perry/Ismangil, there are a number of other Alt-Az GOTO mount's available. I am familiar with some, like the Skywatcher AZ GOTO and Celestron Nexstar SE, but we don't offer Ioptron mounts so it wouldn't be right for me to discuss theirs. If you are interested in an Ioptron my advice is to start a thread here at SGL or contact Altair Astro or Ollypenrice for advice.

The Skywatcher Allview is not like any of the above, it has features designed to appeal not only to astronomers but also photographers. I am also reasonably sure it is the only one that can be moved manually without losing it's GOTO alignment or positioning data.

HTH

[Digz]

Ooooh, that looks great. This mount should be a beauty for creating timelapse shots where the camera is panned between points. Is the complete set up ie head and tripod? Now if only I could afford one......

[FLO]

It comes supplied with a stainless-steel tripod. The Allview head can also be detached and fitted to most other photo/video tripods via a 3/8” thread.

Pete/Psychobilly, I haven't forgotten your question regarding the remote plug/socket size but we have already sold our first delivery and Skywatcher's tech' man is away at Photokina in Cologne. I'll let you know as soon as I am able

HTH,

Steve

[ismangil]

Perry/Ismangil, there are a number of other Alt-Az GOTO mount's available. I am familiar with some, like the Skywatcher AZ GOTO and Celestron Nexstar SE, but we don't offer Ioptron mounts so it wouldn't be right for me to discuss theirs. If you are interested in an Ioptron my advice is to contact Altair Astro or Ollypenrice for advice.

The Skywatcher Allview is not like any of the above, it has features designed to appeal not only to astronomers but also photographers. I am also reasonably sure it is the only one that can be moved manually without losing it's GOTO alignment or positioning data.

HTH

Yes, it seems the encoder feedback as Helen said like the Flextube Dobs, been incorporated here.

Very nice indeed.

[FLO]

Yes, I think Synta (Skywatcher/Celestron) have patented the feature. We will probably see the same feature in the incoming Skywatcher AZ EQ6 mount.

[allcart]

What he said

Alt-Azimuth mounts are not well suited to astrophotography, consider instead a German Equatorial Mount (often referred to as GEQ mount).

Having said that, you can achieve exposures around 60 seconds using a DSLR with standard lens before star trailing becomes noticeable.

HTH,

Steve

Sorry to admit that I don't undestand this. What is the difference between the GEQ and Alt Az, in laymans terms.

I am looking for a way to take long exposure with just a camera and long lenses without star movement. Reading the above response to my original question, I assume the camera will have to rotate as well as just keep the object in the frame.

Can you suggest something to suit my needs.

[Digz]

Simply put, GEQ or GEM mounts have one axis aligned with Polaris and thus the centre of the apparant motion of the stars, this means they can easily track objects with only rotating one axis (google sidereal and GEM). Alt Az dont have this and have to continually adjust two axis to keep track of an object, as such field rotation is introduced, unless you use a wedge.

An alternative suggestion would be to look at an Astrotrack (http://www.firstligh.../astrotrac.html). It all depends how serious you are into getting into AP and what you want to do.

[Psychobilly]

Hi Alan,

The EQ3 Pro is also great for widefield AP... I have one as one of my Collection of mounts...

Thanks Steve.. The bad weather this summer meant I never got round to getting the Merlin mount .. If it Is I already have cables for the Canon N3 series cams and the higher end Nikons...

I like the added features of this one - even more so after reading the manual...

Peter...

[FLO]

Sorry to admit that I don't undestand this. What is the difference between the GEQ and Alt Az, in laymans terms.

I am looking for a way to take long exposure with just a camera and long lenses without star movement. Reading the above response to my original question, I assume the camera will have to rotate as well as just keep the object in the frame.

This is one of those things that is best explained with diagrams and pictures, perhaps if someone has a photo that shows stars revolving around Celestial North they might post it here in this thread, please.

Here goes

We are standing on a planet revolving on it's axis. If we project the centre of the axis up into space it points to 'Celestial North' (at least it does for us living in the northern hemisphere). Fortunately the Pole Star is almost precisely positioned at Celestial North and is easy to find. If we put a camera on a regular photo-tripod, point it at the Pole Star then leave the shutter open for more than a minute or two, the photo will clearly show stars revolving around it (it is actually our planet that is revolving, not the stars).

Alt-Az mounts move in two directions: Altitude (up-down) and Azimuth (left-right). So when an alt-az mount follows the arc of a star moving across the sky it does so in tiny imperceptible steps (up a bit, right a bit, up a bit, right a bit... and so on). An observer looking through the eyepiece won't notice the steps, it appears as a continuous motion. He also won't notice the sky rotating in the eyepiece field of view because it happens slowly, over time. If however you are photographing the sky for several minutes the camera will record rotation and the stars will leave trails of light.

A 'German Equatorial Mount' overcomes this because it is setup with one axis (Right Ascension/RA) pointing directly at the Celestial North (the mount is then 'polar aligned'). This way the telescope/camera revolves around the same axis as the stars, so the stars don't rotate within the field of view. And because only one motor/axis is used the tracking is smooth (compared to an alt-az mount). Perfect for astrophotography

In a nutshell: Alt-Az is great for visual observers wanting a compact easy to setup mount. German Equatorial is more complicated (it looks like a bag of bagpipes to the inexperienced!) but is necessary for astrophotography.

That explanation might generate some "yes-but" responses, and they will be right, but for this purpose I think it is okay.

HTH,

Steve

Picture shows the same telescope on two GOTO mounts. German Equatorial on the left, Alt-Az on the right:

[FLO]

Can you suggest something to suit my needs.

Before you spend money on a mount I strongly suggest you buy Steve Richard's book Making Every Photon Count. What you learn from reading his introduction to astro-photography will save you considerably more than it's £19.95 cover price.

HTH,

Steve