Mount for a 127 Mak

[Hartmann]

I purchased a skywatcher 127 mm mak OTA   and it will arrive in a few days but  it would need a new mount  because the actual iis from a  80 mm 400 refractor on the top of a photo tripod.

the OTA weights about 3,5  kg and perhaps i would put the 80 as a piggyback in the future, about < 5 kg of total weight  .I was thinking in a AZ grab and go mount like GSO ATZ mount,   skywatcher AZ4 or a vixen porta..

there are another mounts  like Skywatcher NEQ-3 or  AZ sys scan go-to, but are  heavy or need batteries or power tanks reducing the portability.

also i see that there are cheaper EQ-1 and EQ2 mounts but i suspect that it would´t be a good option for the weight and vibrations

What it´s the best option  for the Mak?

[jambouk]

Purely visual?

You want the most sturdy mount possible as even the slightest breeze on a less sturdy mount will shake the whole field of view erratically for a second or two, as will any adjustments you make to the focus.

But what that equates to i'm not sure.

I hope you love the mak when it arrives.

James

[ilove1995]

Hi,

I have the same skywatcher 127 mak. I can't comment on what az mount would suit but it sits perfectly on an EQ3/2. Off the top of my head the EQ3/2 can handle about 6kg max and I've had no problems hanging my DSLR off of the back of it. I personally would not go below an EQ3/2 for this OTA. I will leave it do others to comment on what az options are out there.

Hope this helps...

Al

[sbj]

I bought mine on the AZ goto, but have now put it onto an EQ3 Pro - very solid with some weights on the tray

[nightfisher]

for purely visual, and maybe a little luna imaging with a point an shoot, i would go with the AZ4, it will more than handle it, i use my 150 pro mak on this mount with ease

[Hartmann]

Thanks !

I forgot to comment this, Yes, it´s for visual observation only, i did  photos of the  moon, sun, and jupiter with azimutal mount  but i don´t have any plans for deep sky with long exposure times, or serious planets photo.

The ideal would be a Azimutal mount that could be used as a equatorial if needed , estable enough and not too heavy for grab and go.  

I´m not sure yet what option choose, if Azimutal or Equatorial.

[ilove1995]

To give you an idea, here is a picture of my Skywatcher 127 mak mounted on an eq3 with legs from an HEQ5.

Al

[Hartmann]

Nice mount ! it seems to be solid and good for this  telescope.

[Hartmann]

Well , finally i purchased a Skywatcher NEQ5 with a  steel tripod.

I tried the Mak in a  photo tripod but its not very stable and the narrow fields make movements difficul with high magnifications.

I read that a NQ3 is enough but  a  Eq5 will be more sturdy and could be use in the future with bigger telescopes and perhaps Astro imaging .

thanks !