Which mount for DSLR imaging - EQ3/5 pro or iOptron SkyTracker v2?

[Eddy_]

I'm currently trying to decide between the following, for mounting a camera only with lenses up to 200mm or so

EQ3 pro goto (around £400 including camera attachment)

EQ5 pro goto (around £530 including camera attachment)

iOptron SkyTracker V2 - (around £500 with a tripod, skytracker and ball head)

To help me decide between the three, can anyone answer these questions:

1. Which would track more accurately (excluding guiding for the EQ3/5) allowing longer exposures?

2. How would the mounts compare in terms of setup time and portability?

I like the idea of the skytracker in that I believe it would be more portable, and the tripod and ball head could be used with my camera for terrestrial photography too. The price however is much more than the EQ3 which would provide full goto functionality, and even the EQ5 pro isn't much more, although I'm guessing that would be overkill for just a DSLR and i'd like to keep it portable/easy to pack away if possible.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks.

[ollypenrice]

Honestly I'd go for a second hand HEQ5. Sorry to be a nuisance and please ignore me if this is just an unwanted distraction!

Olly

[Eddy_]

Honestly I'd go for a second hand HEQ5. Sorry to be a nuisance and please ignore me if this is just an unwanted distraction!

Olly

would there be much of a difference between the eq3, 5 and heq5 for just a camera and lens? I understand the heq5 is bigger too

[Psychobilly]

How big an issue is portability - Are you planning trips to dark sky sites and perhaps need to walk a distance from the car or even travel with it...?

For DSLR & Lens bases Astrophotography I have an EQ3-pro , Astrotrac and for the bigger lenses an EQ-6

For Me EQ-6 is back of the car job.... EQ3-Pro no more than a couple of hundred yards from the car  and the Astrotrac for anything further or "air travel"...

The secondhand  HEQ-5  would give you a lot more capacity than the mounts you have listed but is also "bulkier" and heavier... although I had forgotten how much heavier the EQ6 was over the HEQ-5 which it replaced...

Peter...

[Eddy_]

Honestly I'd go for a second hand HEQ5. Sorry to be a nuisance and please ignore me if this is just an unwanted distraction!

Olly

I see that a new HEQ5 with motors (but non goto) is around the same price as the EQ5 pro - definitely another option to consider.

[Psychobilly]

I would definitely consider the Syntek over the base model... You can get the full goto functionality  by controlling it from a small notebook or laptop using "free" software and a cheap interface cable...

Peter...

[Eddy_]

How big an issue is portability - Are you planning trips to dark sky sites and perhaps need to walk a distance from the car or even travel with it...?

For DSLR & Lens bases Astrophotography I have an EQ3-pro , Astrotrac and for the bigger lenses an EQ-6

For Me EQ-6 is back of the car job.... EQ3-Pro no more than a couple of hundred yards from the car  and the Astrotrac for anything further or "air travel"...

The secondhand  HEQ-5  would give you a lot more capacity than the mounts you have listed but is also "bulkier" and heavier... although I had forgotten how much heavier the EQ6 was over the HEQ-5 which it replaced...

Peter...

How does your EQ3 pro perform?

As i'm just planning to use my camera I don't need the extra capacity at the moment, and i'm not planning to buy an OTA any time soon.. It seems that the EQ5 or HEQ5 would be overkill for the same small payload, unless they would provide a significant increase in tracking performance etc for longer exposures.. I don't actually know how long an exposure I can take without washing out from light pollution - it might be a good idea for me to figure that out as I don't plan to travel much with the kit, but would like it to be portable to give me the option of taking it on holiday etc, and to familiy. Also i'd rather it not be too big so that it can be stored away easily, which is where the skytracker comes in.

[Eddy_]

I would definitely consider the Syntek over the base model... You can get the full goto functionality  by controlling it from a small notebook or laptop using "free" software and a cheap interface cable...

Peter...

Thanks, good to know.

[mlkey]

I just had this exact same quandry for my camera. I decided on the skytracker v2 in the end with ball head and a Manfrotto 055xprob tripod. It cost me close to £600 but is pretty portable for my camping trips and very quick and easy to set up, especially with the alignment app. Much as I wanted to spend less money and get an EQ3 or EQ5, it was a lot more than I wanted to carry. Battery life was another consideration. I used it for the first time on Saturday and using the equivalent of a 200mm lens taking 1 minute subs. It worked a treat.

Regards,

Mikey.

[Psychobilly]

My EQ3 Pro performs quite well... I am very happy with it even built up it can be easily carried in one hand - with a DSLR and shorter lenses you can usually get away with a single weight... The only reason I got the Astrotrac was in needed something that I could carry for a  couple of miles...

I spent ages making sure that the polar scope was properly aligned to the mount and I tended to use it unguided at focal lengths up to 200mm...

At 50mm FL I would happily let it run doing 4 min subs....

A couple of pics with the setup here...

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/86761-2010-widefield-special-events-and-comet-showcase/?p=851545

Peter...

[Eddy_]

Thanks Peter, those look great.

How long roughly does it take to set up an EQ3 (once you know what you are doing)?

And thanks Mikey for your input on the SkyTracker... We don't have a big house and having something as compact as the iOptron would certainly help when it comes to putting it away (plus the usual comment about convinving her indoors to coexist with it ). It would be handy to have a good tripod and ball-head as well for regular photography, another plus.. But yet again i'm still torn on that over a traditional EQ mount based on the cost etc... Decisions!

[Psychobilly]

A matter of minutes... I don't even bother with completing the star alignment most of the time as for very widefield shots I don't use Goto... I skip alignment an manually enable Sidereal tracking...

I have a pier outside the obs for my eq mounts so only need a slight tweak in the PA each time...as long as I remember to slacken the same AZM adjuster each time...

Peter...

[dph1nm]

I decided on the skytracker v2 in the end with ball head and a Manfrotto 055xprob tripod.

Snap! I have to say it is a joy to use this combination with a DSLR - easy to set up and so simple to polar align.  So far I have stuck to 100mm FL, but it does 1min with no problem (after that I get too much LP anyway!).

NigelM

[Alien 13]

How does your EQ3 pro perform?

As i'm just planning to use my camera I don't need the extra capacity at the moment, and i'm not planning to buy an OTA any time soon.. It seems that the EQ5 or HEQ5 would be overkill for the same small payload, unless they would provide a significant increase in tracking performance etc for longer exposures.. I don't actually know how long an exposure I can take without washing out from light pollution - it might be a good idea for me to figure that out as I don't plan to travel much with the kit, but would like it to be portable to give me the option of taking it on holiday etc, and to familiy. Also i'd rather it not be too big so that it can be stored away easily, which is where the skytracker comes in.

I use an EQ3-2 and it takes minutes to polar align and get 2 min subs at 400mm with no problems.

It would be worth you doing some test shots with your camera to check the extent of the light polution i got a max exposure time of 22 seconds with my 50mm f 1.4 lens before complete whiteout and that result made the choice of mount easier.

Alan

[Sandancer10]

I use the EQ5 Pro and it is quite portable, but not light enough for air travel. I think if you at some point in the future decide to buy a scope, I would go for the EQ5 Pro as it's a good stable platform for a DSLR and scope.

[Eddy_]

Thanks everyone for your input.

[TractionMan]

Very interesting thread!

I'm also looking to perhaps invest in a easy to use, portable wide field tracking mount and the EQ3 vs Skytracker V2 is something I've considered. Actually, those are the two main contestants atm. For now, I don't think I have the time or patience to do "proper" prime focus astrophotography. But wide field work (both stills and time lapses) is quite appealing to me. Want something easy to set up and then let the DSLR do it's thing while I'm playing with the dob.

/Stellan

[bodtwo]

Can't comment on the mounts, but the Astrotrac works wonders.

[edjrgibbs]

To chuck in my two cents I'd recomend the Ioptron SmartEQ pro. Pricewise it's not far off the skytracker. It can be mounted on a standard tripod via the 3/8" screw and I find it pretty airline portable at 2.8 kg. it's also got goto and can be guided via ST4 or through the handset via ASCOM.

[TractionMan]

To chuck in my two cents I'd recomend the Ioptron SmartEQ pro. Pricewise it's not far off the skytracker. It can be mounted on a standard tripod via the 3/8" screw and I find it pretty airline portable at 2.8 kg. it's also got goto and can be guided via ST4 or through the handset via ASCOM.

Good point and some food for thought. However I doubt I need/want goto for widefield. Found another option as well. Also iOptron but this one seems like a new addition on the market: http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p6681_iOptron-SkyGuider-for-Phototripod---transportable-equatorial-astrophotograpyh-moun.html

[edjrgibbs]

Good point and some food for thought. However I doubt I need/want goto for widefield. Found another option as well. Also iOptron but this one seems like a new addition on the market: http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p6681_iOptron-SkyGuider-for-Phototripod---transportable-equatorial-astrophotograpyh-moun.html

Good point but it has a lot more downstream potential than a skytracker IMO. Guiding can also be useful for LX widefield taking you to subs longer than 30s - 1m.

[Ags]

Snap! I have to say it is a joy to use this combination with a DSLR - easy to set up and so simple to polar align.  So far I have stuck to 100mm FL, but it does 1min with no problem (after that I get too much LP anyway!).

NigelM

Hmmm... I can get 1 min with a NexStar 4SE mount @ 100mm, and it doesn't even have a polar scope. I would expect more from a dedicated unit with a polar scope. 

In my opinion, the EQ3 Pro is the option for the OP - more capacity, has goto, and you can put a telescope on it :-)

[lensman57]

Hi Eddy,

My advice is to get the best mount that you can afford or barrow and get the best mount that you can not afford. It does not matter if you using a plastic clad Canon 1000d and a 50mm lens, if it all works out and you get hooked then you are already covered for up grading the scope and the camera, if it dowork out you can sell a well looked after HEQ5 Pro with less than 25% loss and you have had tons of fun. HEQ5 is not that much heavier than an EQ5 PRO, I have had both and still have the hEQ5. These so called tracking platform for DSLRs are just a one trick pony, useful if you just want to travel and take astro photos with a DSLR and a short lens and they cost nearly as much as a proper mount.

Regards,

A.G