Basic HEQ5 not worth it?

[ianpwilliams]

I was definitely planning on getting dual axis motors if buying the EQ5. Although I hear the Skywatcher ones aren't very reliable, so I wonder if it would be possible to buy a different brand.

And I would be prepared to go second hand for a mount,but not for a scope.

[sandyshaw]

I was definitely planning on getting dual axis motors if buying the EQ5. Although I hear the Skywatcher ones aren't very reliable, so I wonder if it would be possible to buy a different brand.

And I would be prepared to go second hand for a mount,but not for a scope.

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

[Scott]

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

tad negative wouldn't you say? whats better than an neq6 for under  £1000? and what about the 80ED?

[malc-c]

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

Bit Harsh.  There are lots of members with SW kit that has performed well for several years.

[johnrt]

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

Couldn't possibly disagree with you more.

The HEQ5 & 6's are the backbone of midrange imaging set ups and the ED80 renowned for its quality for the price, hence why it is recommended to every imager just starting out.

I could guide at 1 meter focal length for up to 15 mins on my HEQ5 and my 6 is even better.

[sandyshaw]

Couldn't possibly disagree with you more.

The HEQ5 & 6's are the backbone of midrange imaging set ups and the ED80 renowned for its quality for the price, hence why it is recommended to every imager just starting out.

I could guide at 1 meter focal length for up to 15 mins on my HEQ5 and my 6 is even better.

which is pretty much touching a grand no?  HEQ5 749 GBP plus shipping

EQ6: Price 839.00 GBP plus shipping

Pretty much close to a grand

I have had Skywatcher stuff shipped, BEND out of the box, had to get replacement I have had bolds, dethread, metal too soft etc etc.

My comment was in response to the earlier comment that SynScan are unreliable, well yes if you cover electronics in dew and moist, it will fail.

[Scott]

which is pretty much touching a grand no?  HEQ5 749 GBP plus shipping

EQ6: Price 839.00 GBP plus shipping

Pretty much close to a grand

I have had Skywatcher stuff shipped, BEND out of the box, had to get replacement I have had bolds, dethread, metal too soft etc etc.

My comment was in response to the earlier comment that SynScan are unreliable, well yes if you cover electronics in dew and moist, it will fail.

but under a grand just the same. by that logic the alt/az eq is only about a grand (£1300)

[sandyshaw]

but under a grand just the same. by that logic the alt/az eq is only about a grand (£1300)

Plus scope, plus camera plus power supply et al that pushes it higher to over a grand.

[sandyshaw]

I am not saying skywatcher does not have a place in the market but recommending a new commer to astronomy spend over a grand is just ridiculous.  But I love spending money that isn't mine either

I started an EQ5 appreciation thread to find out what an EQ5 can do out of couriosity.

[sandyshaw]

Plus scope, plus camera plus power supply et al that pushes it higher to over a grand.

I also forgot filters, they can be very expensive too.

[Scott]

Plus scope, plus camera plus power supply et al that pushes it higher to over a grand.

why not factor in the transit van to carry it to a dark site as well then...An neq6 is under a grand and it's good...end of

[sandyshaw]

why not factor in the transit van to carry it to a dark site as well then...An neq6 is under a grand and it's good...end of

I didn't say it wasn't good, if people want to buy it, please do, but to in a round about way say its the ONLY way to get into imaging properly is wrong.

[Scott]

I didn't say it wasn't good, if people want to buy it, please do, but to in a round about way say its the ONLY way to get into imaging properly is wrong.

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

yeah, you did

[sandyshaw]

yeah, you did

Well so far the skywatcher stuff I bought cheap, was... infact... dodgy, as I said earlier, out of the box, BEND polar scope, soft longitude bolts (as I am sure everybody knows about), adjusting arms for the manual RA DEC adjustment, Bolts BROKE, plastic handles, busted.

Definatly they have quality consistency issues, and overall quality issues, but they still have a place in the market, for people with not a lot of money to throw at step 1 of a hobby.

[sandyshaw]

Well so far the skywatcher stuff I bought cheap, was... infact... dodgy, as I said earlier, out of the box, BEND polar scope, soft longitude bolts (as I am sure everybody knows about), adjusting arms for the manual RA DEC adjustment, Bolts BROKE, plastic handles, busted.

Definatly they have quality consistency issues, and overall quality issues, but they still have a place in the market, for people with not a lot of money to throw at step 1 of a hobby.

And one other thing I notice lack of... Upgrade / replacement options. No way to replace heads of mounts, it is buy a new one approach. want to upgrade your had, you cant, buy a new full mount, tough, want some parts? Good luck with that.

[Scott]

hmmm, not happy then. what scope/mount do you use now then?

[sandyshaw]

hmmm, not happy then. what scope/mount do you use now then?

Very happy since I got replacements, I am just aware of the quality issues of Skywatcher. 

[nightfisher]

Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand

A very unfair comment  a huge amount of Astronomers use a lot of lower price skywatcher equipment and it serves them very well

[malc-c]

Skywatcher and Celestron (aka Synta) have the lions share of the market at shall we say the consumer market.  I'm not going to count them, but in the product range it has around 60 scopes on upwards of 30 different mounts, with price range from a few hundreds of pounds to several thousands, most products being mass produced so you will naturally get a few quality control issues. 

For a long time the HEQ5 and EQ6 were the top of the range of SW mounts, offering high precision steppers and control board to allow people an entry level platform into imaging without braking the bank. That is not to say any of the lower capacity mounts such as the eq3-2 or EQ5 goto's couldn't be used, they can but you have to work harder for the results.  The thing is Imaging is becoming a specialist area, and as such the equipment required is often more costly and needs to be higher quality than if used purely for visual.  Currently the best bang for buck is the HEQ5  for entry level imaging, and has a proven track record.  The next step up is in a totally different league where the new EQ8 is competing in the market place against the likes of the Astro Physics mounts, Avalon mount and the Parramount - but then you are talking serious money.

[Ant]

I've had an HEQ5 pro, before that I had a HEQ5, before that an EQ5.

They have all worked out of the box, NEVER had a single issue. The HEQ5 pro has been through three house moves. It has been left outside for 18 months plus with a tarp over it, been down to minus 13c up to over 30c. Before that it was carried from the garage to garden for each session.

Recently the wind actually blew the whole thing over (just mount), no damage whatsoever, I've been solar, planetary, lunar and DSO imaging and it's absolutely spot on.

I think I paid about £750. So well under a grand.

They are amazing bits of kit!

Ant

[sandyshaw]

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/211861-skywatcher-eq5-mount-and-imaging/

EQ5 imaging thread.

If your OTA et al is within the mount's tolerances on weight, the high precision steppers of the SynScan upgrade / prefitted should be enough to start a hobby.

[Scott]

I think it's more the "nothing under a grand" statement that people have issues with rather than whether or not an eq5 is up to imaging. It's not that an eq5 is no good and if it's what you can afford then go for it, (although the opening post did say "i'm thinking of getting a heq5"), it's just that the heq5/neq6 is so much easier/better. having used/owned both, I feel qualified to comment

[RobH]

I've had an HEQ5 for a few of years now, and it's worked perfectly from day one. Easy to set up, reliable, and simply does the job. The ability to interface with eq mod is a big bonus, and I think I paid around £600 for it.....considerably less than a grand.

@ Sandyshore......what mount are you using, and what AP experience do you have?

[johnrt]

which is pretty much touching a grand no?  HEQ5 749 GBP plus shipping

EQ6: Price 839.00 GBP plus shipping

Pretty much close to a grand

I have had Skywatcher stuff shipped, BEND out of the box, had to get replacement I have had bolds, dethread, metal too soft etc etc.

My comment was in response to the earlier comment that SynScan are unreliable, well yes if you cover electronics in dew and moist, it will fail.

I started off imaging with an EQ5 + synscan upgrade, it got me up and running and was a good price point at which I felt I was not committing too much to a new venture. Once I knew I was in for the long haul I very quickly upgraded to the HEQ5 which is a *far* superior mount, and finally recently an NEQ6 which again is a big step up from the HEQ5.

I have had not a single issue with either the HEQ5 or NEQ6 in over 2 years experience and that's with the factory fitted bolts. I paid £650 for the syntrek HEQ5 which is a long way off being a grand, and picked up the NEQ6 second hand for the same price.

Nobody is saying you can't start off imaging on an EQ5, I did exactly that, but your statement "Nothing skywatcher makes is very reliable under a grand" is patently untrue and I speak from over 3 years of experience and ownership of 3 Skywatcher mounts that *all* cost under £1000 new.

[ianpwilliams]

Could someone please give me a brief explanation of how guiding and tracking works in relation to dual axis motors, SynScan, SynTrek, GOTO etc?

As far as I understand, you first need something to help you find the object you want to photograph, which may not be as hard for planets etc, but would be hard for deep space objects, which you wouldn't be able to see. The FLO website says for the HEQ5 SynScan says "Object database containing complete M, NGC, and IC catalogues.", but doesn't say that for the SynTrek, so I'm guessing that must be what the GOTO does? In which case, how would you locate an object using the HEQ5 SynScan? Would you need a laptop with software?

Then it seems you need to track the object while you photograph it, and the better the tracking, the longer the exposures you can get away with. Which means dual axis motors (the most basic option), or SynTrek/SynScan, where the FLO website says "automatic tracking of celestial objects.", or a laptop with various GOTO and tracking software on it?

Is any of that anywhere near correct?

And how do the SynTrek and SynScan hand controllers vary? FLO says one is manual and one is automatic. What does that mean?

Also, as it does look like PRO won't be a option for me, it seems like a SynTrek with laptop would be the way to go. If I did go down that route, would a basic netbook do the job, maybe something like this:

http://www.thelaptopcentre.co.uk/cheap-refurbished-laptops/dell-latitude-d620-intel-core-duo-166ghz-1gb-ram-40gb-hdd-141-widescreen-dvdrom-wi-fi-windows-xp.html