Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO

[ksoc]

Hi

 

I am a complete beginner but want to extend my current hobby (photography) by getting into astro photography. I am looking at buying a Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO mount.

I am looking at this mount because it will enable me to stepup from just using my DSLR to using a telescope in the future.

 

I am a little confused. I have been reading reviews about the mount and keep seeing questions around a polar scope.

Do i need to buy this in addition to the mount or does one come with it?

 

Also, could anyone point me in the right direction for a good battery for this mount?

cheers

[spaceman_spiff]

Welcome ksoc,

I have one of those mounts, it works well for light to medium sized scopes and equipment (below 10kg). What telescope do you have?

The polarscope is included with the mount, unless you buy it second hand and someone has removed it for some reason.

Dan.

[Galen Gilmore]

^^^

What he said

It can work well for astrophotography, though the HEQ5 is usually recommended (for good reason). But the EQ5 can work fine, especially if you are just starting out. 

[ksoc]

Thanks for this feedback I do appreciate it...I will take a look at the HEQ5 before I buy.

[ronin]

The EQ5 is fine for nice easy sort of non-serious AP. Serious is when people really start in with guiding and mono with the required filter wheel. So a lot depends on the intended use the mount and scope will be put to. Be aware that these days a good and serious setup is going to come in at around £20,000.

The EQ5 with a 70-72mm ED and a DSLR will be fine, it should also take a guide scope+camera, after that the weight will be getting a bit high.

What happens is that people start with a nice "small" setup then add and add and add.

IUf you need to transport the system to do imaging the the EQ5 is a nice size, the HEQ5 is a bigger item. They cannot be described as G&G. And ease of use is a bigger aspec then many realise. I got an HEQ5, left it in the car boot then went and bought an EQ5.

Search out a club if possible: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/  It is worth seeing one, HEQ5, in the flesh.

[FLO]

1 hour ago, ronin said:

Be aware that these days a good and serious setup is going to come in at around £20,000. 

No, no, no, NO! 

With respect, how have you achieved a SGL 10K+ post count and not know about the Evostar 80ED, the Explorer 130pDS, the EQ5 PRO, HEQ5, AVX, etc. 

Please, keep it real. 

[knobby]

Although ...

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/mounts/mesu-optics-mounts/mesu-mount-200/

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/cooled-ccd/qhy-cooled-ccd-cameras/qhy367c/

http://www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-svq100-3ft-astrograph/

 

There £10000 without even trying very hard 

?

Naughty schoolboy devils advocate smile ...

[Galen Gilmore]

1 hour ago, ronin said:

The EQ5 is fine for nice easy sort of non-serious AP. Serious is when people really start in with guiding and mono with the required filter wheel. So a lot depends on the intended use the mount and scope will be put to. Be aware that these days a good and serious setup is going to come in at around £20,000.

The EQ5 with a 70-72mm ED and a DSLR will be fine, it should also take a guide scope+camera, after that the weight will be getting a bit high.

What happens is that people start with a nice "small" setup then add and add and add.

IUf you need to transport the system to do imaging the the EQ5 is a nice size, the HEQ5 is a bigger item. They cannot be described as G&G. And ease of use is a bigger aspec then many realise. I got an HEQ5, left it in the car boot then went and bought an EQ5.

Search out a club if possible: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/  It is worth seeing one, HEQ5, in the flesh.

Sorry but I don't agree.

The EQ5 can handle more than you say it can. With my 130PDS and Canon 5D MkII I regularly get subs of 3 minutes unguided, only limited by my light pollution. With guiding it could be expanded quite a bit.

Also, 20,000 pounds??? I agree that it can be easy to just spend, and spend, and spend. But I have also seen great, professional looking images with setups costing in the 1.5-2k range. Less than that if you are not ready to jump right into AP.

[James]

22 minutes ago, knobby said:

Although ...

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/mounts/mesu-optics-mounts/mesu-mount-200/

https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/cameras/cooled-ccd/qhy-cooled-ccd-cameras/qhy367c/

http://www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-svq100-3ft-astrograph/

 

There £10000 without even trying very hard 

?

Naughty schoolboy devils advocate smile ...

C'mon Knobby, that's not a setup - you need one of these: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/hubble-cassegrain-reflector-telescope.html

That's over £20k...

[James]

4 hours ago, ksoc said:

I am a little confused. I have been reading reviews about the mount and keep seeing questions around a polar scope.

Do i need to buy this in addition to the mount or does one come with it?

Also, could anyone point me in the right direction for a good battery for this mount?

cheers

 To answer at least one of the questions  The EQ5 Pro comes with a polar scope so nothing to worry about there. As does the HEQ5

James

 

[Spikey]

4 hours ago, ksoc said:

 

Also, could anyone point me in the right direction for a good battery for this mount?

cheers

Leisure batteries are a popular choice. As are mains powered PSU's if you have easy access to mains and take the necessary precautions, RCD, waterproof box for example.

[Scott]

Many will tell you that buying a £1k+ mount is the way to go because it will future proof your ap by allowing you to add more weight in the future. the problem with this is that it doesn't future proof YOU. not much use having a top draw mount sitting in the garage because you've realised it's not for you. your chosen mount will be a perfect starting point. add to that the book "Making every Photon Count" (sold at flo for around £20) and you're set to go. Honestly, the book is a godsend for anyone starting out in astrophotography.

 

 

[darren west]

i brought a heq5 pro mount and it was such a load of grief and time to align i sold it again 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Well I use an EQ3 and it does 2 minute unguided subs with a 130P-DS and as long as I want with guiding.

It does everything I want for the time being. If I get a bit of good luck, I may get an HEQ5 but that will probably mean running two rigs as once 

Main investment i need is a yet another removable HDD for all that data!

[Beyond_Vision]

Most of my work has been done with a Orion Sirius EQG mount which is exactly the same as a Sky watcher HEQ5 and it performed admirably carrying a 10kg+ load. The image below was captured using this mount albeit with a good scope and reasonable CCD.

 

 

The EQ5 should be able to get you going as Scott says to test the waters. But if you are serious and can wait to save up the difference it would be worth looking at the HEQ5.

Rob (Uranium 235) has done some amazing images with some relatively cheap kit such as skywatcher pds150

 

[MartinB]

On 11/6/2017 at 19:11, darren west said:

i brought a heq5 pro mount and it was such a load of grief and time to align i sold it again 

 

I know people who have had lots of grief with Mesu, Tak, and Paramount mounts all costing multiple thousands of pounds.  I know of no one who is serious about astrophotography who hasn't had loads of grief about something.  For many many people this type of mount is a superb instrument to start "serious" AP.  

[newbie alert]

On 06/11/2017 at 19:11, darren west said:

i brought a heq5 pro mount and it was such a load of grief and time to align i sold it again 

 

So what did you replace it with Darren?

[darren west]

i have purchased a new celestron Nexstar c8se