Portech7 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Hi all Which mount? Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro (without Rowan mod, can't afford that 😁) Or Celestron Advanced VX Will use for both visual astronomy and astrophotography. Not buying for a few months but good to see opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I'm not a great equatorial mount user but I have owned both of those. I would go for the HEQ5 because I think it's more robust, tried and tested and has more capacity. The AVX was pretty good as well but I do think that the HEQ5 is a better overall mount. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipper Billy Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 HEQ5 - you can always do the belt mod at a later date. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Or look for a used one, perhaps even already belt-modded. They seem to come up for sale relatively regularly. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portech7 Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 Cheers all. I think the HEQ5 is what I was leaning towards and as Skipper Billy said I could look at the belt mod at a later date. Both seem to have good following so I'm sure either would be good. The HEQ5 does initially look the sturdier of the two. Appreciate the help and opinions all, thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoop1 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I have the unmodded HE5 Pro myself and I haven't been dissapointed. I have used it with a Celestron C6 for visual and AP via a sony mirrorless and likewise with a Skywatcher 150mm Newtonian. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin66 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 +1 for the HEQ5pro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Strange Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 While both are made by Synta for some reason their house brand, Skywatcher, seems to perform better mechanically than its cousin the Celestron. However the Celestron Hand Controller software is head and shoulders above the Skywatcher Synscan software in terms of ease of use and features. So if that is a requirement then the Advanced VX is the better path to go down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 HEQ5Pro. I’ve been spoilt by it already having the belt mod done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portech7 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Hi again Just come across the Meade LX85. Specs say payload of 15kg. It's under £700 new. No idea on Meade products. Not sure how user friendly the controls are either. Anyone come across this mount? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portech7 Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 It's ok, just found some not too positive reviews of this mount😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie alert Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Maybe a cem25 in the mix?? Same sort of payload capacity 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGX Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Just got the Az-Eq6. Great mount, lots of capacity and nice to have the Az option for quick viewing sessions. Can even add a second scope in that set-up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portech7 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 CEM 25 could be an option as just within budget but the AZ EQ6 is too rich for my budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now