EQ Mount for a William Optics Zenithstar 73 APO

[Inspektical]

Hey everyone, I'm relatively new to the whole Telescope/Astrophotography world and I'm buying a William Optics Zenithstar 73 APO for DSLR astrophotography soon. 

I'm having some difficulties choosing the right/most affordable EQ Mount. 

I'm thinking of buying an EQ3 Pro which comes with a Go-To system. It apparently has a 5Kg weight capacity for imaging and the Zenithstar weighs about 2.80Kg, and with a camera that weighs about 480 grams I'm left with 1.7Kg to spare (I don't intend to get a guiding scope yet). 

Is this a good choice? I've read that the EQ3 is not that good, but I don't intend to do anything too serious with my astrophotography and will be mostly on the road so the less bulky mount would be a life saver.

[Sp@ce_d]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 The mount is the foundation of an AP setup. More important than the scope! You never want to push it to it’s weight limit really either. As a general rule with AP the majority of your budget should go towards the mount. Personally I wouldn’t be considering anything less restrictive than an Heq5 Pro really. Yes there are lighter travel setups but you may find it frustrating working at tighter tolerances if you are starting out with little experience. You haven’t indicated the type of targets and I’m assuming DSO rather than lunar/planetary. The other thing you mentioned is guiding. You will very quickly realise that at over 400 focal length without guiding you are very very limited to exposure length & that will quickly frustrate you too. So, let’s work on the type of targets you want to go for and an idea of the budget so we can get you off in the right direction.

[TerryMcK]

The HEQ5 pro is the best choice for this scope - I know as I have both. It has plenty of capacity for imaging - 11kg.

My WO ZS 73 when kitted out with guide scope, both cameras, field flattener, scope rings etc is 4.12kg. I know you said you don’t intend using a guide scope yet, but you will eventually. The 5kg imaging capacity is the absolute maximum and you may be disappointed with the results and may then upgrade. My advice is to cut out the EQ3 and go straight to HEQ5. You might even be able to find a pre-owned one.

Edited August 15, 2020 by TerryMcK

[Gmx76]

hi, I'm also considering an EQ3 Pro or possibly an EQ5 Pro depending on what I can afford and find on the second hand market just over a month from now.

As mentioned above by people who have far more experience than I do, the HEQ5 seems to be the de facto choice, however they are very expensive.

As a total beginner myself and from advice from others from this forum,  the eq3 or eq5 pro maybe good for you starting out if budget is a consideration,  which it is for me. 

There is an eq3 imaging thread on this forum so you can see what people are getting from this mount. It might help you make in making your decision.  If you feel after trying AP is for you,  you can always put more money in later. Hth. Greg

[Franklin]

It's true what people say about the HEQ5 being an absolute must for imaging and they are more than likely correct. Better bearings, better gears and higher precision overall. That's why they cost more. However, I have seen many excellent images posted around the web that have been captured using modest equipment such as the EQ3/2 and EQ5 setups. I read that a useful formula for mount weight capacity regarding imaging is to look at the mounts carrying capacity and then use 50% of that. So a mount claiming to carry 10kg for visual should only be used for imaging if your imaging rig weighs no more than 5kg.