Is the EQM-35 the best lightweight portable go-to mount out there?

[ONIKKINEN]

2 hours ago, Jay6879 said:

That's still quite impressive that it can handle it, you've got over 15lbs loaded up right? Does the eqm dither well? It was a nightmare on the Star Adventurer so I never bothered with it.

I wager its somewhere just under 9kg/19lbs with every gadget/cable/guiding gear on top. I win a bit of room on the counterweight bar by mounting the OTA upside down.

 

As you can see i cannot dither in DEC with how it currently works, too much backlash and stiction. You will probably have better success with the lighter setup. The mount doesnt know anything about dithering, it just does what the guiding software tells it. Dithering in RA only is not as effective but still better than not dithering at all, especially with DSLRs.

 

If you start seeing similar issues after a dither (runaway DEC) then look into adjusting backlash and/or turning DEC dithering off if you cant get it to stay put.

[Jay6879]

4 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

I wager its somewhere just under 9kg/19lbs with every gadget/cable/guiding gear on top. I win a bit of room on the counterweight bar by mounting the OTA upside down.

 

As you can see i cannot dither in DEC with how it currently works, too much backlash and stiction. You will probably have better success with the lighter setup. The mount doesnt know anything about dithering, it just does what the guiding software tells it. Dithering in RA only is not as effective but still better than not dithering at all, especially with DSLRs.

 

If you start seeing similar issues after a dither (runaway DEC) then look into adjusting backlash and/or turning DEC dithering off if you cant get it to stay put.

19lbs! Your guiding "issues" are to be expected but the fact you can still images with that amount of weight on it is still impressive.

The last few nights I gathered 9hrs or so of data on ngc7000, I hope not dithering doesn't mess anything up, next time I'm out ill give it a go. 

[Steve143]

I've just bought the EQM-35 Pro but haven't been able to use it outside yet because of cloud cover. As a complete beginner I thought I would invest in a decent mount that can also be used as a lightweight star tracker. My only concern is understanding how to set it up properly and make any necessary adjustments. I've read the manual that came with the mount but are there any dummies guides to this mount on the internet/Youtube?

Thanks.  

[BuUsef]

Hello everyone,

How is your experience with the eqm35 going? Unfortunately there isn't much information shared about it online.

Do you think it can handle 6" SCT with asi294mm pro?

How long exposures do you get?

[ONIKKINEN]

2 hours ago, BuUsef said:

Hello everyone,

How is your experience with the eqm35 going? Unfortunately there isn't much information shared about it online.

Do you think it can handle 6" SCT with asi294mm pro?

How long exposures do you get?

Please dont do this! Terrible mount, lots of unfixable issues. Some people claim pretend their mount works OK, but i suspect that is due to a) not wanting to admit to yourself that the money was spent wrong, b) using a very lightweight and forgiving setup, like an 80mm refractor and so just not being aware of the issues.

Its just a tiny bit cheaper than the EQ5 but much closer in comparison to the EQ-3 which is in a class of terrible on its own. If you plan on shooting unguided you could probably get 5s exposures to be consistently decent but not much longer than that. Guided performance depends a lot on the mount in question as these apparently have quality control issues, and also on which part of the sky you point at. Closer to the poles you can get decent performance because the sky moves slow. Closer to the celestial equator you will not be getting the performance you are looking for. But the EQ5 costs the same and does everything better.

Since you already have a proper astronomy camera in the form of the 294MM that costs a fair bit of money, why not spend money on the most important part of the setup: The mount. The telescope and camera are second after the mount that drives them. If the mount underperforms your telescope and camera are basically wasted away to poorly tracked shots. I would recommend staying away from this price class of mounts and getting an HEQ-5 or better for astrophotography.

Sorry for the rant, i feel strongly about this as i made the same mistakes as a beginner buying equipment. Oh, and welcome to SGL!