Best starter mount

[Hugo hazendonk]

Hi, I'm relatively new to astronomy.  I've got several scopes which  all could use a better mount.  Doing visual now but would like to branch out to astro.  If i had my druthers id get a goto, but that seems like cheating.  The explore scientific 114mm on German mount looks promising for visual.  Would it be difficult to get components to upgrade this mount for astro (i.e. drive system).  And is explore scientific gso or better?

[barbulo]

IMO, the main advantage of GOTO mounts for AP is not the ability to select a target and point at it, but the capability of moving at sidereal rate (what you need to avoid star trails in long exposures). 

Being sturdy is another feature I would look for in a AP mount. 

It is said that NEQ-5 class is enough for entry level AP.

[Zermelo]

Hello,

it might help if you listed your existing scopes, if the aim is to find a mount to handle all of them.

The general advice is not to mix up visual and imaging as they have different requirements, though of course you could get a mount that would support your visual work and still be good enough for imaging. An imaging mount needs to be equatorial, certainly if you want to do deep sky, whereas for visual only, many people find an alt-az simpler to use.

I have no experience of ES mounts, but it looks like that 114mm is sold on an EQ3-equivalent mount. You could motorize the RA axis and that would be fine for tracking in visual work, but it wouldn't get you very far with imaging. As pointed out above, the minimum recommendation for that is usually one of the better EQ5 class mounts.

[Budgie1]

A mount is probably the most important piece of kit you'll need for astrophotography. Without a stable mount which tracks well, you will always have problems so go for the best mount you can afford and you may be able to get something on the second hand market which is more affordable.

When looking for a mount to use for astrophotography, it's not just the type of mount but its load capacity as well.

Generally speaking, a mounts maximum loading for astrophotography is about 3/4 of the mounts maximum loading.  This includes everything you're likely to add to the mount, the scope, camera, guide scope & guide camera, dew straps, cables................... it all adds up. So you need to make sure the mount you get is going to be able to handle the kit you've got & what you may add in the future.

If you want a mount for astrophotography then you may as well get one which comes with motors already fitted and most of these have the Go-To as well. Adding motors later quite often works out more expensive and the Go-To isn't cheating, it just makes life a bit easier.

Entry level EQ mount for astrophotography would be something like the Sky Watcher EQM-35 Pro or EQ5 Pro. These will take about 7kg (15 lbs) payload for imaging and come with a good tripod. If you can stretch to the Sky Watcher HEQ5 or EQ6-R Pro then you'll have something that'll last you for years to come.

[Hugo hazendonk]

Thanks for the advice.  I as you might of guessed I'm trying to get a decent mount for my vintage Tascos 9te-5 and my 10te for visual and planetary astro down the line.  Now it sounds like the specs for visual and astro are likely too dissipate.  I might just try to find a used astromaster 114 for the mount and hope it has a prior parabolic mirror, but that's a gamble.  The mount looks passable for my 10te  - weight 10 lbs.  But a long 1200mm tube may pose other problems.  Still considering a goto, but that's a lot of money to start with.  I do realize the mount is fundamental, especially for medium to heavy scopes.  Hugo 

[Hugo hazendonk]

Nearly forgot, my  other mountable scope is a celestron astromaster 60az.  I've got a skywatcher 200, obviously not going on mount.  So a fast scope (F5 4.5 TO 5 Inch reflector) combo might be an option too, often bundling has its advantages.

[Hugo hazendonk]

Now I'm  working on a skywatcher 130 ota with rings for future astro potential.