Evostar 72ED and Go-To EQ3 Mount SW a good astrophotography kit?

[WilliamAstro]

So I found an OTA and a mount for it for the purpose of doing deep sky photography. Just asking questions about the mount,

How do I polar align it?

I don't have it yet, I am shopping around to find good equipment for my astrophotography.

Thanks.

OTA: Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS-Pro OTA | First Light Optics

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ3 PRO Go-To Astronomy Mount | First Light Optics

Share me any of your thoughts about this so I can be hesitant to add it to my wishlist.

 

[fozzybear]

Whats your budget and where do you want to be in say 12 months time. 

Paramount is the Mount that is the Crux.... Eq3 ok to start out with but you will outgrow it soon and want better as you maybe disappointed  as for AP best to start out with a HEQ5 new 950 quid or search/post looking S/H 

Andy

[AstroMuni]

20 hours ago, WilliamAstro said:

How do I polar align it?

If it doesnt come with a built-in polarscope, you can add that to help you do PA. Or better option is do it with software ! So if you plan to use Sharpcap, Ekos or NINA then these allow you to take a few images and help you do the PA.

[malc-c]

On paper the Evostar 72ED / EQ3 is a good match.  The mount is rated at 5kg for imaging and with the Evostar coming in at a shade under 2kg this still leaves plenty for cameras and a guidescope.  The focal length of 5.8 is still quite fast, but the optional reducer brings that down to 4.9 so you may wish to consider getting that if the images seem a little dull or you need a wider field of view.

The mount will have a polar scope, but using Sharpcap's excellent alignment tool its easy to fine tune the PA in minutes.

On the negative side, the mount appears to use friction plates rather than ball bearings on one, if not both axis, which some people recommend are replaced with quality bearings.  However doing so will void the warranty if purchased new.  You will also find that people will suggest for this reason, and to cater for futureproofing that you look at the EQ5.  Then people will say that if you are considering the EQ5 pro goto then go for the better precision of the HEQ5... and then...  well you get the idea.  It all depends on you budget, if you want a fixed or portable rig, and what you expectations are.  There are lots of people using the EQ-3 pro with small refractors or reflectors and getting some really good results.  Granted they may have to put more effort in to get the rewards out compared to a more capable mount, but that can be part of the "fun" of imaging.

 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have used an EQ3-2 with quite a bit of success with my APM 80 mm F/6 triplet, usually with a 0.8x reducer. Bigger, better mounts certainly exist, but even if you upgrade the mount, the EQ3-2 can readily be used with e.g. a Samyang 135 F/2 or other short lenses as a neat tracking mount.

[malc-c]

3 hours ago, malc-c said:

There are lots of people using the EQ-3 pro with small refractors or reflectors and getting some really good results.  

 

 

3 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

I have used an EQ3-2 with quite a bit of success with my APM 80 mm F/6 triplet, usually with a 0.8x reducer. 

I rest my case  --- Nice images Michael