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Sky-Watcher EQ5 PRO SynScan GOTO Equatorial mount


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Good evening everyone,

I'm a novice to astrophotography. I'm currently looking at the skywatcher EQ5 pro synscan goto equatorial mount, what are people's thoughts and experience with this mount.

I would only be connecting a standard dslr (Canon D2000) unmodified at the moment, and my camera kit lenses. 

In the near future I would be looking for a refractor scope and guide scope with a dedicated astrophotography camera zwo asi of some kind.

I would rather plow money into a mountat the moment that will last for a few years before going bigger (payload) I see this mount is approximately 9kg payload which would be plenty for now and also give me room to grow my rig.

As I've said I'm new to this hobby and one of my biggest issue is polar alignment, and some of the YouTube videos (astrobackyard) have helped me massively but I see goto mounts may be quicker and easier to a certain degree, I also have a newtonian telescope that is totally manual which I practice with.

Thank you for reading this and any help would be great.

 

 

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My suggestion... save for an HEQ5

I based this on personal experience.  In a nutshell I purchased an Explorer 200P / EQ5 goto scope.  I was disappointed with the results I got when visual observing from a town location, so stuck my toe into imaging used a canon DSLR.  The mount struggled with the load, and that was without the additional weight of a guidescope.  In 2011 I built my observatory, and whilst doing so a secondhand HEQ5 came up in the SGL classifieds.  Also included in the listing was an ST80 / QHY5 combo used for guiding.  The price was good, but it was almost 400 miles away, however the deal was done and I drove from Hertfordshire to Sunderland and back in a day to bring the equipment home.

The 200P / ST80 combo was within the limits for the HEQ5, but the 200P acted like a sail outside the constraints of the observatory, making imaging a challenge.  Protected from the wind in the observatory the combo performed well enough for my experience.

The HEQ5 fits in between the portability of the EQ5 and the precision of the EQ6.  The gearing means better tracking and tighter guiding than the EQ5, and if you opt for the belt modified version the PE and guiding is a lot tighter.

For Polar Alignment I used SharpCap.  You need the pro version for £12 subscription to access this tool.  Having centred a bright star in the guide scope and in the main scope and then use the tool to PA you can get a very precise result.

Having said that, there are loads of posts on this subject on the forum as it one of the most common topics.  Sit down with a coffee and search / browse the forum for previous conversations.  There are people who have had excellent results with EQ3 mounts, and there are those who suggest better mounts than the HEQ5... it all depends on your budget and to what level you want to reach.  A friend of mine started much the same way as me.  Purchased an HEQ5 and DSLR, but now has an observatory containing an EQ8 and a  StellaLyra 10"  Ritchey-Chretien scope and a camera that cost more than I paid for an 8 year old Volvo V70 ! - There is always an upgrade path 🙄 👍

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A couple of my thoughts just to muddy the water for you... 

The EQ5 is 6.5Kgs for imaging and 9Kgs for visual so make sure you use that as a load figure, it's all about tracking accuracy etc. When you do your weight calcs for any future kit add in things like adapters, filters, dew shields etc it's amazing how it all adds up.

All these mounts have the same sort of challenges and once you get to grips with the home position, polar alignment etc it does get quicker and easier. An advantage with the EQ5 is that it does have an integral polar scope which again does make life easier. Enjoy.

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3 hours ago, M40 said:

An advantage with the EQ5 is that it does have an integral polar scope which again does make life easier. Enjoy.

As does the HEQ5.  

And I agree, you have to factor in the weights of all the adapters, USB cables, any filters etc.

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I have both the EQ5 and HEQ5 mounts. I got the EQ5 about 11 years ago, second hand, and it works fine, the HEQ5 I got last year and it's now in my obsy as a permanent setup.

When the EQ5 was my only mount, I used it for astrophotography with a Skywatcher Evostar 100ED DS Pro, Canon 1300D (later the ZWO ASI294MC Pro), 60mm guide scope and ZWO ASI120MM Mini for guiding. With this payload it worked fine and guiding wasn't too bad, I was getting 5 minute exposures without any problems.

The EQ5 isn't a smaller HEQ5, there are differences. The main one being the weight, especially if you have to carry it any distance to setup, the EQ5 is much lighter and just as easy to setup. I used to keep the mount connected to the tripod when stored as it made things a little faster when setting up. I did the same with the HEQ5 and it was more of a struggle, but manageable.

Then there's the all important price. At the moment, the EQ5 is about £300 cheaper than the HEQ5, £500 if you want the Rowan Belt Conversion as well on the HEQ5. For that extra money you get the extra payload, nearly double for imaging, so it's future proofing for you, You also get a better design, with proper built-in motors and thrust or roller bearings on both axis. Both mounts can be connected to a laptop or the ASIAir for astrophotography using either the handset or directly with a cable.

I would recommend both mounts. If money isn't an issue then save up a bit more for the HEQ5, if you don't want that sort of outlay at this point in your hobby then go with the EQ5. ;)

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