Recommendations for intermediate equatorial mount

[TwoSheds30619]

Hello,

I have been using a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer 2i mount with a Canon 6D mk II (astro modified) and various lenses for a couple of years.

I am now ready to start upgrading my equipment and will start with the mount.  What would the collective recommend as an intermediate equatorial mount on which I can use my current equipment but also have the weight carrying capability for when I then upgrade my imaging equipment to use a telescope.

My primary interest is imaging DSOs.

[malc-c]

With such a wide diversity of members on the forum you won't get a decisive answer.  It would help if you provided more details on what you envisage being the ideal scope and camera, and if portability is a prime requirement, and what budget you have.  IMO other than bright nebula, galaxies and clusters you need a fast f5 or lower scope with a decent aperture.  You also need something that will be motor driven, and have a decent load carrying capacity, yet is (at a push)  mobile.  That puts the HEQ5 or AZ-EQ5-GT firmly in the frame.

[Elp]

Budget too.

Intermediate I would say a payload capacity around 10-15kg, but you can't say use a larger than 8 inch sct on one which then goes into the next weight class of mounts.

An individually sourced tripod paired with a mount head can also make a world of difference in terms of stability.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Elp

[TwoSheds30619]

13 hours ago, malc-c said:

With such a wide diversity of members on the forum you won't get a decisive answer.  It would help if you provided more details on what you envisage being the ideal scope and camera, and if portability is a prime requirement, and what budget you have.  IMO other than bright nebula, galaxies and clusters you need a fast f5 or lower scope with a decent aperture.  You also need something that will be motor driven, and have a decent load carrying capacity, yet is (at a push)  mobile.  That puts the HEQ5 or AZ-EQ5-GT firmly in the frame.

Hi there,

Probably up to £3K for the mount.

As for telescope size probably at least 90mm apochromatic refractor but that's for the future.

[malc-c]

£3,000 for the mount alone brings you into the reach of some very nice, what I would call serious armature astronomy mounts such as those made by  iOptron.  It also widens the choice, making recommendations harder

[TwoSheds30619]

15 minutes ago, malc-c said:

£3,000 for the mount alone brings you into the reach of some very nice, what I would call serious armature astronomy mounts such as those made by  iOptron.  It also widens the choice, making recommendations harder

The iOptron CEM40 is a mount I've had a look at and seems pretty good.

[Elp]

For that sort of budget and newer tech I'd consider a harmonic drive like a ZWO am5 or one of the ioptron ones.

You'd have to envisage what sort of scope you're likely to get in the future, I bought my gem28 with the anticipation of getting an 8 inch sct but it hasn't happened, now I'm looking for a more compact one.

[ONIKKINEN]

The safe bet with that budget would be an EQ6 or an AZ-EQ6. The difference between the two mostly being in how you polar align and some other convenience changes (slightly more modern design in the AZ-EQ6). These mounts are dead simple and have been proven to work so it will be a safe bet, which may not be the case for the new harmonics.

[nfotis]

If you want portability, the new harmonic mounts like the ZWO AM5 are quite desirable. But you will pay for that.

What's the largest scope you expect to mount and use?

For example, you can use a Celestron C9.25 on an EQ6-R mount for astrophotography, or on a HEQ5 for visual and planetary imaging.

A typical refractor up to a 100-120mm triplet can be handled by a HEQ5 class mount (which can be carried on two hands, sans counterweights, while an EQ6-R needs two trips).

If you want to use a C11, you want an EQ8 / CEM120 class mount (these examples are empirical - in general, a bigger mount will be a more pleasant user experience, if you leave the transport/assembly part out). A C14 wants an even more substantial mount.

Hope this helps,

N.F.

 

[TwoSheds30619]

Finally able to get back to looking at getting my new mount after life got in the way.

I'm currently looking at the iOptron HAE29 but was wondering if it is worth getting the variant with the iPolar or whether it's not worth the extra cost (£100).

 

[Elp]

If you're never going to use the mount standalone and image or view with the in built tracking I wouldn't bother. Remember you'll need a computer to connect to it in order to polar align. If you're using an on telescope computer solution like an rpi/asiair/mini pc, more so you won't ever use it.

[Anne S]

The iPolar is very good but it's detachable on the HAE29 so could be bought later if needed. The altaz setup won't need it and you won't need it for visual in eq mode. For imaging you will need to polar align more carefully to prevent image rotation.

You save a bit of cash if you get the iPolar with the mount that's the only advantage.

[TwoSheds30619]

So just to close this out, I have now ordered the HAE29 with iPolar.

Thanks everyone who provided input and help.

Sorry for the clouds that will now roll in!