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EQ mounts

decoyp

By decoyp
in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups

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decoyp

decoyp

Posted
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I'm a bit new to this Equitoral mount stuff. I've been trawling the web looking for info on EQ mounts for Astrophotography. Can any one tell me what is the main difference between the EQ3 , 4 ,5 and 6 mounts apart from the price. Is it just that the EQ6 is better engineered ?? Obviously I need a decent sturdy mount for long exposure photography. I am mainly interested in the Brighter Deep Sky objects and wide field images at the moment. Not too fussed about through the scope imaging at the moment - but I guess the day will come. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks ......

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brendant

brendant

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It is generally the capacity and accuracy of the mount which increases with the number. For astroimaging the two most used mounts are the HEQ5 and 6 mounts, depending on loading it is generally one or the other, the EQ6 is a big mount and physically quite a handful but one of the best mounts in its price range, there are other mounts which offer similar performance and then you head into a totally different sphere with mounts such as the Astro Physics and Paramount to name a few, for very serious amateurs and professional imagers.

General advice is to buy the biggest mount you can afford as no matter how good the scope is it will not reach it's potential on a poor mount.

Brendan

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brendant

brendant

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I have always assuned the H refers to Heavy Duty as the mount is substantially bigger than an EQ5, I have both an EQ5 and a HEQ5 and they are not even similar, the HEQ5 is a superb mount, it is just a smaller version of the EQ6 Pro. Same high precision stepper motors which are more precise than the EQ5 Synscan GOTO mount.

Brendan

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alfi

alfi

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hi

i would have gone for the eq6.

i have the heq5 pro myself, but am now looking into the eq6 pro, to give me that little extra, and to be more "futureproofed"

i should have taken the little extra cost in the first place.

alfi

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brendant

brendant

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True the EQ6 Pro has the best load carrying capacity, it's a bit of a beast though but is the most future proofed mount if funds allow. If you wish to mount a heavy refractor or big Newt in the future, go for the EQ6 Pro as it will cater for almost any scope.

Personally as I do not have huge scopes opted for the HEQ5 Pro as I have to lug it outside every night and set it up, it's more than capable for my needs at the moment and for the future I think.

Brendan

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brendant

brendant

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Agree with John here, I can just manage to carry my mount (HEQ5 Pro) out to the garden down 3 steps complete with the ED80 and guidescope mounted, I would not be able to do it with an EQ6 and the thought of breaking it into components each night having to assemble and disassemble put me off the EQ6.

The EQ6 is a great mount and certainly the best mount if you can physically manage it, and certainly the most future proofed.

Brendan

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milan

milan

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Just been down this whole path myself. Trust me, get the EQ6. You shouldnt need anything else ever again! If you can, try one out first as its quite heavy when all assembled (even without the counterweights) Probably about 20 to 25kgs

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milan

milan

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its the additional load capacity for piggy backing scopes that does it. Plus due to its weight its more stable for imaging. When we got ours last week it all came down to the fact that if we added another scope it could be on the limit of the 5's capabilities. Which isnt a problem in iself as you could always upgrade to the 6 later, but we decided that it was cheaper to go all out now rather than later.

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decoyp

decoyp

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OK so the EQ6 pro is the fully future proofed mount. However I do want to retain some portability with the final setup. I live in lincolnshire kind of semi-rural and there's not too much light polution around here, so the back garden is usually fine on a clear night. I Have noticed though that travelling just a little further into the sticks is even better for dark skies. I had planned to try out some other locations for imaging too. Do any of you guys do that. How do you get a power supply ?? I was thinking on the lines of a car battery with an inverter to run the power supplies for the mount / dew control etc .

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