looking to buy a new mount

[astrokat]

hello guys ive been getting into imaging, ive only got a alz mount now i understand i will have much easer and better results using a eq mount. im looking at a hq5 mount and there is a fue diffrent types anyone want to point or recomend a good mount.

toby

[alfi]

hi

i would have looked at heq5 pro or eq6 pro, they are good mounts for the price.

alfi

[red dwalf]

i use my celestron 6" se on a celestron cg5 gt mount, work well and alot cheaper than a skywatcher, about the same carrying capacity as a heq5, 8"-10" newt should be no problem

[astrokat]

heq5 looks like the one for me the goto version is there any point i understand you can do this though the laptop if you want to

thanks toby

[astrokat]

cg5 whats it like for imaging

[JCJC]

The CG-5 isn't bad up to a point but they don't respond well to being overloaded and I think the balance needs to be bang on to get good results and I don't think it would compare to an heq5 or an eq6, however I don't have any experience with these to mounts.

Another thing to add is if your setting up and brakng the kit down everytime then the CG5 is an ok weight to carry in and out of the house whereas the eq6 I'm not so sure about.

Jordan

[red dwalf]

yes the eq6 is a monster, cg5 gt is heavy enough but if price is a issue then this is cheaper, sound like a salesman don`t i, once setup and aligned it tracks well, as for balancing took me about 5 minutes to do, then i marked the bar with a bit of tape and i know where to put the weight when setting up, shouldn`t think the skywatchers are any different as all need balancing correctly, helps motors work better

[alfi]

hi

i have the heq5 pro synscan, and like the possibility off using it without a laptop, but if you dont mind using a laptop to control it, you can save a little, and buy a simpler one.

i have ordered the eq6 pro, for the extra capacity it gives.

alfi

[red dwalf]

i find the goto very helpfull, when aligned mount slews straight to object, it`s abig sky and sometimes alittle target, so helps me alot

[JCJC]

But for imaging purposes, my max exposure without guiding is about 2 mins on the CG5, then balance is crucial for guiding to function properly.

Jordan

[alfi]

hi

i took a look at the cg5 gt, and the heq5 pro is a much sturdyer mount, its more solidly built, and the weight is higher.

the mount is very important in astrophoto, so if you are going to do a bit of that, put som money into the mount.

alfi

[red dwalf]

the dec motors on the cg5 gt can be a bit loud, the covering acts like an ampilfier

[astrokat]

money is no issue though the heq6 is v heavy and i need to move it about quite abit, so the heq5 seams like the one for me , to goto or not goto that is the question ?

[alfi]

hi

i would have gone for the goto if money isnt an isssue, i think it is a nice thing to have.

the eq6 is about 8,5kg heavier then the heq5 pro, i think. i have to breake it down to 2-3 pieces anyway to move it some distance, so each piece wont be that much heavier.

i dont find that that would be that much more, the eq6 pro will give me better capacity, and are more futureproofed.

alfi