EQ5 mount for imaging?

[michaelmorris]

I'm selling off my trusty ETX90EC as it no longer fits my needs for a portable telescope set up. My plan is, when I need something portable, to demount my Orion 80ED from the back of my LX200 and mount it on a portable mount. My main use will be for wide field imaging and for visual observing - mainly at star parties. I am on a somewhat limited budget. Whilst I appreciate that a Skywatcher HEQ5 pro/syntrek would be a great option, it's beyond my very restricted budget (£425 maximum).

At present my plan is to buy a new or used EQ5 Pro and use this with the 80ED. For imaging I'd be using my Canon 1000D at prime focus (with focal reducer if necessary) with either an off-axis guider (with DSI) or piggy-backing a DSI connected to a telephoto camera lens as a guide scope. Later I might try to get a 66mm apo to act as a guide scope.

I appreciate that the EQ5 Pro won't give me top notch performance for long exposure photos, but with good alignment, PEC and autoguiding, will it be good enough?

[adamsp123]

The EQ5 Michael takes a 9Kg load so with an itsy 80ED that weighs nearly nothing it should be fine IMO.

Don't think you want PEC and to be autoguiding at the same time IIRC

[jgs001]

I'm sure there's several on here using the EQ5 as an imaging setup with the sort of kit on top you're describing Micheal.