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Hello, I'm seeking guidance regarding the acquisition of a new Goto German Equatorial Mount.
I need a respectable payload capability of around 30 lbs.
I plan on using this for observation but also for AP.
If you own any of these, have any knowledge of these mounts or would like to suggest another mount that might be better, please chime in and provide some feed back, thanks.
I have an AVX which I use for both, it has a visual capacity of 30 pounds. I do not load more than 15 pounds on it for AP. You will need to cut the visual capacity of the mount in half for the AP load, so I would get the highest weight capacity I could afford for room to grow.
I have used an HEQ5. It is a good basic mount, and I was successfully able to take some decent AP photos with it. The Sirius is the exact same mount with a different paint job.
These days, I use an iOptron CEM60, which is not on your list, as it is in a higher weight class. However, I really like it. The quality of engineering is much higher than the Synta (Skywatcher or Orion) mounts. Based on my experience with it, I would suggest that the iOptron mounts on your list are excellent value.
DSO AP:Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP:Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O)Astrobin
Hi !
I use a CEM25P since 6 months. It's a great one, very light (one reason why I bought it).
Put on it a 130/720 Newton or a 152/760 refractor (mainly the Newton, electric focuser isn't finished).
Need some training to polar-align (I can't see the North pole !), began with two or three star alignment, and now with iterative alignment which is fast (and the magic balance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75zSHsyULls is great for modifying settings of the mount).
The major issue is the stars are named with their classical name (like Zubelgenubi !) I don't know well, and a number, so I made a star map of the sky with the name/number to have a quick reference.
Hope this helps !
Good luck !
Arsène
Petzval quadruplet 152/760 on iOptron CEM25P — XX12 Orion Skyquest — 5.5" Celestron Comet Catcher (40 years old) — Perl-Vixen 130 mm/720 mm EQ — 8 mmm, 17mm and 31 mm aspheric Hyperion — BST Explorer ED 5 mm — Baader MPCC II — Leica EP 20x-60x — 2x Barlow — TS Optics Binoculars 20x80 Triplet.
Anyone own or have anything to say about the Celestron CGEM II Equatorial Mount ???
I'm thinking of getting a Celestron 8" Edge Hd on this one. Comments ????
Weight-wise that OTA should work well. But this OTA is considered an intermediate to advanced level imaging setup. Shooting at f/10 or f/6.3 is not easily accomplished. Don't get me wrong, it can be accomplished but there are always trade-offs regardless of the OTA you choose. In this case, the focal length (FL) is quite long and will exacerbate any guiding errors, and external factors (wind, unwanted vibrations, there's a slew of other gotchas) so that you will throw away a good number of your images as being unusable. As long as you know this going in then it will take terrific images.
Cheers,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac ∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO ∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5 ∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros. ∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000 ∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3 ∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter ∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
JayTee wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:52 am
In this case, the focal length (FL) is quite long and will exacerbate any guiding errors, and external factors (wind, unwanted vibrations, there's a slew of other gotchas) so that you will throw away a good number of your images as being unusable.
Thanks JayTee, would a focal reducer be recommended to help ?
I finally pulled the trigger. Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro won the battle ( in my mind ) of the EQ mounts. I ordered it today from High Point........ now the anxiety of waiting for it to arrive in one safe and sound...... thanks to all that help with my decision.
Zeroed4x wrote: ↑Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:44 pm
I finally pulled the trigger. Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro won the battle ( in my mind ) of the EQ mounts. I ordered it today from High Point........ now the anxiety of waiting for it to arrive in one safe and sound...... thanks to all that help with my decision.
Thanks for posting this thread because I am in the same spot. Also leaning toward the EQ6-R Pro right now but waiting a bit before final decision and ordering. Hope your mount comes in safely and you have clear skies.
Peace,
ken
Telescopes: Orion Skyquest XT10 goto, Orion St80 on ES Twilight 1, Seestar s50
Binoculars: Celestron Skymaster 25-125x80 zoom