Love the observing site
@Lady Fraktor
So in terms of size, I am well aware of what to expect. I have to say that I was wondering about the iOptron mount and was searching for an extension pillar, but as
@Bigzmey noticed, there doesn't seem to be one available for the mount in question.
Pros for the mount:
- great payload capacity
- alignment is extremely friendly
- onboard battery
This doesn't seem to be the case with many
EQ mounts, except iOptron ones, which tend to be more expensive. But when adding more €€ I would be inclined to go for the tripier version.
I do appreciate that you have way more experience than me, and if you say that AZ mount can be a pain in the back (literally) with f8 150 frac, I will take your word for it. So it's back to the drawing board for me.
The more I read about it, the more certain I am that I would rather add the € and go for the ED version. But this will have to be something for next year or year after. Since I would be looking at 4k€ for the scope and the mount (if prices don't rise). This scope would get a lot of use with solar system objects, and as such that added color correction will likely be worth it (that's unless someone has experience with the Semi-
APO or Fringe killer filters, that might tip the scale).
Which takes me back to the dobson. I have read a great deal of reviews and experiences from people, and despite it's shortcomings (I don't like the truss tube as well), the
SW 250 seems to be a good scope (unless you get the odd poor specimen). Why am I looking at this particular scope is mainly because of the
goto, which in my case will be used mainly for tracking. I know it's a lot to add for the tracking, but I often observe with company, and since getting the AZ GTi, the sessions have become much more fun mainly due to tracking. We can both observe for prolonged periods of time and switch places, while the target is in sight. It's indeed priceless compared to the slow-mo (which isn't bad at all). And with
dob, nudging does seem to be off-putting for me.
Only concern are:
- the reported balance issues, that would warrant some extra counterweights on the mirror side. Another optional (required actually) is the shroud, which can be DIY I guess, and the battery pack.
- the relatively fast ratio of 4.7 (not sure why many state it's 5, but none the less) and the need for
coma corrector or really expensive EPs. But I think I can overcome that in a matter of a few months, and budget for at least 1 high end, or 2-3 mid tier (Morpheus,
ES) EPs.