I vote for the LX85 and the ES PMC8 (a LX75 but with belts and stepper motors). I will review the LX85 in the near future, because i own one. It is a light mount with a lot of payload. I have no ASCOM driver problems. It works also with the old Meade Driver and with the new project drivers without any problems. The LX85 has also a silent mode were the motors are very quiet. The goto functions were good/accurate and the guiding performance too. Both mounts a very underrated. Thanks for your work and sharing. Regards Andreas
Crazy thing is you mentioned the higher pricing for these mounts as you made this video. I am watching this 10 months later and pricing has increased as much as $300 dollars on some of these! Thanks covid!!!
Yes, it's not just COVID. Also energy prices are up. And there was a run on astrophotography equipment as this is a hobby you can still do during a lock down ...
The HEQ5 had a huge price jump of almost $400 in last 6 months or so… puts it perilously close to a bigger and better EQ6Ri or the newer and seemingly better iOptron CEM / GEM 2xx mounts. At this price a NO GO
The HEQ5 is a fine mount but did you know that the EXOS2-GT w/PMC8 comes already equipped with 0.9° stepper motors, belt drives and FULL ball-bearing races on all moving parts? WiFi too?
I can't believe that the iOptron CEM26 and GEM28 have been available for a few months now but not many people are talking about it. I was looking to upgrade to the HEQ5 Pro but I noticed these iOptron mounts. On paper, they look very good, but obviously not many user reviews. However, the HEQ5 has a 2 month lead time in the UK but is a well understood mount! Thanks for your review and comparison, it was very good!
I like you approach in looking at things, I’m planning to buy a mount and this video will help me a lot in my search. Thank you so much for the efforts you made.
You're very welcome Wido, with your recommendations in mind, I went to search for AZ/EQ mount to be able to observe faint young Moon, Solar Eclipse, etc beside doing deep sky Astor-photo. I found
Hi Wido, I was just watching your video on the tracking mounts, I bit the bullet last mount after talking to a friend and bought IOptrion CEM 26 mount, what I can say the CEM 26 is very quiet running motors, so far I am happy with it . The weather here hasn't been good cloudy and its rainning here in the UK. Wido, thanks again and Keep up the good work, I hope you have clear skies where you are. 🙂🌠
I was using the iOptron SkyGuider Pro for the last year and decided to upgrade to the Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6 Pro last month.... definitely a game changer and a tremendous learning curve. Like you said, the mount is arguably the most important piece! I absolutely love the mount. It's a total beast.
@@DirkDirk1983 For me it came down to product availability. My vendor (Wide Screen Center in the UK) had the AZ-EQ6 in stock. I really liked the iOptron CEM45 and did want to go with that one, but it just wasn't/wouldn't have been available to me. I don't regret my choice at all and I love my AZ-EQ6. I have no plan of ever using AZ...but it's there if I ever decide to.
I have the EQM-35 pro and a 200/900mm newtonian with a total OTA+camera weight of 8.5kg. I have not started guiding yet but i can report that with 30 second exposures at least 75% of my frames have little to no star trailing, depending on how well i bothered to polar align. Its definitely a capable little mount and doesn't break your bank or back.
Interesting video. Nice analytical approach. I have owned an Orion Sky-View Pro, AVX, EQ6-r Pro, iOptron CEM70, and iOptron CEM26. I did not consider the Sky-View a go-to mount because the slew rate was too slow. The AVX was the most discouraging. That Servo motor based design, uses gearboxes to get the precision, and therefore multiplies the backlash by the number of gears. It also has plastic housings around the motors, so dropping the mount shattered those housings. The EQ6-r Pro need high quality bears and synthetic grease installed. The iOptron designs are great, but the design lock axis switches are problematic. Food for thought.
Hi Michael, thanks for the detailed feedback. You definitely know more about the quality of gears than I do! The AVX was my first mount and I did have a good time with it, was able to guide with about 1" p/pixel accuracy. But as you mentioned, after two years I was experiencing significant backlash and needed to replace the gears to get rid of some of that backlash. The EQ6R-Pro is working fine for me for the past year and a half. I'm getting about .5" p/pixel which is good enough given the mediocre sea level and light polluted skies in the Netherlands. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace thanks for reading my comment. The AVX was my first go-to mount. Early on, the mount head fell off the tripod and the Dec motor housing shattered. As a retired engineer, I dug in to identify what components could be repaired and what had to be replaced. During that analysis, I saw the plastic housing was thin walled and easy to fail. The powdered metal parts which held the motor also thin and easy to fracture. Soon, screws securing that axis servo motor gearbox loosened, so I took it apart. Several pinion plastic gears meant backlash would be ever increasing, and impossible to adjust out. That design is not intended for years of high performance. I did learn from it what feature were important.
Duidelijke video 😄👍🏻 ik ben nog aan het oriënteren maar ben blij een Nederlander aan te treffen op youtube. Ik dacht nl. Met alle lichtvervuiling het in Nederland nauwelijks mogelijk was 😅
My first EQ mount was a skywatcher EQ6R Pro. It’s still one of my favourite mounts. I then wanted a Alt/Az mount and I bought the Skywatcher AZ/EQ6 Pro for using my 10” Meade LX200 ACF OTA with my number of other telescopes for viewing or planetary imaging. I then decided I wanted a big SC telescope and I got an incredible deal on an as new immaculate barely used Meade 14” LX600 with an X wedge for planetary imaging, visual observing and very distant deep sky object astrophotography. I then decided to buy my dream mount. A mount that would last me a lifetime and be able to carry multiple telescopes at the same time so then I could image the same object using different scopes from my Radian Raptor 61 to my Askar FRA600 Petzval Quintuplet APO and a Planewave 12.5” CDK all with different cooled ccd and cmos monochrome cameras with optech electronic focusing EFW’s etc etc. That mount is my new 10MICRON HPS II 2000 permanently setup in my home observatory. It’s completely remotely controlled. I have 2 take anywhere lightweight EQ mounts. I just replaced my CEM25EC with an Ioptron GEM28 and my Ioptron SkyGuider Pro. I use either my Canon 400mm EF-L F2.8 with my Canon EOS Ra or R5. Or I will use my William Optics GT81 iv with a ZWO asi1600mm pro, ZWO ASIAIR Pro, ZWO asi290 mm mini guide camera and an 8 position electronic filter wheel and on my SkyGuider Pro I will usually use my Canon EOS Ra with my Radian Raptor 61.
I'm a retired pro photographer and a bit of a tech nerd but I'm a newbie in astrophotography. I recently started to question the need for a guide scope and 2nd camera when you should be able to take the data being captured by the main camera and use that for guiding. You should be able to split the signal sending one stream to the computer for guiding and the other stream as normal capture. I talked to someone very knowledgeable on camera sensors who said it was possible, difficult to do as the system is designed now but possible. When designing a new camera this feature could be put into the silicon. Even if it added to the cost of the camera you'd still have the cost savings over a 2nd camera, scope, mount for it, not to mention weight savings and making the scope system simpler, no alignment problems between scope and guide scope, no flex or temperature variations between the two causing problems.
Hi Robert, interesting thoughts! Lots of folks use off axis guiding which gives you the same focal length but still requires a second guidecam. Those guidecams are relatively cheap btw, so it may be more costly to modify the current production process of astrocams. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Well, as I said, next time they design a new camera they could make the changes and that it might add a little to the price but probably still be cheaper than buying all the other gear. The added plus is weight savings and simplifying the capture system so less to go wrong. Off-axis HAND guiding was the state of the art in the early '70s when I first joined the Orange County Astronomers in SoCal. There was no digital capture or computer post processing, you shot on slide film and did your manipulations in the darkroom when you made a print. Five years ago when I bought a Celestron Nexstar 5SE I thought I'd use it for visual use. Then a week later I ran into AstroBackyard's channel and soon realized I wanted to do astrophotography using all this new gear and software. Even during these past 5 years improvements in capture and processing software have been astounding and made simplified by things like N.A.N.A. and the ASIAir Plus. I'm waiting for some company, existing manufacturer or systems integrator, to put together a total capture system and sold as a package and done so at a price cheaper than what buyers could have purchased se[artately. Such a package would have all the kinks worked out, the software already set up so all the new owner would have to do is get it polar aligned and then start shooting.
Actually, the inner values of many mounts seem to be more similar than expected. Although the housing looks quite different, the inner workings of AVX seem to be similar if not the same as the HEQ5/Sirius. The EXOS mount is even worst since except for motor drive and electronics, it seems to be the same mechanics as Skywatcher EQ5/ Celestron CG5 (actually I missed those mounts in your video). Meade, like Celestron, also seem to share some inner values with skywatcher Mounts. I can recommend everyone with an HEQ5 to upgrade with the rowan belt mod. It makes the motor drive very quiet and much more accurate. I also recently super-tuned my HEQ5 by changing the bearings in the mount with higher quality SKF ones. I hope to soon be able to test the tracking. Also, I just modified my EQ5 with a belt mod and tuned it with better bearings. The last two nights unfortunately only turned clear in the middle of the night when I fell asleep...
Hi Wido, I have one of those LX85 and I can confirm a few things. One the payload on it is very good. I have a 203mm aperture and a 1200mm Fl Newtonian so it is a big boy with two cameras guide scope and a ASIPRO and it handles that with guiding just fine. I don't have a lot of experience with other mounts, but the motors are a little noisy. It connects just fine with my ASIPRO and Stellarmate. I used it with PHD2 at one point and it functioned just fine. I've never used the Aux port so I can't comment on that and never really had any dealings with Meade for repair or customer service. I know that the equipment that I have purchased of theirs are quality and the drivers that I have downloaded have been up to date so it is all good.
Thanks for the detailed info and good to hear about your positive experiences with the LX-85. It's a very affordable and 'competitive' mount. Clear skies!
Possibly worth mentioning the Celestron StarSense. It replaces the red-dot star finder. It will align or aid polar alignment but mainly it solves the GoTo alignment. Even after you have polar aligned, the scope doesn't know where the stars are and has to be aligned to the sky, which takes time centring stars and is boring. It only comes in Celestron or StarWatcher flavours and they're not interchangeable, so if you have bought into one, you're rather stuck with that brand. If it is focussed (which is a pain) it can plate-solve and align in under a minute, usually faster; then you can GoTo your object of interest. It cannot guide and does not replace a guide scope camera.
@@DirkDirk1983 Hi Dirk. Yes, tough choice. I've made a review of the eq6r pro: ua-cam.com/video/16K8BwW9BAA/v-deo.html perhaps useful. Good luck with your decision.
@@DirkDirk1983 Small personal Review (it is not general I only have the assembly for half a dozen months). For me the iPolar is just spectacular, nothing about the RA axis rotating at 60 degrees. I have ASI Air Pro and I made PA with Air and iPolar, I prefer iPolar, because simply the mount is made for that because I have to make AP adjustments we have to have an Allen key (because "we have" screws, but I already got it the trick: D). In the case of the SW Eq6 R Pro it is not like that, it is more pleasant, it is with the hands. I myself have been 1 and a half year undecided between one and the other. Because I think the SW Eq6 R Pro is excellent too, and with proven track records as well. Both are good mounts. I preferred the GEM45 because it is lighter, cable management, because it needs a lighter and more pleasant system to transport and I am surrendered to iPolar. Sometimes I take pictures of my balcony (Bortle 8/9) with PHD2 and APT (I take photos with both Air and APT) with the Beta dev4 version of PHD2, this week I did a guide at 0.5 * to 0.8 * already on the horizon .
Excellent video there! I watched only two days ago your 2020 best beginner mount and was happy to see an update today! I've been leaning toward the CEM26 but now I'm back on the fence for the HEQ5... By the way, i love the improvement you've made to your videos, you really took it up a notch in the past year!
Thank you very much Emile. I've tried to improve the quality of my videos, glad you noticed :-). Both the cem26 and the heq5 are tempting. The new iOptron mounts look really promising with ppec, built in wifi etc....but not many user reports yet as they are brand new. Good luck.
I have the GEM28 and it’s a superb mount. Almost silent in operation, smooth and tracking is just fantastic. Software all communicated no problem with APT, PHD2 and Sharpcap. Only One weak piece and that is the polar, it’s not very good but I give it a try. This mount will be the best in its weight class.
Great videos, lots of energy and content. My current and first AP mount is a Skywatcher EQ5 Pro Synscan, it needs a lot of babysitting - designed really for visual. I am considering the EQ6 R Pro Mount
Thanks! The eq6r Pro is one of the most popular mounts atm in that price range. I'm happy with it after having used it for almost a year now. Clear skies.
I certainly went the HEQ5Pro and very happy with it. Worth mentioning here in Australia we have the Saxon brand. Mine is the Saxon HEQ5pro but it's identical to the SkyWatcher brand.
Glad to hear you’re happy with it, I’m thinking of that one too. I have a 130 Celestron Newtonian and my dslr is 1kg! I was thinking the eq5 but the more I look into it the heq5 seems the way to go..
My 1st mount was a Meade LX85. Acceptable performance for a relatively inexpensive mount ($600). It's noisy, target accuracy is fair at best, running PHD2 is sketchy, mount struggles with backlash error no matter how many times you try to adjust it out. Upgraded after a year to the HEQ6R-pro and it is a night and day difference. Run it thru Stellarium and seldom even use PHD2 tracking. Polar & star alignment are a breeze, aiming and tracking is spot on !!
$600?? Now they go for $1400-1500. I'm just getting into astrophotography, still researching about what gear to get. I have seen many people saying that the prices went up since covid19. What I am seeing now is that you need at least $3-4k for a good performance gear to build a capable rig. Wish I got interest in AP before 2022 because of the prices.
I have the Meade LX 85 mount and so far so good. I did have some issues initially with ASCOM but since downloading the latest driver it has worked perfectly. As far as noise, yeah it whines like crazy when slewing but is virtually silent when tracking. Doesn't wake the neighbors or bother me at all. Pretty solid mount for the price. Next step is a HEG6 PRO.
Great to hear the initial bugs have been worked out. I'll definitely consider that in my next videos on mounts as the lx85 is a very tempting and affordable mount. Clear skies!
I started off with a star adventurer and Space Cat telescope. a couple months later when I was dying to get a little more reach I got the Orion 8" newtonian astrograph and an Orion Atlas EQG (skywatcher eq6) mount. total game changer
Great Video Wedo. I just picked up my CEM28 with ipolar First impression was well packaged. first set up was easy following well made instructions. drivers and software and firmware updates were straightforward with no surprises. connected to nina with ease. waiting for the clouds that came with my completely new set up to piss off. I'll update you further if you like. Love your pics and informational videos
Payload capacity for the EXOS2 PMC Eight is not mid range, it is 12.7kg for astrophotography and 18kg for visual, that's pretty damned high for a budget mount, due to it's prper bearings, stepper motors and belt drive
First mount was a celestron fork nextstar GPS 11 I have moved on to the CGXL no it is not a beginner mount. Yes it is very heavy 55lbs/24kg. But the payload is 75lbs/34kg I was looking for the CGX but it was on backorder for the last 10 months. So I scraped and saved and spent the extra money. I got the CGXL because I don't have view of polaris (blocked by trees and house) celestron's allstar polar alignment alleviates this problem. Paired with plate solving, I can't be happier with its tracking ability. Only draw backs I have found so far is weight and price.
@Shiang Yu Yang your info inaccurate, azgti can handle telescope too. Not only camera and it can go full gear astrophotography setup(aap,eaf,fw,ccd cam,guidescope+cam) Google them mate
Hi, my first EQ mount was the Skywatcher EQ-3 Pro, which is nearly identical to the EQM-35 Pro. I got it new for a bargain 500 €redits. I'm still using it today as my main mount, because it is really lightweight and robust, so it doesn't take away to much space in the car (so I can really leave it in there all year in case I need it) and it is really easy to setup. It guides reasonable well up to a pixel resolution of 1 second (around 800 mm focal length with most cameras). And can easily handle 150 mm aperture newtons or 100 mm aperture refractors. For longer focal length telescopes however, I wouldn't recommend the EQ3 or EQM-35, because sub second guiding is impossible even with all the tweaking in the world.
Hi, i have a 130mm reflector and planning on getting a goto mount . Will the Skywatcher EQM-35 be good fit for my scope . I would like to do visual and imaging with it .
I just got an heq5. I can't use it at the moment but the thing is a bit of a beast. Thank God I plan to put it in an observatory, because you're not backpacking this thing anywhere without hiring a few Sherpas. But on the upside, the thing looks rock solid, and I can't wait to take it to paradise in northern Arizona, at 7000ft, bortle 1-2 skies, I'm going to cry when I first look through the eyepiece. My place up north was just made for astronomy and I'm going take a couple HEQ5s up there and start my own dark site. Bonnie doing wide field, and Clyde firing deep into the cosmos
My first mount was (back in 2005) and still is a Celestron CG-5 AS GT. It's had some surgery done in the past to keep it running and a fresh NextStar+ hand controller so it can perform 2-star alignments. I try to limit complicating control and adhere to the KISS principle.
I live in Amsterdam and my flat is small. I need a good quality mount that's relatively small. I only have two telescopes, a Skywatcher Skymax 102, (the old blue livery) and a Skywatcher Startravel 102. I only intend to use smaller sized telescopes. After a lot of searching and consideration, I've decided to buy the Skywatcher EQM 35 PRO SynScan GoTo. I like the modular construction and that it's mechanically similar to the HEQ-5 Pro mount; only lighter and portable. The Skywatcher EQM 35 PRO SynScan GoTo, will be perfect for my needs.
I've just received my EQM-35 PRO SynScan GoTo from ROBTICS down in Leidschendam, Zuid Holland, NL. I'm really happy. The only things holding me up, are the Amsterdam cloud gods. I'm getting fed up with their sense of humour. I usually purchase my equipment from AstroShop EU. When I checked the price of the mount with them. They had received new stock and increased the price by about €100. Thankfully, ROBTICS was still selling the mount at the old price. If anyone in the EU is thinking about purchasing the EQM-35 PRO, do it quickly before the new stock arrives. It could you save up to €100. I suspect it'll be a similar situation for countries outside the EU too. €100 is the price of a Sky-Watcher 90 degree polar scope eyepiece. This is also an item high on my must have list. My knees and back will thank me 😀.
My first and only mount has been the Sirius EQ-G. I bought it 9 years ago and is still going strong. My only complaint is that I didn't have a back yard or a car for most of the time, and I had to drag its fat behind to a park/beach (It probably wouldn't have been much easier with the other mounts). Now I am in the market for a travel star tracker that can be taken in a backpack.
Great to hear the Sirius eq-g still works after nine years. Really says a lot about durability. Yes, star trackers are great for traveling. I'm thinking about getting one myself and use it during my holidays. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Wido, your English is great. Your vocabulary and use of correct words and sentence structure is excellent. I was always impressed by the English spoken by everyone I met during my visits to Amsterdam. I never really picked up much Dutch as there wasn’t a real need to do so. Bedankt! Fijne dag.
I knew there was a reason for postponing the purchase of the mount.. thank you for the info; decided to go with the iOptron CEM26; light weight and it has a case. Telescope esprit ED 80mm.
I appreciate all you r videos, very informative. I've been able to find a AVX for sale a couple of hours away, this helped confirm my decision. On another subject, have you done any videos on Tracking Scopes? Recommendations or anything like this video.. Thanks again and keep the videos coming.
Hi Dave, that's an excellent idea. And good to know the eqm-35 pro works well. I'm working with the eq6r-pro for almost a year now and I'm happy with is performance. Clear skies!
I got en EQ3 and an LMT both are capable to track with a camera far enough for smallest budget (EQ with steppermotor). BUT... i will of course upgrade this summer, and gift the mounts to my nephew for his first steps.
I would NEVER recommend an AVX. When I bought mine, I bought it on multiple recommendations for the 'best beginner mount'. Should have bought an iOptron CEM 25. My biggest issue with the AVX is not the mount, but how it's put together. In trying to balance my scope, both in RA and Dec, which if you don't understand, you're balancing the position of the counter weights and the actual telescope package on both axis'. You want it to be neutral so that the motors have the least amount of work to do and the alignment stays true. When I released the clutches, neither the Dec nor the RA axis ever moved. I could move the counter weight up and down the bar, and it would take huge amounts of movement to get the RA axis to change position. I could move the telescope package up and down in the saddle, and the Dec axis never moved. I did some research on this, since even as a beginner I knew this was wrong, and I found a web site that was dedicated on the 'How to' on fixing the AVX. I ended up taking the mount completely apart. What I found was that Celestron was using like a wheel bearing grease for lubrication. It was so sticky that it prohibited the RA and Dec axis' from moving freely, and it would only move with the motors. I cleaned all of that out and used white lithium grease instead, and all those problems went alway. I was able to balance the mount in both RA and Dec, and I found out how wildly out of balance I was. Unfortunately, shortly after that, I ran into some huge legal issues, and I haven't really been able to get out and try it since, and I've also lost the hand controller and a lot of my AP gear. So, I have to rebuild. But, unless you are handy with tools, and can rebuild a mount, I would stay as far away from the AVX as I could.
Great videos on mounts, including this one of course! Nice job. I was wondering if you've gotten any further feedback on the iOptron GEM28 since you released this video. I looked at a couple of reviews and they looked good, but I was wondering what you thought. Thank you for your great content!!
Hi Greg, Yes, I couple of subscribers to my channel have bought the GEM28 and are happy with it. With autoguiding they can get to about 1 arc seconds error in tracking. This is only based on a couple of reactions though...hope this is useful.
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks so much! It really looks like a great mount, so I'm going to start saving for when I outgrow my star tracker. :-) This video, and the way you have targeted criteria for mounts, is a keeper for sure! Going to come back to it when I'm deciding to purchase one.
I found out about iOptron mounts from your channel, the GEM 26 and the CEM 26 intrigue me the most. Which one? I'll be mounting an Orion EON 104 triplet EX and my Canon Rebel T4i at first, but hope to acquire a mono camera ASAP. Love your videos! Thank you for your insights, diligence and hard work!
Hi Bill, thanks! I think both have great potential, the traditional gem28 mount can carry a bit more payload. As mentioned in the video, they are brand new mounts...if you're willing to become an early adopter, go for it. I'd be interested in your experiences. Clear skies.
Great video. I have the EQM 35 Pro mount and its been fantastic I have a WO GT81, camera and guiding set up. Hardly ever have dropped frames and I can get 12 min subs with no issues. 4 min unguided with very good PA.
Any tips on nailing the PA on it? Ive been having trouble getting past 2minutes and 30 seconds at 300mm and 1:05 at 650mm both with a Canon t3i/600d. Ive tried polar aligning, turning on sidereal rate only, but then my subs dont get any sharper with minor PA adjustments.
Hey Wido, your Videos are great!👍 But i can't choose between the EQ5 and the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. I wanted to mount an 2,2kg Teleskope, what do you propose me?
Hi Enrico, thanks! what's your budget and where are you from? I have a contact form on my website astroforumspace.com. maybe best to do this over email instead of the comment section
about the exos-2 mount, it is not fully correct to say it can be controlled by wifi only, it can be wired to a pc through USB and controlled by wired connection with an ascom/indi compliant program like stellarium or carte du ciel.
Great Video! Will buy a NEQ-5 Pro GoTo with a skywatcher 150/750 PDS newton as my first Astrophotography setup (hopefully) in a few weeks. Greetings from Germany :)
Just ordered an Orion EQ-G go-to mount & tripod. I currently have a beautiful LOMO 6" Mak-Cass, but the mount is a cheap Chinese knock-off riding a cheap, shaky aluminum tripod. Which was fine, until the RA drive snapped its plastic (really?!?!) bracket, leaving me to hand-crank - yuck. I chose the EQ-G because I am looking toward the future weight-wise, and because of the computerized go-to, but also because of the illuminated polar scope (illuminated.... 😃). Can wait for it to come.
Love the videos, very helpful, and much fun 👍 I’m still a bit vague on whether it’s easy to use an equatorial mount for az/alt functionality during the day. We’re getting an AVX mount for SCT, but wonder if we should also get a non motorised, non goto, for visual and daytime for use with an APO.
First, thanks for taking seriously my recommendation from your last mount review to include the ES EXOS2 GT w/PMC8 in this review. Some things that you missed in your review: 1. The tripods vary considerably between the review mounts. The EXOS2 has 2" legs, which is important for stability. I do not believe that most of the other mounts have this large of a tripod leg diameter. The pictures are taken at different distances and this makes the EXOS2 legs look skinny. 2. The EXOS2 can also communicate through RS232 to USB connectivity as well as via WiFi. 3. The lack of PEC is not as big a deal as some would think. Autoguiding corrects for the lack of PEC on this mount quite nicely. Users are seeing 0.5 arcsecond guiding with this mount. This is due to the belt drive and stepper motor combination that ES employed which removes most of the backlash typical with geared drives. 4. This mount has full ball bearings on both the RA and Dec axes as well as dual bearings on the worms. 5. The listed weight capacity you quoted for the EXOS2 is for astrophotography. It is 40 pounds for visual use. The other mounts you quoted may be for visual rather than astrophotography. 6. This mount comes with two 11 pound weights. I believe that the other mounts only include one weight. 7. The included app is NOT intended for astrophotography, just basic visual stuff. I am running my EXOS2 using Cartes du Ciel and a laptop. The mount can also be controlled via a tablet wirelessly, which I have done when using in visual mode. 8. A polar scope is included in the price, this is not the case with some of the others. 9. Having the controller separate from the mount allows it to be manufactured to a much higher standard (military grade electronics). And the mount will never become obsolete as you can retrofit with a different controller later, such as the open source OnStep controller. BTW, I bought this mount on sale last year for $699 USD. I am very happy with it so far. Just starting to get into astrophotography this year.
@@roybatty2680 Are you the replicant from Blade Runner? Seriously, just reviewing spec sheets is all most can do for reviews, so don't be too hard on him. That is why I added my comment to add clarity. ES has phenomenal support. Go to their web site and sign up for their community web info. They also, virtually every day, have videos on both UA-cam and Facebook on astrophotography and often discuss how to best use their mounts and other astronomical equipment. Be aware that setting up an EXOS2-GT w/PMC8 is somewhat more complicated (which is why one section of the community site is for helping newbees) than a typical mount with a handbox, but the flexibility you get in exchange is worth it. Since I posted my previous comment, unfortunately the price has risen to $1,000 (inflation sucks) but so has every other mount. I am currently running my equipment using N.I.N.A. on a mini-PC attached to the mount and controlled remotely by a desktop PC using VNC Viewer. Another option is Astroberry which uses a Raspberry Pi (if you can find one). It can also be controlled remotely using VNC. Clear skies!
Thank you for this video! I'm planning to upgrade my Star adventurer as I bought a William Optics ZenithStar 61II telescope and I'm considering to get the GEM28 as it's available in my country but did you hear any good/bad news about it?
The Explore Scientific EXOS has a 40lb capacity and also has serial connection with the wifi. BTW Celestron handsets really, really suck...especially in cold weather. I unfortunately keep getting taken in by Celestron... my fault.
Great video. Not Astro related, but you (your wife) have modern (nice) decor especially the wallpaper! However, I always notice the walls with sloping vertical support and old brickwork. Is the property very old? Mounts with USB interfaces are good, some mounts have a direct USB connection e.g. the more expensive EQ6-R Pro you have. One thing with a direct connection to the mount e.g. EQASCOM, it keeps going even if your PC doesn't e.g. go to sleep, crashes is disconnected, etc. Usually, not always, the RA clutch will eventually disconnect/slip in this situation. In contrast, an HC knows where it is and can "flip" for you. Simon
What about the Sky-Watcher EQ5 pro ? which are the differences from the HEQ5 pro in order to justify 400 euros difference in price? I'm a newbie , and from the charts i can't really see
Hi there, the HEQ5 is a lighter version of the EQ6, while the EQ5 has a different design. Both can be used but people report the HEQ5 as having less periodic error and more up to date motors that drive the mount.
@@AstroForumSpace oh, ok , thanks . I supposed than that the price difference is justify after all :D I'll see if i manage to find one used in a short ammount of time :P
Unfortunately I'd recommend skipping the LX85. I am one of the people that ended up immediately frying it and sending it in for warrenty repair due to manufacturer defects. They kept it for 6 months then sent back a different mount that is too stiff to balance properly and the polar scope slot does not rotate properly. It is also extremely loud. Customer service is near non existent
@@AstroForumSpace awesome! It will take some time as I will buy all the equipment from ground and up. For now I only have a simple Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ telescope, with which I have a lot of fun with my kids.
Hi Andre, there are pros and cons. The eq6r Pro has a better tracking accuracy and can handle more weight, but is also heavier and more expensive as compared to the AVX or similar beginner mounts. I have some blogs and tables to compare these and other mounts on my website: astroforumspace.com/best-telescope-mount-to-start-astrophotography-in-2021/ hope this is useful for you.
Thank you so much! It's just in time, because I look for a new mount for deep sky. The only problem is that all of your three winners is on backorder for months :)
You mentioned about the max payload capacity. What about the min payload capacity based on the astro-gear you have? That will vary for different mounts. We need to balance the counter weights with the gear on the top of the mount. And many of these high payload capacity mounts don't come with lighter counterweights.
No problemo! If you put a light dslr camera on a trusty tripod, you don't need to sweat it - no counterweight necessary. You can just sit back and watch it do its thing!
I'm finding the iEXOS-100-2 mount with tripod for $300 on Amazon and other astro stores, what's the catch? I know it doesn't come with a polar scope nor AZ adjusting base, but they've got these marked down from $600.
BTW I just re-read my comment and totally sounds like spam, sorry. This mount is supposed to be a direct competitor to the GTi (which I'm currently evaluating) and looks like a good beginner scope if the price is for real
The EXOS2 PMC8 can connected with a wire to the PC and you can use it with ASCOM like any other mount.
I vote for the LX85 and the ES PMC8 (a LX75 but with belts and stepper motors). I will review the LX85 in the near future, because i own one. It is a light mount with a lot of payload. I have no ASCOM driver problems. It works also with the old Meade Driver and with the new project drivers without any problems. The LX85 has also a silent mode were the motors are very quiet. The goto functions were good/accurate and the guiding performance too. Both mounts a very underrated.
Thanks for your work and sharing.
Regards
Andreas
Great Andreas, looking forward to your review!
Crazy thing is you mentioned the higher pricing for these mounts as you made this video. I am watching this 10 months later and pricing has increased as much as $300 dollars on some of these! Thanks covid!!!
Yes, it's not just COVID. Also energy prices are up. And there was a run on astrophotography equipment as this is a hobby you can still do during a lock down ...
and up again...
I love the introduction meter. You’re a hoot. Great video. Now if OPT will just deliver the mounts people are ordering lol.....
Lol, Thanks! Hope opt will deliver that mount soon, which one did you buy?
The HEQ5 had a huge price jump of almost $400 in last 6 months or so… puts it perilously close to a bigger and better EQ6Ri or the newer and seemingly better iOptron CEM / GEM 2xx mounts. At this price a NO GO
My first choice would always be the HEQ5. It has great community support and the Rowan Belt mod is affordable and a brilliant upgrade.
The HEQ5 is a fine mount but did you know that the EXOS2-GT w/PMC8 comes already equipped with 0.9° stepper motors, belt drives and FULL ball-bearing races on all moving parts? WiFi too?
Thank you!👍
My for astrophotography mount was and still is.. explore scientific PMC-8 Exos 100..Works good.
I can't believe that the iOptron CEM26 and GEM28 have been available for a few months now but not many people are talking about it. I was looking to upgrade to the HEQ5 Pro but I noticed these iOptron mounts. On paper, they look very good, but obviously not many user reviews. However, the HEQ5 has a 2 month lead time in the UK but is a well understood mount! Thanks for your review and comparison, it was very good!
Thanks! Hope you'll be able to make a decision, clear skies!
First mount was Heq5 Pro - love it, not as portable as some but rock steady and simple for a novice
I like you approach in looking at things, I’m planning to buy a mount and this video will help me a lot in my search. Thank you so much for the efforts you made.
Glad you liked it Ahmed, thanks for the positive feedback!
You're very welcome Wido, with your recommendations in mind, I went to search for AZ/EQ mount to be able to observe faint young Moon, Solar Eclipse, etc beside doing deep sky Astor-photo. I found
@@ahmedelmorsy8429 that's great, best of both worlds.
Hi Wido,
I was just watching your video on the tracking mounts, I bit the bullet last mount after talking to a friend and bought IOptrion CEM 26 mount, what I can say the CEM 26 is very quiet running motors, so far I am happy with it .
The weather here hasn't been good cloudy and its rainning here in the UK.
Wido, thanks again and Keep up the good work, I hope you have clear skies where you are. 🙂🌠
Thanks Corin, hope the CEM26 continues to perform well!
I was using the iOptron SkyGuider Pro for the last year and decided to upgrade to the Sky Watcher AZ-EQ6 Pro last month.... definitely a game changer and a tremendous learning curve. Like you said, the mount is arguably the most important piece! I absolutely love the mount. It's a total beast.
@@DirkDirk1983 For me it came down to product availability. My vendor (Wide Screen Center in the UK) had the AZ-EQ6 in stock. I really liked the iOptron CEM45 and did want to go with that one, but it just wasn't/wouldn't have been available to me. I don't regret my choice at all and I love my AZ-EQ6. I have no plan of ever using AZ...but it's there if I ever decide to.
I have the EQM-35 pro and a 200/900mm newtonian with a total OTA+camera weight of 8.5kg. I have not started guiding yet but i can report that with 30 second exposures at least 75% of my frames have little to no star trailing, depending on how well i bothered to polar align. Its definitely a capable little mount and doesn't break your bank or back.
Thanks Oskari, yes, the EQM-35 is a very portable mount. Good to know the tracking is pretty good even without phd2. Clear skies!
Interesting video. Nice analytical approach. I have owned an Orion Sky-View Pro, AVX, EQ6-r Pro, iOptron CEM70, and iOptron CEM26. I did not consider the Sky-View a go-to mount because the slew rate was too slow. The AVX was the most discouraging. That Servo motor based design, uses gearboxes to get the precision, and therefore multiplies the backlash by the number of gears. It also has plastic housings around the motors, so dropping the mount shattered those housings. The EQ6-r Pro need high quality bears and synthetic grease installed. The iOptron designs are great, but the design lock axis switches are problematic. Food for thought.
Hi Michael, thanks for the detailed feedback. You definitely know more about the quality of gears than I do! The AVX was my first mount and I did have a good time with it, was able to guide with about 1" p/pixel accuracy. But as you mentioned, after two years I was experiencing significant backlash and needed to replace the gears to get rid of some of that backlash. The EQ6R-Pro is working fine for me for the past year and a half. I'm getting about .5" p/pixel which is good enough given the mediocre sea level and light polluted skies in the Netherlands. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace thanks for reading my comment. The AVX was my first go-to mount. Early on, the mount head fell off the tripod and the Dec motor housing shattered. As a retired engineer, I dug in to identify what components could be repaired and what had to be replaced. During that analysis, I saw the plastic housing was thin walled and easy to fail. The powdered metal parts which held the motor also thin and easy to fracture. Soon, screws securing that axis servo motor gearbox loosened, so I took it apart. Several pinion plastic gears meant backlash would be ever increasing, and impossible to adjust out. That design is not intended for years of high performance. I did learn from it what feature were important.
Duidelijke video 😄👍🏻 ik ben nog aan het oriënteren maar ben blij een Nederlander aan te treffen op youtube. Ik dacht nl. Met alle lichtvervuiling het in Nederland nauwelijks mogelijk was 😅
My first EQ mount was a skywatcher EQ6R Pro. It’s still one of my favourite mounts. I then wanted a Alt/Az mount and I bought the Skywatcher AZ/EQ6 Pro for using my 10” Meade LX200 ACF OTA with my number of other telescopes for viewing or planetary imaging. I then decided I wanted a big SC telescope and I got an incredible deal on an as new immaculate barely used Meade 14” LX600 with an X wedge for planetary imaging, visual observing and very distant deep sky object astrophotography. I then decided to buy my dream mount. A mount that would last me a lifetime and be able to carry multiple telescopes at the same time so then I could image the same object using different scopes from my Radian Raptor 61 to my Askar FRA600 Petzval Quintuplet APO and a Planewave 12.5” CDK all with different cooled ccd and cmos monochrome cameras with optech electronic focusing EFW’s etc etc. That mount is my new 10MICRON HPS II 2000 permanently setup in my home observatory. It’s completely remotely controlled.
I have 2 take anywhere lightweight EQ mounts. I just replaced my CEM25EC with an Ioptron GEM28 and my Ioptron SkyGuider Pro. I use either my Canon 400mm EF-L F2.8 with my Canon EOS Ra or R5. Or I will use my William Optics GT81 iv with a ZWO asi1600mm pro, ZWO ASIAIR Pro, ZWO asi290 mm mini guide camera and an 8 position electronic filter wheel and on my SkyGuider Pro I will usually use my Canon EOS Ra with my Radian Raptor 61.
Very nice video, thank you. And the best t-shirt ever. I’m leaning towards ioptron GEM28. My SWSA2i is all worn up.
Cool, thanks
Ioptron mounts are class
I'm a retired pro photographer and a bit of a tech nerd but I'm a newbie in astrophotography. I recently started to question the need for a guide scope and 2nd camera when you should be able to take the data being captured by the main camera and use that for guiding. You should be able to split the signal sending one stream to the computer for guiding and the other stream as normal capture. I talked to someone very knowledgeable on camera sensors who said it was possible, difficult to do as the system is designed now but possible. When designing a new camera this feature could be put into the silicon. Even if it added to the cost of the camera you'd still have the cost savings over a 2nd camera, scope, mount for it, not to mention weight savings and making the scope system simpler, no alignment problems between scope and guide scope, no flex or temperature variations between the two causing problems.
Hi Robert, interesting thoughts! Lots of folks use off axis guiding which gives you the same focal length but still requires a second guidecam. Those guidecams are relatively cheap btw, so it may be more costly to modify the current production process of astrocams. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Well, as I said, next time they design a new camera they could make the changes and that it might add a little to the price but probably still be cheaper than buying all the other gear. The added plus is weight savings and simplifying the capture system so less to go wrong. Off-axis HAND guiding was the state of the art in the early '70s when I first joined the Orange County Astronomers in SoCal. There was no digital capture or computer post processing, you shot on slide film and did your manipulations in the darkroom when you made a print. Five years ago when I bought a Celestron Nexstar 5SE I thought I'd use it for visual use. Then a week later I ran into AstroBackyard's channel and soon realized I wanted to do astrophotography using all this new gear and software. Even during these past 5 years improvements in capture and processing software have been astounding and made simplified by things like N.A.N.A. and the ASIAir Plus.
I'm waiting for some company, existing manufacturer or systems integrator, to put together a total capture system and sold as a package and done so at a price cheaper than what buyers could have purchased se[artately. Such a package would have all the kinks worked out, the software already set up so all the new owner would have to do is get it polar aligned and then start shooting.
Actually, the inner values of many mounts seem to be more similar than expected. Although the housing looks quite different, the inner workings of AVX seem to be similar if not the same as the HEQ5/Sirius. The EXOS mount is even worst since except for motor drive and electronics, it seems to be the same mechanics as Skywatcher EQ5/ Celestron CG5 (actually I missed those mounts in your video). Meade, like Celestron, also seem to share some inner values with skywatcher Mounts.
I can recommend everyone with an HEQ5 to upgrade with the rowan belt mod. It makes the motor drive very quiet and much more accurate. I also recently super-tuned my HEQ5 by changing the bearings in the mount with higher quality SKF ones. I hope to soon be able to test the tracking.
Also, I just modified my EQ5 with a belt mod and tuned it with better bearings. The last two nights unfortunately only turned clear in the middle of the night when I fell asleep...
Thanks for the reviews on these mounts, this really helps me know which mount I will buy for my needs. Good job 👏
Hi Wido, I have one of those LX85 and I can confirm a few things. One the payload on it is very good. I have a 203mm aperture and a 1200mm Fl Newtonian so it is a big boy with two cameras guide scope and a ASIPRO and it handles that with guiding just fine. I don't have a lot of experience with other mounts, but the motors are a little noisy. It connects just fine with my ASIPRO and Stellarmate. I used it with PHD2 at one point and it functioned just fine. I've never used the Aux port so I can't comment on that and never really had any dealings with Meade for repair or customer service. I know that the equipment that I have purchased of theirs are quality and the drivers that I have downloaded have been up to date so it is all good.
Thanks for the detailed info and good to hear about your positive experiences with the LX-85. It's a very affordable and 'competitive' mount. Clear skies!
Possibly worth mentioning the Celestron StarSense. It replaces the red-dot star finder. It will align or aid polar alignment but mainly it solves the GoTo alignment. Even after you have polar aligned, the scope doesn't know where the stars are and has to be aligned to the sky, which takes time centring stars and is boring. It only comes in Celestron or StarWatcher flavours and they're not interchangeable, so if you have bought into one, you're rather stuck with that brand. If it is focussed (which is a pain) it can plate-solve and align in under a minute, usually faster; then you can GoTo your object of interest. It cannot guide and does not replace a guide scope camera.
Thanks for the info on the starsense procedure Jeff, much appreciated. Clear skies!
My first mont is iOptron Gem 45. Light, 20 kg's payload and iPolar. For me just perfect.
That's a very nice mount Tiago! Clear skies.
@@DirkDirk1983 Hi Dirk. Yes, tough choice. I've made a review of the eq6r pro: ua-cam.com/video/16K8BwW9BAA/v-deo.html perhaps useful. Good luck with your decision.
@@DirkDirk1983 Small personal Review (it is not general I only have the assembly for half a dozen months). For me the iPolar is just spectacular, nothing about the RA axis rotating at 60 degrees. I have ASI Air Pro and I made PA with Air and iPolar, I prefer iPolar, because simply the mount is made for that because I have to make AP adjustments we have to have an Allen key (because "we have" screws, but I already got it the trick: D). In the case of the SW Eq6 R Pro it is not like that, it is more pleasant, it is with the hands.
I myself have been 1 and a half year undecided between one and the other. Because I think the SW Eq6 R Pro is excellent too, and with proven track records as well. Both are good mounts. I preferred the GEM45 because it is lighter, cable management, because it needs a lighter and more pleasant system to transport and I am surrendered to iPolar. Sometimes I take pictures of my balcony (Bortle 8/9) with PHD2 and APT (I take photos with both Air and APT) with the Beta dev4 version of PHD2, this week I did a guide at 0.5 * to 0.8 * already on the horizon .
Heq-5Pro, I love it and managed to make it fully automated today with NINA and my Apple (bootcamp) laptop.
Excellent video there! I watched only two days ago your 2020 best beginner mount and was happy to see an update today! I've been leaning toward the CEM26 but now I'm back on the fence for the HEQ5... By the way, i love the improvement you've made to your videos, you really took it up a notch in the past year!
Thank you very much Emile. I've tried to improve the quality of my videos, glad you noticed :-). Both the cem26 and the heq5 are tempting. The new iOptron mounts look really promising with ppec, built in wifi etc....but not many user reports yet as they are brand new. Good luck.
I have the GEM28 and it’s a superb mount.
Almost silent in operation, smooth and tracking is just fantastic. Software all communicated no problem with APT, PHD2 and Sharpcap. Only One weak piece and that is the polar, it’s not very good but I give it a try. This mount will be the best in its weight class.
Thanks for the feedback Karl, great to hear the GEM28 is performing well. Clear skies!
Karl, does your GEM 28 have ipolar?
@@michaelclem3339 hi, yes it has ipolar but I have not used it.
Using sharp cap.
Great videos, lots of energy and content. My current and first AP mount is a Skywatcher EQ5 Pro Synscan, it needs a lot of babysitting - designed really for visual. I am considering the EQ6 R Pro Mount
Thanks! The eq6r Pro is one of the most popular mounts atm in that price range. I'm happy with it after having used it for almost a year now. Clear skies.
I certainly went the HEQ5Pro and very happy with it. Worth mentioning here in Australia we have the Saxon brand. Mine is the Saxon HEQ5pro but it's identical to the SkyWatcher brand.
Thanks, i didn't know that. I'll check it out...:-).
Glad to hear you’re happy with it, I’m thinking of that one too. I have a 130 Celestron Newtonian and my dslr is 1kg! I was thinking the eq5 but the more I look into it the heq5 seems the way to go..
@@andrewkemp70 I think it's a solid starter Andrew or at least I've found it so. Also it's weight I find it easy enough to lift in one piece outside.
@@AstroSoundscape thanks Ollie sounds like the sweet spot!
Great overview! I started astrophotography about 6 months ago, after much consideration I got the HEQ5 Pro, and so far it's good.
Great to hear the heq5 Pro is doing its job :-). Clear skies.
My 1st mount was a Meade LX85. Acceptable performance for a relatively inexpensive mount ($600). It's noisy, target accuracy is fair at best, running PHD2 is sketchy, mount struggles with backlash error no matter how many times you try to adjust it out. Upgraded after a year to the HEQ6R-pro and it is a night and day difference. Run it thru Stellarium and seldom even use PHD2 tracking. Polar & star alignment are a breeze, aiming and tracking is spot on !!
$600?? Now they go for $1400-1500. I'm just getting into astrophotography, still researching about what gear to get. I have seen many people saying that the prices went up since covid19. What I am seeing now is that you need at least $3-4k for a good performance gear to build a capable rig. Wish I got interest in AP before 2022 because of the prices.
I have the Meade LX 85 mount and so far so good. I did have some issues initially with ASCOM but since downloading the latest driver it has worked perfectly. As far as noise, yeah it whines like crazy when slewing but is virtually silent when tracking. Doesn't wake the neighbors or bother me at all. Pretty solid mount for the price. Next step is a HEG6 PRO.
Great to hear the initial bugs have been worked out. I'll definitely consider that in my next videos on mounts as the lx85 is a very tempting and affordable mount. Clear skies!
Thanks for all your astrophotography beginner videos! They really helped me a lot
Thanks Anakin. Don't turn to the dark side 😉
I started off with a star adventurer and Space Cat telescope. a couple months later when I was dying to get a little more reach I got the Orion 8" newtonian astrograph and an Orion Atlas EQG (skywatcher eq6) mount. total game changer
Great Video Wedo. I just picked up my CEM28 with ipolar First impression was well packaged. first set up was easy following well made instructions. drivers and software and firmware updates were straightforward with no surprises. connected to nina with ease. waiting for the clouds that came with my completely new set up to piss off. I'll update you further if you like. Love your pics and informational videos
Thanks, have fun with the mount!
I just got my CEM26 last week :) I can’t wait to test it out on a clear night!
Hey Noah, let me know your experiences if you like. I'm really interested in its performance, hope it will do great!
@@AstroForumSpace Sure thing!
I wonder what telescope you're using. I'm looking to get the CEM26 to use with Evostar 100ed plus mirrorless camera and guide scope etc. Cheers
@@slarti42uk I’m using the 130PDS from Skywatcher 👍
@@slarti42uk Hi Steve, I have an 80mm refractor and an Edge HD 8", you can find my gear on my website: astroforumspace.com/my-astrophotography-gear/
I'm looking forward to see the Mars opposition + occultation tonight!
Payload capacity for the EXOS2 PMC Eight is not mid range, it is 12.7kg for astrophotography and 18kg for visual, that's pretty damned high for a budget mount, due to it's prper bearings, stepper motors and belt drive
my thoughts exactly after having compared a dozen. now to watch the video to see if the rest of it holds up :)
Next to the mount the most important tool is your/a computer.
3rd your scope and optics, 4th your camera, 5th optional filters
Nice hoody, I need it myself as the context is spot on 🙂. Thanks for information on mounts - very helpful, just what I needed!
Glad it was helpful!
I want a Husband one!
@@carolsantulis2874 lol, check this out: astroforumspace.com/product/unisex-hoodie-2/
@@AstroForumSpace OMG I'm getting this! Thanks.
First mount was a celestron fork nextstar GPS 11 I have moved on to the CGXL no it is not a beginner mount. Yes it is very heavy 55lbs/24kg. But the payload is 75lbs/34kg I was looking for the CGX but it was on backorder for the last 10 months. So I scraped and saved and spent the extra money. I got the CGXL because I don't have view of polaris (blocked by trees and house) celestron's allstar polar alignment alleviates this problem. Paired with plate solving, I can't be happier with its tracking ability. Only draw backs I have found so far is weight and price.
My first is AZ-GTI with EQ Mod... It's perfect small portable mount, and with hypertuning it can go sub arc-second
@Shiang Yu Yang your info inaccurate, azgti can handle telescope too. Not only camera and it can go full gear astrophotography setup(aap,eaf,fw,ccd cam,guidescope+cam)
Google them mate
Hi,
my first EQ mount was the Skywatcher EQ-3 Pro, which is nearly identical to the EQM-35 Pro. I got it new for a bargain 500 €redits.
I'm still using it today as my main mount, because it is really lightweight and robust, so it doesn't take away to much space in the car (so I can really leave it in there all year in case I need it) and it is really easy to setup. It guides reasonable well up to a pixel resolution of 1 second (around 800 mm focal length with most cameras). And can easily handle 150 mm aperture newtons or 100 mm aperture refractors.
For longer focal length telescopes however, I wouldn't recommend the EQ3 or EQM-35, because sub second guiding is impossible even with all the tweaking in the world.
Hi, i have a 130mm reflector and planning on getting a goto mount . Will the Skywatcher EQM-35 be good fit for my scope . I would like to do visual and imaging with it .
The most important for me is the new iOptron mounts include the integrated iPolar scopes, which is pretty cool for the overall price.
There are two options, with ipolar or with an optical scope. Clear skies!
The Ipolar is not very good.
@@karlk672 I recently read about this a day ago on Cloudy Nights in the user review section. I will wait to see how the company addresses the issues.
I just got an heq5. I can't use it at the moment but the thing is a bit of a beast. Thank God I plan to put it in an observatory, because you're not backpacking this thing anywhere without hiring a few Sherpas.
But on the upside, the thing looks rock solid, and I can't wait to take it to paradise in northern Arizona, at 7000ft, bortle 1-2 skies, I'm going to cry when I first look through the eyepiece. My place up north was just made for astronomy and I'm going take a couple HEQ5s up there and start my own dark site. Bonnie doing wide field, and Clyde firing deep into the cosmos
Just perfect Timing, i wanted to buy one this March :). Great Vidio, Grretings from Germany
My favorite right now is the Skywatcher EQ5 SynScan
Hi there, thanks! Hope you'll enjoy the mount :-)
My first mount was (back in 2005) and still is a Celestron CG-5 AS GT. It's had some surgery done in the past to keep it running and a fresh NextStar+ hand controller so it can perform 2-star alignments. I try to limit complicating control and adhere to the KISS principle.
I live in Amsterdam and my flat is small. I need a good quality mount that's relatively small. I only have two telescopes, a Skywatcher Skymax 102, (the old blue livery) and a Skywatcher Startravel 102. I only intend to use smaller sized telescopes. After a lot of searching and consideration, I've decided to buy the Skywatcher EQM 35 PRO SynScan GoTo. I like the modular construction and that it's mechanically similar to the HEQ-5 Pro mount; only lighter and portable. The Skywatcher EQM 35 PRO SynScan GoTo, will be perfect for my needs.
I've just received my EQM-35 PRO SynScan GoTo from ROBTICS down in Leidschendam, Zuid Holland, NL. I'm really happy. The only things holding me up, are the Amsterdam cloud gods. I'm getting fed up with their sense of humour.
I usually purchase my equipment from AstroShop EU. When I checked the price of the mount with them. They had received new stock and increased the price by about €100. Thankfully, ROBTICS was still selling the mount at the old price. If anyone in the EU is thinking about purchasing the EQM-35 PRO, do it quickly before the new stock arrives. It could you save up to €100. I suspect it'll be a similar situation for countries outside the EU too. €100 is the price of a Sky-Watcher 90 degree polar scope eyepiece. This is also an item high on my must have list. My knees and back will thank me 😀.
My first and only mount has been the Sirius EQ-G. I bought it 9 years ago and is still going strong. My only complaint is that I didn't have a back yard or a car for most of the time, and I had to drag its fat behind to a park/beach (It probably wouldn't have been much easier with the other mounts). Now I am in the market for a travel star tracker that can be taken in a backpack.
Great to hear the Sirius eq-g still works after nine years. Really says a lot about durability. Yes, star trackers are great for traveling. I'm thinking about getting one myself and use it during my holidays. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace I am looking at the Star Adventurer. Not sure when I will get it but I will let you know how it runs when I do. Clear skies!
Some great points and advice. I will have to remember that ASCOM only has one “S” when searching...
Now if I only had $1,000 or so to spend...
Hmm.. I have to work on my jokes... Thanks Martyn. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace oh I got the joke. I was joking too 😂
@@martynh5410 lol. As a non native speaker, I'm always guessing if sentences such as "put your money where your mount is" are actually funny. Cheers!
@@AstroForumSpace Wido, your English is great. Your vocabulary and use of correct words and sentence structure is excellent. I was always impressed by the English spoken by everyone I met during my visits to Amsterdam. I never really picked up much Dutch as there wasn’t a real need to do so. Bedankt! Fijne dag.
@@martynh5410 Dank je Martyn :-)
Great video!
My first and current mount is the Omegon minitrack LX3, but I am waiting on my HEQ5 to arrive!
Thanks Jeroen, hope the heq5 will be there soon and let's hope for some clear skies!
My first and current EQ mount is an Ioptron EQ30 pro, I also have an Skyguider Pro as a portable rig
I knew there was a reason for postponing the purchase of the mount.. thank you for the info; decided to go with the iOptron CEM26; light weight and it has a case. Telescope esprit ED 80mm.
Good combination!
I appreciate all you r videos, very informative. I've been able to find a AVX for sale a couple of hours away, this helped confirm my decision. On another subject, have you done any videos on Tracking Scopes? Recommendations or anything like this video.. Thanks again and keep the videos coming.
Thanks! No reviews yet, but you can find my (relatively affordable) tracking gear here towards the end: astroforumspace.com/my-astrophotography-gear/
I have the EQM-35 pro. It works great and I'm very happy with it. When I need to upgrade, I plan on getting the EQ6R pro.
Hi Dave, that's an excellent idea. And good to know the eqm-35 pro works well. I'm working with the eq6r-pro for almost a year now and I'm happy with is performance. Clear skies!
I got en EQ3 and an LMT both are capable to track with a camera far enough for smallest budget (EQ with steppermotor).
BUT... i will of course upgrade this summer, and gift the mounts to my nephew for his first steps.
I would NEVER recommend an AVX. When I bought mine, I bought it on multiple recommendations for the 'best beginner mount'. Should have bought an iOptron CEM 25. My biggest issue with the AVX is not the mount, but how it's put together. In trying to balance my scope, both in RA and Dec, which if you don't understand, you're balancing the position of the counter weights and the actual telescope package on both axis'. You want it to be neutral so that the motors have the least amount of work to do and the alignment stays true.
When I released the clutches, neither the Dec nor the RA axis ever moved. I could move the counter weight up and down the bar, and it would take huge amounts of movement to get the RA axis to change position. I could move the telescope package up and down in the saddle, and the Dec axis never moved.
I did some research on this, since even as a beginner I knew this was wrong, and I found a web site that was dedicated on the 'How to' on fixing the AVX. I ended up taking the mount completely apart. What I found was that Celestron was using like a wheel bearing grease for lubrication. It was so sticky that it prohibited the RA and Dec axis' from moving freely, and it would only move with the motors.
I cleaned all of that out and used white lithium grease instead, and all those problems went alway. I was able to balance the mount in both RA and Dec, and I found out how wildly out of balance I was.
Unfortunately, shortly after that, I ran into some huge legal issues, and I haven't really been able to get out and try it since, and I've also lost the hand controller and a lot of my AP gear. So, I have to rebuild.
But, unless you are handy with tools, and can rebuild a mount, I would stay as far away from the AVX as I could.
Great videos on mounts, including this one of course! Nice job. I was wondering if you've gotten any further feedback on the iOptron GEM28 since you released this video. I looked at a couple of reviews and they looked good, but I was wondering what you thought. Thank you for your great content!!
Hi Greg, Yes, I couple of subscribers to my channel have bought the GEM28 and are happy with it. With autoguiding they can get to about 1 arc seconds error in tracking. This is only based on a couple of reactions though...hope this is useful.
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks so much! It really looks like a great mount, so I'm going to start saving for when I outgrow my star tracker. :-) This video, and the way you have targeted criteria for mounts, is a keeper for sure! Going to come back to it when I'm deciding to purchase one.
I found out about iOptron mounts from your channel, the GEM 26 and the CEM 26 intrigue me the most. Which one? I'll be mounting an Orion EON 104 triplet EX and my Canon Rebel T4i at first, but hope to acquire a mono camera ASAP. Love your videos! Thank you for your insights, diligence and hard work!
Hi Bill, thanks! I think both have great potential, the traditional gem28 mount can carry a bit more payload. As mentioned in the video, they are brand new mounts...if you're willing to become an early adopter, go for it. I'd be interested in your experiences. Clear skies.
Great video. Very helpful for begginers like me. Thanks for your time and work!!! 👏👏👏
Thanks! I'll release an updated version for 2022 on my channel today. Hope it helps you to make a well informed decision 😉.
Sure!!! 😉
Currently using a Moveshootmove star tracker for my Canon 5D.
So it will be quite the upgrade since I just ordered the Celestron AVX. Can’t wait 🥳
Good choice, hope it'll arrive soon and you can try it out!
@@AstroForumSpace thank you 🙏
First German EQ mount - Celestron CG-5. My EQR6PRO shipped today!!!
Enjoy the solid tracking, I'm really happy with that mount. Clear skies.
Great video. I have the EQM 35 Pro mount and its been fantastic I have a WO GT81, camera and guiding set up. Hardly ever have dropped frames and I can get 12 min subs with no issues. 4 min unguided with very good PA.
Any tips on nailing the PA on it? Ive been having trouble getting past 2minutes and 30 seconds at 300mm and 1:05 at 650mm both with a Canon t3i/600d. Ive tried polar aligning, turning on sidereal rate only, but then my subs dont get any sharper with minor PA adjustments.
@@jonathanlowry5003 use Sharpcap polar alignment tool. It’s worth buying the software just for that.
Excellent information for begginers in astrophotography, thanks friend!!
Muchas gracias!
A super tuned LX75. With an ED 80mm.
Just what I was looking for! Thanks for the very informative video.
Thank you! Very informative. I'm a new hobbyist with a Dob 8", but plan on an 11" or so refactor. Thanks again. I don't want to waste money. :)
Got a third hand NEQ6 Pro and a Vixen GP-DX that has been upgraded with GoTo.
Wow. Great video. The only way to beat this is to actually try each one yourself and share your user experience.
It is the right video and the right expert
Thanks Abdullah, clear skies!
Great info, Wido. Thanks a lot!
You're welcome Timo.
Sometime earlier in 2021 both Celestron and Skywatcher raised the price of their lightweight GEMs by $100 USD. They are $1000 as of Sept 2021.
Yes, as with lots of other goods the Corona crisis also hits the astrophotography market...
Hey Wido,
your Videos are great!👍
But i can't choose between the EQ5 and the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. I wanted to mount an 2,2kg Teleskope, what do you propose me?
Hi Enrico, thanks! what's your budget and where are you from? I have a contact form on my website astroforumspace.com. maybe best to do this over email instead of the comment section
My first Mount will be arriving this week. It is the Star Adventurer Pro Pack 2i
Considering the Exos2 PMC Eight
about the exos-2 mount, it is not fully correct to say it can be controlled by wifi only, it can be wired to a pc through USB and controlled by wired connection with an ascom/indi compliant program like stellarium or carte du ciel.
Thank you! Very informative as always.
Glad it was helpful!
I happened to call Meade about a week ago and when I talked to a representative, he stated that Orion (if a recall correctly) has bought Meade.
Thanks for the info! Good to hear, I'm glad.
Great Video! Will buy a NEQ-5 Pro GoTo with a skywatcher 150/750 PDS newton as my first Astrophotography setup (hopefully) in a few weeks. Greetings from Germany :)
Hope you'll have a great time with your new gear. Clear skies!
My first mount was a skywatcher EQM 35 pro. I still shoot with it today.
Nice, thanks for sharing!
Just ordered an Orion EQ-G go-to mount & tripod. I currently have a beautiful LOMO 6" Mak-Cass, but the mount is a cheap Chinese knock-off riding a cheap, shaky aluminum tripod. Which was fine, until the RA drive snapped its plastic (really?!?!) bracket, leaving me to hand-crank - yuck. I chose the EQ-G because I am looking toward the future weight-wise, and because of the computerized go-to, but also because of the illuminated polar scope (illuminated.... 😃). Can wait for it to come.
HI Pete, Hope the EQ-G mount will be delivered soon, thanks for watching. Clear skies!
Love the videos, very helpful, and much fun 👍
I’m still a bit vague on whether it’s easy to use an equatorial mount for az/alt functionality during the day.
We’re getting an AVX mount for SCT, but wonder if we should also get a non motorised, non goto, for visual and daytime for use with an APO.
First, thanks for taking seriously my recommendation from your last mount review to include the ES EXOS2 GT w/PMC8 in this review.
Some things that you missed in your review:
1. The tripods vary considerably between the review mounts. The EXOS2 has 2" legs, which is important for stability. I do not believe that most of the other mounts have this large of a tripod leg diameter. The pictures are taken at different distances and this makes the EXOS2 legs look skinny.
2. The EXOS2 can also communicate through RS232 to USB connectivity as well as via WiFi.
3. The lack of PEC is not as big a deal as some would think. Autoguiding corrects for the lack of PEC on this mount quite nicely. Users are seeing 0.5 arcsecond guiding with this mount. This is due to the belt drive and stepper motor combination that ES employed which removes most of the backlash typical with geared drives.
4. This mount has full ball bearings on both the RA and Dec axes as well as dual bearings on the worms.
5. The listed weight capacity you quoted for the EXOS2 is for astrophotography. It is 40 pounds for visual use. The other mounts you quoted may be for visual rather than astrophotography.
6. This mount comes with two 11 pound weights. I believe that the other mounts only include one weight.
7. The included app is NOT intended for astrophotography, just basic visual stuff. I am running my EXOS2 using Cartes du Ciel and a laptop. The mount can also be controlled via a tablet wirelessly, which I have done when using in visual mode.
8. A polar scope is included in the price, this is not the case with some of the others.
9. Having the controller separate from the mount allows it to be manufactured to a much higher standard (military grade electronics). And the mount will never become obsolete as you can retrofit with a different controller later, such as the open source OnStep controller.
BTW, I bought this mount on sale last year for $699 USD. I am very happy with it so far. Just starting to get into astrophotography this year.
I am leaning towards the E.S. EXOS2. It appears the author reviewed the spec sheets and has never actually seen this mount.
@@roybatty2680 Are you the replicant from Blade Runner? Seriously, just reviewing spec sheets is all most can do for reviews, so don't be too hard on him. That is why I added my comment to add clarity. ES has phenomenal support. Go to their web site and sign up for their community web info. They also, virtually every day, have videos on both UA-cam and Facebook on astrophotography and often discuss how to best use their mounts and other astronomical equipment. Be aware that setting up an EXOS2-GT w/PMC8 is somewhat more complicated (which is why one section of the community site is for helping newbees) than a typical mount with a handbox, but the flexibility you get in exchange is worth it. Since I posted my previous comment, unfortunately the price has risen to $1,000 (inflation sucks) but so has every other mount.
I am currently running my equipment using N.I.N.A. on a mini-PC attached to the mount and controlled remotely by a desktop PC using VNC Viewer. Another option is Astroberry which uses a Raspberry Pi (if you can find one). It can also be controlled remotely using VNC.
Clear skies!
I am interested in a Skywaycher EQ6 R Pro. I have a 10” Meade LX200 tube with a 4” Meade Etx I will use as a tracking scope
Thank you for this video! I'm planning to upgrade my Star adventurer as I bought a William Optics ZenithStar 61II telescope and I'm considering to get the GEM28 as it's available in my country but did you hear any good/bad news about it?
I've received positive feedback from 2 owners. Easy to setup and guiding if pretty accurate.
The Explore Scientific EXOS has a 40lb capacity and also has serial connection with the wifi. BTW Celestron handsets really, really suck...especially in cold weather. I unfortunately keep getting taken in by Celestron... my fault.
I stand corrected!
Hi, I am confused... Like the sound of the iOptron but GEM 28 or CEM 26? This or the Skywatcher HEQ5?
Great video. Not Astro related, but you (your wife) have modern (nice) decor especially the wallpaper! However, I always notice the walls with sloping vertical support and old brickwork. Is the property very old? Mounts with USB interfaces are good, some mounts have a direct USB connection e.g. the more expensive EQ6-R Pro you have. One thing with a direct connection to the mount e.g. EQASCOM, it keeps going even if your PC doesn't e.g. go to sleep, crashes is disconnected, etc. Usually, not always, the RA clutch will eventually disconnect/slip in this situation. In contrast, an HC knows where it is and can "flip" for you. Simon
Thanks Simon! Yes, the house was built in 1910
What about the Sky-Watcher EQ5 pro ? which are the differences from the HEQ5 pro in order to justify 400 euros difference in price? I'm a newbie , and from the charts i can't really see
Hi there, the HEQ5 is a lighter version of the EQ6, while the EQ5 has a different design. Both can be used but people report the HEQ5 as having less periodic error and more up to date motors that drive the mount.
@@AstroForumSpace oh, ok , thanks . I supposed than that the price difference is justify after all :D I'll see if i manage to find one used in a short ammount of time :P
Unfortunately I'd recommend skipping the LX85. I am one of the people that ended up immediately frying it and sending it in for warrenty repair due to manufacturer defects. They kept it for 6 months then sent back a different mount that is too stiff to balance properly and the polar scope slot does not rotate properly. It is also extremely loud. Customer service is near non existent
I'm sorry to hear that Jake. Hope you'll be able to return it and get your money back.
I am considering the Celestron AVX.
I have an old review video if you're interested: ua-cam.com/video/_3hh8o1g_nk/v-deo.html the newer versions come with a usb hand controller.
@@AstroForumSpace awesome! It will take some time as I will buy all the equipment from ground and up. For now I only have a simple Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ telescope, with which I have a lot of fun with my kids.
@@AstroForumSpace Well, different price point but the Sky-Watcher EQ6 R Pro could be an option too.
Hi Andre, there are pros and cons. The eq6r Pro has a better tracking accuracy and can handle more weight, but is also heavier and more expensive as compared to the AVX or similar beginner mounts. I have some blogs and tables to compare these and other mounts on my website: astroforumspace.com/best-telescope-mount-to-start-astrophotography-in-2021/ hope this is useful for you.
Great shirt! 😃
Thank you so much! It's just in time, because I look for a new mount for deep sky.
The only problem is that all of your three winners is on backorder for months :)
Yes, that's true. But it would be unfair for me to point to other winners just because of the availability. Clear skies!
@Shiang Yu Yang I decided to go level up and just ordered EQ6-R Pro instead
@1:22 A missed opportunity for a second bad joke! "So your mount is of paramount importance!"
😆 lol
I am looking forward to buy the i-optron cem-26 mount. I have skywatcher 150 pds Newtonian and I am worried about payload limit with this combo.
Either the skywatcher eq 6 with a 42,000 data base
Or the celestron cgem ii with a 40,000 data base.
You mentioned about the max payload capacity. What about the min payload capacity based on the astro-gear you have? That will vary for different mounts. We need to balance the counter weights with the gear on the top of the mount. And many of these high payload capacity mounts don't come with lighter counterweights.
No problemo! If you put a light dslr camera on a trusty tripod, you don't need to sweat it - no counterweight necessary. You can just sit back and watch it do its thing!
I'm finding the iEXOS-100-2 mount with tripod for $300 on Amazon and other astro stores, what's the catch? I know it doesn't come with a polar scope nor AZ adjusting base, but they've got these marked down from $600.
BTW I just re-read my comment and totally sounds like spam, sorry. This mount is supposed to be a direct competitor to the GTi (which I'm currently evaluating) and looks like a good beginner scope if the price is for real
Great Video ! Also debating on AVX or HEQ5 for my ES AR102.
I think that either mount will do great Neil. I'm interesting to see what the ES AR102 can do. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Thanks!
Right video and right expert
Thanks Abdullah.