monoxide
23-06-2008, 09:50 PM
hi guys,
i've been thinking of moving up to an 8" or even 10" astrograph which is well over the ideal load for my HEQ5 pro when i add the rest of the gear, so i figured id better start looking at a new mount.
i know the first thing you guys are going to say is 'get a G11' or something even more expensive and id love one but i dont know if i could spend that much since im going to be realistic and say that im not going to get a hell of a lot of imaging time each year.
i guess im asking is an EQ6 the way to go or would i slap myself for not going with a G11?
ill be imaging at short to moderate focal lengths and i might dabble a bit in planetary imaging, id be looking for repeatable guided exposures up to 20 minutes.
i like the idea of getting something of decent quality 'out of the box' as i believe you shouldnt have to pull something to bits to get it to do what it should have been capable of in the first place, how is the quality control of the EQ6? any major duds?
also what is the gemini setup like to use? is it fairly simple (could you throw the manual over your shoulder when you get the thing out of the box and press all the buttons to get it to do what you want?) or is it an exercise in sitting down to study a manual before you can work out whats going on, also whats it like for pc control?
i've been thinking of moving up to an 8" or even 10" astrograph which is well over the ideal load for my HEQ5 pro when i add the rest of the gear, so i figured id better start looking at a new mount.
i know the first thing you guys are going to say is 'get a G11' or something even more expensive and id love one but i dont know if i could spend that much since im going to be realistic and say that im not going to get a hell of a lot of imaging time each year.
i guess im asking is an EQ6 the way to go or would i slap myself for not going with a G11?
ill be imaging at short to moderate focal lengths and i might dabble a bit in planetary imaging, id be looking for repeatable guided exposures up to 20 minutes.
i like the idea of getting something of decent quality 'out of the box' as i believe you shouldnt have to pull something to bits to get it to do what it should have been capable of in the first place, how is the quality control of the EQ6? any major duds?
also what is the gemini setup like to use? is it fairly simple (could you throw the manual over your shoulder when you get the thing out of the box and press all the buttons to get it to do what you want?) or is it an exercise in sitting down to study a manual before you can work out whats going on, also whats it like for pc control?