Quote:
Originally Posted by Poita
Ah, but 2nd hand, if the EM200 is available with wooden tripod for $3600, and the G11 with tripod and Ovision Worm is $3500 then it gets more interesting, hence my interest.
There are so many conflicting opinions on the EM200, many that say the G11 and EQ6 aren't even in the same league, to others saying don't touch the EM200 and definitely go with the G11, and others who maintain the EQ6 is 'close enough' anyway.
I was hoping someone who had owned at least two out of the three units would chip in with their experience. The report of plastic gears in the EM200 has me concerned!
I'm interested in something that is a little more portable and easier to polar align than the EQ6Pro, and would be great for Astrophotography with a decent sized refractor, but could also handle planetary work with my 10" LX200R.
I can't stretch to an AP900 or NJP or anything in that league though.
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Second hand bargains are always good.
On specs alone:
EQ6 Pro is approximately 16kg
EM200 is approximately 16kg
G11 Head Unit is approximately 16kg
EQ6 Tripod is approx 7kg
EM200 Wood Tripod is approx 12kg
G11 HD Tripod is approximately 16kg
So overall the EQ6 should be actually lighter. However with the EM200 setup you can separate the mount from the tripod for easier relocations. You would need to check if the EQ6 Head and Tripod can be separated for easier portability.
As for the G11 the G11 head is the same weight as both the EM200 and EQ6. But the Losmandy HD tripod is the heaviest of all three.
Also you need to remember that the Tak mount does not come with a Synscan/Gemini controller so you need to supply your own Controller.
The EM200 and EM400 work extremely well with IPAD/IPHONE/IPAQ units running apps or a miniPc/Laptop running The Sky. But this represents more expense.
None of the mount manufacturers have made perfect mounts from day one and it has usually been a case of continual improvement. Also some units arrive on the doorstep perfect and others arrive less than perfect. A good example is one or two recent Paramount issues. This does not mean that any of these mounts are inherently bad. However things tend to get exaggerated in the retelling and sometimes opinions are made without full hands on knowledge of the options.
Evidence shows that there are many Tak, EQ and G11 owners out there that happy with their system.
Personally I have found the Tak gear to be extremely well made and every thing works out of the box without needing to do after-market upgrades.
I am sure that there are other IIS users that have owned 2 or at least all 3 of these units at some stage to be able to do a better real life comparison.