Hi Max,
I too have a 10"Newtonian telescope than has a thick premium glass primary mirror hand ground. Let me say it is heavy and awkward. With my canon 60d DSLR it's combined payload is 17.5kg. It's a 1250mm focal length Scope making it a long tube at F5. It sits well on my Neq6 no probs however I do have it very well balanced which is paramount. The mount does have 4 counterweights on the extended counterweight rod. I have the tripod legs low to keep the system as solid as possible eliminating vibrations setup on concrete paving as Kevin rightly mentioned.
I do need the conditions to be favourable so little to no wind helps. A little tip I can suggest is too keep the balance of the scope marginally east heavy. This reduces backlash in the motor. I haven't got any guiding equipment on the OTA so I can't comment beyond what I currently have in terms of performance. Although I'd like to at some stage. I think with a small finderscope and guiding camera it may add close to another kilogram which is stretching the limit of astrophotography for my system. Many would say it's well over but I'm happy enough with the shots I've taken. I'm still honing my skills with the Newt and I understand that my images aren't perfect but improving I hope.
Overall Max if it's galaxies you're intererested in then the large aperture is the way to go. You won't be disappointed with its light capture that's for sure which is all important for imaging faint objects. I'd say give it a go.
One final tip is that I found a good steady power source keeps the motor running consistently with no lagging which can happen on colder nights if using a small portable battery.
Good luck,
Anth
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