LXD75 mount - opinions?

[Amaranthus]

So, I'm thinking of purchasing a Meade LXD75 EQ Mount with Autostar, to use with my SCT (Nexstar 8SE) and 120mm frac for astrophotography. (There is one currently on sale 2nd hand locally that I could pick up).

Any opinions from current or past owners on its performance, especially as a stable mount for long-exposure AP?

[Amaranthus]

Bump - no views? I'm thinking I should probably save my pennies and get a HEQ5 or a NEQ6 to give more stability and upgrade options, but the LXD75 is going at a decent price...

[Bart]

The LXD75 was cursed because of the LXD55 and its crappy build quality. I believe the 75 has bearings instead of bushes which would be ok for beginner astrophoto work if tuned and aligned properly. If you want to get long term reliability, go for an EQ6.

[h0ughy]

get the eq6

[Amaranthus]

Thanks for the advice both -- I think you've reinforced my suspicion. I'll wait, save, and do more research on mounts, and probably end up getting a really solid EQ6 when the time is ripe.

For now, I'll continue to muck about with my sub 30 sec exposures using my fork mount (about the most I can get away with before field rotation becomes a pain).

[nebulosity.]

Actually I'd get an iOptron IEQ45.

[Camelopardalis]

EQ6 chaps? Is it really that decent or just a factor of handling the PEC?

[acropolite]

Correct, but better still spend a little extra and get the Az-Eq6 it has belt drive and encoders, plus should you wish to do so it can be configured in Alt/Az mode.

[Camelopardalis]

Barry, I'd recommend the Celestron VX for visual and planetary photography with your C8, as you've got a Nexstar you'd feel at home :D and it's a lot lighter than the EQ6, although no doubts that the 6 would be more sturdy (the tripods are practically the same though).

Not sure how it'd fare with the 120 though...is it bigger/heavier than the C8?

Might as well scrub that thought, it's not much cheaper than the EQ6 :screwy:

[Amaranthus]

The SW120 OTA is a bit lighter than the C8 - about 4 kg vs 5.5 kg.

[Logieberra]

NEQ6 Pro all day long!

[Logieberra]

[QUOTE=acropolite;1062691]Correct, but better still spend a little extra and get the Az-Eq6 it has belt drive and encoders, plus should you wish to do so it can be configured in Alt/Az mode.[/QUOTE

This sounds nice too! How are they on periodic error compared to the traditional NEQ6 Pro gear setup?