Advice please on mounting DSLR on HEQ5

[DarkKnight]

I've ordered a HEQ5 and I'd like some input on mounting my DSLR ( Nikon D800) on it. No 'scope at this stage, just the camera, and lens from 14mm to 300mm.

Haven't even seen the mount yet, other than on the internet, but being the impatient type I'd like to have all the bits to go with it when it arrives.

It seems like I should be able to attach my ball-head mounted camera to a dovetail plate, which then is attached to the mount. Is this the only option, or are there other tricky little bits available ?

[Atmos]

I have a HEQ5 that I have connected my Nikon D700 to. I personally have found that the best way is to use a normal tripod (camera tripod) plate thing that bolts into the bottom of the camera. That then slides into the HEQ5 plate and screw it in as you would a dovetail plate.

[DarkKnight]

All my camera and lens plates are Arca Swiss compatible so I was wondering if: :shrug:

a: There is a dovetail to arca swiss clamp available, or
b: I could mount my ballhead directly to the dovetail clamp, or
C: Remove the dovetail clamp and mount my ballhead directly to the HEQ5 mount head.

PS: I should add that I'll be attaching close to $5 grands worth of gear, so i want to be real sure that it is secure and won't slide off.

Perhaps I should just curb my impatience and wait till the HEQ5 arrives.

[Somnium]

this is what i used in connecting my cannon to my NEQ6, i am sure you will have no problems with the Nikon and the EQ5.

http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Dovetail-Plates---Adapters/Lunt-Dovetail-br--Bar-100mm/1499/productview.aspx

[daine042]

Your mount should come with something like this then just use a 1/4 inch UNC screw to mount it to the thread at the bottom of the camera.

[DarkKnight]

Thank you all for the replies. :thumbsup:

In my inexperience I'm thinking I'll need to mount my ballhead so that I can align my camera with the polarscope, particularly if I'm using my 300m lens.

Hopefully the HEQ5 will be here on Friday so I can have a good look at it and then ask some better informed questions.

Cheers

[DarkKnight]

Below is a pic of my saddle (?) where you can see the mounting area has one vertical side and one slightly diagonal side.

The Lunt bar you linked seems to have both mounting faces slightly on an angle although this could be an optical illusion.

Does this cause a problem with security, ie slippage?

[Camelopardalis]

Yeah go for a ball head or some kind of head with multiple axis adjustment. Just bear in mind you will need one with much more payload capacity than you will use since an equatorial mount will through the head around in all kinds of ways that it wouldn't usually be subjected to just from sitting on top of a normal camera tripod.

[raymo]

You need a ball head whatever way you go, so you can aim your
camera anywhere in the sky that you wish, independent of where the
mount is pointing. The mount has to be polar aligned to track well, but the camera can point anywhere for wide angle work. Hardly anybody in the southern hemisphere uses a polar scope to align the mount these days, mainly due to the lack of a bright star near the South Celestial Pole.
raymo

[DarkKnight]

It's the mounting plate that is confusing me.

If you look at the pic of the clamp, it has one vertical face and one at about 75°, whereas every plate I've seen ( see example below) has both clamping faces angled.

To me it seem that only a small part of the locking screw will make contact with the plate clamping face.

Is this the accepted protocol or are there other plates that are made to specifically fit the EQ6 clamp?

[rogerco]

Here is my solution. Admittedly not cheap but it is very versatile and the bits can be used for other things. Consists of a short male to male Losmandy dovetail bar, then a Losmandy clamp. The clamp had to be drilled out to take the 3/8" bolt that holds the camera head on. In this case its a Manfroto ball head but it could be any form of removable tripod head.

[DarkKnight]

Cheers Roger

I've gone for a Losmandy plate (see pic) which is a nice fit in the EQ6 clamp.

I would have preferred the 6" job with the facility to fit some screws on the end to stop it all from sliding out of the clamp but there was no centre hole.

I'll look at doing indents where the lock screws meet the plate face so this should stop any sideways movement.

Your set-up looks pretty neat.

[DarkKnight]

Not having the facility to stop the plate sliding out of the saddle was worrying me so I've cancelled the Losmandy plate order and replaced it with a new Sky Watcher saddle and a Farpoint Bread Board Dovetail.

The guys at Bintel were not only knowledgeable, but also very helpful.

The HEQ5 was returned and replaced with an EQ6 ( I had a rant about that in another thread) so hopefully after almost two months I'll be able to start taking some photos.

Cheers