Polar alignment - EQ6-R Pro vs. NEQ6 Pro

[mickh]

Hello,
I'm tossing up between these 2 mounts for deep space photography. Is there much difference between these two, in terms of speed and ease of getting good polar alignment?
Thank you
Michael

[Startrek]

Michael,
I have 2 EQ6-R mounts in different locations , one in Sydney carries a 6” f6 newt and the other South coast NSW carries an 8” f5 newt
I’ve also used a HEQ5 mount for 3 years which is the little brother the NEQ6

I’d recommend the EQ6-R pro mount as it’s a relatively new design with belt driven Dec and Ra axis and robust saddle with solid bolts. The Az and Alt bolts are solid as well
It has a slightly higher rated payload than the NEQ6

As far as polar alignment is concerned I don’t think either mount is better or worse off during a PA routine , I’d say they are on par with each other. Some folk have mentioned they don’t like the new solid Az and Alt bolts on the EQ6-R mount but I have no issue with them

It probably tracks a little smoother and is definitely quieter than the NEQ6

The EQ6-R is a very popular mount world wide and I’ve had no issues with both of my mounts ( purchased in 2017 and 2019 ), so I can speak with experience

Cheers
Martin

[SuperG]

Hi

I upgraded from an EQ5Pro (Not HEQ5Pro) to an NEQ6Pro in the last 12 months and the big difference that I observed was the periodic error. That seemed, looking back at it, horrendous on the EQ5Pro and even impacted guiding. The NEQ6Pro that I have is fantastic in that regard, and my imaging has improved significantly as a result.

I weighed up the differences between the NEQ6Pro and EQ6Pro in terms of performance and cost and decided on the NEQ6Pro in the end. Probably because me focal lengths range from ~500mm to ~700mm.

[Startrek]

It’s totally fine to share your experiences , but maybe we shouldn’t compare an EQ5 Pro mount to either an NEQ6 or EQ6-R mount as there is no comparison, vastly different class of mounts in respect to design, quality of build , payload capacity, physical size. The EQ5 range are 10kg class mounts and the EQ6 range are 20kg class mounts
I’m interested to know how you weighed up the difference in “performance” of the NEQ6 and EQ6-R when you made your decision on the NEQ6 ?? Have you owned or used an EQ6-R ?? Used one at a Star party or club event ?? Maybe a friend has one ?
I’ve owned and used EQ5 , HEQ5 for a couple of years and now have had 2 x EQ6-R mounts for 2 years at two different locations 230km apart.For the price I don’t think you can go past the belt driven EQ6-R. My EQ6-R at my dark site carry’s 15kg of payload and guides under an arc sec ( total rms ) on most nights.I’ve had it as low as 0.55 arc sec error on Dec and 0.65 arc sec on RA on really stable nights of seeing and it’s located near the coast which is not most ideal location.Here’s some images of the M8 Lagoon Nebula captured in September where I was pushing 5 minutes subs for hours. The mount performed perfectly as it always does always !!
Cheers