Eq3

[dugnsuz]

Hello again,
How good is the EQ3 mount?
I'd like to put an Orion (copy) ED 80 or a WO Zenithstar 80 on this mount.
Eventually want to drive the mount - both axes and piggyback a camera too.
Is it decent enough to consider this - I've heard so many mixed things re chinese gear.
Cheers again

Doug

[Starkler]

I like my Orion ed80 as a lightweight grab and go, thats why mine lives on an alt-az mount.

[[1ponders]]

I have an EQ3/EQ4 mount that I use with both an Orion 80ED and a HD-102EQ celestron refractor. Visually it works fine with both, better with the Orion because of its shortness. I have an RA stepper drive attached which is surprisingly good. However for photographic purposes it will more than likely lead to frustration. If you were to do away with the flimsy aluminium legs and fit solid wooden or tubular steel legs, strip the mount down and get rid of the Synta Snot Grease and do the standard EQ3/4/5 supercharge, manually guide through the Orion with an at least 2X if not 3X barlow (to try to keep your tracking error as small as possible), piggy backing would be possible. Some here will say that a 3X barlow is overkill and I will agree with them, but I found with my mount I needed that extra focal length.

So the short answer is, yes, you can piggyback on it, and doing the above mods you have a fairly good chance of success, (it worked for me, but I got tired of manual guiding after a while)