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Some good advice
General rule of thumb for Long Exposure Astrophotography Payload is 60% of the maximum payload of the mount
A HEQ5 mount has a maximum payload capacity of 13kg so when used for long exposure Astrophotography the recommended payload would be 8 to 9kg
A 6 f5 newt alone weighs around 6kg
A 6 f6 newt alone weighs around 6.5kg
A 8 f5 newt alone weighs around 8.5kg
Remember you have to add your Astrophotography imaging equipment , guiding equipment , dew control and other misc items ( can add up to 3kg to 4 kg)
So based on my experience with all the above newts your safest bet with the least amount of trouble would be to use the HEQ5 mount with either a 6 f5 newt or 6 f6 newt.
My 8 f5 newt sits on a larger capacity EQ6-R mount at a AP payload of 15kg , way to much for the smaller HEQ5 mount
Yes you can put an 8 f5 newt on a HEQ5 mount ( a lot of folk do ) but you need to ensure balance is perfect , conditions are good and no wind around , in other words theres no margin for error and being a rank beginner I strongly recommend either of the 6 newts
Heres a few images I took this week with my 6 f6 newt in light polluted Sydney to show you what a 6 newt is capable of with the right imaging gear
Hope the above helps
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