[Zaps]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

...the only considerations are price, support, reliability and availability. The "level" or "newness" of the technology is irrelavent.

Some astronomers, amateur and professional, demand and desire the best. They won't cut corners for any reason. If spending extra money will gain them an edge, if there is an advantage to be had by investing more, they will do so.

If a "better" technology at a higher price produces exactly the same result, then its a waste of money, unless support, reliability and availability are superior.

A "better" mount probably means you need less support from the manufacturer. A better mount won't provide the exact same results as a lesser mount. People with the money to spend, and a willingness to spend it, won't waste time trying to justify cutting corners by purchasing outdated technology when they can have the latest and greatest.

Granted, if a mount out of the box has no PE and points perfectly, then it is more convienient to set up, this has a measurable value.

No kidding.

But if set up on a PME for instance involves PEC and and building a pointing model once for a permanent installation, then spending more money on the former "newer technology", with the same end result then becomes purely a "set up time over cost" consideration, .

Sure. And if spending the (extra) money gets you a superior mount and results in superior images, then it's worth every dime to those willing to spend it.

A PME with proper set up becomes invisible in the image capture experience. Any variation in this experience can only be justified by a lower cost or vastly improved convienience, support and reliability.

PMEs are not perfect. They are an excellent mount to be sure, but not even close to perfect. Most people have initial setup woes, and some have ongoing issues. Not many, but enough to remind us all that nothing is perfect. On the other hand, you seem to be assuming that the PME is the only mount that is capable of doing a great job.

Do you think ASA could, at a higher price, vastly improve convienience, support and reliability, right now, for the same end result imaging wise??

Do you think maybe ASA's mounts could be made good enough that very little after sales support is required? I do. At the moment their product is brand spankin' new, and teething problems are to be expected. But even now users of the DDM range are getting spectacular results: no PE, so no PEC required; no guiding; looooong exposures, all the other benefits of doing away with fallibly clunky worms and wheels, etc.

This is the beauty of gearless direct drive. Direct drive is the way of the future and rapidly becoming the way of the now. You may not like it, but time and tech waits for no man.