Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralTraveller
OK, now I thought I knew exactly what I wanted but I've started having doubts. I've decided the stepper-motor focus control is beyond what I need (and more importantly can afford). So the choice is between the DC motor focus and the 2-speed manual (with focus lock). I've used both. On the refractor the motofocus was great, but mostly because it eliminated tube shake. On the dobs even the GSO 2-speed is nice to use and the manual operation is more intuitive than pushing buttons.
So, it seems to be an argument between intuitive operation vs. stability. I expect stability will win but I'm wondering how much a smooth manual focusser will decrease shake?
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If your mount is stable the two speed manual will be fine (the fine adjustment is like butter). Motorised versions are always good if your mount is a little unstable and is handy for AP. The stepper motor versions add considerable expense to the focuser as you also need a controller but are fantastic for AP as they have great lifting power and brilliant accuracy. The problem with the stepper is they are very slow unless you use the moonlite controller (fast and slow speeds) over the other options (cercis and james lacy controllers) and are an absolute pain to use in visual applications.
Mark