[maxwolfie (Greg)]

My thoughts/reasoning thus far.

Polarie: $400 unit + $250 polar scope + $200 Manfrotto 410 Geared Head = $850 total (plus postage US -> Australia)
Positives - Portable, relatively cheap, fast to set up and take down
Negatives - Limited to what I can do with it, can buy a CG-5 for the money
Summary - Considering this has actually ended up more expensive than the Astrotrac (which from what I've read, seems to be superior in most ways), I'll give it a miss.

Astrotrac: $480 unit + $150 polar scope + $200 Manfrotto 410 Geared Head = $830 total (plus postage US -> Australia)
Positives - Portable, relatively cheap, great tracking that rivals more expensive mounts (allegedly), AG port for later (still not exactly sure how this works, but it sounds cool!)
Negatives - Limited to AP (if I decide to start observing later), can buy a CG-5 for the money

Celestron CG-5GT: $750 ($659 on OPT) + $20 AC/DC adapter + $40 polar scope + ??? (plus postage US -> Australia)
Positives - Cheapest "decent" mount for beginner AP
Negatives - Hit and miss reviews, temperamental, maybe slower to align and set up? I want something that I can set up and take down quickly (I.e. set up in less than 10 mins)
Summary - Probably my first real mount choice, due to price. Unsure though, due to what other costs are involved to get started with AP - polar alignment scope (is it included?), ball head, adaptors etc. to fit DSLR onto etc. (can anyone confirm?)

Orion Atlas EQ-G / Skywatcher EQ-6 / EQ5 Pro SynScan / HEQ5 Dual Axis or GOTO: $600-$1300?? Second hand/new + AC/DC adapter (?) + ??? (plus postage US -> Australia)
Positives - Cheapest entry level "good" mount for AP
Negatives - Expensive, heavy, probably harder to setup? Further costs involved (ball head, adapters to mount camera to etc.)


On quick inspection I am left with a few options. The Astrotrac for about $830, the CG-5GT for ~$660 (plus whatever else is required) or a second hand EQ-G or EQ-6 (plus whatever else is required). I'm leaning towards the CG-5 (pending costs) or the Astrotrac, at the moment. I don't think I have the knowledge to safely buy second hand. I want to be free of headaches.

The first concern is set up and alignment time. I need something that's not going to required fiddling about with setup, alignment etc. Ideally if any of this can be set up in under 10-15 minutes. Anything more and I'm much less likely to actually bother using it as often as I should be (considering the price tag).

The second concern is total costs for the mounts. To assist, could anyone please let me know what additional components I would need to start imaging with both the CG-5GT and the EQ-G/EQ-6/HEQ5 mounts? I imagine there would be at least a few bits and pieces, including AC/DC adapter as minimum, as well as whatever is required to actually mount the camera to the mount. I am assuming that both these units do not come with a facility built in, therefore a decent ball head will be required? If so, what would be good to start with?

I assume that both mounts would have whatever is necessary to align (polar and GOTO) built in, would this be correct?
EDIT: Seems like the CG-5 polar axis finder scope is additional, and costs $40.

Until I have a realistic idea of complete costs for both of these units to start AP, I can't really make a choice. Any assistance would be appreciated!