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I can get an alignment good enough for reasonable subs in under 20 minutes now with the EQ6Pro.
The new firmware has a fast polar alignment routine, you do a quick 3 star align, and then follow the instructions to get a very good polar alignment by adjusting the mount itself according to the amounts shown on the hand controller.
It works really well and is good enough for reasonable length exposures.
You can do a quick drift check/align after that if you are planning l-o-n-g-e-r exposures.
I'm not sure if the same firmware is for the HEQ5Pro, EQ5 etc.
You can use also some simple software like align master (you can add your own guidestars to have ones visible from your backyard) for a quick alignment that is good enough for basic photography.
That sort of alignment is good enough to get nice snapshots of Orion and other bright targets.
I think I know where you are coming from, there are nights I want to setup and get 4 or 5 hours of really solid data, those nights I go nuts getting the drift alignment perfect.
Other nights I just want to grab some pics, kind of like a tourist on holiday snapping some shots to show the kids, and those nights I do a quick align and hammer a whole bunch of targets to see what I get.
My best advice would be to find a way to leave the mount setup outside and covered, (or use Allan's method) then it stays aligned and you just chuck the scope and cameras on and check the alignment and get on your way.
I get the North/South orientation using the Solar Noon method with a Plumb-bob during the day. Nearly impossible to get wrong and is more accurate than a compass.
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