Odille, for what you are trying to achieve (photography with DSLR and lenses) the Astrotrac would probably be better (but more expensive) option.
h0ughy was so impressed with one he bought second hand that he bought another new.
Like all mounts it needs polar alignment but you can mount it on a standard tripod with a sturdy head (I think Sir h0ugh used a manfrotto 055 from memory) I seem to remember that our friend Luis (IIS user luigi) from Beunos Aries also uses an Astrotrac with good results.
Details here.
A
link to Luis' website