Basic camera tripod mount 4" Mak, suggestions?

[KG8]

I recently bought a Bresser MC-100 Mak and want to mount it on a sturdy tripod for daytime watching/photography etc. I have an astro mount for my larger Cat but it's way heavy. Something I can toss in the car, something that has or can be adapted to take the standard dovetail rail mounted on the little scope hopefully though the dovetail does have a standard screw hole for a tripod.


It only weighs 2.4kg and is short, as you could imagine. I have a WO erecting prism on it and a hefty E-lux 40mm EP which balances out the weighty front end so say 3kg all up. They make some nice light astro mounts but they all have the slow adjustment knobs and I don't want that, nor tracking obviously. Has anyone any experience mounting something like this on a camera tripod, like a hefty manfrotto etc?
Thanks in advance

[PhilTas (Phil)]

Have a look at the AZ5

https://www.siderealtrading.com.au/p...-steel-tripod/

Yes it has slow motion controls, but back off the tension and you can easily push pull.

I have one of these mounts and find it very versatile. I often use it with a 125mm Mak. If you use it with higher power eyepieces you will appreciate the fine tune positioning with the slow motion controls.

[alw50 (Andrew)]

I'll second the suggestion of an AZ5. Except that I use the Skywatcher version, which comes with slow motion knobs rather than cables, which would be even more convenient for your purposes.

See https://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatch...ty-tripod.html

I've used mine with a Celestron C6, an ancient 60mm refractor, and more recently an 80ED refractor. With the latter, I have a Rigel quikfinder on the end of the tube, and its motion is smooth enough to easily move by push-pull from e.g. centred on Vega to centred on the nearby double in the finder.

So overall I'm very pleased with its manoeuvrability.

Regards, Andrew

[KG8]

Originally Posted by alw50

I've used mine with a Celestron C6, an ancient 60mm refractor, and more recently an 80ED refractor. With the latter, I have a Rigel quikfinder on the end of the tube, and its motion is smooth enough to easily move by push-pull from e.g. centred on Vega to centred on the nearby double in the finder.

So overall I'm very pleased with its manoeuvrability.

Regards, Andrew

Yes, sounds good, though I will be doing a lot of terrestrial work so slowmo controls are no good. I ended up buying a Manfrotto 055Xprop tripod and a matching 500AH Fluid video head (modified) The head has a 2.5kg spring-loaded counterbalance and is as smooth as silk panning in either axis. I highly recommend this combo for a small < 10kg scope if tracking isn't an issue.


The tripod legs are also able to flair out, so to speak. Adjusting to 4 different leg angles. You can get a lot of extra stability this way or a lot closer to the ground if you want.

[PhilTas (Phil)]

Yes, I reckon that will work well.
Let us know how it goes.

[KG8]

Originally Posted by PhilTas

Yes, I reckon that will work well.
Let us know how it goes.

I had it out last night doing a little lunar observing, very windy it was but the mount was rock solid Panning around was a breeze as well, no overshoot as you would get with a conventional tripod head either. It was easier to control and keep on target than a dob.

[PhilTas (Phil)]

Thanks for the feedback, looks like you're on a winner!!

I'll keep it in mind for the future.