From what I have heard is that the EQ6 is quite capable of doing photography, short exposure CCD stuff. Some mounts are better than others, but most are really worth the money, and with a 25kg loading Excellent for the budget minded. Although probably best suited to a visual person with an interest of photography. There are some improvements you can do to enhance it but most work really well out of the box. I haven't got one yet but I have been doing a fair amount of research on the mount as I plan to buy one as soon as I can afford it.
Roger from BATSC here in Melbourne is currently doing research for me on fitting the Argo-Navis system to an EQ6 so l will let you know the results as soon as l get them.
I am still tossing up importing the Astromecanicca set for the EQ6 from Italy.....very tempting...maybe with the 20% stronger motors...the Meade 12" SCT might be suitable...
Just spoken to Roger at BATSC about the Argo-Navis and EQ6, he can adapt the system and modify the mount to rid it of most of the periodic error for about $200, this will be the first one he's done so the price is only approximate, add this to the price of the Argo-Navis $595.00, and it becomes a pretty attractive package especially when you consider that it is a locally (aust) made product so any problems can be addressed quickly, anyway l'll be the guinea pig on this one but from what Roger has told me when done this could be a good package.
l have to drop my mount of in about a fortnight but Roger has already told me he is busy at the moment so l have no finishing time, l'm really only playing around at the moment and have no idea what l will put on the mount when it is finished anyway l've got so many scopes at the moment l'm not sure what to do with them, if the new mother board solves the problem of the 12" Meade that will be up for sale,everything in the thing is brand new now so that will be one less to worry about l suppose.
Tony just be aware although the Argo Navis is a very very good product it is only a digital setting circle and does not give you go-to functions of the mount motors.
As far as PE error goes if auto guiding , PE control is not as important , as the auto guider will correct both axis by keeping the alignment star centred.
PE is required if you aren't auto guiding and manually trying to keep the scope aligned.
For that you will want to have as low a PE as possible .
This is why the AM kit does away with PE control and relies on Auto guiding.
With the ability to be able to use even a cheap web cam for the auto guider and the high frame rate of a web cam auto guiding is very accurate.
If the PE of the EQ6 is a concern to you there are several companies doing replacement gears for the mount with reduced PE but for long exposure CCD you will still require the precise correction offered by Autoguiding.
The biggest problem with the EQ6 mount is by far the motors and the intermediate gear box of these motors plus the monkey snot grease used.
The gear boxes can have an oscillation which becomes apparent at high magnifications but appears to be a hit and miss thing as mine does not have the problem but others do.
By doing away with the gear box in the Am set up and using a far better motor you are removing the back lash oscillations and the PE of the gear boxes.
I have no practical experience, but what I have seen and read seems to agree with your comments Mark. Tony, revisit the image posted by seeker372011 http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...&threadid=1755 and also check out Pete's link http://www.users.bigpond.com/lansma/art_autoguiding.htm . Both use Guidedog to correct for errors, in Pete's case on a mount (LX90) a lot less capable than the LX you have just sold. In seeker's case he's using the same model camera that you also sold. The old medical phrase "Prevention is better than cure" may well apply here.