Hi Ken
To help you focus on the main issues, write a list of what is important to you and then compare the two offerings. Some examples might be:
- Weight carrying capacity.
- Ease of set up and use.
- Does the mount provide for auto guiding for long exposure astro photography?
- Is PEC available?
- Ease of break down and set up for astro camps.
- Build quality - metal parts or plastic?
- Can the mount be used manually if there is no local power/battery?
- Future upgrades.
- After sales support.
- Ease of polar alignment.
- Polar alignment ‘scope (for the S hemisphere).
- Which mount is “easier” to tinker with and tune to fix niggling little problems?
- User interface – mechanical, are the various knob and clutches laid out logically?
- Hand controller interface – easy to use?
- Does the mount provide for computer control?
Discard any “gee whiz” features that might look nice on paper, but you will have no use for.
I know money is always tight, but often you are better off tightening your belt and paying that little extra for an item that will satisfy you for say, 5 to 10 years, rather than a cheaper one that you may outgrow or find limiting in say, 1 to 3 years.
It looks like you could be satisfied with either option? Don’t be fooled by an “out of the box” experience! Every mount I have owned (NexStar, GP, GPDX and EM200) has required me to interact with it and understand it to get the best performance from it. And even then, they still misbehave sometimes!
Cheers
Dennis
