The Sky-Watcher HEQ5 PRO: The Perfect Budget EQ Mount?

[@davidswinnard7565]

Nice review. During the COVID pandemic I ordered my first EQ mount. This is the one I chose. I ordered the Rowan Belt mod. kit at the same time. Eventually they came (different vendors). I mount a GT-71 (Williams Optics) and at the time used my Fuji X-T3 camera. The mount performed well from day one. A few months later I actually installed belt drive kit. Immediately the noise was reduced and the guiding performance improved enough to justify the kit's cost. Now, a number of years later, I am still very happy with the mount and cannot fault it's performance. Over one rainy winter I took the mount apart to inspect the bearings and grease (having read stories of missing or too much grease). I cleaned and re-greased, reassembled and decided I had a good mount - internally things seemed to be just fine. A piece of mind thing. I'm not as young as I used to be so setting it up is a separate trip for the tripod, then the head, the the counterweights, I use two, and finally the OTA assembly and the power supply box. Of course disassembly is the reverse of this. It was a good purchase and should serve me for years to come.

[@jimelshaw2665]

Excellent video! Thanks so much for your review. As a beginner to astrophotography, this seems like a perfect mount to get started with. Very well done 👍🏼

[@johnpopiel1128]

Thanks for your honest review of the HEQ5 Pro. It's a mount I'm considering and also wanting to keep things simple as I'm new to the photography side of DSO. You touched on the things I wanted to know. Nice video.

[@MaximumAstronomy]

I’m glad I could help!

[@Mati05jp]

Great Video, thanks!

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

The Rowan belt drive mod seems like a necessity. As an old guy I wish it were a touch lighter to move. Now if only the sky will cooperate.

[@lciummo1]

I've used mine for years w/o the belt mod. PHD2 has no problem tacking without the mod.

[@cigarnationwarriors]

I’m considering this mount to mate with my TeleVue TV-76 Refractor. Would this mount give me room to grow, that is, from Visual to basic Astro photography? Thank you.

[@MrGunzoller]

1:11 that woolly guy in the background wants to look at Jupiter through a telescope 🙃

[@waynewheaton3210]

Thanks for the review and good video. I was about to buy an AVX but after seeing some of the complaints and learning more about the construction, I think the HEQ5 is a better choice. I have to keep my gear in the basement (9 ft ceilings) so my concern is hauling up and down the stairs. Maybe an iOptron CEM 26 or 40 would be a good choice - I just need to research them more.

[@MaximumAstronomy]

For sure the CEM26 or the 40 would be lighter and a bit more manageable. But it’s all to taste if you prefer one system to another. The iOptrons do feature belt drives instead of regular teeth-driven gears so that means less backlash initially as well. But they do have a higher cost. But the choice is yours. I have a CEM40 and it’s been a solid reliable mount through 3 years of ownership.

[@waynewheaton3210]

@@MaximumAstronomy Thanks! I order a CEM40G. I got into astronomy in the 80s (I'm old) but then life happened. Anyhow it's cool to see all the tech now. I tired astrophotography with a 35mm film camera back in the day! Anyhow I'm excited to actual have equipment that will make it easier.

[@hishama.h2178]

Again Hi Zare,thanks for zi videos' this really equivalent to EXOS-2 Equatorial Mount 2 inch steel tripod equivalent to Skywatcher HEQ5 or noa,they say it can carry 19 kg,is this 19 with or without other gears on it,a mean of course counter weights,cams...etc etc. Thank u.

[@juliand2107]

Can this be mounted to a regular tripod? Noticed the bottom doesnt look like a regular flat base with 3/8?

[@lciummo1]

I think it's a 5/8 whole in the bottom of the mount head. It's very heavy so a beefy tripod would be needed.

[@johnk12345100]

So now that you've had them both, which one do you like best between the AVX and this? Also I cannot find a pro just an heq5, did they change names thanks

[@MaximumAstronomy]

I think this has better parts inside. The drives are more substantial and you can get a belt modification to make it quieter and reduce backlash further. Some people prefer the Celestron hand controller and such other the skywatcher but that’s here nor there. Overall I think the HEQ is just built better

[@40NaSombra]

What is the minimum working polar elevation of the heq5? my elevation is 11* the north of Brazil

[@lciummo1]

I think you could lower the dec to 11 deg but the counterweights might hit the tripod unless they fit between the legs. I'll try it next time I'm out.

[@anata5127]

It is strange to hear review on conventional mount. Nowadays, there is fashion to review “to death” AM5 and ASAir.

[@ricardosantana5424]

Can it hold a C9.25?

[@MaximumAstronomy]

That would stretch it but it would be doable for visual observing only.

[@heklik]

Can it hold a c8 ?

[@MaximumAstronomy]

Yes! It has a 30-pound weight capacity