Overall Rating: 8
Performance:7 Ease of Use:8 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date: 07/21/2003 03:35:15 am PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.69.187)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=270829

Update to this review - I've since had a good chance to give the EQ6 a work out, both for visual and photographic use.

For visual use, well the verdict is easy - as good any mount out there, including anything Losmandy can knock together. If you wanted was a stable mount that could track will viewing, the EQ6 is all you would ever need.  10/10

For short exposure imaging with webcam - This is just superb. Ultra stable with an 8" F5 reflector or C9.25, this makes focusing much easier and the object stays glued to the screen. 10/10 

For Medium exposure imaging with MX5-c - Now I tried this at a star party with plenty of premium kit about that should have embarrassed the EQ6 and me. But no, the EQ6 impressed a lot of people. Had no trouble imaging M31 at prime focus for 2 mins unguided with not a hint of trailing or jitters. 8/10

Haven't tried long exposure imaging. But without the ability to plug (without spending another £700) in an autoguider, it would fail miserably. 2/10

Fit and finish isn't bad but doesn't compare to anything by Losmandy. The tripod is excellent, illuminated polar scope works well, zero backlash in the motors and both axis are smooth in operation. 6/10

A solid 8/10 overall


>After dwelling for weeks as to which mount to buy as a replacement for my overworked EQ5, I finally settled for the EQ6. I was also waiting to see if a secondhand GPDX would come onto the market but no such luck.
>The EQ6 was at the top of my budget, so anything by Losmandy was a non-starter. It left me with two choices - EQ6 or plain GP with Synta drives. The load capacity of the GP didn't seem too impressive, so went with the EQ6.
>Let me say straight off that I think it was a good choice. The mount is absolutely rock solid - thats with an 8" f5 newt, 4.7" f5 guidescope, 8x50 finder, electric focus and heavy 2" eyepieces. Even at the highest powers the newtonian can cope with, the image does not budge. Damp down times at low to medium powers are as good as instant. With 2secs at very highest power. This is not Synta mounts as I know them!
>The downside is a jitter from the RA drive, poor PEC. I haven't attempted to reduce it but there's plenty of material around the net on how to do it.
>
>The bottom line is - if like me you are working on a very tight budget, there's no other option! If you are into long exposure imaging and working to this budget, then you are doomed! Because no mount, new or old, for £600 is going to provide a basis for long exposure photography. The EQ6 has to get a thumbs up.