Mount AZ SynScan GoTo

SkyWatcher SynScan AZ GOTO Mount

( 5 / 5 )

The SkyWatcher SynScan AZ GOTO Mount is a workhorse; reliable and accurate. I've had my mount going on three years now and am extremely happy with it. I use my SynScan AZ mount for both visual viewing and for azimuth astrophotography. YES, it is an astronomy myth left over from the days of film cameras that you can not use an Azimuth mount for astrophotography. Please note: The SkyWatcher SynScan AZ GOTO Mount was NOT designed for astrophotography but it does this task fairly well.

For visual work I attach either my Meade LX200 8 inch (203mm) SCT OTA or a Celestron C6S OTA (150mm SCT). SkyWatcher's specs for the mount are for a maximum aperture of 130 mm and approximately 3.6kg payload. The 8 inch SCT is 50% overweight and the 150mm SCT is 25% overweight. Both are oversized. The mount carries both with no difficulty; however, the tripod flexes some under the weight of the 8 inch SCT which slightly degrades accuracy with the larger telescope.

The mount is very portable. My SkyWatcher SynScan AZ GOTO Mount, C6S OTA, telrad finder, eyepiece kit, and battery pack easily fit into a case small enough to carry aboard commercial aircraft. The tripod is dissembled and placed in a suitcase with my clothes.

For azimuth photography,I use either the C6S OTA or a Meade 2045LX3 OTA (102mm SCT). The tripod WAS NOT DESIGNED for astrophotography and must be either modified to stiffen it or replaced with a heavy duty tripod. The required modifications are easily done. The mount can provide adequate vibration and tracking free periods of time needed for short exposure work; 20 second exposures with an 80% probability of being vibration free which can then stacked into one longer exposure. I've successfully captured nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters with details that compete with photographs taken with equatorial mounts and far better than done in the days of film using the SynScan AZ GOTO mount and a digital SLR.

Setup is simple; align with two stars and you are finished. No need to do an accurate leveling nor have the telescope pointed in any particular direction.

Deficiencies: The tripod is a source of vibration and has many soft plastic parts. It can perform well but needs to be treated with care. Over tightening leg clamps is easy to do and will pull out the metal parts from their soft plastic housings. Often new owners can not achieve accurate gotos with the mount. Invariably, loose bolts and screws on the tripod are the problem which is remedied easily by simply tightening up all the nuts and bolts on the tripod.

sw

( 1 / 5 )

if i can i will return it or sell it, the old one i have it was much more better , but i burned motherboard

for kids

( 1 / 5 )

i am not satisfied with this one , i buy it one month ago , no on/off button , the vertical moves faster than horizontal , only couple of stars for aligmenth , most of them are not visible at that time , when you push button to drive motor it takes couple of seconds to start to move , when you release the button also it does not stop at same time , motor still run , not a lot of functions , motors are to slow , it need 74 seconds to rotate 360' horizontal axis

Response on this review by our expert Stefan Taube

Accourding to your description, I think the mount is broken. Please contact our service.