HEQ5 PRO Astrophotography Mount Review (2022)
Heq5 Pro is one of the most reputable mounts
But does it hold its place in 2022?
Should you still consider buying this?
This video is all about answering this question.
I’ve been a devoted user of HEQ5 Pro for
about 4 years now.
When I was looking for mounts I found an irresistible
deal in the second hand market so I decided
to give this mount a go.
That was the best decision.
I can tell you upfront that I love this mount.
It is solid, built like a tank and has all
things necessary to help you take nice sharp
photos.
Like everything, it has some weaknesses.
I will get to that later.
But just in case you don’t know much about
this mount.
Let’s first look at its specs.
The HEQ 5 Pro is a heavy duty mount which
is reasonably priced.
One of the main things to look for in a mount
is how much weight you can put on it.
The stated weight of HEQ5 Pro is 30 pounds
for visual use and 24 pounds for astrophotography.
In my view, you can use 30 pounds for visual
but for astrophotography I would suggest no
more than 20.
Anything more than this will add strain on
gears.
You can increase the efficiency of the payload
by hypertuning your mount.
A big shoutout to Astrobloke whose guide I
followed to hypertune my mount.
I will drop a link below of how to do that
just in case you are interested.
With my hypertuned mount, I have used 26 pounds
on top of it for astrophotography and it has
handled it well.
For most refractors, I think HEQ5 Pro would
be best fit.
Newtonians, anything above 8” might be a
struggle.
You can use any scope with a Vixen-style dovetail
on the HEQ5 Pro.
The saddle is secure and solid enough for
most setups.
Although you can upgrade it if you’ve got
spare funds.
I have not had any problems in balancing my
mount.
In terms of counterweights, the mount comes
with two 11 pound counterweights, again more
than sufficient for balancing most setups.
You might need an extra counterweight if you
are using anything above 22 pounds.
It comes with a power cable which provides
constant 12 volts which is a must for good
tracking.
Voltage problems can often interfere with
tracking.
I haven’t had any need to upgrade my power
supply.
It also comes with portable car cable just
in case you want to take it away to dark skies.
Next to the power supply port, you’d find
various ports.
You can use an autoguiding port to directly
connect your guide camera to the mount which
is highly not recommended.
I don’t think that’s an efficient way, I’d
rather use my computer to command the mount.
But there is a way for autoguider to connect
the mount directly if you’d like.
Then there is this port that the SynScan Go-to
Hand Control plugs into.
In terms of Go-to functions, and database,
in my limited experience it does what it needs
to.
It can slew to 42,900 objects.
That said, my primary use is astrophotography
so I hardly use Goto Hand Controller and its
functions.
Instead, I use plate solving so finding objects
is often not very hard.I’d suggest buying
an EQmod cable for a few bucks and connecting
your laptop with the mount, it both saves
you time and makes everything smooth.
Btw, this is where the Eqmod cable goes.
You simply unplug the remote and plug the
cable instead.
For astrophotography, I use NINA, PHD2, and
GS server and this mount easily communicates
with multiple softwares without any problems.
This mount can be easily connected to computers.
What about tracking?
How does it track?
Let me show you what I’ve been able to archive
with this mount.
Often my tracking numbers are below 1 arc-min
in PHD2 with this mount which is quite excellent!
For most setups if you can manage to track
under 1 arm-mic, that’s a win.
I can say that I’ve not had any issues with
tracking with this mount.
It has been super reliable.
I always have round stars with it.
In terms of unguided exposures, with good
polar alignment I have been able to go as
long as 3 minutes.
So I think, in terms of tracking, it does
a fantastic job.
You can change tracking speeds for lunar and
solar astrophotography or viewing.
This can be done easily with the Hand controller.
It comes with a polar scope, which I don’t
use much because in my light polluted skies
in the southern hemisphere finding Sigma Oct
is very hard.
It’s easier to find a needle in a haystack
than to find the polaris in southern skies.
I polar align with Sharpcap or NINA and that
has been so easy.
In terms of longitude and latitude control
and fine tuning.
It’s precise enough.
It doesn’t take long to get used to it.
Tripod too is solid and can withstand vibrations.
Its extendable which is so handy in properly
leveling the mount.
I find that balancing the mount isn’t too
difficult.
In terms of overall weight, I’d say this
is quite light compared to many other heavy
duty mounts.
The entire assembled mount (except for counterweights)
weigh about 22 pounds.
I often lift the whole rig without counterweights
and put it outside on clear nights.
It doesn’t hurt my back or anything of that
sort.
So it makes setting up the rig quite easy.
Overall, I can say that this is a good, reliable
mount and I would highly recommend it to you.
It does what it is supposed to do.
Obviously, if you want a mount that can track
even better and can take more payload, then
I think you should definitely go for something
like EQ6-R. But I don’t think I wont be
needing that anytime soon because this mount
at this moment exceeds my expectations.I am
quite happy with this mount and I think if
you are in the market for a mount, go for
it.
This will not disappoint you.
