It is always hard to make a decision on the most important piece of equipment you will need to buy for your astrophotography hobby. In the comparison table below, I compare some of the most popular mounts of some main features such as price, payload capacity, type of computerized goto system and reported periodic error by users. Hopefully, this will help you a bit in assessing which mounts would be suited for you.
Equatorial mount comparison table.
| Mount Name | Payload capacity | Price* | Computerized GoTo | PC / Laptop connect | Periodic error in arcsec** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWatcher EQM-35 | 10kg/22lbs | $725 €669 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes RS232 | 1 – 2 |
| Meade LX85 | 15kg/33lbs | $799 €899 | Audiostar 30000 objects | Yes RS232 | ? |
| Celestron Advanced VX (AVX) | 14kg/30lbs | $899 €998 | Nexstar; 40000 objects | Yes mini USB | 0.5 – 2 |
| Ioptron CEM25p | 12kg/27lbs | $998 €990 | Gotonova 59000 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.75 – 1.5 |
| Orion Sirius EQ-G | 14kg/30lbs | $1099 €1100 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.6 – 2 |
| SkyWatcher HEQ5 pro | 14kg/30lbs | $1150 €999 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.6 – 2 |
| Ioptron iEQ30 pro | 14kg/30lbs | $1198 €1290 | Gotonova 59000 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.5 – 1.6 |
| Skywatcher EQ6 pro (NEQ6) | 20kg/44lbs | N/A | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.10 – 0.80 |
| Skywatcher EQ6-r pro | 20kg/44lbs | $1595 €1545 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes USB | 0.40 – 0.63 |
| Celestron CGEMII | 18kg/40lbs | $1499 €2195 | Nexstar; 40000 objects | Yes, USB | 0.27 – 0.60 |
| Atlas EQ-G | 18kg/40lbs | $1399 €1450 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes RS232 | 0.10 – 0.83 |
| Atlas II EQ-G | 20kg/44lbs | $1599 | SynScan 42900 objects | Yes USB | 0.20 – 0.83 |
| Ioptron CEM40 goto | 18kg/40lbs | $2188 €2290 | Audiostar 30000 objects | Yes, USB | 0.50 – 0.90 |
*for the most accurate price, click on the prices for each of the mounts. Prices in dollars will link to optcorp.com and prices in euros will link to astroshop.eu.
**based on user-reported findings as an indication. Periodic error can deviate from figures depending on polar alignment, weather conditions, mount balance, software settings and weight of equipment used. PE is based on PHD2 guiding on.
For a detailed review of beginner level mounts in the $700 to $1200 price range, click here.
For a detailed review of advanced level mounts from $1250 to $1500 price range, click here.
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