BobH
super member
Reged: 01/03/08
Posts: 143
Loc: PA
|
|
I made the mistake of purchasing an iOptron MiniTower without doing enough research. Pretty good mount, but the software (compared to Meade) is primative and the tripod is a joke.
I believe it's pretty well known that one of their vendors, and a memeber here, actually uses the MT on a beefier tripod. What more proof do you need that the stock tripod is just not up to the task?
So, my challange to iOptron is to offer the iOptron Pro to existing MT owners at a discount. Failing that, at least offer the new tripod at a discount.
Bob
--------------------
"Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise." - Cato the Elder
Meade 8" LX200 GPS
ETX 125 PE
Tasco 50mm x 600mm
StellarVue 115ST on MiniTower
Orion Astroview 100
Celestron 8x42 Outland LX
'03 Harley FXDL (oops, wrong forum)
|
EdTheEdge
super member
Reged: 04/10/09
Posts: 133
Loc: Lomita, CA
|
|
Boy... This seems to be one "Love it" "Hate it" mount!
--------------------
Scopes:
Celestron SP-C6 F/5
Orion ST80 F/5
Orion 90mm F/10.1
--------------------
Mount:
Vixen Super Polaris
--------------------
Eyepieces:
Orion 25mm Sirius Plössl
Orion 15mm Expanse
Orion 10mm Ultrascopic
Orion 7.5mm HightLight Plössl
GSO 2X Barlow
Lumicon ND25
--------------------
Torrance,CA
|
Al Canarelli
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 2611
Loc: Central New Jersey
|
|
You wrote...
the tripod is a joke.
============================================================
By that I assume you mean that the tripod tubes are made of 1.5" stock rather than the 2" stock that the CG5 uses...that the Mini Tower tripod weighs about half the weight of the CG5...that the Mini Tower has a much smaller footprint allowing you to carry it through door ways fully opened.
I use my Mini Tower as a home base for my light weight H-alpha solar refractor. During the cold weather months I use it as a grab and go for my 8" SCT. I for one like the idea that the mount and tripod are light weight and wouldn't have it any other way.
|
donsinger1
sage
Reged: 10/28/07
Posts: 298
|
|
Geez, the tripod is fine. It is much beefier than that supplied with the Nexstar 6 and 8 SCT combos, by a long shot. And,with a C6 on down, this is one great grab and go alt az mount.
--------------------
Fun Stuff:)
Portland, OR
|
marked
member
Reged: 01/22/09
Posts: 14
|
|
I have no problem with the tripod. It seems sturdy enough to carry the 12 lbs. I put on it, and I too agree it's great to be able to easily carry it and get it through the door with little effort.
Ed
|
wsuriano
member
Reged: 11/13/07
Posts: 79
|
|
I knew what I was getting when I purchased my MT. I never intended to overload it or use it for astrophotography and iOptron did not advertise it as a mount that could handle a 10" Newtonian or long exposure imaging. For me, it's a great grab-and-go mount that I use with a grab-and-go scope. It's a nice addition to the other mounts I already have - each of which has its own purpose and function.
--------------------
Meade 8" LX90 GPS w/wedge
Meade 5000 80mm APO
Vixen 5" Newtonian
Orion 120mm f/8.3
Orion ST 80mm
Meade ETX90 PE
CGEM
CG-5 ASGT
iOptron MT
|
Illinois
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/18/06
Posts: 693
Loc: near Chicago, Illinois USA
|
|
Mine is iOptron CubePro and its okay for my 80mm ED refractor but easily shaking at least 100 power! I added camera and CubePro can't hold it! Need longer bar for my refractor for balancing but when I remove my camera then it out of balancing. Go To deep sky objects is pretty good!
--------------------
Astronomer since 1975!
Orion 80mm ED refractor and
iOptron CubePro mount
Meade 16" Lightbridge Dobsonian
Orion 10" SkyQuest Classic Dobsonian
Tele Vue Eyepieces
Canon EOS XS 1000D
Orion Planetary 5 mm and
Orion Expanse Wide-Field 6mm eyepiece
4.5" F5 Reflector since 1982!
Orion Narrowband and SkyGlow filters
Member of IDA, let's fight light pollution!
Old Edmund 6"F8...donated to cousins
Super Polaris C8...donated to Byron Observatory in Illinois
|
jim_m
member
Reged: 10/25/08
Posts: 51
Loc: Virginia, USA
|
|
MiniTower with the new software upgrade is really nice, but I agree on the tripod. With my C8, when it was slewing, it was walking. Gives a rather uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach.TO THE RESCUE, a C S T med. wt Surveyors tripod. A few simple mods. and all is fine.
|
Telescopeman54
Vendor - Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC.
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 1541
Loc: New Hampshire
|
|
Hmmmmm... I use a C8 with a Moonlight focuser, 8 x 50 finder and a 3 pound sliding CW on a Losmandy saddle plate on my Mini Tower on the factory tripod and have no trouble at all. I take it to public star parties and it works just fine.
Steve
--------------------
Stephen Forbes - President
Trapezium Telescopes & Services, LLC
61 Valhalla Farm Road
Hillsboro, NH 03244
Web: http://TrapeziumTelescopes.com
Email: Stephen.Forbes@TrapeziumTelescopes.com
Phone: 1.603.325.0619
6" f/15 Jaegers refractor on GOTO GEM
5.1" f/8 Burgess on CG-5 w/ iOptron GOTONOVA
102mm f/7 refractor on iOptron Mini Tower
1975 Celestron Orange Tube C8 on Equatorial Mini Tower
1978 RV-6 on iOptron Mini Tower
|
Arctic_Eddie
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/07
Posts: 603
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
|
|
I agree on the CST surveyors tripod. I use one under my Orion TeleTrack. It's far more rigit than the original. Later this year it will get a CubePro. I got my tripod locally at:
http://www.stakemill.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2980&zenid=948c3a9a1aea03519d544ba58f4081ca
--------------------
The shortest distance between one point is an infinitely small circle.
73's de KF4JU
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 