Sky Watcher EQM-35 – Fully Computerized GoTo German Equatorial Telescope Mount – Belt-driven, Astrophotography ready, Computerized Hand Controller with 42,900+ Celestial Object Database,White

This mount is very good for "beginners", but not really easy to work with if you don't know what you're doing. I'm going to start with my setup:- Mount: EQM-35- Telescope: Celestron Nexstar 6SE- Control: Laptop connected via software- Software: Stellarium & Starry Night 8 (got if free with my 6SE)So basically this is a very sturdy mount for my telescope, if you go with a similar or smaller scope go for it. Set up was a little complicated as I was reading the wrong part of the manual (user error). But after I figured it out it was pretty straight foward. One small issue is that the aligning scope came 270° shifted to the side, which I had to manually correct by disassembling it; something that should come perfect from factory as the mount simply won't align properly especially if you get the manual version. But that was it.Now for software setup. The best way to get this working properly as I've read in forums and found out myself through trial and error is to have the following softwares installed. First you're going to need ASCOM as well as the ASCOM EQMOD (both are needed to work properly) connected via an USB type B directly on the controller of the mount. Second you'll need a stargazing app, I recommend Stellarium for first timers as it is the easiest to learn and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to use it and it is also a great base for any future apps you might want to get later on. Just make sure you get the Qt5 version of Stellarium as the Qt6 does not support ASCOM and won't work connect to the mount. For connecting to the mount and alignment, just go with a tutorial on YT, it's very simple and works wonders; it just takes a little bit of time and some getting used to. The manual also has some instructions if you decide to use the hand controller instead, which is actually a lot simpler and easier to use but won't have as many stargazing and deep sky options compared to a specialized software. If you do all of this correctly it should all work fine. Good luck and have fun with your new toy :)

Aside form the great performance and smooth tracking there are a few things that could be considered as cons. The polar alignment reticle light is over powering. I cannot see a single star. The trick is to align with the mount off and point a dim red light through anterior finder scope hole-it works. I have read that it can be adjusted with hand controller and if this is true I will come back and update this. After trying to learn polar alignment I am considering it to be some esoteric art form. You seriously need someone to show you how to do it and every You tuber have different ways of doing it-which seems to be one of those things that doesn't add up but works. The instructions might as well be in a different language. I have not yet mastered polar alignment-I have already determined a local astronomical society and hope they will help me more on this. I still managed to get some really good images when somehow I luckily managed to polar align it. If your really considering on buy this mount-do it. I have zero regrets. Well built and beautifully made.Update. Once you get polar alignment handled, it gets easier. Once you hit 50% payload weight coma starts to appear in the images. I am trying to get a good auto-guiding setup, but I had issues with ZWO product so that will have to wait. I bought a 120mm refractor and already I can tell that the mount moves a tiny bit slower. I am hoping that auto-guiding setup will correct it.

Tl;dr: This is a fantastic, solid, stable, highly capable, mount. The tripod alone is almost worth the price, it makes most tripods for mounts in this category look like they were made out of fly-fishing poles. The 'modular' design is a bit weird, but the mount controller has a usb-b port, making computer control straightforward - if you have a phd in computer science (luckily, I do - nothing is 'straightforward' in astrophotography!).It is heavy though, probably not one for a camping trip or frequent 'dark site' trips unless you are much younger than me (78).Now for the rant: This mount has bushings, rather than ball or roller bearings, on both RA and DEC axis. (Minor peeve - 'bushings' ARE 'bearings'. They aren't ball or roller bearings, but beware of any online advice saying this mount doesn't have 'bearings'. The writer has already revealed how little s/he knows.)The bushings often come from the factory extremely tight and stiff. Perhaps the factory assumes they will loosen as they 'work in'. In any case, this can result in poor, erratic (jerky) tracking. Ok for visual use, maybe, horrible for astrophotography. There are simple fixes for this. See esp 'Sky-Watcher EQM-35 - making it work properly (BELOW 1" RMS GUIDING) in 3 simple steps!' by Kamil Pekala on YT. 'Simple' - well, maybe. I bought mine from Amazon resale for a nice discount. Perfect condition, except the previous buyer obviously attempted an overhaul similar to what Kamil describes, and failed. The DEC locking collar was extremely stiff, and the previous owner was unable to loosen it, creating minor damage in the process. Luckily, nothing I couldn't work around.So. Do I recommend this mount: ABSOLUTELY, if you are comfortable around mechanicals and parts that can bind and be a bear to get to release. HOWEVER, If you just want something plug-and-play, and have never played with engines, axles, grease, and that sort of stuff, well, maybe this isn't the mount for you.