Sky-Watcher AllView Mount

I got the All View today. The instructions are atrocious. Let's start with the pictures that demonstrate how it should be setup. You can't see the objects in the pictures. The lighting is terrible. As far as powering it on, I was baffled. It doesn't tell you until page 13 how to power the thing up, after you assembled it and put the camera on it. (You have to unscrew the head off of it, flip it over, unscrew 2 tiny screws, put in 10 batteries). OK, screw the head back in, put the camera on, and connect the hand control . I start with the 'Easy Pano mode' instructions. "This is a simple and straightforward method for people just getting started" . Well, not exactly. I follow the instructions and go to Panoramic mode, which is the only mode I really want to be in, and it isn't available. I search all over, go to the support page , nothing. I get the idea I perhaps should upgrade the firmware, however, I am on a Mac, and not windows, and the only windows machine I have access to doesn't have a serial port (really? in 2013 we're using serial ports on hardware?) . Great, so I have to go borrow someone's windows machine or go buy an adapter, to upgrade firmware, which may or may not fix my issue. Right now I'm debating about throwing this back in the box and sending it back to China where it came from ...Update...I called them, they said, yea, you need to update the firmware. so i borrow a neighbors laptop, i download the firmware, I follow the instructions to connect the cable. You have to go dig up a 10 volt DC power that can power it up. I guess they assume we have a few laying around waiting to be used. They don't supply that. So I go to radio shack and buy one. I come back, power it up, connect it to the serial port, and it doesn't connect. I google the issue, it says make sure the cable is plugged in (check) and no other processes are using the port (check).This thing stinks. More trouble than it is worth. Really, I don't know why they would go to the trouble of making a product that supposedly does pretty cool things, and uses 20 year technology for the handheld hardware. There is an engineer at the company that should get fired.Don't waste your money or more importantly your time with such a terrible product.

Works great for gigapixel panoramas, very precise, very smooth. I have created 2.5Gpx+ scenes with this mount. It has a slightly steep learning curve but once you get your head around how it operates it can produce some very good panoramas.Also, there is a firmware upgrade for both the controller and the mount itself. The update increases the accuracy and the number of points that can be shot in each pano. There are also some useful bug fixes. The instructions for performing the update are on the download sites.This page is for the hand SynScan hand controller: http://skywatcher.com/downloads.php?cat=21and this page has the updates for the mount itself: http://skywatcher.com/downloads.php?cat=3As far as shutter cables go, the included cable can be modified to work with just about any camera. You will need a cable that matches your camera to sacrifice its connector, but with that in hand its a simple matter of splicing together the included camera cable with your own connector. For Nikon cables, connect the shutter and focus wires together on the same wire on the included cable, and connect the ground to the other. On Nikon cameras this will force the camera to focus for every shot, just like a full press of the shutter button. if you don't want the camera to refocus every shot, just put the camera into manual focus mode.I have not tried to use the mount for astronomical shots or observations yet, so I can't comment on that function.

I ordered one of these back in November to use with an 80mm refractor I had purchased separately. I chose the AllView based on weeks of research online looking for the following criteria:1. Goto Capability2. Dual Encoders (so I could manually adjust the position without having to re-align the mount)3. Max price of $300-$400The AllView was the only mount that satisfied all of my search parameters, with the Virtuoso/Starblast mount coming close but not having Goto included and only being about $150 less. I figured the tripod and handset easily make up that gap on the AllView and the fit/finish seemed better to boot. When it arrived, I would have to agree with other reviewers about the confusing nature of the instructions. Although I was able to power the unit up, I kept getting an error on the handset indicating that it didn't recognize the mount. The manual was no help at all, so I sifted through dozens of resources online until I found a few leads, namely that the handset needed a firmware update. Unfortunately, that led me to realize that not only would this require finding a ridiculously ancient computer with a serial port in some sedimentary layer just above the cretacious, but even if I went ahead and purchase a serial to USB adapter, the update had to be run on Windows. In a house full of Macs, I knew this just wasn't going to work out, so I humbly admitted defeat and returned the unit. As another reviewer put it, it seems that everything is based on outdated tech, which is outright mind boggling. I continued to search in the aftermath of the return, but I haven't found a single motorized telescope mount system that isn't based off this technology. Maybe someone will come up with a way to run the entire navigation interface via bluetooth/wifi on a smartphone, making updates more accessible for those of us who live in the 21st century.I gave the AllView 3 stars despite not being able to get it completely set up because the actual fit and finish of the mount was well done. Although mostly plastic in construction, it appeared solidly built and I imagine would perform well if you're able to get through the setup. The tripod it came with didn't seem like anything special. Relatively lightweight and a bit mismatched given the heft of the mount itself.

Well the mount doesn't work right may need a firmware update but disappointed