Mounting an 8" Dobsonian OTA on EQ6-R Pro for astrophotography?

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount Equipment Reflectors DIY Help Needed
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Dante Hunter avatar
Dante Hunter avatar

Hi everyone,

This might be a bit of an odd question, but I’m curious if anyone here has tried something similar.

I recently picked up an EQ6-R Pro and was wondering if it’s practical to mount an 8” Dobsonian OTA on it for astrophotography. The scope is 1200mm at f/5.9, so in theory it seems reasonably fast, but I’m not sure how it would perform in terms of balance, stability, and overall imaging results.

I’d mainly be shooting DSOs, but I’m also interested in planetary and lunar imaging.

Has anyone attempted this, or is it more trouble than it’s worth?

Appreciate any thoughts or experiences!

Clear skies,
Dante

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andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
If you can find the required hardware, if the primary cell and spider are of good quality and (more importantly) stable, if the focus extraction is sufficient for all the CC out there and the attached imaging train and finally if the secondary does not vignette your imager the yes, why not.

N.B.: f/5.9 is very slow for a newt.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

I don’t know, mine is an F/6 and I’m shooting a lot at F/10.4

To address the question, I think it comes down to how the mirror is mounted. If it’s a normal cell that doesn’t care what it’s orientation is then yes, you can do it. If it’s more of a homebrew design where the mirror is supported with a sling then no because this type of mount can’t be allowed to rotate.

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TiffsAndAstro avatar
TiffsAndAstro avatar
I would be concerned about the rings need to attach it and the optical train sagging.

But I'd also be tempted to try smile
Tommy Mastro avatar
Tommy Mastro avatar

I did this with the Orion XT10 Dob. Mounting was no issue. However, I couldn’t reach focus with my camera and Coma Corrector. I needed more inward travel. I would test this before wasting your money on OTA rings and such. Let me know how it goes.

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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

That’s in important point as most of these are designed for visual use. Of course, it would be pretty easy to remount the primary cell to get the focal plane location you need but if you do, you’ll need to check that you can still see all of the primary from the focus position. If not, you’ll need a larger secondary and on it goes. The nice thing is, modding Newts as needed it pretty easy. For instance, you could easily make a mounting support out of plywood and a few bolts. I’ve even made mounting plates that way. The mounting plats for my 80mm guide scope is still mounted with a ply plate and rings instead of a rail. It was supposed to be a quick solution to get up and running but it works fine so I never replaced it.

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nadz11.ns avatar
nadz11.ns avatar

I have seen a guy on an astro facebook group a while back who had mounted a 12” or 14” DOB flex tube on an EQ6r. So I would say with a good DIY job, it is possible. Though I don’t have either of these, so couldn’t say how hard or difficult it would be.

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Dante Hunter avatar
Dante Hunter avatar

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I’m going to try using my 533MC Pro on the Dob mount first before investing in rings and a dovetail to put it on the EQ6-R!

Clear skies,
Dante

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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

Dante Hunter · Mar 30, 2026, 05:56 PM

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I’m going to try using my 533MC Pro on the Dob mount first before investing in rings and a dovetail to put it on the EQ6-R!

Clear skies,
Dante

That will be very instructive…..

Craig Towell avatar
Craig Towell avatar

I did this, with a 200p skyliner tube on an old black eq6 syntrek, back in about 2020 I think. Worked well and I used it with an Atik 383 mono with 1200 sec subs. I did need to reinforce the tube beneath the focuser with aluminium rings riveted to the tube. Smaller/lighter OSC imaging train ming not need that though.

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