skywatcher

I’ve been fortunate to have my hands on an early version of the Sky-Watcher CQ350 mount since before its release in December 2022.

Functionally the CQ350 is easily described as an EQ7, sitting between the well-known EQ6 and EQ8 family members. But in form it is considerably different from either of those mounts, adopting a centre-balanced approach common to iOptron mounts among others. This places the equipment weight more centrally over the pier or tripod. There are further significant differences under the hood, which has led to the new ‘CQ350’ name rather than suggesting it is simply a hybrid of the existing mounts.

Following my review of the Star Adventurer, Skywatcher have now introduced a "mini" version of their astrophotography and timelapse platform in a smaller and app controlled version. This review describes my first month using 'SAM', which proves to be very easy to learn and use. Control via the Skywatcher app is intuitive and effective, the mount itself is very compact and it delivers impressive tracking performance for its size. In short there's a lot to like. Read the full review below.