This is a very stable mount for astrophotography. I have not had huge payloads on it, only a 72ed (with 50mm guide setup, DSLR etc) and a 127 mak, but the mount slews about smoothly and quietly with no issues. I'm getting very good guiding out of it, RMS is always below image scale anyway so no complaints there.

If purchased with the relevant lynx astro cable it's straight forward enough to run through eqmod for control via stellarium, Phd2 etc. Link below.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html

I think the HEQ5 is aimed mainly at the back garden observer that can't get permission to build an observatory in the middle of the lawn 😆. It's light enough to shuffle out complete with scope mounted and set in the garden, but you're not going to want to lug it across a field very often.

All in all a very capable mount.

Incidentally if you're looking for a quality yet budget travel imaging setup then the az-gti on an EQ wedge is the way to go. ( Also highly recommended 👍🏻

Upgrade from skywatcher staradventurer. Looking for sturdy mount with GoTo capabilities for getting into astrophotography. This mount ticks all the boxes. Very easy to use and excellent build quality. It is portable for moving around but it is heavy when carrying as one item and not taking apart.

I was mentally juggling between the HEQ5 Pro and EQ3 Pro mounts, but I decided to go for the HEQ5 considering future additions might accumulate extra weight that the EQ3 couldn't handle.
The mount is amazing! With the polar scope addition is a plus! Yet I gotta admit the mount is a bit noisy and stutters sometimes, which is why I'm looking forward to upgrade it with the Rowan Kit.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend it, plus FLO keep on delivering my items almost 4 days earlier than the estimated delivery date.
FLO is such a great store, and it is the only place that I order from, thanks to the great staff running it.

Out of the box I was getting 1.2" Total RMS.

After replacing the worm carrier bearings I was getting half that.

they were the only ones to have an assembly in stock. Fast delivery, I definitely recommend this store!

I recently upgraded my 8se mount to this... this difference is amazing. It has been years since I have used an equatorial mount but it is very easy to setup. I found the polar alignment process easy to follow.
It is very sturdy and even with significant wind holds up wind. I am mostly a visual observer so with my scope, guidescope etc I know astrophotography may be pushing it a bit (although seen plenty of posts stating it handles it well). I do not drive as had to surrender my driving licence due to a medical condition so need my equipment to be somewhat portable. I use a rolling toolbox/sacktruck and oklop bag for the OTA and I am happy with how.....relativly light it is.
Goto capability knocks my 8se mount (which tbh was fairly good) out of the water. Tracking is spot on.
If you are looking for a great and cheapish mount then go for this. You wont be disappointed. Ordered late on a Thursday night and had Saturday morning, fantastic fast service from FLO as normal.

I originally intended to buy a EQM35pro but whilst awaiting for it to be in stock became concerned by a number of posts on Cloudy Nights & other forums from people who were experiencing issues with pointing accuracy. It may have been as a result of user error but I decided to have a rethink. I’ve always been a big fan of Dave Woods at Darkframe Optics and he has great things to say about the Skywatcher HEQ5pro as an out of the box mount so I decided to take the plunge & ordered one from FLO where all my Astro gear has been purchased. I have no experience with an equatorial mount as all my imaging has been on an iOptron Gkyguider Pro (from FLO) guided with PHD2. It has been a great mount to learn on but I quickly became frustrated with how long it took to locate & frame the majority of night sky objects and so the idea of a goto system was always the next step for me. I was worried that perhaps the learning curve might be steep as the Skyguider Pro was very simple. After a lot of cloudy nights the first clear night was yesterday evening. I found the HEQ5pro easy to physically setup & soon had it polar aligned. Now the acid test, the star alignment. I went with the 2 star alignment & the Synscan handset suggested Vega as my first star. The mount slewed smoothly but Vega did not appear. I tried again, still nowhere near!!! My worst fears were going through my head. I decided to re check my polar alignment which was fine & went through the setup info again & there was my error. I had entered my longitude coordinates incorrectly. I quickly corrected my error & started the 2 star alignment again. The mount slew around to the west & after settling Vega appeared on the screen of my dslr slightly off to the left hand side. I used the arrow keys to centre it and pressed enter. The handset then suggested Deneb as my second star and the mount slewed and Deneb appeared on the edge of my dslr screen. I was just about to pick up the hand controller when the mount continued to very slowly slew until there was Deneb smack in the middle of my camera screen!! I was so excited I almost burst…!! I pressed enter & the Synscan confirmed Star Alignment successful. I went into the objects menu & chose Messier 33 Triangulum Galaxy a small target I had struggled to find with my Skyguider Pro. The mount slewed smoothly around and after settling with a few small whirrs of the Dec motor there was M33 nicely centred on the screen of my camera. After 60 x 120 second exposures unguided and some stacking & processing I had my first image with my new HEQ5pro. The mount worked faultlessly and so my journey with an equatorial begins. I am so impressed by the quality of the mount, the tripod & the documentation and as ever continue to be amazed by the service provided by FLO who have fulfilled my every need. Wishing you all Dark Skies

I had this mount for just over a year before i decided to upgrade to its big brother. During my year of ownership i was incredibly impressed with the Heq5 Pro, it is simple to setup and use and for me was a great introduction into Astrophotography. The only issue i had was a strange intermittent jolt when tracking, which would ruin subs. FLO as always were fantastic in sorting the problem out, which i understood it be due to some of the bolts/screws being a little over tightened from the factory. After this small tweak, the mount performed flawlessly and regularly guided well. I would thoroughly recommend this mount to anyone thinking about pulling the trigger.

First eq mount. What an anazing piece of kit. Not too difficult to get my head round. Thanks flo.

I like a lot of people got into Astrophotography during the first lockdown and I have fallen deep into the rabbit hole! Started out using my ioptron skyguider pro with ipolar (also from FLO), but after watching countless youtube tutorials and seeing this mount was mentioned a lot and seemed popular I decided to take the plunge. Lets start with the cons:

I have only used it three times, first being a failure and the reason why was the polar scope crouching down and looking though that is a nightmare and when the mount was on the reticule has a red light, but its so bright there is no way of seeing any stars I have heard there is a setting in the hand controller to dim this down, but I have never found it. As you can imagine using software with the ipolar was a breeze this was a nightmare. My only other con was altitude bolts if you are above 50 degrees latitude you have to remove the cap from the polar scope in order to get the bolts rounds. I have never really understood the push pull of the alt / az bolts, fine tuning is a must there must be an easier option these days?

The pros: Where to start, its sturdy once up this mount does not move, but its also fairly light if you need to pick it up and move it I can do this with all the equipment on (I use a small refractor). I was torn between this and the EQR6 Pro, but that being a lot heavier I decided to go with the HEQ5 pro this way I feel I can still pack it up in the car and drive to a dark sky. Tracking seems impressive I have only done to 300s subs so far, but this mount will go longer if I want it to. Also when tracking its totally silent I cant hear the motors running at all. When slewing you can its quite loud, but that music to my ears. The payload capacity is impressive and more than enough for my needs. Lets be honest as well it just looks great reminds me of a laser canon from Star Wars when all set up!

The reason I have rated this as 5 stars and not 4 dues to the above cons is I have purchased the EQMOD cable along with the ASI AIR Pro and using these in unison eliminated the need to look through the polar scope altogether. These two additional purchases in my opinion have made my astrophotography journey amazing. I can now polar align within a few arc seconds in under 5 minutes complete one plate solve and slew to target all using the EQMOD / ASI AIR Pro from my phone its unbelievably simple. No 1 2 3 star alignments I have never even done those! The hand controller is no longer used and every time I select a target it slews, plate solves and centres it.

I have gone off a little here, but I hope it helps others in making their decisions. This is a good mount, but the polar scope is annoying. This is an incredible mount when used with ASI Air pro!

I had to wait almost three months for this (covid) but my gosh it was worth it. FLO kept me up to date along the way. Highly recommend it and FLO for being great!