Vishal,?
I'll also mention that regardless of which mount you buy as an imager you really want the bigger heavier Losmandy FHD over the LWT. IME the LWT is not appropriate for imaging unless left collapsed as much as the scope and imaging train will allow. But I prefer to have the scope and imaging rig up out of the ground layer of dust and moisture which keeps it cleaner and makes it easier to assemble and check before a session. So I leave the Losmandy LWT setup on a Wheelie Bar in the garage and use the Losmandy FHD or the double clamped Berlebach Planet in the field.
I have used several different big tripods under the G11G and GM8G and all were really quite good. So if the FHD has a long wait time but you need a tripod they make a lot of sense as they are also easy to resell. The best I've tried under the G11G or GM8G is the Berlebach Planet with double leg clamps. This is a much more dampened tripod than the FHD. I bought mine used and it was a good deal, about the same cost as a used FHD in similar condition. They need a special Losmandy top to accept the mount head. I bought the first one I saw cheap and sold the top which paid for the Losmandy adapter. The other tripod I highly recommend is to buy a used Meade LX200 (this is important!) Standard Field Tripod and top it with the Losmandy MA (Meade Adapter) which is the top of a Losmandy LWT repurposed for this job. It is an easy 1 minute job if you are not crazy like me. I drilled and tapped a couple of holes to keep the MA aligned perfectly and spent $20 on nice knobs to make setting up the SFT smoother and to retain the MA on the SFT when the center rod is loosened for transport. A used Meade SFT in excellent condition and a new or used MA can be had for $200-$300, half of the cost of a FHD but still a solid tripod for imaging off of. Meade as I recall claimed a 300 pound capacity and that is probably about right. One caution thought, the original LX200 tripods if dropped just right can break off? one of the casting tabs which the legs are attached to. this is the only weakness I have see in these tripods. Later LX200 tripods are better designed and have diecast webs and stronger supports.??
IMO the Berlebach is as good for imaging as the FHD for anything up to 40+ pounds which is as much payload as I have used on the Planet while imaging so who knows, it may do 60+ pounds just as well but I have nothing that big to prove/disprove it. I have to also say the Berlebach is much faster to settle at the eyepiece than the FHD when used visually. IDK why but that is a fact and my most often used visual setup is the GM8G on the Berlebach Planet with the bespoke Parallax/AT130 apo, Takahashi FC-100DL or at the club cark site the Meade LX200 10" f/6.3 native SCT.?
My two cents, YMMV.
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
Chip Louie