Vixen APZ Mount Review
Alt-az
mounts seem to fall into two main categories – push-pull only, ideal for visual
at moderate powers; or goto/tracking.
I prefer a simple push-pull mount for
visual use, but with slo-mo controls for manual
tracking at high powers. The Porta works like this, but it is only properly
stable at high powers with the lightest scopes (refractors up to ~3”). Enter
the APZ – an alt-az that works like the Porta, but
built more like other push-pull mounts and capable of supporting medium sized
scopes.
I’ve owned several Vixen mounts –
including the GP, SX2, Porta and Mobile Porta. I’ve
been very impressed by all of them, except for the Mobile Porta, so I hoped the
APZ might work well with my AP Stowaway for travel.
The APZ also has some unusual design
features that differentiate it from most alt-az
mounts, as we will see.
At A Glance
|
Mount |
Vixen APZ |
|
Weight |
2.2 Kg
mount + 1.65 Kg conical weight + ~ 3 Kg tripod |
|
Capacity |
~8 Kg |
Data
from Vixen.
What’s in the Box?
The APZ comes in the usual thick vixen crate with
polystyrene inserts. All you get is the mount head, counterweight
and slo-mo knobs.
Design and Build
If the APZ looks strangely familiar, that’s because it’s essentially the declination axis for
an AP equatorial mount. Indeed, by buying some accessories you can convert
it into an AP (and vice versa) - a really useful
feature for saving both storage space and cost.
Otherwise, the APZ appears similar to many Giro-type push-pull mounts and works much
the same. You can just push it around the sky, but it has those slo-mo controls on both axes for fine control as well.
Build quality is typical of Vixen’s
equatorial mounts, which is to say excellent. It may use castings rather than
CNC components, but these are finely fabricated and solid, that white powder
coat very durable (as I know from many years of using my SX2).
Mount Head
The T-pattern APZ mount head looks
like a lot of Giro-type mounts from various makers, but has some unique
features.
The APZ comes with a 1.65 Kg counterweight,
screwed into the coarse thread for the AP counterweight bar. The weight is
conical, fits flush and makes storage and set up unusually easy, as well as
looking compact and neat. The weight appears integral, but it is not - it can
be unscrewed for really light loads, or you could
thread in a short bar and standard Vixen weight to balance heavier ones.
For scopes up to about 5 Kg (e.g. a 4” refractor + accs), it’s ideal as it is.
As you would expect, the APZ has a
built-in Vixen-fit dovetail with both main and safety set screws.
The axes run in ball bearings and so move
with a very fluid action, without the stiction you get with so many. Like the
Porta’s, the slo-mo knobs push on to brass axles with
flats, but are made from a more durable plastic than the flimsy ones on the
Porta and its derivatives.
Tripod
The APZ ships without a tripod, so
you can choose from a range of Vixen ones. It is probably intended for use with
the medium-duty APP-TL130 tripod you see in the photos here and that weighs
about 3 Kg. You could also use the ubiquitous, but heavier, HAL-130. Another
option would be any Berlebach wooden tripod, for which they make a Vixen
adapter.
In some of the photos here, I’m using the heavy-duty Vixen ASG-CB90 carbon fibre tripod
– light at 3.5 Kg and intended for larger AXJ mount, so very solid. The
ASG-CB90 is very simple to use too, with just one set of leg extensions locked by
big twist-lock clamps (super convenient in the dark with gloved or cold hands).
However, the ASG-CB90 is quite short and so wouldn’t
be ideal for longer OTAs where the eyepiece would be too low with the scope set
near the zenith.
In all cases, you have
to remove the tripod’s post for the AP equatorial/SX mount before
fitting the APZ head. The post just screws into the bottom of the centre post
for storage – another thoughtful design feature.
The mount head then slots into a
circular dovetail recess on top of the tripod, so fitting is quick and easy,
even in the dark.
Finally, you just twist the tripod’s
centre pole to tighten the thread into the mount head – the thread is much
coarser and so more fool-proof than a ¼-20” or 3.8” photo tripod thread.
APP-TL130 and ASG-CB90 tripods.
On all Vixen tripods, first remove
and stow the azimuth adjuster post for equatorial mounts.
Tripod is secured by twisting the
centre post.
Accessories
A range of accessories from Vixen are
available for the APZ:
· A stylish semi-rigid case with lots
of pockets and pouches that’s a snug fit for either the
APZ or AP
· Various tripods, see above
· A set of accessories that convert the
APZ into an equatorial AP mount:
· The Polar Axis unit turns the APZ
into a small and light equatorial with manual slo-mo
controls
· A counterweight bar and weight(s) for
all but the smallest OTAs (for the equatorial AP conversion)
· An RA motor module set to make the
mount tracking, which includes a the basic StarBook
One controller. All the internal wiring connectors are already fitted, so this end up as a very neat (if expensive) upgrade
· A declination motor to give a fully
motorised mount. Vixen suggest these motor options
could be fitted to the APZ to make a driven alt-az,
but I’m not sure I see the point
· The final equatorial upgrade would be
a polar finder
Vixen originally offered other
accessories to convert the APZ into an ultra-light portable photo-platform, but
these seem to have been discontinued.
In Use – Daytime
The APZ is an astronomy mount, but you could
certainly use it as a very stable scope-mount for birding or nature viewing.
In Use – Photography
I used the APZ as a platform for my AP Stowaway when
imaging a recent occultation of Mars by the Moon: with low vibes, zero slop and
backlash, it proved ideal for a situation where long exposures aren’t required.
In Use – The Night Sky
For loads of ~~5-7 Kg, the APZ proves truly
excellent.
On the ASG-CB90 tripod, the APZ is essentially vibe-free with
refractors in the ~100mm class, even at very high magnification. I have now
used it with the Stowaway, an FC-100DC and an FSQ-85, all of which would tax a
Porta except at low powers. But with the APZ, even drumming on the focuser
induces only the smallest and briefest vibes that damp after a second or so.
This means it’s easy to get critical focus.
Pushing the scope around works very
well: there is none of the stiction, backlash and droop you get with most photo
heads. It just goes where you push it and stays there. The slo-mo
controls are similarly good: precise and accurate, with no slop or backlash,
allowing for perfect fine control even at 200x and
more (I used it extensively for viewing Mars around the 2022 opposition).
Viewing Mars at opposition with the APZ and an
FSQ-85.
Summary
I’m hugely impressed with the APZ and
can’t find anything to criticise. It’s like a Porta,
but much better. For small to medium scopes, performance is flawless, with none
of the nasty droop, vagueness, vibes and backlash that
plague many alt-az mounts at high powers.
I like the ability to use a range of
tripods, depending on your needs. Sharing tripods with other Vixens is space
and cost saving too (I use the ASG-CB90 for my SX2 mount as well). Fitting it
on a tripod is rapid and fool-proof, thanks to thoughtful design.
The flexibility to convert it to an equatorial
AP mount is a useful feature, as are the various options for counterweights.
The APZ is quite expensive, but you
do get what you pay for here.
The Vixen APZ is a superb piece of
kit that delivers a very stable and low-vibe platform for medium scopes, with slo-mo controls fine and precise enough for high powers. It
gets my highest recommendation.
APZ is perfect with the Stowaway.