In terms of attachment to the mount, a tube-mounted prismatic rail provides a very convenient and practical option. The prismatic rail is most often attached to two tube rings rather than directly to the tube, allowing the tube to rotate in the rings.
The solid prism rail is recommended primarily for astrophotographers: it is much more rigid than most prism rails on SkyWatcher telescopes, and the tube ring rests on a larger surface area. Its superior design is particularly beneficial when driving. The mount responds more quickly to frequent interventions, making the stars more pinpoint in the images.
The screws on the aluminium surface can become indented with repeated use, but for those who are concerned about aesthetics, the Bresser 20 cm prism rail with wear-resistant steel sideplate is a sophisticated solution.
The length of the prism rail is for the full length, with a maximum width of approximately 42 mm uniformly, allowing it to be fitted to all mounts that require Vixen standard telescope mounts. Without being exhaustive, these are:
- SkyWatcher EQ-3, EQ-5, HEQ-5, EQ-6 and their Pro versions
- Celestron CG-4, Advanced EQ-5 goto, CGEM
- Meade LXD 75, LX80
- AZ-4, AZ-GT Star Discovery, Virtuoso, AZ3-R, AZ-5, AZGTi (14 cm prismatic rail cannot be used with them!)also cannot be used with the "Bresser coupling for Vixen prismatic rail"