Ken; I have never had an Atlas mount, so I did not know that the Atlas and the CGEM were the same gears and motors. I believe that the CGEM DX with an 8 inch Celestron SCT would work great with the weight of a photometer and your finders. I know it has the same type of precision finding software and that Joe Goss has used it in his CGE to great effect. I would hope that helps; Steve Coe -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list.