Autoguiders: MX5c+Star 2000 vs. SBIG ST-4 vs. othe

Im in desperate need of an autoguider, but am torn which to use. I've decided not to fool around with webcams as I simply wont have the aperture to make up for the inability to image dim stars and I prefer not to tinker too much.

Anyways, I'm runnin a C6-RGT and came across these 2 systems. What's ur opinions? Basically they resell for the same prices now. I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to want to lug a laptop with me. More and more it seems like I should, even if I'm doing film photography. That being the case many will say to still use a webcam and save money.

Any opinions?

I am not familiar with the MX5C type autoguider, but I do use an ST-4 and also an ST-237A autoguider. Each has there own advantages and disadvantages. The ST-4 is nice because it is stand alone and works really well. The disadvantage is that it is a lot harder to figure out how to learn how to use it. The way I learned how to use it was I hooked it up to my laptop, so I could see when the star was in focus. Once I learned how to use it with the laptop, I started using it stand alone. Now I use it stand alone all the time. The main thing that I don't like about it now is that it doesn't have a shutter, so the only way to take a dark frame is to cover up the front of the scope. My other autoguider is an ST-237A and my laptop. The ST-237 is a lot easier to use since you have a laptop screen to show you what the camera is doing. It is also a lot more sensitive and has a much bigger chip, so there are plenty of guide stars to choose from. It has a shutter, so it can take a dark frame all my itself. The main thing I dont like about it is that it takes longer to calibrate it, because of the long download times. The ST-4 calibrates fast because it doesn't have to download anything to the computer. The ST-237 is also a pretty nice camera to image with. I origanally bought the 237 to use as an autoguider for my Canon 10D. Then I started using it to image with, so I bought the ST4 to autoguide the 237. I first hated the ST4, but now that I know how to use it, I use it as my autoguider a lot more often than I use the 237.
Ralph