Right Angle Finders

[duncan]

Hi all,
Are right angle finders better than straight through?
Telescope in question is 12" Dob.:thumbsup:

[davewaldo]

Oh yeah :)

Not only is it easier to look through because you don't have to get your head behind the finder, it also gives you a correct view. Not back to front.

I find them much easier to use on my 10" Dob. I would like to try a telrad though to see how they compare / work together.

[ving]

like dave said :)

saves your neck too

[duncan]

Thanks Dave and Ving tis what i thought. Have been on the phone and sent email to Bintel in Sydney this morning and will be ordering scope and accessories sometime today:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

[iceman]

yeh the Telrad in combination with the RA finder is great!

[duncan]

Thanks Iceman. I'm in contact with Bintel at the moment so should all be ordered today.

[Omaroo]

I'm going to say that I prefer a straight-through finder any day. The way I slew to an object involves using both eyes open at the same time - where the eye looking through the finder sees only a narrow FOV, and the eye outside the finder sees the whole sky at 1:1. When you move the scope, you can see (in stereo-ish vision) the object you are looking for moving (say) left in the finder and to the right via the open eye. If the movement is divergent, you are moving the scope the wrong way. If it is convergent, the two will meet up and you know you're in position. This works wonderfully for brightish objects, and is actually quicker for me than using a telrad or red dot finder in some instances.

A right-angle finder restricts you to looking through the finder only, and does not allow you to simultaneously sight along the main scope at 1:1. Having the image the right way up is an advantage, but because of the diagonal you are still looking at an image that is reversed left-to-right, so what's the point?

Cheers
Chris

[duncan]

Hi Chris,
You make good points in your reply. However i'll have the straight thru and the right angle so i'll make up my mind after having tried both i guess. I can't see the dealer discounting if he keeps the straight thru and sells me the RA finder,LOL.
Cheers,
Duncan

[Dennis]

I use both a Straight Through and a Right Angled finder on my OTA. RA Finders tend to have a short body so it can be difficult to sight along the body.

So, I use the Straight Through to sight along and acquire the field, then move my head/eyes over to the RA finder on the other side on the OTA, to centre the image in the RA Finder. That way, I get the best of both worlds!

Cheers

Dennis

[stellarquest]

I do the same as Dennis. On my LB12" I have the red dot that came with the scope, and then I mounted an Orion right angle in between the red dot and the focuser. Line up the red dot along the scope, go to the RA to get a better field, then straight to the eyepiece. Works a charm.

[Outbackmanyep]

I have the Polaris finder with my Celestron C8, takes a bit to get used to but once mastered its quite easy.........i can use either of course, the straight thru finder is easier to use but like the others have said, anything near the zenith, especially when looking for faint galaxies and other objects, a straight thru can be a pain at both ends! hehe

Cheers!

[gbeal]

I too have both, and to be honest prefer to sight along the top of the straight through (normally the adjustment screws) and then into the finder proper.
I have a 9x60 RA on the newt and while it is a ripper, I sometimes wish it were straight through Blue, (sorry Matt had to chuck that in since you are now one of them).
Gary

[Alderney]

Hi Duncan

I have a Telrad & 8x50 RA. The way I line up is:-
1)With both eyes open look through Telrad & at object to line up circles
2)Look in RA finder & center object on cross hair
3)Look through EP at centered object

This only takes a few seconds to achieve as long as the RA is perfectly lined up with scope light path

[Outbackmanyep]

I wonder why no-one has made one with a swivel or swing type of finder thats attached like a normal finder but the eyepiece end swivels to any angle??

I reckon it'd sell !
Must have Illuminated reticle and dioptre adjustment too! :whistle: hehe