Finder Scope

[Grease (Rob)]

Howdy All,

Just wondering if people adapt the finder scopes to a right angle eye piece on their Dobs, change the scopes all together or happily use them as they are?

I'm not even sure if you can convert the eye piece to right angle or are the finder scopes a sealed unit? Newbie questions.

Looks like it could be quite harsh on your neck.

Cheers.

Rob

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Rob, I have had a crook neck for many years, and I find straight-through finders impossible to use. Much prefer right angle finders.

[Grease (Rob)]

Thanks Laurie. I'm in the same boat with my neck.

[Steffen]

Hi Rob,
the GSO Dobs come with right-angle finders, as far as I can tell (mine certainly did). Those 8x50 right-angle finders can also be bought separately (around $80) to replace straight-through finder scopes.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Grease (Rob)]

Thanks Steffen. After months of mucking around the 10 inch Dob has finally been ordered today with an additional right angle finder.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Hi,

I too have always used a right angle finder, and wished fervently for a right angle Telrad as well, when I used one of those.

I once asked Mr Bintel if there was a gadget to convert a straight finder scope, and he looked startled and said "No, why bother, they are so cheap". I replied I was too.

Cheers

[MattT]

I use both and prefer the straight through. Have just been in at Bintel and got a bargain Orion 9X50 Illuminated double crosshair finder for $49...
Matt

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by GeoffW1

Hi,

I too have always used a right angle finder, and wished fervently for a right angle Telrad as well, when I used one of those.

I have a "right angle" Telrad. Quite frankly its terrible. Its a little flip mirror inserted inside the dew shield of the Telrad. When the dew shield is fully open and thus not working as a dew shield you can adjust the angle of this little mirror.

Honestly if you must use a telrad, buy the telrad raiser instead to get it up and away from your scope. It's really not that bad depending on where you locate it in relation to the focuser.

[JJDOBBER79 (Jas)]

Slightly off topic but has anyone invented a zoom finder scope. This would be handy for getting say half a constellation in the view and then zoom in on a particular star or location. useful??

[Steffen]

Some finder scopes (like the StellarVue one sold on IceTrade the other day) take normal 1.25" eyepieces. You could use a zoom eyepiece with those, I guess.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Suzy]

Jas, that's what the telescope is for.
The "zoom" level being dependent on the magnification level of your chosen eyepieces.
I don't see it as being of use on the finder.

I have both a red dot finder (RDF) and a right angle finder on my 10" dob.
I cannot get by without the two working together. The RDF, because of its zero magnification makes it very easy to plonk the scope straight on the star you see with your naked eye. Then the finder does the rest for star hopping.

Adrian, I had a right angle Telrad too. I had so much trouble trying to set that mirror up to get it to show stuff . I thought it was just me.
And heaven forbid if you don't cover it back up (with it's dew shield, extra $) quick smart, because that thing got dewed up and rendered useless in no time flat.
I don't know why... but my RDF- the type with the square glass window (not the the long tunnel shape one) doesn't get affected by dew. Only once in the 4 years I've had it and that was at the end of a very long session on a particularly dewy night when everything was soaked that bad I shouldn't have been still out there anyway.