Getting an ANTARES 12 x 80mm FINDERSCOPE......

[deepspacehunter]

I am getting an ANTARES 12x80 FINDERSCOPE... to mount on the CELESTRON 12" DOB.... I am not a fan of Telrads... the 12 x 80 should be awesome...  when it arrives, I will post a pic of the finder and Scope !

the picture here is of the actual finder as it is posted on CN... it should arrive in the next few days !!!

[Jim Steele]

Very nice Should really help find faint fuzzies

[AndyH]

The jump from a 50 to 80mm is spectacular. I have four 80mm's made from an old Russian bino and a chinese set. Whlst the FOV  is obviously smaller, faint fuzzies are actually seen rather than guestimated. The Russian glass whilst slightly faster in focal length, has better glass, I reckon.

You'll be delighted, I have no doubt. I usually also use my Tal 50mm finder for the wider view, moving to the 80mm for more accurate centering. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I replaced my 6x30 finder with a homemade 14x70, made from a department-store 70mm F/5 scope and an Antares 25 mm 70° EP. The difference is huge! You will love the new finder.

[Stu]

Looks very nice, and will definitely help you finding those faint fuzzies.

Inspired by Michael, I made a couple of 80mm RACI finders from old binocular objectives and various bits and bobs (including a section of toothpaste tube :-) ). They work very well and sit nicely on the 12", although I could do with a little more weight at the bottom for balance.

Enjoy

Stu

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[Mark at Beaufort]

I bought a Stellarvue 80mm correct image finderscope a few years back and it made a lot of diiference in finding DSOs. However, I still also use a RDF to point the scope to a particular star before star hopping. Together they make a great deal of difference.

Enjoy your Antares finderscope.

[Stu]

I agree Mark, some form of unity magnification finder combined with an 80mm helps you get on the right area. I either use a TelRad on the dob or RDF on the frac.

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[John]

I mostly use a Telrad / Rigel to find faint deep sky objects then use a low and / wide eyepiece to actually locate the object. For fainter double stars and planets I use a combination of the Telrad / Rigel with an 8x50 RA optical finder to isolate the object. As I'm not trying to actually "see" these fainter DSO's through the finder I don't feel the need for anything larger than a 50mm optical finder. I don't feel that a 12x80, on it's own, would work at all well for me.

But then I'm not an avid DSO hunter

I hope you get on well with yours though and that it does not affect the balance of the scope too much.

[Dave In Vermont]

Antares makes some very nice gear. And their prices are quite low, and the quality top-notch. I think you'll love that 12 X 80! Good job.

Clear Skies,

Dave

[deepspacehunter]

Thx for all of the positive feedback, everyone !!!

Mark

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It looks like that finder holds regular 1.25" EPs. The standard illuminated reticle EPs used in these types of finders have a maximum image circle of just 22mm (field stop). I had such an EP in my (then) 16x70 finder and replaced it with a 25mm 70 deg EP with a 27.3mm field stop (and it became a 14x70). I added crosshairs by plundering a dwindling natural resource (still largely brown, but greying and thinning by now) and sticking the two strands of hair across the field stop.  I might get a proper etched glass reticle later, but for now this works. The field of view went from 3.60 deg to 4.47 deg, which is highly significant. You do lose illumination, but at this ext pupil I find I do not need it.