I'm not loaded

[Ally8446]

As most of us, including me, are not Donald Trump, we have to prioritise when it comes to our purchases. My latest spend has been a 26mm wideangle Meade 4000 ep. I have bought this ep because I need a low power piece for DSO's. My question is, will I get away with using this ep as a 'finder scope' ? What I would really like is a right angle correct image finder but as stated above that's a no go at the moment. National Lottery PLEEEAAASSSEEE !!!!!!!!!

[swamp thing]

Sounds to me like it's gonna have to, no matter what.

Seriously though it should give you a wide field of view which may well help.

Regards Steve

[JamesM]

Hi Ally,

Yes the right angled finders are certainly not cheap retailing at around the £70 mark which is a fair amount for anyone what ever their budget. The biggest difficulty people starting out experience is trying to match the view they see with the star map that they are using. Your view at the moment using a reflector type scope is one that is both inverted and back to front. To that end, what is needed is a way of helping you to direct the scope using the same view as that map. One suggestion that is a cheaper alternative to the finder you mentioned is a red dot finder. Now I know one came with your scope but unfortunately, it is a nightmare to adjust and is simply far too bright!

Two great red dot finders I would suggest would be this one, the Rigel Quikfinder (£34) for small scopes or this one the Telrad finder (£35) which is the one I use. Both are light weight, easy to use and the light can be dimmed to suit your preference. The best thing about them is that they can be used with special maps (free to download) that help you gauge distances from reference stars when the object may not be visible with your own eyes. They work by you keeping one eye on the sky whilst the other one looks through the red dot finder and your brain effectively brings these two images together so that it looks as if there is now huge red dot projected on the night sky -very simple but clever. You can point the scope to right location by holding the night sky in view and by using those maps and you will find objects in no time. A lot of members use these as well as the right angled finders to create the ultimate finder combo. So getting this won't represent a waste of money if you later decide to get a right angled finder, in fact it will compliment it. Hope that helps.

Clear skies

James

[Tinker1947]

Practice will make perfect, reversing what you see in the EP your looking through doesn't take long to get it right, and there by some your self some money...

[John]

Used with a red dot finder to point the scope in the correct direction then, yes, that eyepiece will work well as a finder as well as to view the larger deep sky objects. Used as a finder without a red dot finder on the scope then you might struggle because, even with it's wide view, the eyepiece will be showing a very small patch of sky.

[Ally8446]

Thanks JBM1165, good gen that. Where will I find a Rigel in the UK ? Also would I be jumping to conclusions if I were to say I'd take it you wouldn't rate the Baader Skysurfer 3 ?

[John]

The Skysurfer III is an excellent, low cost, RDF. I know you didn't ask me but I've owned a couple so I thought I'd chip in

First Light Optics sell the Rigel Quikfinders.

[Ally8446]

Cheers John, you're welcome to 'chip in' anytime. Seriously considering the Baader due to its low cost.

[RikM]

The Skysurfer III is okay but the Rigel is worth the extra. First Light Optics - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight Don't bother with the AA battery pack, CR2032's last ages and you can pick them up cheap in Supermarkets these days.

[pajr777]

CR2032's last ages and you can pick them up cheap in Supermarkets these days.

Or look on eBay, I bought 24 Panasonic branded 2032's for less than a tenner delivered 6 months ago (my training watch and chest belt eat them!)