Red Dot Finder vs Finderscope - which is best?

[Gissajob]

I'm fairly new to finding my way round the skies, and I'm having some problems. Without my glasses, my eyesight isn't brilliant. My telescope isn't a great one (present from my well-meaning wife - bless her) and it came with a basic red dot finder. I'm finding that when I look through the red dot finder I'm just not seeing things which I can see with my glasses on or with binos, so it's hard to find the intermediate steps to the target.

So I'm wondering if it would be better to buy a finderscope. The red dot finder I have gives no magnification (I'm assuming that's standard?) but with a 9x50 right-angle finderscope I'm thinking that I'd have a better view of the patch of sky I'm searching to put the telescope in the right place, and it would correct my vision enough to find what I'm looking for. Does that make sense? It wouldn't be money wasted, because when I upgrade to a better scope I can move the finderscope.

The scope is a Jessop's special - focal length 900, aperture 114, which makes it an F8 by my calculation.

Alan

[gkec]

I use both. A red dot finder to get the right bit of the sky and then the finder to get the target in the field of view of the telescope. There is no best as they have different strong/weak points.

[todd8137]

Echoes the above a combination of both stay clear of the cheapo red dot finders that take the flat single batts heya pain in the a@@

pat

[KenG]

If you're getting a 9x50 finder, consider the correct image version. Works very well in conjunction with the red dot finder.

[Nibor]

Plus another for using both.

A red dot finder to get the right bit of the sky and then a correct image finder to get the target in the field of view of the telescope.

Also if I am using GOTO I can get a better idea of where the target is in my light polluted skies - sometimes getting a wide angle bino (8.2 degrees) on the job as well!!

[AstroAdam]

I'd suggest a Telrad. It's a bit bigger, which some people don't like, but it's much easier to use from 'behind' the telescope, and you can buy extra bases cheaply, so it can be used on multiple scopes. I've never looked back since I bought one. I've seen them used on the 'heritage' range of skywatcher scopes, which are tiny!

[AstroAdam]

Sorry - meant to say that you can keep your glasses on when using the telrad - that was the point

[Sam]

I use a red dot finder with my glasses on, then I take them off for using with the finder and leave them off when moving to the eyepiece.

[ronin]

The best one is the one that you get along with easiest.

There are 4 or 5 variants of finders and the problem is you need to determine which suits you, and there is no real rule to determine that. I get on fine with an RDF and a friend finds a straight through finder fine for himself. someone else I know uses a glp to aim their scope. Mine is not better then theirs, theirs is not better then mine.

[Rockrae78]

Yep, I agree with the post about the telrad... Best astro purchase I ever made, but you do need to leave your glasses on for the red dot finder or the Telrad. They are not magnifying anything... Merely projecting an LED onto a glass lens which you can then use to line your scope up with the object.

I just remove my glasses for the finder scope, and for looking through the eyepiece.

[majapala]

Another vote for the Telrad! Finder scope frustrations is of the first frustrating hurdles people come across. Telrad=a lot les shinnannigans.

[kingboya]

I just acquired a baader Sky surfer V, and I can now setup and align without looking through an eyepiece. It is amazing, and I no longer use an optical viewfinder.

[M4lcs67]

Another vote for the Baader Skysurfer V. Quality rdf with an adjustable dot so you can alter the brightness of it in conjunction with what you are looking at. Very well made and looks like a rifle sight (but that makes no difference).

[Gissajob]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've now got a bit more of a clue about what might work - I'll definitely be checking out the Telrad possibility.

Alan

[knobby]

If the telrad looks a bit... Large! Consider a Rigel, very similar but smaller

[66mikeg]

I'd go for a finder scope and a telrad that's the best of both worlds, if you keep the RDF that you have get a finder with a right angle viewer that also shows the image the right way up.

[66mikeg]

Meant to add if possible get a mirror for the telrad this act as a right angled finder and saves contortions to look thru' it

[breezy]

I use a Rigel and a 9x50 raci mate , both are good on their own but are a fantastic combo for hitting the right spot

[cplee42]

Another vote for the baader sky surfer. It does the job of a red dot really well. Big clear window, no squinting, lines up GOTO set up star with ease. I use my glasses on for this. However I also added a 9x50 RACI since I began to enjoy 'star hopping' - perverse with a GOTO I realise!! I now combine them in regular use. Also Baader with a solar foil filter is useful for aligning on the sun if setting up for solar viewing.

Once set up I often remove the baader from the scope to free up some eyepiece head room (EQT mount).

An alternative I also use is to simply fire down a green laser pointer through the RACI eyepiece and that gives a nice 'GOTO beam' that can be steered by the scope to a target without the neck strain! This avoids the need for the red dot. However the green laser is a lazy performer in the cold!

[Astro Imp]

I notice that none of the posts so far have mentioned how to get the best from a red dot finder.

It seems counter-intuitive but keep both eyes open, look at the red dot with one eye and the background sky with the other, move the scope until the dot coincides with the position in the sky that you want to view.

The above assumes you have previously aligned your RDF.

HTH.

[baggywrinkle]

Glasses on with the red dot finder and off with the 9x50 RACI finder I use. The RDF gives me general line up fine tuned with the RACI.

[swamp thing]

Meant to add if possible get a mirror for the telrad this act as a right angled finder and saves contortions to look thru' it

Just get a riser bracket. This stops contortions and won't mess with the image like a mirror will. I find my 2" riser adds a great deal of comfort. I reckon the 4" one would be even better.

[Gissajob]

Thanks everybody for your very good advice. Having looked at the possibility of Telrad and Rigel, I think I may be better with the Rigel simply because of the size of the Telrad (I think it may run into the tube rings on my telescope). The Rigel also comes with two base plates, which will be useful when I upgrade the scope and want to move it.

I have to say, when I decided to get into this hobby I never dreamt of the options and things I 'd have to learn about. But it's fun doing it. I thought I'd just point the scope at the sky and Bob's your uncle! Which I suppose is another way of saying - GoTo!

I'm off to explore the possibilities of better eyepieces now. Might as well get them while I'm shopping with FLO.

Alan

[Scott]

To be honest, with the go-to on the neq6 I can't remember the last time I used the telrad... but I'm mainly imaging. Go-to usually gets the star on the bye screen, if not then its always on the finderscope view. I do love the rdf on my heritage for visual though

[happy-kat]

The first post reads like the RDF is not actually aligned to the scope. You see in the scope what the red dot is on. During the day teat your red dot on a far object like a tree or tv arerial the look through the scope, barring orientation you should see exactly what the red dot was on. If you do not you need to twiddle the red dot adjusters there should be two to cover height and horizontal axis.