Wide FOV 'finder' EP ?

[BRUN]

instead of using the finderscope, does nobody make a wide view EP that i could use as a finder EP ?

ive got a 40mm plossl but the FOV is pretty narrow

im not the best at finding things you see and i think using a wide EP would be easier ?

[Stu]

12 minutes ago, BRUN said:

instead of using the finderscope, does nobody make a wide view EP that i could use as a finder EP ?

ive got a 40mm plossl but the FOV is pretty narrow

im not the best at finding things you see and i think using a wide EP would be easier ?

To go wider you need to use 2" eyepieces. The 40mm Plossl has a narrow afov because it is limited by the barrel size.

There are a number of different options, what kind of budget do you have?

[BRUN]

as cheap as possible as it would be a finder EP lol

tbh im still getting used to my new scope but i never liked using a finder on my other aswell, always thought id prefer an EP instead

[Charic]

As above, 2" eyepieces can offer wider fields ( I use the 32mm Skywatcher Panaview) however  you could also go more expensive, and stay  with  the  1-1/4" EP  format with something like a 72° Tele Vue Delos.
There's quite a considerable price difference here though, the Panaview's peak at about £80, the Delos about £200 second hand!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

10 minutes ago, BRUN said:

as cheap as possible as it would be a finder EP lol

tbh im still getting used to my new scope but i never liked using a finder on my other aswell, always thought id prefer an EP instead

I have roughly the same optics as yours, and a 40mm Aero from Skywatcher (which is a TMB Paragon clone) should work well. It gives almost the largest possible FOV in the C8. Having said that, it has a pathetically small FOV compared to a real finder, so it is no replacement of a finder. The (Vixen-made) 6x30 finder I got with my C8 is not that good, which is why I built myself a 14x70 RACI (right-angle correct-image) finder with 4.46 deg FOV. RACI finders are lightyears ahead of regular straight through finders in my book.

[Cosmic Geoff]

If you are using the GoTo  on your Edge HD, a 25mm eyepiece (the stock eyepiece on mine) should be adequate to find things, as if things are working properly the GoTo object will always be somewhere within its FOV.

I hardly ever use a finder on my C8 (whch has Starsense), but if I did use one every night, I'd want something a bit better than the red dot finder. Ideally I'd want a small right-angle finder in that case.

[John]

I've tried using a really low power, wide angle eyepiece as a finder and I found it harder than I imagined even with a short focal length scope. A finder needs to show around 4-6 degrees of sky to be useful but in your 8 inch SCT I think around 1.5 degrees is the most sky you can see whatever eyepiece you use. Thats a surprisingly small patch of sky when you come to try and find things with it

[BRUN]

thanks guys, ill stick with the finder scope until i get star sense

[25585]

I use a 2 inch TV 55mm Plossl. Not overly expensive but has big eye relief and gives a relatively decent exit pupil. Finder eps can be good in their own right, if a good one is used, allowing big bright fields to immerse in.

[BRUN]

£230+ is more than id want to spend on a finder EP lol, im sure its very good though

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, BRUN said:

£230+ is more than id want to spend on a finder EP lol, im sure its very good though

Then look into the 56mm Meade Plossl for $60 in the US and about £78 in the UK.  It's pretty close to the TV by all accounts.

[25585]

6 hours ago, BRUN said:

£230+ is more than id want to spend on a finder EP lol, im sure its very good though

Their prices have gone up!  My original was a 32mm Erfle, good fl and fov for its cost. 

[BRUN]

thanks guys, i think that Meade might be the answer