Why is there still a market for magnified finderscopes?

[Louis D]

7 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

 

18 years battery use and 10 years battery use , wooow 

Do you ever use these finders ,or are they ever lasting batteries ?

 

 

I flip them on, aim the scope, and flip them back off.  I'd say less than 10 seconds on at a time for maybe less than a dozen times during an observing session.

 

6 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

You had the same batteries in for ten years and are suprised it corroded! I'd suggest no more than two years as an absolute maximum. Doesn't matter if they still have a charge or not, they don't last forever

I totally forget how long I've had batteries in anything once I've changed out the originals.

I cannot recall any of my lithium button cells ever corroding in any device.  Why can't they make non-corroding AA cells?

[newbie alert]

49 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Telrads are plastic, so paint them!

They run on AA batteries not fiddly coin batteries. 

They have a low profile and long base making accidental knocks in the dark less likely. 

Collimation is easy, especially with Bob's Knobs. Dew heaters, raising bases and covers are made for them. 

Software includes Telrad view/circles. They are an institution. 

I agree a refractor might not look too special with a Telrad on its nice glossy tube, but that's what tube ring tops & top plates are for.

Give me a normal finder any day of the week

[John]

5 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

Give me a normal finder any day of the week

Why ?

What do you call "normal" in finders ?

Just interested in other viewpoints

[Peter Drew]

I use a 6" refractor as a finder, the equivalent RDF would be a jet engine on afterburner.   

[25585]

To me a finder is what helps you find your target, be it optical, mechanical, electronic, whatever. So GOTO is finder, Telrad and RDFs are finder, DSCs are finder. And so are your eyes. ?

[John]

My finders for tonights session with my 12" dob:

 

[25585]

11 minutes ago, John said:

My finders for tonights session with my 12" dob:

 

Surprised you don't have the Jumbo version of Pocket Atlas, John

[newbie alert]

1 hour ago, John said:

Why ?

What do you call "normal" in finders ?

Just interested in other viewpoints

A bog standard finder..

[25585]

8 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

A bog standard finder..

Which is what in your definition?

[johninderby]

My old Orion Optics GOTO dob with Telrad, 9x50 RA finder and a pole finder as well. Now sold to another SGL member.

[Piero]

I don't use any finder with my 60mm and 100mm refractors. With the 8" dobson, I'm completely happy with a 8x50 straight through finder. Who knows... maybe on a future larger dobson the TV60 + amici prism will be my new RACI finder...  

[Stub Mandrel]

7 hours ago, John said:

I align my finders so that the target will be just in view, nestling in the angle of the cross hairs rather than actually behind them. It seems to work

Me too ... get Jupiter in the 'armpit' of the crosshairs

[John]

1 hour ago, 25585 said:

Surprised you don't have the Jumbo version of Pocket Atlas, John

I find the small one very convenient and easy to use at the scope  My big one is Interstellarium

[newbie alert]

19 hours ago, 25585 said:

Which is what in your definition?

A normal finder that you would find inc in the package deal of a sct or a frac..say a 8x30 or a 9x50..2 lenses..thin one at one end,larger one at the other..like a mini scope..

[25585]

1 hour ago, newbie alert said:

A normal finder that you would find inc in the package deal of a sct or a frac..say a 8x30 or a 9x50..2 lenses..thin one at one end,larger one at the other..like a mini scope..

Some of those are hardly fit for purpose. They are put in with an expensive scope, totally inadequate for serious finder use which a new buyer might need. Cheap tacky, like eye pieces in a kit package, or too-flimsy tripods. 

 

[25585]

2 hours ago, newbie alert said:

A normal finder that you would find inc in the package deal of a sct or a frac..say a 8x30 or a 9x50..2 lenses..thin one at one end,larger one at the other..like a mini scope..

I like the red WO scope, which model is that?

[newbie alert]

45 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Some of those are hardly fit for purpose. They are put in with an expensive scope, totally inadequate for serious finder use which a new buyer might need. Cheap tacky, like eye pieces in a kit package, or too-flimsy tripods. 

 

I do agree with most of what you've saying but ..finders for me are to find stars for star alignment..im quite happy with what I have on my scopes..i have a 6x30 that came with my sct and it does it's job.. a 9x50 is better yes but will it do it's job any better??. I got put off red dot finders on one of my first scopes I had,For life!  And don't like the look of telrad..

I like my red frac too..its rather like a bigger finder..

[25585]

48 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

I do agree with most of what you've saying but ..finders for me are to find stars for star alignment..im quite happy with what I have on my scopes..i have a 6x30 that came with my sct and it does it's job.. a 9x50 is better yes but will it do it's job any better??. I got put off red dot finders on one of my first scopes I had,For life!  And don't like the look of telrad..

I like my red frac too..its rather like a bigger finder..

Going by binoculars, I find 40mm field lens is the smallest practical. All finders should have diagonals.

[Stu]

On 13/05/2018 at 09:47, John said:

we are all individuals

I’m not!  

[Mr niall]

Finders look prettier! Apart from that I’m stumped! 

[scarp15]

The best finder of course are your own eyes. If you can just get dark adapted enough, faint finder stars, that you'd memorised from the star atlas perhaps with a touch of averted vision come into view. A good deal of my time when out on a dark sky trip, prior to anything else, is just spent looking up and fixing on that assumed position. 

[Louis D]

11 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

The best finder of course are your own eyes. If you can just get dark adapted enough, faint finder stars, that you'd memorised from the star atlas perhaps with a touch of averted vision come into view. A good deal of my time when out on a dark sky trip, prior to anything else, is just spent looking up and fixing on that assumed position. 

Even dark adapted, you still have the issue of accurately sighting along your OTA to get it pointed at that desired spot.  That's where some sort of unit power finder or green laser sight comes in handy.

[scarp15]

Oh quite, my Telrad is set up on a 4" riser base, enabling it to be usable whilst still trying to see those dim positioning stars. Reducing the sighting light of the Telrad to a (very) faint glow is what makes this device really great (sure this can be applied to other devices to). 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, 25585 said:

Going by binoculars, I find 40mm field lens is the smallest practical. All finders should have diagonals.

Sorry, I'm sure you meant to type 'all finders with diagonals should go in the bin'

No diagonal means you can turn the star map upside down and everything works.

A RACI finder is fine.

One with a standard diagonal that reverses R/L but not U/D constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in my book.

[Jimtheslim]

RACI I can almost understand and I almost coughed up for one once. But craning your neck around whilst trying to tell your brain you're going in an opposite direction through a load of stars that aren't always visible to the naked eye just gets me lost every time