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Red Dot Finder


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I stumbled across a post that mentioned one of these things and did a bit of reading up on them. A thread from 2007 on this site was mixed between saying thay are either wonderful or a waste of money. Is that still the case or have they been improved? The reason I ask is that my finder is a bit dodgy and needs some fixing or replacing, so I was wondering if one of these might be the answer. I particularly like the sound of the ones that have rings in addition to the dot so that you can navigate into areas of the sky without particularly bright stars.

Any insights would be greatfully received.

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I had a dodgy finder on my Vista when I bought it, so bad that removing the caps would knock it out of alignment. I bought a SkySurfer III from FLO and found it to be an excellent tool. Several reasons

1) the view is the right way around and not inverted.

2) you don't need to get your eye up to the rear of the scope and it's therefore more comfortable.

3) you don't see more through the finder than you would normally which I found very confusing

4) the fit is more secure and even knocking it gently didn't put it out of alignment.

When I got my C80ED, the 6x30 finder that came with it is actually very nice, correct image view, but I couldn't get along with it for the last 3 reasons and have now fitted the RDF to the C80ED.

Just my opinion, but HTH.

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I use the Stellarvue RDF for my binoculars. It's got all the brightness control I need and quite a few patterns. I have found some others I 've tried to be too bright.

For my scope I use a Televue Starbeam. Again it's got very good brightness control,although it's just one dot.

Good luck with your choice.

Glen.

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Hi, I use a red dot finder-its brilliant I really cant fault it. They are simple to setup and use, light in weight (I use a dob mount so weight can tip the balance!). If you are like me in the older age bracket then bending down or getting on your knees to use a normal finder is a pain to say the least. My advice - dont hesitate - go and buy one now! you don't have to pay a fortune for one either, mine was AU$59.00 from Bintel here in Australia it is made by Guan Sheng Optical (Tiawan) and I think it is marketed under many other names too. Enjoy!Cheers Aussi skywatcher

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Thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated.

Everyone seems very positive about them, but I do have one remaining issue. I have a Dob which originally came with a straight through finder which I found incredibly uncomfortable to use. I went out and bought a right angled finder to alleviate that issue and it is a million times better, though loses alignment at the slightest thing. Looks to me like an RDF would be straight through and hence painful again, is that true?

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Well,if you want to stretch the budget the Televue Starbeam comes with a mirror fitted for more comfortable viewing.

Have you looked at a Telrad finder?

Glen.

I don't think I can justify the money for the Televue Starbeam, but it does look like a nice bit of kit. The telerad gets rave reviews but is a straight through finder. It may be that I just have to put up with the backache.

I did have one idea for getting round the straight through finder problem though. I was thinking that if I had a larger telescope, say a 12" Dob, then it would be taller and hence less painful to look through the finder. I wonder if I could get it past the missus on health grounds :(

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If you get a 12" dob you'll get backache for other reasons.

Red-dot versus conventional finder is very much down to personal taste, as is straight-through versus right-angle. Maybe you just need to try a few options until you find what's right for you. I got an Orion red-dot finder free with something and never liked it much, I stuck with my finder. A low power eyepiece and a good star map is another way of approaching the problem.

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The Rigel Quikfinder is very popular as an alternative to the Telrad. It's smaller, a lot lighter and has the option to "pulse" the target rings which can be very effective - I think that is an extra add-on on the Telrad. It's also a little less prone to dew than the Telrad.

FLO stock it now:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=rigel_quikfinder

John

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The Rigel Quikfinder is very popular as an alternative to the Telrad. It's smaller, a lot lighter and has the option to "pulse" the target rings which can be very effective - I think that is an extra add-on on the Telrad. It's also a little less prone to dew than the Telrad.

FLO stock it now:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=rigel_quikfinder

John

That one looks good and not too pricey. Orion do a couple that I found as well which are quite tempting because I have an Orion scope so i know they will fit. Choices, choices!!

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I think the Quickfinder uses a "double sided sticky pad" mounting system like the Telrad does so will fit on any OTA. A lot of people use both an optical and a RDF of course - the best of both worlds. I had a Telrad and a 8x50 right angle finder on my old C8 which was a very flexible combination.

John

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I ordered a rigel quickfinder last week to go on the 12" dob in the hope that it wouldn't crick my neck as much as the standard finder. I'll do a report when it's arrived and fitted.

I'm thinking of doing the same for my 12" Lightbridge - the supplied RDF is OK but the plastic stalk it's on is poor IMHO.

John

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I bought a Revelation MRF (multi reticule finder) recently, also sold under numerous other brand names, used it twice and now it will not select different reticules ! I have contacted the seller and they apologised and offered a full refund (good service, Telescope House) as they do not now supply the same product. The build quality seemed good though the bracket was quite flimsy plastic and reliability is obviously suspect. With my limited use I would say all but the first of the 7 brightness levels are too bright, I can also imagine it will dew up easily though shields are available for £8. Might stick with my 9 x 50 Orion finder for now.

Regards

Onslowe

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I ordered a rigel quickfinder last week to go on the 12" dob in the hope that it wouldn't crick my neck as much as the standard finder. I'll do a report when it's arrived and fitted.

Assuming you have had at least one clear night since you wrote this, :icon_lol: how's the Rigel?

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