Can I focus a skywatcher 9x50 view finder?

[domstar]

Hello everyone,

I tried to use a different telescope last night but the view finder was so badly out of focus that it made finding stuff very difficult. My own one is slightly out of focus and I've never noticed a way of focusing it. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

[Swoop1]

Most finder scopes focus by unscrewing the knurled ring behind the objective and then screwing the objective cell in or out to achieve focus, locking it back in with the knured ring again.

 

Image courtesy of FLO!

[domstar]

Oh great thanks.

[RT65CB-SWL]

It is also the same focus mechanism on the Meade ETX [Maksutov] finders as well.

[Louis D]

23 hours ago, marggaze said:

I suggest the Meade 8x50 Straight-Through Viewfinder, it's really great telescope accessory as for me. I use it for finding objects in the night sky and it has a large field of view and a focus adjustment knob for sharp images.

I have one as well as a GSO RACI.  At my age, I'm finding it incredibly difficult and painful to contort my body to use a straight through finder much above the horizon.  Otherwise, the views are very similar between the two.

[jjohnson3803]

I had a RACI finder where the lock (inner) ring didn't screw down quite far enough to bring the finder into perfect focus.  I think the threads were cut a small bit too short or my eyeglasses prescription was a bit off.

Anyway, I just removed the lock ring and focused the objective without locking it down.  The downside is you'll have to refocus if the objective rotates at all, but it wasn't necessary to do that  very often.

[Louis D]

34 minutes ago, jjohnson3803 said:

I had a RACI finder where the lock (inner) ring didn't screw down quite far enough to bring the finder into perfect focus.  I think the threads were cut a small bit too short or my eyeglasses prescription was a bit off.

Anyway, I just removed the lock ring and focused the objective without locking it down.  The downside is you'll have to refocus if the objective rotates at all, but it wasn't necessary to do that  very often.

You might be able to find a step ring threaded all the way through that would be much thinner than the original lock ring.  I just have no idea what thread size it's using.

[jjohnson3803]

I wouldn't use Loctite, but I was thinking maybe there's some other kind of goo that could be used on the threads and that wouldn't foul the optics.  Or maybe a spot of pipe tape - just enough to hold the objective tube in place.

 

[uhb1966]

On 19/09/2023 at 14:38, Louis D said:

I have one as well as a GSO RACI.  At my age, I'm finding it incredibly difficult and painful to contort my body to use a straight through finder much above the horizon.  Otherwise, the views are very similar between the two.

its even worse when the target is straight up in the zenith...🤔