tuckstar Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 So, I already have a telrad and love it, but I'm looking to upgrade the finder scope on my 10" dob with an illuminated RACI. So what do people think? I've looked at the skywatcher 9x50, but needs the additional illuminating eyepiece. The celestron 9x50 and the orion 9x50. Are these all the same? Obviously the sw and celestron will be pretty much the same, but is the orion the same with £10 extra on top? Also looked at the altair astro 10×60, is it worth the extra £70ish? Maybe over kill for a 10" dob and looks as through its aimmed (pardon the pun) more for the darkside. Come on guys help me spend some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 This is just my personal opion matey but I don't see the point of an illuminated finder now you have the wixey and setting circle and the Telrad. How I use it if doing it old school and not using the setting circle / wixey combo is to use the Telrad and then the RACI to get into rough area then use a wide angled EP to get the target. I don't see what extra benefit a illuminated RACI will give you. I'd put the cash towards a expensive EP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 That's my thoughts as well, if you have a telrad then you don't really need a finder. What does the finder do that you really need one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 Points fully taken on board. When the Wixey and setting circle are bob on they are a joy to use as is the telrad, but can't help feeling I need to use star charts more for my own personal development. Just feels like cheating sometimes. Yes I know there are some great telrad charts but from home it can be hard to spot the guide stars. Illuminated just because it looks cool☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 I find illuminated cross hairs unnecessary mainly because, unless you are at a really dark site, the brightness of the sky actually makes black un-illuminated cross hairs stand out nicely silhouetted against the illuminated sky. Also on the red illuminated ones I've seen, you can turn the brightness up to affect dark adaptation, but carefully adjusted to their dimmest setting they are usually ok. I have several different types of finder, but my personal favourite is a laser. I've always been good with maps and can look at a star map and with a laser quickly and accurately locate the beam at the object position relative to the surrounding stars. Obviously a laser is not to be used when people are imaging. I only switch the laser on for several seconds at a time, which is usually all it takes. The beauty of the laser is that it does not matter where your head or eye is. No need to align your eye with anything, no straining, just look up at the sky and move the scope till the end of the laser beam is on the object location. I do also enjoy the view through my 12x80 RACI, which is a rich field telescope in its own right. It often actually shows the faint fuzzy I'm looking for. tuckstar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) I don't think you'd see any difference between any make of 50mm RACI finders. I would bet you'd see a bit deeper in the 60mm, but it is a lot of extra money. Edited March 28, 2015 by Tweedledee tuckstar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I have the bog basic Sky Watcher RACI, not lit. I find that this does the job for me, and although the idea of an illuminated cross hair appeals, I can honestly say I haven't needed it. As Pete says, when it's dark, it stands out as black. You can usually see what you are after through it, M51, M81 &82, M13 are all visible through it. The single greatest benefit for me is it saves my back looking through a straight through finder, and that's why I got mine. I would be interested to see through one now you have mentioned it to see if it improves things. I also got a 2" riser for the Telrad, this also helps and saves bending over to far to squint through the Telrad. Try mine if you want before you buy one and see what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 I do sometimes struggle to see the cross hairs in the straight through finder, but then I struggle to use it anyway. If we do get some skies next weekend, full moon I know, maybe a trip to Belper is in order. If only for a catch up and a brew. BAZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I use the 80mm altair astro Finder package and having only used it a couple of times now, have only limited experience with it. Having said that, the views are fantastic and I have seen multiple clusters in it that were not my intended target but are just in the FOV. Tweedledee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 The 80mm RACI finders are very nice. They have 2.6x the light grasp of the 50 mm finders! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I highly recommend them-couldn't go back to a 50mm Finder now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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