I am considering getting an 60- 80mm finder for my Celestron Nexstar 11". Has anyone had experience with the Lumicon 80mm Superfinder or the Antares 80mm finder (both w correct image diagonal)or have any other suggestions ?
comparison of 60- 80mm finders
Started by ianastro, 08/26/2009 03:29AM
Posted 08/26/2009 03:29AM
Opening Post
Posted 08/26/2009 07:16PM
#1
I had a smaller 50mm Antares but replaced it with a 60mm. The quality and clarity were quite good. I haven't looked through an 80mm yet, but it apears to be from the same manufacturer. If their quality program is consitent, it should also be good.
I considered one for use as a wide field finder.
Steve
I considered one for use as a wide field finder.
Steve
Posted 08/27/2009 03:01AM
#2
I'm really pleased with my Stellarvue 50mm finders. Maybe their 60's and 80's are just as good.
Andrew
Andrew
MN56
STF Mirage 7
GM-8
DenkII
Posted 08/27/2009 06:29AM
#3
I dunno much about it, but have been pleased with the quality of the Stellarvue 80mm F80 finder. The F 3.75 one. SV also makes a longer F-Ratio 'super finder' that is a variant of a Night Hawk, significantly more expensive.
I like the F 3.75 finder as a general-duty small telescope. Being so fast, it wouldn't likely be great for real high power, but seems fine for low power wide fields. Perhaps nobody bothers to make apo refractors that fast because the results would be doomed to be somewhat disappointing? But a really fast short focal length seems about the only thing capable of really wide fields.
The 50mm finders in the F4 ballpark can get a wider field, though. Depends on what purpose you want the thing, maybe.
Pictures of the Antares look like maybe they come from the same factory as the SV. But the SV features seem slightly better as best I can tell.
The Lumicon 80mm finder, as best I can tell from the photos, uses a modular helical focuser in-line with the scope (in front of the diagonal), rather than the SV helical focuser on the back-end of the diagonal. That Lumicon arrangement may be more flexible, because it seems to invite easier modifications with different diagonals or whatever. But if you don't care to experiment with the hardware, the additional potential flexibility wouldn't matter.
If you have plenty of money, you can build nice little finders out of Borg parts.
I like the F 3.75 finder as a general-duty small telescope. Being so fast, it wouldn't likely be great for real high power, but seems fine for low power wide fields. Perhaps nobody bothers to make apo refractors that fast because the results would be doomed to be somewhat disappointing? But a really fast short focal length seems about the only thing capable of really wide fields.
The 50mm finders in the F4 ballpark can get a wider field, though. Depends on what purpose you want the thing, maybe.
Pictures of the Antares look like maybe they come from the same factory as the SV. But the SV features seem slightly better as best I can tell.
The Lumicon 80mm finder, as best I can tell from the photos, uses a modular helical focuser in-line with the scope (in front of the diagonal), rather than the SV helical focuser on the back-end of the diagonal. That Lumicon arrangement may be more flexible, because it seems to invite easier modifications with different diagonals or whatever. But if you don't care to experiment with the hardware, the additional potential flexibility wouldn't matter.
If you have plenty of money, you can build nice little finders out of Borg parts.
Funding Member
