finderscopes

Hey all-

My 12.5" f/5 mirror is coming along nicely (I just graduated-finally-to 120 grit!), I have a Telekit on order, and I'm just starting to research the rest of the stuff on my list for it. Planning on a Protostar secondary, so the only thing left is a finderscope. I haven't yet gone for the Rigel/Telrad type, really just want a classic type finder. Any recommendations on size or brand? On my other scopes I've always just stuck with the stock finders that came with them...

Mary

You can get some pretty good deals here on Astromart for 6x30 and 8/9x50's. Also check out Scope Stuff. They have some good deals as well.
I recently converted my 8x50 straight through to a right angle. The weather has been so bad however that I haven't had a chance to see how I like it.

Walt

I have never gotten used to a Telrad. I don't like to wear my glasses, so when I look through it, I rarely see fainter than 2nd or 3rd magnitude stars, so star hopping is difficult for me at best.
I replaced the Telrad on my 16" dob with an 8x50 right-angle from Apogee, thinking the prism would make it easier to look through near the zenith. I like the quality of the view for $100, but after years of using a straight-thru finder, I found it confusing to figure out which way to push the scope in locating objects, plus the right-angle didn't make using it near the zenith any easier.
Right now, I'm using a beat up, old straight-thru and I'm happy with that, but I'll soon replace it with a newer version.
BTW, I've seen one Telekit that the owner spent a lot of time on and it looked absolutely beautiful. Pleas post of photo of your scope on the forum when you're finished. Way to go!!

Pete Rice

This really hits one of my "hot buttons". I think the finders on the market are garbage. A few years ago I tore apart an old pair of 7x35 wide angle binoculars and came up with a finder that functions much better than anything on the market. Its 11 degree, erect and correct image makes finding objects much easier. The main problem is that binoculars do not have crosshairs. To mark the center of the field, I drilled a 1/16 inch hole at the focal plane and inserted a tiny (#0 I believe) machine screw, filed down to a point at the tip. Since it is thicker than crosshairs, the screw is visible under dark skies without illumination.

I wanted more light gathering power, so have just ordered a 10x50 binocular from Orion (7.6 degree field, 18mm eye relief) and will tear it apart and get two finders out of it.

Nobody would bother with 1x finders if conventional finders weren't so bad.