Reddit reviews Telrad Finder Sight

Things you'll want:
This book: http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundred-Telescope/dp/0521781906/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324830331&sr=1-3

Teflon pads as it is likely the pads on your dob suck and will make moving it suck as well.

A high field of view set of optics. I recommend any of the following (I have an 8" dob, you want a good wide-angle eye piece as it makes viewing a pleasure. Magnification is far from all important, esp. with a small telescope).

• http://www.universityoptics.com/eyepieces.html
  
• http://www.optcorp.com/ProductList.aspx?uid=30-718-1044-1046 (Baader planetarium)
  
• When picking out eye pieces, consider the magnification you'll get with your telescope (equations found online), the eye relief (bigger tends to be easier to use, basically how far your eye needs to be from the lens to be in focus), and the field of view (just how much of the sky you'll see).
  
  You need to collomate your telescope. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collimated_light. Basically, your telescope's mirror is likely very off center. A dobsonian like what you have is two mirrors, the main mirror (the big one), and the little post mirror that reflects light off the main mirror into your eye piece. You need a laser collomator that will shine a light from the eye piece into the telescope. If your telescope was properly collomated, the laser would bounce off of the post mirror, hit the dead center of the main mirror, reflect back onto the post mirror, and back into the collomator. Look online for more information.
  
  Lastly, you probably want a Telrad. It makes pointing your telescope very, very simple, and almost eliminates the need to use a finder scope. http://www.amazon.com/Telrad-Finder-Sight/dp/B0000ALKAN (you don't need any accessories for this. Its wonderful).
  
  Happy stargazing!
  
  Edit: feel the need to qualify why I suggest Teflon pads. your telescope moves around on two axises, up and down, and left and right. Unlike a "conventional" refractor telescope (the ones that we think of as a good "my first telescope"), a lot of weight is placed on those bottom pads. If you replace the pads that came with your telescope's base with teflon pads, it will make it a lot easier to move it along that particular axis, asthere is less friction.

>So... my question is: where should I invest that money? Like, in photography, I was taught to spend my money on glass

Photographer here. It's the exact same in visual astronomy. Spend your money on either mirrors or lenses. Translating that to practical, it means don't buy an expensive mount.

You'll have to make a decision about whether you want to do primarily visual or astrophotography. For your budget, you can get top-of-the-line large aperture equipment for visual, or bottom-of-the-barrel equipment for astrophotography. Visual requires lots of glass, astrophotography requires expensive mounts and not so much on the glass.

If you are going with visual, you could get yourself a 12" dobsonian such as the Zhumell Z12 ($799) and and have enough left over to kit yourself out with a bunch of upgrades like a Telrad finder and a couple of very slick Televue eyepieces.

Someone else mentioned the Celestron 8SE, and that would be a good compromise - fairly big aperture but also capable of doing some astrophotography. But that is quite a bit more expensive than a 12" dob, and quite a bit smaller, so you're losing out on value if you really want to do visual.

I'd suggest using a Telrad finder. I took the finderscope off of my C8 pretty much right away and only use the telrad for rough-sighting in. I agree with you - the finderscope always blew my reference way out of whack.

Here's your scope

Here's your Telrad

Here's your book

$260, ten over your budget but you'll really want that book ;-)

Happy Gazing

Congrats, and welcome to the club!

This time of year, definitely Orion nebula, Andromeda and Jupiter.
In Spring, Mars and Saturn should look nice through that 10" dob!

Also, if I may impart a tip. Invest in a Telrad finder. Seriously. They ROCK.

http://www.amazon.com/Telrad-Finder-Sight/dp/B0000ALKAN

If you plan to do a lot of Lunar observing, I'd suggest a Lunar filter. The moon is VERY bright through an eyepiece.

The telescope is definitely going to come with a collimating device of some sort. I've only ever used a laser collimator, so I'm not sure how hard other collimating devices are to use. It never takes me more than 5 minutes to collimate my dob though.

I would get a 2x barlow (this one is pretty nice and also cheap), and some gold-line eyepieces. They're recommneded often on here because they're not too expensive but still pretty good. I would maybe get maybe the 15 mm and 6 mm. Those combined with the scope eyepieces and the barlow should give you all the magnifications you could want.

Whether a solar filter is worth it is entirely up to you. However, just note that if you don't want to put in $100s of dollars, you're pretty much limited to something made with Solar Filter Film or a basic glass filter. The views you get from that are definitely nice, but it might not be what you're expecting. You'll see something like this with those filters.

If the scope doesn't come with a 0 magnification red-dot finder scope, you might want to get one. Telrads are considered one of the best one's on the market (and I love mine to death), but they can be a bit pricey. A cheaper red dot finder scope (like this one) should also serve you just fine.

Besides that, I would definitely recommend getting the book Turn Left at Orion. It's essentially the complete beginners guide to all things Amateur Astronomy. It's absolutely fantastic.

One small other thing I can think of is a red-light flashlight (like this). It's definitely not necessary, but it's nice to be able to look at things in the dark without losing your night vision too much.

The big dobs are super easy for kids to handle, too. They sit on the ground and you just grab the end of the scope and swing it around. I've had a 12 year old out having fun with mine, not scared in the least that they could knock it over or damage it.

For ease of finding things for the kids, I would add a Telrad Finder, and stick that thing on the side right next to the normal finder. Kids are short and have an easy time leaning over and looking up through the finder and pointing the scope at different spots in the sky. Took a minute for them to get the hang of guiding the scope.

I love my AD8.

I've bought tons of eyepieces and accessories. Without a doubt the best accessory I've bought is this adjustable height chair. Having this chair is the difference between seeing something in space, and observing something in space. The best eyepiece in the world is worthless if you're too uncomfortable to spend much time looking through it.

Vestil CPRO-800LP Ergonomic Worker Seat/Chair, 13-1/2" Width, 10" Depth, 300 lb. Capacity, 18" - 33" Height Range https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052PJFCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NCyoDb02ZGBPR

My next favorite accessory is the Telrad view finder. It's a game changer. After getting it, I just took off the viewfinder that came with the scope and I don't miss it at all.

Telrad Finder Sight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000ALKAN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xGyoDbJDEY6Q7

For eyepieces, I love the big 2" that comes with the scope. It's my favorite. Otherwise I use this 8-24mm zoom eyepiece.

Celestron 93230 8 to 24mm 1.25 Zoom Eyepiece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007UQNV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QIyoDb0P2HZCA

I've bought tons of other stuff but most of it doesn't get used much. This three things I use all the time.

Clear skies!

I don't think this review went far enough so here is my additions:

Pro's: A Dobsonian Telescope is a big-ass light bucket. It will get more light than any other starter scope you will be looking at.

Con's: Like boogiemantm said, There is limited functionality. You will not be able to do astrophotography and you will have to learn the night sky yourself. This is a tough task and COULD limit your enjoyment. It's really preference on a part of the buyer. Also, you might not be able to fit it into a small car. Make sure to check the size of your car vs the size of the telescope.

Note: There are push-to dobsonians, or "Intelliscope's" as Orion calls them. These will cost extra money.

If you do plan on going with a dobsonian (that is not push-to) you will need a couple more items. Such as: Star Map Book, a better finder scope such as The Telrad, Eyepieces (You will need for any telescope you buy), and most likely a laser pointer.

Here is my suggestion: Shop around and learn about the telescopes before actually buying one. You should be able to speak with your salesman fluently in their vocabulary (otherwise your paying for something your not fully understanding).

If you need some links, just let me know and I'll promptly spam you with a bunch of informational links.

Hi, cool idea, but:

I would strongly consider not looking for a new telescope with that budget. It's possible you can pick up a used one, but if you don't know your way around them, that way is fraught with issues.

A lot of people also end up disappointed with lower-end scopes because they expect to be able to see much more (you most likely won't be able to see the rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter, that sort of thing).

Some ideas:

• if the person has a telescope or some knowledge, how about offering to contribute to a telescope purchase? Or buying accessorries like an eyepice, some filters, or a good green laser collimator? I recently bought a Telrad sight and love it.
  
• a decent set of binoculars is a pretty neat thing to have, and more versatile than a telescope - my old military binoculars that I always keep in my car surprised me by letting me see the Pleiades really nicely
  
• some good astronomy / stargazing books (the Backyard Astronomer's Guide, for example]
  

What's your current setup? What parts comprise a "S4 on a stick?"

Because there are special followspot yokes for Source Fours. City Theatrical makes one that I think is garbage, as you NEED to thread it onto a pipe and cheseborough that to another pipe, and generally add another pipe to stabilize everything. I have also seen another kind that has no markings and they've been there longer than the house ME, so he doesn't know what brand they are. But they kind of look like this, with a clamp on top to make it easier to use them in a catwalk.

You should also have an Iris in there already.

And then some handles.

And then a telrad, which are pretty cheap because City Theatrical doesn't make them.. And I can speak from experience, having a telrad makes a huge difference for your spot ops. I have high school actors who have never done tech before run spot, and they were a hot mess before we got the telrads. But now, you would never know that opening is their third time running spot.

If you say that a 26º already works pretty well, why the need to change it?

Using source fours as spotlights is done all the time in professional places. Just because it doesn't come with a stand and say "FOLLOWSPOT" on the side of it doesn't mean it's a bad choice.

I'd strongly advise against getting a goto dob. They dont work that well and for the most part make it less likely you will use your scope.

Instead teach yourself how to star hop using:

https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/0521153972


Then mount a telrad quick finder on your scope:


https://www.amazon.com/Telrad-Finder-Sight/dp/B0000ALKAN/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502122336&sr=8-2&keywords=rigel+quickfinder


Dobs are all about setting the scope on the ground and getting to viewing quickly and easily, a cheap goto mount will just fight you in doing that.

[sorry for causing confusion --- we're still describing the same thing]

here's a better explanation -- a display behind an infinity corrected lens is basically a Reflex Sight -- see the animation on the wiki page there -- no parallax, see? Then they stick a lens array in front of that.

So:
Go buy a reflex sight like this one (for aiming telescopes) and replace the LED reticle with your LCD screen, then put a lens array in front of that, see if that works for you.

If I were to order from the site the scope came from I dont see the "gold line" ones people are recommending and that is in your sources.

They have the Orion eyepieces. The Expenase and the bit more expensive "Edge On".

I don't mind splurging a bit more for the 6mm since I imagine that will be a lot of my initial viewing.

Then they have the Q70 for the wider field. Says "pre order" but I'll see if they have it.

They don't seem to sell the Telrad but amazon.ca has it. I assume I would also need to buy some kind of base?

Thanks for all your help!

EDIT: For the 6mm would it also be better to pay a bit more and go 2" on that as well? I dont mind the bit of extra money but sometimes more isn't always better I imagine. Thanks!

Hello,

those eyepiece kits tend to be overpriced, contain simpler eyepiece types (the shorter ones have horrible eye relief) and are a bit redundant. Also a 2" wide angle eyepiece, e.g. 32mm 2" 70 degree will show a larger field of view as a 1.25" 32mm 52 degree.

A 2" wide angle eyepiece for 70-100 dollars works fine on a 8" dobsonian and shows twice as much of the sky compared to the kit eyepiece. It can make finding deep-sky objects easier, and observing larger clusters / nebulae more fun. If he has the Deluxe set of the Orion there was a 2" included, but it's not really wide-angle.

A 6mm gold line is an amazing value for little money and gives you 200x magnification and 66 degree apparent field of view (compared to the mediocre 10mm kit eyepiece with shorter eye relief, 52 degree and only 120x magnification). Some xt8 sets come with a barlow doubling the magnification, but the problems with the eyepiece remain and the cheaper barlow reduces the contrast.

For deep-sky, the 15mm can be beneficial.

//edit:
A 30-36mm 2", 15mm 66° & 6mm 66° cover the most important things, no need for 8-10 mediocre eyepieces.

A moon filter is nice to have, but a simpler one will do IMHO, unless he's someone focusing on that object, sketching it at different moon phases and so on.

A color filter can enhance the contrast on planets, but the effect is limited and rarely you'll need half a dozen colors like in the eyepiece box sets.



//Edit:


Theoretically, for $200 you could get a $75 wide-angle eyepiece, $40 6mm wide angle eyepiece, a $9 ND moon filter, a $10 camera or phone holder, a 15mm gold line or a decent finder, e.g. $65 right angle finder or Telrad+Maps, and that'll give him a better variety of things. But it really depends on what he has and what he likes observing.

If you want to focus on the moon filter, get a adjustable one.


Does he have a good book or maps to find deep sky objects? Binoculars?

Agreed completely. I have an Astromaster EQ 130, and couldn't even find the moon with the stock finder. I got one of the Telrad finder scopes for it, and it blew my freaking mind!

As a recent XT8 owner, here's what I've purchased so far:

Rigel or Telrad finderscope. I bought the Rigel as I think it will be a little easier to use than the Telrad and take up less horizonal space.

Right Angle Correct Image finderscope like the Orion 9x50 is also helpful.

Wide angle 2" eyepieces, between 26mm and 38mm is what people talk about. It will probably become your primary eyepiece too. I picked up a set of used Orion Q70 that I'm waiting to be delivered and try out. Explore Scientific is also a brand that gets good reviews.

As for mods, I've installed an Ebonystar ring laminate kit on the azimuth base to provide smoother rotation. And replaced the teflon pads with higher quality pads on the altitude base. Though I think I probably should have only replaced 2 of the 4 pads. I have too little friction now so the scope (being top heavy) tends to slip downwards on its own.

The scope was used and it came with the Celestron accessory kit listed below. I only use the 32mm Plossl, the Barlow, and maybe one other eyepiece. The rest of the eyepieces (the ones with small aperatures) are almost impossible for me to use since I wear eyeglasses. I've used the Moon filter a couple of times. The rest of that kit is useless IMO. I wouldn't purchase the kit, and would recommend simply picking up the eyepieces separately, preferably used on one of the many astronomy forums.

8SE owner for over eight years, let me see if I can tackle some of these questions.

1. I found the foam the OTA came with fit perfectly into an igloo cooler. I used this to store and transport it before finally upgrading to a JMI case.
   
   
2. You can defocus a star to see if it needs collimation.
   
   
3. It really shouldn't require much in the way of maintenance.
   
   
4. No clue, but feel free to ask me if you have specific questions.
   
   
5. Humidity can promote fungal growth, probably not a bad idea to throw a silica packet or two in your case. I've taken mine 4-wheeling, left it out overnight in the desert, etc and never had any issues.
   
   
6. I absolutely love my Hand Control Mounting Bracket, it makes it much more pleasant to use. My JMI Motofocus takes care of any vibrations during focusing, and a Telrad made alignment much easier. I did eventually upgrade to a 50mm RACI finder as well. You'll probably want to pick up a dew shield and/or dew heater strips depending on where you live.
   
   Enjoy and clear skies, there's no need to be nervous about your new telescope!

Here is a very specific idea:
A new edition of "The Astrophotography Manual: A Practical and Scientific Approach to Deep Sky Imaging" by Chris Wodehouse is coming out December 16th. I have heard from friends I trust that the 1st edition was very good. So I am waiting till the 16th to get the second edition myself. Thought it might make a cool gift as your match is unlikely to have it. Just not sure if the 16th is too late. $60

Other ideas:

• A Telrad is much better than a finder scope IMO, and can be easily adapted to any scope. Should be under $50 with shipping.
  
• 100 Best Astrophotography Targets book. $38+ shipping.
  
• Astrobin Premium Subscription Not sure how feasible that is as a gift, but it's a nice service for image hosting astrophotos. $36.
  
• Download one of their Astrophotos (if you can find a high quality version) and have BayPhoto make a metal print of it.