I definitely remember the first time I viewed M57, in a little 4.5" Newt from red/orange skies. Being a bit aperture/magnification challenged I wasn't sure what to expect if anything... but with a little patience, averted vision, and some scope nudging/bumping I was excited to discover I could see the central darkening! It was already a victory for me in finding it.

With a bit more observing under my belt and hunting and viewing even more faint targets I found I could discern the annular shape even at low magnification, and what was initially a meticulous star-hop (and getting used to the reversed view in the Newt) is now a point-and-got-it. It's always a sad parting when it finally moves too far into the western muck for the year.