camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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I mean, for the price they want for them, I could mount a rigel or a telrad on my 20x80's...or get a smaller 6x30 finder and get it on there. what in the world makes red dot finders so good that they have to cost $50USD or more? it boggles my mind! 
btw, I have the money in the bank, I'm considering taking up vistek.ca on their 028/501 combo for $475CDN...with a spare plate and the extra arm, it's $550CDN. last time I checked, free shipping, so there'd be just taxes on top of that. fair deal, you think? or is there another tripod that's worth consideration?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Cameron,
Try $200+ for the TeleVue Starbeam. Ouch!
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Orion's red dot finder sells for $29.95. Mounts in any finderscope dovetail slot.
Stellervue's red dot finder sells for $24 + $6 for a base.
maybe you're looking in the wrong place.
I own both of the above.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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could be I'm looking in the wrong place. I'm just thinking of the one's at GO, William Optic (I think), etc.
are there red dot finders that work like a telrad with the illuminated circles to help you out?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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There was a clone marketed by Apogee,inc a long time ago. It fit on a telrad base and was tall like a Rigel. It had rings but it wasn't calibrated like the telrad and the rigel. Didn't work as well as either of them, but it did work. I still have it. pm me if you want it.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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I have a telrad that's not being used. the only problem is mounting it successfully, as none of the bases fit any of the diameters or slopes. 
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Gothcha. Good luck.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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now, what about the 028/501 combo? is it good enough or should I look for a different/better tripod?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Hi Cameron,
Some of the red dot type finders were likely originally made for use on firearms. They have to be rugged to take the recoil over and over again. This adds to the cost.
I find the Orion is EZ Finder II easier to adjust for correct alignment with the telescope (or, binocular) than the red dot sold by SV.
My favorite red "dot" is the Telrad. It isn't the most attractive looking finder but it works really well. In the dark the Telrad looks much better. 
Rich
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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Quote:
My favorite red "dot" is the Telrad. It isn't the most attractive looking finder but it works really well. In the dark the Telrad looks much better.
Rich
it's also got that hefty look that lets you use it knowing how 'tough' it is...that there's nothing fragile about it! 
any thoughts on the 028/501 combo tho?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Quote:
Quote:
My favorite red "dot" is the Telrad. It isn't the most attractive looking finder but it works really well. In the dark the Telrad looks much better.
Rich
it's also got that hefty look that lets you use it knowing how 'tough' it is...that there's nothing fragile about it!
any thoughts on the 028/501 combo tho?
Sorry, I have no experience with that combo.
My 475/516 works well but I worry about accidently knocking it over in the dark. I like the crank adjuatable center post. It is fine for working pretty much in one narrow part of the sky but if you want to look at a number of different spots in the sky you have to do a lot of cranking up and down, and moving your chair frequently.
I'm thinking of making a parallelogram mount, a bit different than the ones I've seen. I would still need to move my observing chair if I wanted to look in a much different part of the sky, however, if made correctly, the a parallelogram mount should reduce the amount of time spent adjusting the position of the binocular.
Rich
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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my dad recently bought some hardwood, to create a parallelogram according to some schematic he puled of the web. it's supposed to be a relatively light weight model, that's pretty hardy. we'll have to see how that goes.
in the meantime tho, the Antares beast I bought just won't work for me, so I need to get something else. I just listed it on astrobuysell.com for $100CDN + shipping, so hopefully I get some bites to help offset the cost of the Manfrotto gear I intend to buy.
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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rigelsys
Vendor (Rigel Systems)
Reged: 08/22/06
Posts: 44
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Quikfinder lists at $40 USD -- in Canada add taxes and shipping etc...
Prices assume a profit for the retailer, the manufacturer, the parts supplier and the expenses incurred by the retailer, the manufactuer, the parts supplier, alloyed with the fact that the astro market isn't that big a specialty market.
I am surprised that things are so cheap in the astro market. In 1970's a Celestron C8 cost about $1400 -- today, 30 later, you can buy a C8 for about the same price!
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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the 028/501 is a lot of tripod. definitely more than you will need for a 20x80. It will serve you well when you move up to a 25x100.
028B/501/25x100
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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thanks for that edz. hope I get some bites on the unit I bought...then I can clear it out and get the 028/501 combo 
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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rnabholz
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/25/04
Posts: 764
Loc: Iowa
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Camvan
They don't have to be. This is a solution that I came up with using a $6.99 Daisy Red Dot Sight.
It could be used on Binoculars by simply clipping the lower clamp on the center hinge of the binos.
Good Luck
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Rod Nabholz
Home Built Astronomy Projects
Wild Bird Photography
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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Rod, that's awesome!!! I love your ingenuity!
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2086
Loc: British Columbia
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Quote:
Cameron,
Try $200+ for the TeleVue Starbeam. Ouch!
Peter
funny you say that too! someone is selling theres for just over $100 in the 'shop n swap' now
what makes it so much? machined out of aluminum and jazz, instead of a mostly plastic construction, or what?
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Cameron,
Reduced to it's simplest form, there is no difference. The starbeam is a RDF and does the same thing other RDF's do.
However, It is one of the largest RDF's available and very easy to use. It is oozing typical TeleVue quality and it's machined from aluminum stock and well finished. Various mounting kits are available for not only TeleVue products, but for all sorts of other scopes. Adjustments are precise and smooth.
It projects a simple red dot which can be adjusted from off, to extremely faint to very bright. The LED, battery compartment and on/off/intensity control are all in a machined module.
A 90 degree mirror can be added to make using the finder near the zenith much more user friendly. The mirror swings out of the way when not needed.
The only negative issue concerning functionality is the lack of "circles" like the Telrad and the Rigel units. Also it is not a multi-reticle design that is very popular these days. If multiple reticles or circles had been included in the design it would have been more popular than it is.
Although the Telrads and Rigel RDF's are seen on all sorts of scopes from inexpensive to thousands of dollars the Starbeams look at home on the big refractors. Partly the lack of plastic and partly the visual design and partly the way it functions.
Like cars, all will get you there, but some are more expensive than others.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5312
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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And, some cars, like some red dot finders, can be really annoying to use.
Rich
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