I recently purchased an Orion XT8 and the EZ Finder II Sight does not work. I am looking to get a replacement image finder. Is this a good choice?
1606562
It is actually pretty good a bit heavy but the quality of the image and resolution are great.
1606563
Well, yes and no. Both will work, and some people prefer one, some the other. Personally I find it's best to have *both* an finder like this and a "red dot" or "crosshair" non-magnifying finder (like the EZ Finder II; I use a Rigel Quickfinder myself). The non-magnifying finders are very quick and easy for pointing at or near visible objects. Finders like this are a little bit harder to get your initial bearings, but once you know where you're pointing it's then easy to start hunting. I usually start with my non-magnifying finder, and then switch to the optical finder as needed. The optical finder is best for fainter objects not close to any obvious brighter stars. Well, yes and no. Both will work, and some people prefer one, some the other. Personally I find it's best to have *both* an finder like this and a "red dot" or "crosshair" non-magnifying finder (like the EZ Finder II; I use a Rigel Quickfinder myself). The non-magnifying finders are very quick and easy for pointing at or near visible objects. Finders like this are a little bit harder to get your initial bearings, but once you know where you're pointing it's then easy to start hunting. I usually start with my non-magnifying finder, and then switch to the... » Read More Well, yes and no. Both will work, and some people prefer one, some the other. Personally I find it's best to have *both* an finder like this and a "red dot" or "crosshair" non-magnifying finder (like the EZ Finder II; I use a Rigel Quickfinder myself). The non-magnifying finders are very quick and easy for pointing at or near visible objects. Finders like this are a little bit harder to get your initial bearings, but once you know where you're pointing it's then easy to start hunting. I usually start with my non-magnifying finder, and then switch to the optical finder as needed. The optical finder is best for fainter objects not close to any obvious brighter stars. « Show Less
1606564
Yes it is, I find it very comfortable to use. Why they don't put right angle finders on Scopes as a regular feature I have no idea. I cant live without mine.
1606565
Leigh, I have the same setup as you. I bought this finder to replace my EZ Finder but found it very difficult to actually find my targets in the 9x50. Once you do have your target lined up it's great.I was wasting too much time trying to find objects with my finder. That of course defeats the purpose.I purchased a dual finder scope mount. I use the EZ finder just to get in the same ball park, then I use the 9x50 Right Angle for true accuracy. I find it to be the best of both worlds.
1606566
This is what I bought for mine and it is a must have for the xt8. Its very powerful for a finder scope also. You can see the moons on jupiter with this.
1606567
Thank you for your inquiry. The 9x50 RA finder is a very popular finder as it has a large aperture (50mm) and enough magnification at 9 power to allow you to easily acquire your target.
1454109
Hey Iggy,Since I wrote, I did end up with the 8" Dobsonian Intelliscope. The answer is, the Orion scope is nicely balanced and with a little practice, you can get good at tracking objects by hand. With a 10mm eyepiece and 2X Barlow, which is a magnification of 240x on the 1200mm scope, you need to move the scope about every 20 seconds or so. You still need a motor driven mount if you plan on taking photographs, though.
1549280
Yes, I bought one and it works fine. It does not show up on the view finder.Bob
1465775
I don't think so. Orion has the AutoTracker for $199, but it's not always favorably reviewed. Search Jim's Telescopes or JMI for information on other makers of alt az drives. Someone is going to make a good small one soon. Meade already makes a good one for medium size and large Dobsonians. The Dobsonian is probably the most fun you'll have with an astronomical telescope. Period.
185343
They're comparable in price and aperture and, since they're both Newtonians, their focal lengths are probably close. Their focal ratios are different, though. The Celestron has a focal ratio of f8 while the Orion has an f4 which translates to a brighter image. Also the Orion is on a Dobsonian mount, rather than the Celestron's slow motion controls, making it easier for a brand new user to point. In my opinion, though, once the slow motion controls are mastered, it's easier to track an object. Also, if you get the Orion, get rid of the red dot finder and get a small finder scope instead. The red dot finders, in my experience, are not reliable. If the battery runs out, it's useless.
983708
This Should work fine. I know I have heard that the Barlow might not have enough travel to focus with some scopes. This can be fixed by placing the 2x Barlow directly into the focuser and then attaching the diagonal to the barlow. This small kit is a great value&lt; id say buy it. I have it and im happy with everything in it except the moon filter. The moon filter is plastic and it turns the moon green but it still works. The other filters are high quality and individually they cost $19.99. The 6mm Eyepiece is great and will be plenty powerful. to bring out planetary detail
821883
Mine works just fine. I don't understand "too good". The mirror is what matters. The telescope has a great mirror for the price. 3X is what I have. I like the zoom lens best. It is the easiest to work with.
1696569
Thank you for the info, I have had my celestron 130 about 4 years, love the telescope, hate the finder sight. Taakes a "watch" battery, and I am always having to replace it.
1002713
I just found this information on another dealer's website. From: JIM EDMISTON Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 1:55 PM Subject: SkyScout Production Update Importance: High Unfortunately, we have run into problems securing the GPS crystal for the SkyScout. This crystal was substituted by the factory with a part that we did not specify and resulted in inconsistent GPS readings. We were not informed of this by the factory and discovered it only during our testing of the initial production models. We want to make sure that we put out the best product possible , so we will need to delay our first shipments of SkyScout until mid to late June. The potential of SkyScout is so great that we cannot risk it by sending out product that performs inconsistently. We do not have a firm handle on the initial production quantities at this time, but it is anticipated that they will not be large. Production will be fairly allocated to the major accounts that have placed orders . Please express our apologies to our customers over this situation. Please be assured that this project has the highest priority of all relevant departments at Celestron. Jim Edmiston, Vice President of Sales, Celestron, 2835 Columbia Street, Torrance, CA 90503
1738523
I sent this unit back as a soon as I received it. Never got it to work properly. No help from customer service either. Ended up with the summer dual view something or the other from Target. Cheaper and much better image quality. Good luck, wish I could help!
761907
Hi David, I had a similar problem when I ordered one of these off amazon. It arrived without the mount so I had to look for one. turns out, unless you buy the telescope straight from Orion, they will not sell the mount separately. However, if it was bought off of amazon you should be able to send it back. I contacted amazon and they gave me a full refund including shipping and they paid return shipping. Hope this helped =]
1527056
I have a Meade ETX70 with Autostar. I find the included alignment system to be too time consuming. The SkyScout does a pretty decent job in locating my objects of interest. I then point the telescope to that area and fine tune the location until I have it centered. For the price I find it to be a worthwhile investment.
140690
Orion's website and my memory state that this scope has a spherical mirror. My 130 EQ worked fine, but my biggest draw back was the 5.1 inch aperture and the mount could not support a larger scope, so I needed to buy a new scope and mount in order to upgrade.
30042
All I can say is "Good Luck"! I am having the same problem! I have checked Celestron and the other Telescope Manufacturers and no luck!
1069307
No it does not. You will see that you don't need an optical view finder. The LCD screen is very accurate. The great thing about this model is the image sensor, it is EXCELLENT. That's why its $250 and worth it. The new models use a cheaper sensor and that model is $150. Google it !
147487
This should work with any telescope that requires standard 1.25 inch eyepieces. They should also work with any telescope with 2 inch eyepieces, provided you purchase an adapter. I use them on an Orion Skyquest XT6 and have no issues.
2281727
No, don't bother buying the EZ-Find. I bought it a short while ago and (1) only 2 of the 4 locators worked, even with brand new batteries, and (2) after one week the 2 working locators began beeping randomly in 45 sec intervals and could not be silenced, even with new batteries. Also, even the small locators are way too big for a cat collar. The EZ-Find is very cheaply made and the programming was very difficult to follow despite the fact that I am fairly tech-savvy. Try another product or perhaps a simple small cat bell which can be found at most pet stores.