This blue 7 x 50mm right-angle erect/right-reading image multicoated achromatic doublet finder is available as a more-convenient replacement for the straight-through 8 x 50mm finder supplied as standard equipment with many Meade catadioptric telescopes, such as all past and present LX200 models. It also is available as an upgrade for the 6 x 30mm finder supplied with many other Meade catadioptric telescopes, such as the LX10 or LX50, an older 2080, etc.
The image-erecting amici prism built into the right-angle diagonal gives images that are correctly oriented (upright and right-reading), so that star patterns are seen exactly the way you see them on star charts and with your bare eye. This makes star-hopping from object to object using the finder easier than with a mirror-image or inverted finderscope view.
Its large 50mm aperture has a limiting magnitude of 11, fainter than the stars on any commercial star chart, making it easy for you to locate faint nebulas and galaxies. The field of view is a generous 6.3 degrees wide and the eye relief is a very good 15mm. There's a rolldown rubber eyecup for eyeglass use. The finder weighs 18.4 ounces, without optional finder bracket. It will fit into the standard 8 x 50mm finder dovetail supplied with most Meade scopes that come with a straight-through 8 x 50mm finder. If you're upgrading from a smaller finder, reflector-type dual mounting rings and an SCT-type quick release dovetail bracket are available as options. The 54.5mm diameter body of the finder is aluminum, painted in Meade blue and internally baffled for higher contrast. The black anodized aluminum lens cell has an extra long integral shade to retard the formation of dew and shield the objective from ambient light. The lens shade has internal anti-reflection grooving for higher contrast.
The supplied crosshair eyepiece is removable and has a standard 1.25" barrel. It is held in place by a thumbscrew to allow easy orientation of the crosshairs to match the optical axis of the scope. You first rough-focus the finder by loosening the thumbscrew in the diagonal's eyepiece holder and sliding the eyepiece in and out of the diagonal until it is focused on infinity. The thumbscrew is then tightened to hold that focus. A diopter ring on the eyepiece allows you to fine-tune the focus for individual observers without having to loosen the thumbscrew or move the eyepiece.
