Hioptic
6" Maksutov Cassegrain NMC1900x152
HiOptic
152 > ViewfinderTHE RETICLE VIEWFINDER
UNPACKING
The first thing noticed about the viewfinder when unpacking it was how dirty it was. The picture below shows how it arrived with what only can be described as the bottom of someone's pocket attached to the eye cup.
However after being cleaned up the viewfinder it turned out to be one of the best this reviewer had ever used. It's like a small 8 x 50 refractor telescope in it's own right, if only it had interchangeable eyepieces, it could almost double up as a guide scope.
The glass in it seem to have a blue anti-reflective coating similar to other parts of the scope. The front of the tube unscrews to provide access to the inside. It was a nice surprise to find it contained baffles inside which help stop stray light reaching the eye. The rubber on the rear eyepiece can be removed which might allow the attachment of a guide camera but it is a weird size of 28mm/1.1". The eyepiece can also be removed by unscrewing it but anything you replace it with will require a 28mm/1.1" thread.
TERRESTRIAL VIEWS
Looking through the view finder presents a nice sniper gun sight type of view (reticle). There was a little colour fringing in the image but not enough for a 2 mega-pixel camera, as used in the image below, to really pick up on.
ASTRO VIEWS
The view finder has a curious stalk protruding from it. This houses a red light projector that illuminates the gun site (reticle). A dial on the end allows the user to vary the strength of the red light.
The picture above shows how large the moon appears in this in this 8 x 50 viewfinder.