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Fortuitous Amici Salvage

Discussion in 'Eyepieces, Barlows, and Filters' started by Mak the Night, Apr 9, 2018.

Fortuitous Amici Salvage

Started by Mak the Night on Apr 9, 2018 at 12:46 PM

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  1. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 9, 2018
    #1
    I originally bought this Sky-Watcher 6x30 for my 127mm Sky-Watcher SkyMax (Maksutov). Unfortunately the spring plunger thingy is borked and the finder would too easily rotate in the bracket. This would ruin the alignment making it basically useless.

    IMG_20180407_172018.jpg

    After a while I ended up using the straight through finder that was actually supplied with the 127mm Mak.

    IMG_20180407_171203.jpg

    It's easier to use for targets predominantly in the plane of the ecliptic anyway.

    diagonalfromRACI.jpg

    The borked finder's diagonal looks identical to my Synta Amicis, and the nosepiece and original drawtube from the Amici prism diagonal also supplied with the 127mm Mak fits the finder's diagonal perfectly. The Amici diagonal supplied with the Mak is now wearing the drawtube and helical from a borked William Optics Amici.

    amicis.jpg

    I've compared the new Amici diagonal created from taking the prism/housing from the borked RACI, and adding the drawtube and nosepiece from the original 127mm Mak's diagonal, with my other resin bodied Amici diagonals and I can't tell any difference.

    So, to all intents and purposes I have a new salvaged Amici diagonal.
     
  2. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #2
    I've been looking more at the salvaged Amici.

    OrionAmici FinderAmici.jpg

    As far as I can tell the new diagonal made from the RACI finder diagonal and the nosepiece and drawtube from a Sky-Watcher Amici diagonal is exactly the same as my 'Orion Correct Image Star Diagonal'.

    AntaresOrionRACI.jpg

    If it wasn't for the silk screen writing on the Orion you'd have difficulty telling them apart. On the left is an 'Antares' Amici for comparison. The only difference I can tell is that the Antares has a heavier chromed brass nosepiece and drawtube. I'm pretty convinced the Amici prism itelf and housings are the same on all three of them, most probably manufactured by Synta.

    IMG_20170310_171057.jpg

    It's been suggested the Antares has a difference in aperture, although I can't detect any. I liked the Antares for my bino as its nosepiece, drawtube and thumbscrew were very sturdy.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2018
  3. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Dave In Vermont, Apr 10, 2018
    #3
    I've found the GSO RACI 8 X 50mm Finders are all somewhat loose in their brackets. But it's not flopping about - it simply makes them easier to give them a little *tweak* to realign when I move them about.

    The little movement of them I find very good as I can get them totally dead-on again without disturbing the mail OTA. But some folks' think this is terrible! Their loss. :p
     
  4. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #4
    I've never seen this loose rotating before and I have two 9x50 Sky-Watcher RACI's and an Orion 9x50. When I took the borked SW off the scope and transported it separately it would shift slightly. Making it useless without realigning it with the main scope.

    IMG_20180407_171341.jpg

    The Orion on the left here is tight when set up and aligned, I've had this for about three years and it's always worked perfectly, can't grumble.

    IMG_20180407_171203.jpg

    The only GSO finder I have is the TS Optics finder at the top here with the white body. The two below are Sky-Watcher, the middle one came supplied with my 127mm Mak and the bottom one with my ST80. Apart from the bracket colour the bottom two are identical. The GSO is noticeably different in design, but they all work well.

    Oh yeah, I'm fairly convinced the Antares Amici isn't GSO but isn't Synta either. The housing is slightly different and the screws holding the base plate are different. Not black like the GSO but smaller than the Sky-Watcher/Orion. The prism looks slightly different as well.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2018
  5. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Dave In Vermont, Apr 10, 2018
    #5
    I've never seen a GSO - or TS - 9 x 50mm RACI Finder. I have a lone Orion 9x 50mm, but it's definitely NOT a GSO product. And I really don't care for it. It's harder to keep aligned - such is why I'm hoping for a 'tragic accident.....'

    The 8 x 50mm RACI by GSO have the nice Nylon® adjustment-screws, hence it's easy to make tiny (all I ever need) adjustments as needed - usually only likely when I move into an entirely different part of the sky.

    I do have a GSO 8 x 50mm straight-thru finder, painted in the black Skywatcher sparkle-stars paint job. I'll get around to selling it off though. Or I might instead sell off the Meade blue 8 x 50mm Straight-thru that came on my LX90 12" ACF and put the "sparkle-stars" on the Meade Monster.

    Decisions, decisions...
     
  6. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #6
    I'm pretty sure all of my 9x50's are Synta. I'm also pretty sure all the TS finders are GSO. The Synta finders have nylon screws as well.

    sunday moon mak102 (1).jpg

    Orion 9x50.

    IMG_20180126_163313.jpg

    Sky-Watcher 9x50, I have two of these.

    IMG_20180131_154914.jpg

    Sky-Watcher 9x50 on ST102.

    IMG_20180131_155658.jpg

    Sky-Watcher 9x50 on Sky-Watcher ST80.
     
  7. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Dave In Vermont, Apr 10, 2018
    #7
    Looks like a nice SW ST80. I have one in the older (?) light-blue paint-job. That I bought from OPT (I think) before Orion jumped on them. I think that was 2003 in the light-blue and they vanished quickly. So the light-blue SkyWatcher' ST80's are a rarity here.

    As per usual, I came in right under the 'wire.' It's finder was a straight-thru 6 X 26mm - also in light-blue. Still have it, too. It's truly terrible.
     
  8. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #8
    I think I have one of those plastic 6x26 straight through finders. It is pretty bad, mine came with a 76mm Sky-Watcher Dob'.

    Screenshot 2018-04-11 at 00.09.58.png

    It looks better than it actually was. The Dob' base is now used on the Omegon Mak.
     
  9. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Apr 10, 2018
    #9
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2018
  10. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Apr 10, 2018
    #10
  11. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #11
    You've gotta join the ST80 club eventually Neb lol.

    IMG_20180405_113731.jpg
     
  12. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Apr 10, 2018
    #12
    I am checking the craigslist for the St80 yes yes!

    Your first finder what a massive diagonal it has on it! You turned the finder into a telescope :D It's like a Frankenstein finder :p

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Dave In Vermont, Apr 10, 2018
    #13
    That's us - the ST80 Club!



    ST80 Club T-Shirt a.jpg


    Have fun!
     
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  14. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #14
    Basically, I turned this:
    IMG_20180407_171341.jpg

    Into this:
    OrionAmici FinderAmici.jpg
     
  15. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 10, 2018
    #15
    I've got one just like it lol.
     
  16. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Apr 10, 2018
    #16
    All the finder with the massive diagonal was original ?
     
  17. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Dave In Vermont, Apr 10, 2018
    #17
    Ah! Do you also have this one?


    ST80 Club T-Shirt b.JPG

    :eek: :p
     
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  18. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 11, 2018
    #18
    Yeah, it looks familiar, although I think mine shrunk a bit in the wash.
     
  19. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Apr 11, 2018
    #19
    All Sky-Watcher Amici prisms are the same apparently. Whether they're just diagonals or part of RACI finders. Orion 'Correct Image Star Diagonals' are also exactly the same and almost certainly Synta.

    IMG_20171105_135213.jpg

    The extra drawtubes and nosepieces in this picture above are from the Sky-Watcher Amici supplied with my 127mm Mak. They fit the Orion perfectly.

    IMG_20171105_133321.jpg

    The 127mm Mak Sky-Watcher Amici now has this William Optics drawtube and nosepiece.

    IMG_20170121_112842.jpg

    Which came off this borked William Optics Amici.

    IMG_20170121_161654.jpg

    That had a loose prism that had become unseated in delivery as it had travelled back across the Atlantic a few times as the stupid Royal Mail lost it at Heathrow.

    IMG_20180411_093536.jpg

    So the diagonal above has a body housing/prism from a 6x30 Sky-Watcher RACI and a drawpiece/nosepiece from a Sky-Watcher Amici prism diagonal.

    I have several light resin bodied Amici diagonals. A GSO Amici, an Antares, an Orion, a Sky-Watcher and now this one above made from an RACI and some leftover parts.

    I'm convinced the Orion and Sky-Watcher are all identical and made by Synta. The GSO is a slightly different design and probably made in Taiwan.

    The Antares is also slightly different again, it has a chromed brass rather than an aluminium drawtube and nosepiece.

    IMG_20160417_060650.jpg

    Even the drawtube thumbscrew is brass. Its prism looks slightly different and its base plate screws are also slightly different to the others. It is good quality though and it may be Japanese made. They all have a 21mm aperture.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2018

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