Astromania Finder Scope Dovetail Base for SC Telescope 130-400mm Diameter | Quick Release Aluminum Telescope Finder Base, Vixen Dovetail Bar, For MQR III&IV/Witty One V-Bracket, Fit Red Dot Finderscope

This finder scope base is a perfect fit for my Nexstar 8se. I recently purchased a StarSense AutoAlign and wanted to dual mount it on my 8se with my existing finderscope. In order to do that, I needed to purchase 2 things: 1) You need a Vixen Dovetail finder base to attach to the 8se optical tube assembly (OTA) since it doesn't come with one. 2) You need to purchase a dual or triple mount finder scope bracket. The StarSense AutoAlign comes with a large bracket, which can be used to connect directly to the OTA, as well as a smaller Vixen Dovetail bracket, which is what I will be using with this finder base. I previously purchased another cheaper finder base on Amazon but it had 3 problems: the stock screws were too wide to fit in the finder base (this requiring you to buy new screws separately), the screw holes were too narrow by approximately 1mm, and the Vixen Dovetail mount was slightly too small so the AutoAlign would only fit half-way into the mount! I'm glad to say that this product by AstroMania has none of those problems. The stock screws easily fit so you don't need to buy any new screws. The screw hold are widely spaced out and easily fit the 8se OTA. And the mount itself easily fits the AutoAlign. This finder base is really well made. The curve under the mount perfectly lines up with the 8" OTA. And the hand screws are really smooth and don't wobble when turning. This finder base also has 2 hand screws instead of 1 screw like some of the other cheaper finder bases so you can feel comfortable mounting a lot of weight on the base. One nice thing I noticed is that the thickness of the metal at the center of this base is much thicker than the cheaper finder base I first bought. It seems much sturdier and less prone to bending compared to the other finder base. I noticed that AstroMania also sells another finder base for SCT telescopes. At first I was going to get that other one but I realized that the screw spacing is up to 37.3mm for that base, which is about the same as the first finder base I tried. So that other AstroMania base would probably have been too small for my 8se since the screw spacing is between 37-38mm. On the other hand this base has spacing up to 41mm, which easily fits the 8se's screw spacing.

Perfect solution to mounting a laser pen on a C8 scope.

I was immediately sold when I read Gary Elble's "Mount Bracket" review and ordered mine and paid the extra for same day delivery. It mounts perfectly to my Celestron 6se for my new Astromania 9x50 finder scope.

Seems like every time you turn around you need to reconfigure something. These work great for that.

I have a Celestron Nexstar Evo 6 and the mount itself attaches just fine. Nice and secure. The reason I say 4 stars overall instead of 5 is because of a slight difference in the thumbscrews provided versus what is pictured. There is a flange/spacer on the thumbscrews I have that is 2-3mm long. Maybe on any other guide scope the dovetail and these thumbscrews would not be an issue. Unfortunately for me I purchased at the same time the Astromania 60mm Compact Deluxe Finder & Guidescope Kit also found here on Amazon. The dovetail is a bit narrow, and because of this in combination with the space/flange of the thumbscrews, the thumbscrews will not fully secure the guidescope. I only need like literally 1mm more and it would be fine. Regrettably now I need to find slightly longer screws/thumbscrews to secure my guidescope. The real kicker is that this is two Astromania products that are not fully compatible with each other. I don't feel this is a bait and switch or slighted by any means. Products slightly change over time and I'm sure I would have still bought this adapter even if the thumbscrews I have were pictured online. Just stinks that I only need a single millimeter longer thumbscrews.

Bought to hold a finder scope - works well. Feels very solid.

If you are looking for a mount for your finder scope that is just a bit more refined this is it not that it does any more but it does look impressive

Fits well on Celestron cpc 1100 HD