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Red dot finders

Celestron StarPointer

A red dot finder that projects an artificial star onto a window so a target can be aimed at with both eyes open, supplied with several mounting plates.

Celestron StarPointer red dot finder with mounting plates

Celestron StarPointer

A red dot finder that projects an artificial star onto a window so a target can be aimed at with both eyes open, supplied with several mounting plates.

Reticle type
A red LED star projected onto a window
Brightness adjustment
Adjustable over a wide range, per the maker
Bracket fitting
Not published by the maker.
Battery type
Not published by the maker.
Life
Not published by the maker.
Window size
None — it is a projected reticle, not an optical finder · The listing gives none
Alignment adjustment
Not published by the maker.
Amazon reference
B002HMN02O (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
4047825003690
  • Base plates are supplied, which addresses the shoe problem directly
  • Both-eyes-open aiming is genuinely faster than squinting through an optical finder
  • No clear aperture figure

Best for: Complementing an optical finder on a telescope that already has the bracket

≈ £35 / €36
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Reticle type
A red LED star projected onto a window
Brightness adjustment
Adjustable over a wide range, per the maker
Bracket fitting
Not published by the maker.
Battery type
Not published by the maker.
Life
Not published by the maker.
Window size
None — it is a projected reticle, not an optical finder · The listing gives none
Alignment adjustment
Not published by the maker.
Amazon reference
B002HMN02O (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
4047825003690

How it works

A red LED projects an artificial star onto a partially reflective window. You look through the window at the real sky with both eyes open, and the dot appears to sit among the stars. Move the telescope until the dot is on the target.

What it adds and what it does not

It adds a fast, precise pointing reference. It adds no magnification and no light grasp, so it cannot show a star the naked eye cannot see. That is the fundamental difference from an optical finder, and it is why many telescopes carry both.

The base plates

Supplied as a set. Finder shoes are not standardised, and a finder without a matching bracket is an ornament — so a set of plates is worth as much as any feature of the finder itself.

Brightness

Adjustable over a wide range. At a dark site a bright dot blots out the faint stars you are aiming between; in a town a dim one disappears. One fixed setting fails somewhere.

Availability

German, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores ran from 36 € to 40 € on the day of the survey.

British Amazon store lists it in local currency, which the euro range above sets aside.

French Amazon catalogue holds a record for it that nobody is selling.

American Amazon store gave no result whatever, so the buy button there opens a search rather than an empty page.

Figures as Keepa reported them on the day this page was last updated. Stock and pricing shift without warning.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 17 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

What this fits

More red dot finders

  • Omegon Deluxe red dot finder in metal housing

    Omegon Deluxe red dot finder (32974)

    A metal red dot finder offering a dot, a circle with dot, a crosshair and a cross with circle, adjusted on both axes with a hex key.

    Reticle type
    Four — dot, circle with dot, crosshair, cross with circle
    Brightness adjustment
    Not described in the extract
    Bracket fitting
    Not specified beyond fitting parallel on the tube
    Battery type
    Not published by the maker.
    Life
    Not published by the maker.
    Window size
    The listing gives none
    Alignment adjustment
    Height and azimuth, with a hex key
    Amazon reference
    B00E5UYQ88 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4049467329749
    • A metal body, where the finders supplied with telescopes are usually thin plastic
    • Four reticle patterns rather than a single dot
    • No clear aperture figure, which is the defining specification of this type

    Best for: Replacing the flimsy red dot finder supplied with a telescope

    ≈ £74 / €83
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  • Astromania dual finder bracket with two Vixen-style bases

    Astromania Dual finder bracket (MBDTF)

    A bracket with two Vixen/Synta-pattern finder bases, letting two aiming devices be carried on one telescope without drilling the tube.

    Reticle type
    Not published by the maker.
    Brightness adjustment
    Not published by the maker.
    Bracket fitting
    Two, with Vixen/Synta-pattern slots · No drilling required, per the maker
    Battery type
    Not published by the maker.
    Life
    Not published by the maker.
    Window size
    Not published by the maker.
    Alignment adjustment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B01EZLW6W4 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6970019295077
    • Two aiming devices on one telescope without modifying the tube
    • Knurled screws that work with gloves, which is a genuine winter specification
    • It is a bracket, not a finder, and the family heading does not say so

    Best for: Running a red dot finder and an optical finder together on one telescope

    ≈ $29
    Check price on Amazon
  • Baader Planetarium SkySurfer III red dot finder

    Baader Planetarium SkySurfer III

    A red dot finder with a 30 mm clear aperture rather than the usual 20 mm, dew shields at both ends and a coated 1:1 objective that dims the sky less.

    Reticle type
    Not published by the maker.
    Brightness adjustment
    Adjustable brightness
    Bracket fitting
    Standard finder shoe, telescopes, larger telescopes, binoculars and spotting scopes
    Battery type
    Not published by the maker.
    Life
    Not published by the maker.
    Window size
    30 mm, against the 20 mm of common alternatives per the maker · 1:1 anti-reflection coated, dimming the sky less than rivals per the maker
    Alignment adjustment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B001ILJCCC (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
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    • A 30 mm clear aperture shows considerably more sky than the 20 mm standard
    • Dew shields at both ends, which no other red dot finder here has
    • Considerably more expensive than the plain red dot finders on this shelf

    Best for: Anyone whose red dot finder keeps dewing over or washing out the sky

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The rest of this rack

  • Shadowhawk S1616 rechargeable torch with red mode

    Shadowhawk S1616

    A rechargeable torch whose red LEDs are on a dedicated second switch, with stepless dimming, a charge display and IP67 sealing, published at 155 g.

    Red output type
    Three XPE chips, per the maker · Neither wavelength nor minimum output is published
    Dimming range
    Stepless, by holding the power button; excluded from strobe
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Red and COB side light are on a lower switch; white modes are on an upper switch
    Battery type
    USB-C, 4–6 h to full, over 10 h of runtime per the maker
    Cold behaviour
    IP67
    Weight
    155 g, as the maker publishes it
    Attachment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B0H4ZNSHJG (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
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    • Red on a separate switch, so the white modes are never reached by accident in the dark
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    Best for: A general torch for the car and the observing site, whose red mode is genuinely usable

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    Check price on Amazon
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    Toys4Boys 630 nm dimmable red night light

    A dimmable red bedside light at a published 630 nm, made for bedrooms and nurseries rather than for the field.

    Red output type
    630 nm, as the maker publishes it · None — diffuse light
    Dimming range
    Dimmable; the range is not published as figures
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Not published by the maker.
    Battery type
    Not stated in the extract
    Cold behaviour
    Not published by the maker.
    Weight
    Not published by the maker.
    Attachment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B0GLHPSS4M (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    5903981093045
    • The wavelength is published, at the deep red end where adaptation suffers least
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    Best for: A red light for a child’s room, or a table lamp at a garden observing site

    ≈ £19 / €24
    Check price on Amazon
  • UltraFire 501R red LED torch with zoom head

    UltraFire 501R red LED torch

    A red LED torch publishing both its wavelength band and its dimming range, with an adjustable zoom head and an IPX4 aluminium body.

    Red output type
    620–630 nm, as the maker publishes it · The listing gives none
    Dimming range
    Stepless from 5 % to 100 %, as the maker publishes it
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Not published by the maker.
    Battery type
    Not published by the maker.
    Cold behaviour
    IPX4
    Weight
    Not published by the maker.
    Attachment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B08NYJ3J1M (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
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    • Publishes both the wavelength band and the dimming range, which almost nothing here does
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All red dot finders