Older Explore Scientific 30mm (not waterproof) 82* - Any experiences out there?

[Bart]

Hello all,

Wondered if anyone has experience of the above eyepiece? Just made impulse buy delivered to ireland for just over £150:D. Hope it'll be ok in F5 or F4.5......

Bart

[faulksy]

i no the newer 82degree eps nitrogen charged are around £90 all in from the states or £130 ish here. is this what your asking

[Bart]

Not really Faulsky, just wondering if anyone has used the older type? Almost everyone in Ireland/UK who have ESs, have the newer ones, N purged. Just wondered if anyone has experience with the older type.

Bart

[Dunkster]

Wow Bart, I thought I was impulsive

Aren't the previous generation remarkably similar (cough) to the Meade UWA?

Btw, the N2 30mm is US$299

[johninderby]

The 30mm is now £289.00 here, or about £250.00 imported from the US, so £150.00 seems like a fair price for the older version as it's supposed to be the same optically.

John

[spaceboy]

Wow Bart, I thought I was impulsive

Aren't the previous generation remarkably similar (cough) to the Meade UWA?

Btw, the N2 30mm is US$299

Stands a good chance it's a Meade clone. I know from threads on CN the ES 70' EP are said to possibly be a clone of one of Meade's QX. The purged 82' EP are for sure ES own spec but a lot of EP's & Scopes on the market come out the same factory with simply a re-brand. It may pay you to see what reviews say about the Meade UWA and see how they compare to your findings ??

[spaceboy]

The 30mm is now £289.00 here, or about £250.00 imported from the US, so £150.00 seems like a fair price for the older version as it's supposed to be the same optically.

John

Was there not a 1/2 price sale on or something in the US? either that or they were heavily discounted ? I know a member on SGL picked up the 100' at a very good price compared to UK.

[Dunkster]

There was an ES sale on until the beginning of March... the shorter FL ES82s were $20-$50 off current prices and I think the 30mm was US$199 but I can't remember accurately. The ES100s were US$100 off currently prices, iirc.

[Bart]

try telescope.net as they are doing some deals on ES, that's where I got the old 30mm, I thought it would be very close to the newer ones in performance. The newer 68* N purged are going for $99 , I went for a 20mm as well . My wife will kill me, lol.

Bart

[spaceboy]

EDIT: Sorry posted in wrong thread

[Dunkster]

Hello Bart - has the weather been kind enough to give you first light yet?

[Bart]

Hello Bart - has the weather been kind enough to give you first light yet?

Hello Dunkster,

Yes I got a chance last week to use the 30mm. Conditions weren't great and it wasn't astronomically dark. Its a big heavy EP, see pic below. When I put my eye up to the 30mm and looked through, I thought I was going to fall in, the hole was that big. Really lovely to look through and scan. Using it will take a bit of getting used to, as you have to get your head around it. I use my right eye for observing and with the size of the EP, my left would naturally approach it with ease. Never mind, I'll adapt. The barrell of the EP slides up to your most comfortable position. I have a nice sliding counterweight and thats fine. Need to work out a routine for actually swithing from this to another EP without moving the scope alt.

The ES 20mm was nice too, good solid EP, some slight star disfigurement at the very edge, but nothing mad. I have come to the conclusion that slight abberations at the edge is something that doesn't bother me. What I want to see is in the centre of the FOV and the rest is a frame for it. As long at the rest of the FOV isn't a nightmare it think its fine.

Bart

Some context...

[Dunkster]

Great, thanks - what a beast!

[alan potts]

Gart,

Accordimg to the Meade Dealer here in Bulgaria who is a close friend of mine these are the small glass as Meade eyepieces in different clothes. The only one that is different is the 11mm UWA and the 18mm, I have the new 14mm and 18mm. The dealer now tells me they are trying to make the look differnt. Look at the Bresser range, it is the old Meade Plosse and QA range dress different.

Alan.

[alan potts]

Bart

Sorry I am typing in low light.

Alan

[alan potts]

Bart,

I stayed out too late last night, what am I on about,

ExSC have taken the old Meade QX range

and Bresser has the old S5000 Plossl range, they are the same

Almost all of the Ex Sc UWA are the Meade UWA 5000 series.

I prefer the Meade range of 5000, they just feel better to me.

Alan

[Dunkster]

There's also been speculation that ES use more/better coatings than Meade.