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Seben Zoom 8-24Mm, Cheap Zoom Eyepiece


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For those interested in an inexpensive eyepiece, I started a topic on the Seben Zoom 8-24mm which includes detailed reports from several contributors.

At the suggestion of the Moderators, I have included a link here so that a wider audience may read the comments which were originally posted in the Beginners Help and Advice section.

I hope that the link works and that the comments are of use to readers.

Many thanks.

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I had my fist real use with the seben zoom last night during twilight viewing the moon.

I have only the standard EPs and Dione cheap unbranded plossls to compare with also this was my first real attempt to view the moon with my newish 200 dob.

Wow!

The views were crisp and extremely detailed. The ability to vary magnification without changing the EP was a revelation. It enables me to find a crater or other feature and smoothly increase the mag but still track it easily. I was able to see the straight was easily and closely examine the surface features aroun this area.

I also tried to use the seben with the cheapie 2x Barlow that I got from eBay. The combination continued to work well close to the limit of an effectively 4mm EP. Although I found the best compromise of mag and crispness of image was achieved around an effective FL of 5 to 6mm.

Overall I'm very impressed with the EP for the money and would have no hesitation in recommending it to others, especially beginners.

Thanks again to strangely brown for alerting me to the quality of this EP.

Rob

PS I took a couple of pictures on my phone which do not do the EP justice but I had to try!

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Untitled by ikorodu, on Flickr

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Untitled by ikorodu, on Flickr

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Untitled by ikorodu, on Flickr

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I'm very interested in purchasing this to cheaply expand my EP collection for the time being and looks like it'd be ideal. I'll stick to my BST 8mm for high mag stuff, but I like this as an alternative to a 12 - 18mm, which I was going to buy separately.

But I can't find one!

Is it the same as this SkyWatcher one from TSTL? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skywatcher-8-24mm-1-25-Zoom-Telescope-Eyepiece-/380417284665?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item5892a31a39

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The seben zoom is great value for money with very simple zoom adjustment and a T-thread attached. Though not parfocal it is simpler to use for photography than the Baader mkIII zoom as one can simply change the zoom without having to readjust the EP on the telescope. If like me you are limited by the seeing conditions at your localtion, the benefits of a more expensive zoom EP will be rarely seen.

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I'll be using it for purely visual.

About the skywatcher one, the price is about the same, and it seems to got a decent review in s@n. Anyone got any experience with that one?

They look very similar so think it might be a rebadge job.

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If I get this I'll have 8mm - 24mm zoom, an 8mm BST for high mag, a 25mm stock ep and a Tal 2 x barlow.

I think that'll just about do me for a long time. Only thing I'd really be looking at after this would be a 32mm PanaView, but that can wait...

Certainly a saving on the 2 NPL/GSO plossl's in the 13mm - 18mm range I was thinking of...

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Hey ikorodu, I am so glad that you liked the EP. It is great value and your write up was absolutely spot on. You are right- it does work equally as well with a Barlow (I use a Tal x2, and highly recommend that you pick one of those up too!) Try having a look at M13 and M57 through the Seben- they are both fairly easy to find and yield amazing views (especially the Ring Nebula!) Also, those pics are great and I hope that you can post some more.

Hugechris, you are correct in stating that more expensive zoom EPs will rarely offer benefits in a light polluted area. I couldn't agree more- and have happily put the £130 extra that the Baader sells for on to purchasing my tenth guitar. Money well spent...

Spec-Chum, I am sure that this versatile EP will serve your needs well. Don't waste your cash on a load of fixed EPs; if you can only afford one EP at the moment, this one does most of the things that you will require at a very reasonable cost.

I wouldn't bother with filters for now, and being new to this pursuit (as I am), I would suggest that you invest in the following (in the following order):

Seben Zoom (I got mine from amazon for fifty quid)

Ironing stool (makes viewing so much easier and more comfortable!)

8mm BST Explorer

Telrad finder (so easy to use...)

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Can anyone tell me what size the thread is on the seben zoom? I have a 52mm thread on my camera and was hoping to get some afocal moon shots. There are so many stepping rings available that I'm a bit lost.

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Can anyone tell me what size the thread is on the seben zoom? I have a 52mm thread on my camera and was hoping to get some afocal moon shots. There are so many stepping rings available that I'm a bit lost.

It has e standard t-thread so not so good for direct coupling afocal shots, but very simple coupling with a t-ring.

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Hugechris, I see from your other posts that you have the Baader Hyperion Mark III zoom: are the "rarely seen" benefits of this costlier zoom really worth the considerable extra pennies?

It is all too easy for us consumers to be seduced by brand names (especially the more expensive ones!); so, knowing that the Seben is a cheap and cheerful bargain- how far does the Baader genuinely match up, and which one do you (honestly) prefer?

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Hugechris, I see from your other posts that you have the Baader Hyperion Mark III zoom: are the "rarely seen" benefits of this costlier zoom really worth the considerable extra pennies?

It is all too easy for us consumers to be seduced by brand names (especially the more expensive ones!); so, knowing that the Seben is a cheap and cheerful bargain- how far does the Baader genuinely match up, and which one do you (honestly) prefer?

I bought the Seben zoom first as one of my first eyepieces and I am very happy with it for imaging / viewing. The MkIII is very good (I purchased that with the Barlow as I did not have one). Comparing the two, the Baader has better light transmission and less internal reflection issues than the Seben, more noticable at 8mm focal length. In terms of photographic use the Seben is lighter simpler to connect to a DSLR and very simple to adjust zoom with the Camera attached. The Baader is bulky and a bit of a fiddle to adjust on the telescope whilst the camera is mounted and zooming. The Baader is not 100% parfocal there are still (smaller) adjustments to be made to achieve focus.

To summarise, I am glad I have both and since getting the MkIII I still use the Seben when I have limited time with the scope.

As I said if you spend most of your time viewing from an urban location with boliing air & LP with little time to get away then the Seben is a better investment. If you already have a reasonable set of fixed focus EPs and you are looking for something that allows you to take some very decent images or zoom in on lunar / planetary / solar features then the Seben is great.

The MkIII is a better EP thatis clear, but that final 10%+ comes at a cost.

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Nice, honest comparison Chris. I would imagine its easy to fall into the "I paid enough for the thing, so of course it's miles better!!" placebo effect.

Well done for staying so objective and making me even more sure I've ordered the right thing lol

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I bought a Seben 8-24 by mistake, didn't read the ad properly. In such a rush to buy it before anyone else i didn't note the brand name. And then dreaded its arrival knowing the reputation Seben have for their scopes. But after using it i was smitten. Great views and it became (still is 4 years later) my perfect travel eyepiece collection in one.

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Hi,

Nice review of both eyepieces. I found the Seben to be a good eyepiece for the money and although I don't have a Baader zoom, I do have a couple of fixed focal length Hyperions and they are also good value. I think I would agree with Chris, that extra 10% does seem very costly to achieve and you do need to put it into perspective if you have LP in your area. You also need to consider the scope that the eyepiece is attached to? Would it be worth spending a lot of money on an eyepiece, if the optics of the scope weren't up to it and would you actually get that extra 10%?

I have several webcams, some costing only £5 and then a couple of astro ccd, costing £100s, not to mention a DSLR. Is the image from the astro ccds so much better than the cheap webcam? Yes, you can see more detail and yes on any given night the images are better, but are they 30 - 50 times better? The answer is NO. So why pay that much more? Well with a camera you have an image for ever and everyone can see, so naturally you want the best image you can get.

With an eyepiece you still want the best image or best viewing experience, but it is harder to justify the expense.

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Thanks to Hugechris for the honest comparison- it is so very refreshing to read comments which are not coloured by the deceitful glare of greater price equating to greater performance. Naturally, better quality components obviously give superior performance; yet, to many of us the differences are so subtle that they are barely noticeable to the average user.

I had rather hoped that this would be the case: I knew that the Baader would be a better performer (especially at the extreme ends), but am delighted that the difference is really not that great a gulf. It just goes to show that bargains can be found!

I am glad that I went for the cheaper option and I certainly have no plans to upgrade my Seben for the Baader: as, for me and my requirements, that considerably extra cost is simply a waste of money that I could spend on other things...

Thanks to all those who have commented on this thread- it would be great to hear from other users too to gain a wider picture of what this seemingly overlooked eyepiece can actually deliver.

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Yeah, gloomy here too but its pool league night tonight so I wouldn't be going out with it anyway.

I'll be sure to post a first light report, but I've only got the stock ep's and an 8mm BST to compare it to. Still, it'll be interesting to see how it fares against them.

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I don't have much more than that myself!

I would be pleased to know what you think of it, once you get the chance to use it.

In my opinion it is much better than the stock EPs, and against the BST it is a good match: certain things are better through the Seben (such as planets), and others better through the BST (such as DSOs)- but there is only a subtle difference. The Seben is far more versatile and (for me) this makes it easier to locate objects than with the BST; however, overall the BST does have the optical edge- but only just- yet, if I had to only choose one to keep I would pick the Seben.

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