when Ep`s dont do diet and become obese...(Meade UWA 30mm)

[Dude_with_the_tube]

yep i guess you have already heard about the beast of UWA named Meade 5000 ultra wide angle 30mm EP.I tried searching net for some actual flesh pictures of this but never found anything great,as such to give some sort of reference point for others looking into getting this Ep,here are the pics of this beast in flesh.I did put them on digi scales and the EP in working condition does weight a healthy 1kg 330grms. the 24mm is more manageable EP,still the size of bean can.

bean can is must in these pictures as everyone has one at home. the plossl is the standard skywatcher 10mm for the size comparison.

managed to get an hour of gazing this evening to try out both Ep and ohh boy these are nice.On both Ep`s i enjoyed the eye position,very comfortable,no seagulls,just pure enjoyment. pin point stars across the FOV,cant find any faults.Onto the 30mm and WOW.First of all the EP itself is huge as such the twist up rubber eye is huge.try putting that can of beans in front of your eye and you will understand what i am talking about.As it is freezing out there,i just pointed the scope to Orion Nebula and i just cant describe it.Basically its like your eye ball has been sucked out of the socket and been thrown in to the space.You have the nebula in the center and the huge field of stars around.the FOV is so huge that you do have to move the eye around to see everything.it is like sitting 20 " from a 60" TV ,you cant see everything at the first glimpse.just too much info for the eyes.I am totally blown away by both Ep`s and cant wait for good clear skies on the weekend when i am off work so i can spend a good few hrs observing the skies.(weather permitted) I absolutely look forward to the views of globular clusters through these EP`s.My sons favorite Beehive and X-mas tree clusters will be stunning in these.

Would i recommend meade 5000 UWA? Absolutely! i now have a full set of them and they are superb bang for money.Never had any issues with them,re-focusing is minimal when i change from one to another EP and they are fraction of the Televue naglers.Obviously if I had the funds,I would go for televue,but as i have family too,Meades are the ones i went for and i don't regret a second!

Clear skies everyone!

[John]

You seem to have caught the ultra-wide bug

They are monsters, these 30mm ultra wides aren't they ?

I had a peek inside my Nagler 31 a while back an there are lenses in there 80mm across - probably the same in your Meade as well. Thats why these chaps are so stout

In the spring / summer, use a 2" O-III filter and have a look at the Veil Nebula in Cygnus with the 10" scope and the 30mm / 82 degree EP - it's mind blowing on a dark night

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

These ultra-wides are great, I find. I have the Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust", and it is a cracking EP. Probably also quite capable of cracking someone's skull, should it fall out of the scope onto the unwary.

[swamp thing]

Lol! I remember checking one of these 30mm beasts out at telescope house. Couldn't believe the shoe box size box it came in. I thought "Cripes! A cat could sleep in there" Made my 31mm nag box look small.

Great eyepiece congrats

[crashtestdummy]

i have the ES 82 degree 30mm which is pretty much the same as the other ep's described.i have to balast my 12" dob when using it at low angles,its a proper monster but worth it.i do 90% of my viewing with it

[John]

i have the ES 82 degree 30mm which is pretty much the same as the other ep's described.i have to balast my 12" dob when using it at low angles,its a proper monster but worth it.i do 90% of my viewing with it

Yep - a 12" dob under a dark sky with a monster eyepiece in the drawtube - it doesn't get much better.

Big week for Dougal this one BTW - does he know that "conclave" does not refer to the shape his shaving mirror is ?

[estwing]

wow...not get many of those in an EP case...congrats!

[Dude_with_the_tube]

Thanks for the recomendation John,that was the plan to use these Eps on.i am still hoping for a good weather at the end of this month when Panstarrs will be next to Andromeda.was wondering if I could fit both of them in one fov lol.and yes the wide field bug got me properly and to be honest I don't regret it.as for dropping the ep,I wouldn't recommend doing that,might end up with casualties.he he.

[crashtestdummy]

i think Dougal is quietly confident as he has mrs Doyle serving tea in conclave chanting "you will" every 2 seconds

[John]

Thanks for the recomendation John,that was the plan to use these Eps on.i am still hoping for a good weather at the end of this month when Panstarrs will be next to Andromeda.was wondering if I could fit both of them in one fov lol.and yes the wide field bug got me properly and to be honest I don't regret it.as for dropping the ep,I wouldn't recommend doing that,might end up with casualties.he he.

With the 10" dob the 30mm will show just over 2 degrees of sky. That will show the core of M31 plus M32 and M110 in the same FoV but M31 will "spill over" the field edges on a dark night - it's that big !

With my 4" F/6.5 refractor I can get nearly twice as much sky with the Nagler 31 but even that's not enough for M31 - I believe it's somewhere around 6 degrees across in full.

If Panstarrs gets within 2 degrees of the core of M31 you can catch them both at the same time - that would be a sight !

[Dude_with_the_tube]

just did a test run in stellarium,and if that thing does not lie,then i will be unable to get M31,32,110 and Panstarrs in one FOV,however i can get all the Messiers in one with ease.If it would of been 3 degrees of FOV then yes all 4 fit. to fit all 4 it will have to be atliest 31mm 100deg FOV EP.(overkill)

But even so,3 messiers in 1 FOV i will take that any time told wifey that 5th of april we all are off to dark site .again weather permitting.(it better be cloudless for crying out loud)

[swamp thing]

The NA and veil nebs look fantastic through these giant field eyepieces when coupled with an O-III filter.

Roll on those summer constellations eh?

[John]

Leo is well placed at the moment and has two sets of "triplets", M65, M66 and NGC 3628 and also M95, M96 and M105. You may well be able to get each of those groups in the same field too.

[Dude_with_the_tube]

Leo is well placed at the moment and has two sets of "triplets", M65, M66 and NGC 3628 and also M95, M96 and M105. You may well be able to get each of those groups in the same field too.

yeah i did check that earlier and deffo will try that out.thanks John.At the moment playing with Stellarium and making some notes.

[alan potts]

I think people tend to forget these two fine eyepieces, I have both but for how much longer I don't know. I have read a very nicely written review on CN of the 30mm UWA and the Nagler 31mm, and it matched up very well indeed.

People on site seem to be head over heels with the ExSc version of this but forget this was on the market before the company even exsisted and is in my opinion every bit the eyepiece of the later addition, they may even be exactly the same.

However I will no doubt get a monster Nagler when I see one come up this is only because my case of Televuebuysyndrome is a sad and un-treatable one.

Alan.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Leo is well placed at the moment and has two sets of "triplets", M65, M66 and NGC 3628 and also M95, M96 and M105. You may well be able to get each of those groups in the same field too.

Should be OK, I can do the former with my C8 and 31T5. M105 and a few nearby NGC is certainly possible, but I am not sure about the Messiers

Regarding PanStarrs and M31: my 80mm scope should be best: 5.3 deg FOV with the 31T5 (and people wonder why I do not use a finder on that ).

[Doug]

Your right Dude these Meade 5000 30mm are a really good eyepiece I started with the Meade 5000 18mm 1.25 and found it to be a great eyepiece and not to big I wanted more of them but settled for the 30mm, as I have other eyepieces I wanted to use ,I also use it on a 12"Dob my friend love it

congrats on the hole set of them

Doug

[alan potts]

The 18mm is the only one I have never had, Never seen one S?H and couldn't buy one due to out of stock 3 times, then they stopped making them. OK they are not as good as Televues but look at the price, I am speaking from a position of know too.

Alan.

[Coco]

Ive started collecting 5000 UWA's and they are in my opinion just as good as the ES 100 range ive had in the past and no doubt as good as the ES 82's, my UWA 5.5 & 8.8 looks positively tiny in comparison.

Thanks for posting..

[Dude_with_the_tube]

i agree,these EP`s are awesome and sometimes ignored for unknown reason.Just purely by accident i picked up the 6.7mm as i was after a high power EP and after trying it i realised how good they are and thats when the bug bit me and I started hunting down the rest of them.Same as Alan, i never managed to get my hands on the 18mm or the 20mm EP as they are out of stock everywhere and S/H do not appear anywhere,but if they do,then they are sold practically immediately. 18mm is the old non water proof version and has great reviews but is not produced any more and been replaced by the 20mm waterproof version and also is out of stock everywhere.Some of the US shops list them as possibly being back in stock only by mid-summer ish.Then again,i did notice that i dont really use that range of 15-23 that often and the gap is not really that bad as it looks as at the end of a day these Ep`s are 82 degree and by having 14mm and then 24mm i am not that affected. Of course,it would be nice to have it lol.However,i do want to get a bigger dob in the range of 14-16" and currently weighting all the options up.

Never looked through 100 degree EP and i will better stay away from them as if that bug bites me then i dont think i will be able to explain my other half why i need another set of Ep`s And for the present time 82 degrees are more than satisfying and sometimes even a bit too wide.

clear skies folks.