Help identifying an eyepiece

[Colsey]

Can anyone point me in the direction of this eyepiece? It comes from the BST range but the normal BST sellers dont have it, is it new? If not a review would be great.

[Steve Ward]

http://www.kkohki.com/products/photon.html

[ronin]

Looks like the "BST" range made by Barsta, minor problem is Barsta do not give a 32mm.

Barsta70

They are another eyepiece that is often sold by Astro-Tech, again I cannot see a 32mm

AstronomicsAT70

Will say that Barsta seem to have added to a couple of their eyepiece ranges and nothing on their website so maybe it is a new addition. I have a BST Starguider in 3.2mm and like the one you show only one place seems to have it. How/why I have no idea.

There may be a review on CN of the Astro-Tech variant, think I saw one some time back, however 70 degree eyepieces seem never to have caught the buyers attention. Antares had their W70 range for some time before the BST.X-Cels arrived with lesser 60 degree eyepieces that did get bought. The W70's are good eyepieces.

I think the Astro-Tech branded one above was along the same line, sort of nice eyepiece and that was it, no cries of brilliance or waste of space, very subdued. Bit strange but 70's just don't seem to have clicked.

Jusr remembered that TS tend to have Barsta items rebranded s TS and they have what appears to be these as their Expanse range, again no 32mm. May be worth an email asking.

[John]

Telescope Services in Germany carry a virtually identical eyepiece also in the 2" format but at 22mm focal length. My personal theory is that these are optically the same as the Skywatcher SWA 70 degree range despite their cosmetic differences. 

[Colsey]

Cheers guys

@ronin I knew I had seen the design somewhere before, it must of been those you posted. As you say maybe an email is needed.

@John I hope they are as I am concidering the Skywatcher SWA and this unknown eyepiece should come in at around £60-£70 which is quite a bit cheaper

[ronin]

The one branded up as Astro-Tech has been around a couple of years, but I have not seen it over here in any form or name.

In the US they are $120 so I would guess around £80-100, probably £100ish here. TS ones are sort of £80-90 but been reduced a little.

They seem nice eyepieces but I suspect they are a little too costly, effectively an extra 10 degrees at 2x the cost of a BST Starguider.

If the 32mm is available and is a 1.25" and if the field is 70 degrees then if a reasonable cost it could make a nice wide(ish) eyepiece for use on a Mak/SCT. But you can read a lot of "if's" in that sentance.

For the Antares W70's check the RVO site

[Colsey]

I was basing my guestimate of £60-£70 on the info from http://www.kkohki.com/products/photon.html on there the bst's are 8,800 yen which equals £51 so roughly what they sell for here. The 32mm eyepiece is 11,000 yen which is £64 so I would hope they would again be about the same price here, if they even go on sale here.

Cheers for the heads up on the W70's will look into them.

[John]

If you intend to use this in a fast scope you need be realistic about the astigmatism that the eyepiece will show in the outer part of the field of view.

[Colsey]

Cheers John yes I just read a thread where you didnt rate them very much. As I have an f/4.7 I might give it a miss.