Revelation 1.25 Dialetric Diagonal

[Jimtheslim]

Anyone know if these are worth the money when considering upgrading from the 'entry level' diagonal I got with my 90mm Skywatcher? I have read good things about the 2" but was wondering if the same quality is noticeable in the 1.25"? I have seen the 1.25" for sale at Telescopehouse for £52, a price I don't mind paying if it will improve my views. I have now also upgraded my standard eyepieces to Meade plossls.

I think I'm going to replace the diagonal as I think I have some feint scratches on the mirror. As I look 'around' the eyepiece at Jupiter, the image seems to go in and out of focus a little and this also happens as Jupiter moves across the field of view. I removed the mirror from the diagonal and putting a very gentle breath on it under the light I could see feint lines on it. It also seemed to have some small marks on it so me being me, who cannot leave things alone, cleaned it. I blew the dust off using a small air pump then using one drop of fairly liquid in a mug of tepid water used a cotton wool pad which I dampened with the water and pulled it across the mirror using it's own weight. I then rinsed it with pure water and allowed to dry. The marks are gone but the feint lines remain when I breath across it. Also the mirror is mounted ever so slightly out of line with the edges of the plastic backing (having taken it apart it looks and feels a bit cheap). In short I can't leave it alone and want to replace it. Should I pay the extra £20 for a dialetric or just replace like for like?

Any opinions or feedback on using above mentioned diagonals would be greatly received.

[damnut]

Hi There,

FLO had the Opticron 2" dielectric diagonal on a special offer, after replacing one diagonal, i replaced another. The difference with the new diagonal was noticeable.

If the upgrade is £20 for the dielectric it is worth having.

[russ.will]

The Revelation 1.25" Diagonal at £52 isn't just dielectric, it's also Quartz and that's another step up. Mind you, it has to be said that once you get to this level of diagonal, the steps are quite small for relatively large jumps in price. I have a Rev 1.25" and I'd give it the nod over my 2" ES item, which is essentially a Meade Series 5000 Dielectric. It just seems to tease out that tiny bit more detail than the biggun at high magnifications.

Russell

[Jimtheslim]

Yeah I didn't want to go crazy on price, especially with my entry level refractor, however since I think it's time for a new one I was thinking about spending a little extra for some good quality and also something that would stand up to my over zealous desire to clean things! It's funny how I cannot seem to decide whether to spend an extra 20 quid on a quality diagonal (or anyting else for my scope for that matter), yet I'll happily pump several times that amount into my fuel tank or waste it behind a bar somewhere! I'm certainly not going to star looking to go up to a 2" or start spending hundreds of pounds on accessories...yet!

[Dave In Vermont]

I have the GSO (Revelation) 1.25" diagonal. It's excellent. And not that much money. The William Optics dielectric 1.25" is about the only other choice for a top-flight dielectric diagonal. On a 1.25" that is. Either of these will be the last 1.25" diagonal you'll ever buy. The only way from these is down.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Xiionn]

I just bought a 2" Dialectric Quartz Diagonal made by Altair Astro for £70. Its a quality item and the views have improved noticeably. I got it from Wex Photographic. They also do a 2" 45deg erecting quartz dialectric for £100 (For land observation) and it is a thing of beauty i can tell you. The quality of the thing just makes you want to hold it and run your fingers over it.

[Dave In Vermont]

I just bought a 2" Dialectric Quartz Diagonal made by Altair Astro for £70. Its a quality item and the views have improved noticeably. I got it from Wex Photographic. They also do a 2" 45deg erecting quartz dialectric for £100 (For land observation) and it is a thing of beauty i can tell you. The quality of the thing just makes you want to hold it and run your fingers over it.

I just Googled-up the Altair. I am amused to report that it is a re-branded GSO/Revelation. Right down to the same box. And found it for £49.99! Nothing like the cruelty of capitalism!

http://www.altairastro.com/altair-astro-1.25-dielectric-star-diagonal.html

In the last analysis - these are great diagonals! Regardless of the company-name scrawled on them.

Clear & Dark Skies,

Dave

EDIT: Oops! You got the 2". Anywho - the rest of my banter is accurate.

[russ.will]

They also do a 2" 45deg erecting quartz dialectric for £100 (For land observation) and it is a thing of beauty i can tell you. The quality of the thing just makes you want to hold it and run your fingers over it.

Or you could buy it with Williams Optics on the side for £174! Very good value the Altair stuff.

Russell

[Xiionn]

I just Googled-up the Altair. I am amused to report that it is a re-branded GSO/Revelation. Right down to the same box. And found it for £49.99! Nothing like the cruelty of capitalism!

EDIT: Oops! You got the 2". Anywho - the rest of my banter is accurate.

Heh, yep i got the two inch, which is £80 on here, i feel better now!

Decent diagonal that's for sure. If the revelation is the same unit and cheaper, then i say go for it!

[Xiionn]

Or you could buy it with Williams Optics on the side for £174! Very good value the Altair stuff.

Russell

Ouch, that's a big price difference, i feel a LOT better now!

[Jimtheslim]

Well, I eventually ordered the Revelation 1.25" dialetric so I will just provide a little update as to what I have found after a night of observing with it, just in case anyone is thinking about making the change and digs up this thread. First of all this is a quality item compared to the stock diagonal I received with my Skywatcher 90mm refractor. The weight and build quality seem far superior. Inside the black coatings are far more muted in a mat black finish and putting them side by side you can really see how much more stray light there is in the stock diagonal bouncing around off the shiny internal coatings.

On to observing and I started at my favourite time which is twilight. I noticed a massive difference with Venus. When I last looked at it all I could see was a chromatic blur, a tiny white speck with a lot of blue and red protruding from the edges. Now I could clearly see the half moon shape of the planet with almost no CA. This could be due to there being less stray light in the diagonal or simply because I was viewing it at a slightly different time than before. Either way the view was markedly improved.

Jupiter also looked incredible early on. I have observed Jupiter many times at twilight as I prefer it and now it seemed better. I could easily make out the polar regions in a different colour, something that I only used to get a hint of before. Now they are very clear as the contrast of colours appears slightly better. Unfortunately seeing conditions deteriorated as it started to get dark so my views of Saturn were very poor, with it going in and out of focus at 140x magnification and lower.

I will need to take the scope to the farm and its less light polluted skies to get an idea of whether it's better with DSO's, but as a start with planets I would say that I can tell a slight difference and there is no buyers remorse here.

[ghostdance]

I'm very pleased to read your review Jim, as I've just bought the Rev Astro Quartz diagonal (thanks Telescope House for a great price and quick delivery) for my new SW 90 Mak. The diagonal certainly looks very well-made and a quality item. Now to sit on my hands til a clear night!

Steve

[Alfian]

Good feedback Jim' you've got me thinking again about a new diagonal!

[Jimtheslim]

The only issue I have found is that my barlow doesn't sit all the way down. However it was a stock Barlow that is covered in dust specks and I have enough eyepieces now to not need it. I used it on the moon for the first time this evening and it looks very crisp. Again the amount of CA seems reduced and the image is much better. This may of course be because I put a scratch on my last diagonal but still very pleased and £50 isn't going to break the bank. Whether it is worth the extra £20 or so over a Celestron or similar replacement diagonal I cannot say but definitely a slight improvement on the stock and as we know, a tiny improvement is a giant leap!