Morpheus 1st Light

[BillP]

Just tried the Morpheus.  Used my f/8 TSA-102 and the 14mm Morpheus and 14 XW.  Not a lot of targets and the Moon is washing out everything.  But visited M57, M29, M39, Albireo. 

In the TSA stars were nice and pinpoint to the edge.  XW of course showed some field curvature which that one is famous for.  Background was very nicely dark and uniform.  Right near the field stop brighter stars showed a little lateral color, and if you examined for astigmatism by racking the star out of focus you could see from the test that there was a very small amount, but so slight that it did not show when the star was in focus.  So an in focus star at the field stop showed just as small of a point as it did in the XW when I focused it at the edge.  Both eyepieces showed faint stars as well and M57 as well.  FOV was obviously larger than the XW but it did not give an impression as greatly larger.  Exit pupil was well behaved with no blackouts or kidney bean, and just a little more sensitive than the XW to lateral movements.  Overall very comfortable to use.  Eye relief felt slightly tighter.  With the rubber eyeguard up my eye brow was just touching it.  I preferred having it down.  Was easy to see the entire FOV and still be comfortably far from the eyepiece, so quite nice compared to 82 degree EPs which for me are a bit of an effort to see the entire AFOV.

As days progress will test further and in other scopes, particularly the faster Dob.  But off the top really liked it.  Have to say this year seems like lots of top quality EPs are coming out.  Overall liked it a little better than my XW because the off-axis was better than the 14 XW's and everything else was close or on-par.  Will try to catch Saturn tomorrow night with some of the shorter focal lengths.

[alan potts]

Thanks for posting Bill a nice first light report, a promising start but I wonder if like the Hyperion in a fast scope the wheels come off .

There are a few eyepieces where ER seems to be less than stated, the shorter Meade SWA's spring to mine and though probably bang on the money I see why TV stop the Plossl range at 8mm, owning the 11mm.

I look forward to hearing more from you.

Alan.

[Ruud]

Oh, wow! Exciting days for amateur astronomy indeed!

Thanks, Bill. I hope the 6.5 mm turns out just as good as the 14mm because I really want one.  

[John]

Thanks for the report Bill

Lots happening on the eyepiece front this Summer

All wide or wider field and multi element though. Any new "low glass" models in the pipeline I wonder ?

Perhaps modern materials and coatings have made simpler design obsolete now ?

[Pig]

Great report bill  and I am looking forward to hearing more.

[laudropb]

Thanks for a very informative report.

I am thinking of buying these and your report is very helpful. I will await your findings with faster scopes.

[BillP]

I will be posting a full review in the coming weeks.  Just getting started now.

Something interesting is that I believe the 1st light reported on these that they mentioned fuzzy field stop in the 12.5mm when solar observing.  I noticed this too today in my P.S.T..  Then I tried the 11mm DeLite and it was fuzzy as well!  Then my 10 XW and it was fuzzy as well!!  So seems the little PST is not so compatible with all eyepieces.  Not sure what scope that other observer was using for solar.  At any rate, after seeing the fuzzy field stop in the PST I took out my Vixen 81mm Apo and all had nice and sharp field stops.  So definitely something going on with the PST design and how it reacts with complex positive-negative designs.

[damnut]

Look forward to reading the full review Bill. Thanks for posting.

[BillP]

I am thinking of buying these and your report is very helpful. I will await your findings with faster scopes.

With my f/4.7 XT10 and adjustable top Paracorr-I set at the #2 position (second line from full down), stars were sharp right across the FOV.  Just the slight lateral color near the far off-axis, which is typical for all wide fields (I don't think I have found a wide field yet that doesn't have it).  So in the 14mm and 12.5mm, the lateral color on a star point started to show at about the 20% from field stop, and for the rest of the shorter focal lengths at about 10% from the field stop.  And of course only on brighter stars, and not obtrusive.   So all-in-all really beautiful FOV.  M13 was spectacular in all the focal lengths and all the stars in the glob stayed just as visible across the core whether it was dead center in the FOV or when M13 was positioned so it was bisected by the field stop.  Nice little star points everywhere    And btw, field stop sharp on all of them (14, 12.5, 9, 6.5, 4.5).

[jetstream]

Did the astig show up again Bill? What was the shape of the astig in the first test, seagulls or lines...? Nice series of tests BTW, thanks.

[BillP]

No astigmatism in the XT10 w/Paracorr.  In the previous test with another scope, there were no seagulls or lines.  In focus the star was a point the astigmatism was that slight.  Only way to tell it was even there was by racking the star out of focus and seeing a slight oval to the extended pattern that rotated 90 degrees when racked inward vs outward out of focus.  One of those cases where probably not worth reporting as it was so slight that it had no impact on the in-focus image.  But I will definitely have to repeat that test in that scope to validate since I was seeing none in the XT10 w/Paracorr.

As the evening progressed and I stopped testing and just observed, this is really the acid test...which eyepieces did I start using more because I was plain enjoying them?  It was the Morpheus!  So my XWs stayed on the table and I just observed with the Morpheus.  After all the testing the AFOV of the XWs started to feel small    Funny how that can happen.  So was enjoying such a large AFOV with such comfortable eye relief.  I do not like the current 82 degree EPs on the market because always have to dip your eye in so very close to get all 82 degrees.  With the Morpheus could still stand off comfortable and see the entire 76 degrees.  So was very pleasant.  And another thing I noticed was that the eyepiece housing is slim, so when viewing there is not this big fat zone of blackness outside the field stop.  Instead you saw the FOV and then the field stop and then a very thin rim of the housing.  So reminded me of how the housing disappears around the FOV of the 28 RKE.  So it had that character (when the eye guard was folded down).  So similar to that thin rim housing that the 28 RKE has, but the eye placement was very comfortable with no sensitivity like the 28 RKE.  Made observing quite engaging!

[Doc]

Hello Bill.

I'm the person who carried out the first review of the Baader Morpheus.

Really looking forward to your report and how it compares to mine. I must admit it was the first report I have done, but I did take my time and describe exactly what I saw.

You asked what solar scope I was using, it was infact a Baader Herschel Wedge connected to a Esprit 120ED Triplet.

[BillP]

Hi Mick!  Very nice report...especially if it was a first you ever did!!    Did you try any daytime viewing or non-solar night viewing and notice if the field stop was fuzzy also?  Sometimes components in the optical train can vignette and we do not realize it.  When I did my review of various diagonals the extremely expensive Tak 2" Mirror Diagonal vignette with max TFOV 2" EPs.  I was so surprised...and I would have concluded it was the eyepiece probably had I not been doing a review of a bunch of diagonals.  So maybe something to do with the wedge?  Or perhaps something to do with the very fast f/5.5 focal ratio of your scope that the eyepiece can't handle?  While my Dob is faster, I had the Paracorr in the train and that could have resolved it if that was the issue.  I will definitely give a go at using the 12.5mm Morpheus in the f/4.7 Dob with no Paracorr and see what happens.

Thanks for checking in!!

[Doc]

I done three nights of non solar viewing with the 12.5mm Morpheus.

I found that almost the entire field of view was excellent, the stars in the centre and out to approx 10% from the edge was perfect pin points of light. You had to look hard at the stars near the field stop to notice that they were no longer pin points of light. Saturn on the other had did show some fuzziness at the edge, I even had a colleague check this.  When I put the delos eyepieces into the focuser the fuzziness went away. The Delos was sharper of axis then the Baader Morpheus, but only just.

[BillP]

Interesting.  When we do eyepiece tests, they are really system tests and not eyepieces tests.  So they evaluate the view of the system, which is of course everything in the optical train.  Unfortunately I do not have a refractor as fast as yours.  Best I have is an f/6.25.  Lots of strange things can happen once a focal ratio gets very fast.  While my Dob is faster than your Esprit, I must test with a Paracorr otherwise the star points will be overwhelmed by the mirror's coma.  So your review is a good datapoint for people to consider with very fast Apos.  Nothing about whatever my results turn out to be in the end should be considered as opposed to yours as my tests involve other scope designs and other focal ratios, so mine will just be additional data points to be added to your findings.  Why we need many reviews and observer reports to converge to conclusions since these are all systems tests and they will allow us to formulate conclusions of how an eyepiece will work in a variety of platforms.  Why I prefer field reports to bench tests....bench tests never inform you of two of the most vital aspects of observing: 1) How those bench tests will translate into observational outcomes with different optical chains, and 2) How those bench tests will translate into observation outcomes when modified by the human perception system.  Why IMO the field test is the best test of an eyepiece.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Thanks Bill for an interesting review. I am particularly interested in your comment about the PST and the Morpheus EP. I was thinking of buying either the 14mm or 17.5mm to use in my PST and then attaching my DSLR to the eyepieces to take Ha images.

I have had a PST for over 10 years and I must admit I can't remember a fuzzy field stop on the EPs that I have used - Baader 8-24 zoom, Pentax 6.5 - 19.5 zoom and currently a 18mm Fujiyama Ortho. I will do some futher testing with other EPs that I have - Antares Plossls (25mm and 17mm) and a 14mm ES 82 degree - see what happens.

Mick (Doc) nice to hear that you have done a review of the Morpheus EP - where is it posted? I hope you are keeping well

[Doc]

Hello Mark it's been quite a few years since we last met or indeed spoke to each other. Hope you are keeping well. The review is in the link below.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/249098-review-of-the-baader-morpheus-125mm-76%C2%B0-eyepiece/

My refractor is F7 Bill, it's a 120mm with 840mm FL.

[BillP]

Ah.  Sorry.  Was thinking the 100 Esprit.  So f/7...well then that is odd that you had a *very* fuzzy field stop at that focal ratio.  But let's see.  Take a look at the attached pic.  Top is 12.5 Morpheus in daytime, lower is 12.5  Tak LE.  So the field stop in daytime appears slightly fuzzy.  But at night time it appears sharper for me.  Is this similar to what you saw?  Please excuse the photo as overall not good as I am not an AP guy.  So just a handheld snap.

Given this is a close up image of just a portion, at normal viewing when field stop is seen full around the fuzzy nature is very much reduced.  Anyway, I characterize this as just slightly indistinct and virtually undistinguished from sharp when viewing anything other than the Moon.

[Doc]

Very similar Bill. The top picture is what the Baader looked like and the bottom what the Televue looked liked.

The field stop was definitely fuzzier in the daytime, at night it was very good.

The problem I have is when I changed to the TV Delos the field stop was perfect, no fuzziness, and an inky black, very sharp.

[BillP]

OK.  Great.  Picture is worth a thousand words since "fuzzy" means different things to each of us.  Typically all this means is that the actual field stop is positioned very slightly off from the focal plane, or there can be something like a light baffle slightly vignetting the field.

[Doc]

Maybe I have no way of telling that. All I know is that the field stop appeared a lighter shade of black compared to the Delos and it had a fuzzy double image appearance.

But what you say does make sense.

[BillP]

Don't think we will be able to tell what was going on unless you still have the eyepiece and can do some further testing with yours.  Perhaps something wrong with that particular EP?Mine shows a jett black field stop, just like my XWs, and at night time is nicely defined. 

[Macavity]

Something I was wondering - Probably a totally daft suggestion... 

Do either of you have non-standard vision? In a reticule eyepiece, 

the cross hairs are fixed at the field stop I believe? I can only ever

see these as a *blur* without my glasses. I can of course re-focus

e.g. finders to accommodate a "minus 2 dioptre" eyeball though!    

Mind you, my Baader Hyperions all have blurry field stops - With or

without glasses. Except the Aspheric, which has an external FS. 

Just checked... about the only eyepiece with a sharp FS, I have.

[Doc]

Interesting Chris.

I used to have the complete set of Hyperions and as you say in a fast scope they all had a blurred field stop, in my F10 TAL they were actually very good and sharp.

I know my eyesight has worsened over the years but the Televues are pin sharp with no blurred field stops. Which makes me think my eyesight is OK.

[BillP]

I have 20/20 vision.  Used to be 20/10, so slowly getting worse.  Have no other vision issues.