Star Diagonal Upgrade (is it worth it)?

[digger1978gee]

Hi All, just been wondering, is it worth upgrading my star diagonal that came with my Celestron 6se.

Would it make any difference to my observing experience based on using good quality EPS with it.

Thanks James

[Peter Drew]

I upgraded my 8se stock diagonal with a TV dielectric version. Can't say that I noticed much difference only the knowledge that it's not the weak link in the chain. 

[spaceboy]

If the one you have looks ok optically then no difference really other than upgrades often come with compression rings to save marring eyepieces.

[Mr Spock]

The Revelation dielectric quartz is pretty good. Really expensive ones aren't any better.

You will only be able to see a difference under perfect skies though, but, every little helps

[mikeDnight]

I was out observing with a friend only last night. We were using his Celestron ED 80 and his Celestron diagonal while observing a number of close doubles. Some of these doubles were really touch and go as to a definite split until we changes the celestron diagonal for a Takahashi prism. There was a marked improvement in image sharpness when using the Tak prism. On the positive side the Tak prisms are not expensive, on the negative they are only 1.25".

Truetechnology Ltd sell them as do Ian King Imaging.

Mike

[digger1978gee]

Thanks for all your comments. Might aswell upgrade, every little helps is what i like to here lol

Plus the compression ring would be far better than messing around with screws especially when its cold.

[Highburymark]

Single best upgrade to the Nexstar I've made. And though I haven't tested lots of dialectrics, there seems to be general agreement with Michael's point above that you may be paying for the name with some of the more expensive ones. So Skywatcher/Revelation options great value.

[John]

I've owned a couple of the Revelations, a William Optics and a Tele Vue Everbrite in 1.25" diagonals and those brands plus a few more in the 2" size. I've ended up with a couple of 2" Tele Vue Everbrites in my refractors now. Optically there was little to pick between them all but my eyepieces are heavy and the TV Everbrites are beautifully machined from a single piece of alloy so there is nothing to unscrew under the weight of a 2 lbs eyepiece hanging at a 90 degree angle. As Peter says, the confidence is nice to have

Is the original poster going to stick with the 1.25" format or are you considering a 2" diagonal ?

Just worth noting that the Revelation 1.25" uses a set screw rather than a compression ring fitting.

[digger1978gee]

I've owned a couple of the Revelations, a William Optics and a Tele Vue Everbrite in 1.25" diagonals and those brands plus a few more in the 2" size. I've ended up with a couple of 2" Tele Vue Everbrites in my refractors now. Optically there was little to pick between them all but my eyepieces are heavy and the TV Everbrites are beautifully machined from a single piece of alloy so there is nothing to unscrew under the weight of a 2 lbs eyepiece hanging at a 90 degree angle. As Peter says, the confidence is nice to have

Is the original poster going to stick with the 1.25" format or are you considering a 2" diagonal ?

Just worth noting that the Revelation 1.25" uses a set screw rather than a compression ring fitting.

Yes am going to stick with a 1.25 for the time being, haven't been observing that long so just want to get out and rack up some observing hours , built some experience. 

Would my  6se be ok to use a 2" diagonal if i wanted too?

[kev]

I use tv everbrights exclusively these days. Very little scatter helps contrast.

Sent from my iPhone so excuse the typos!

[John]

....Would my  6se be ok to use a 2" diagonal if i wanted too?

You can put one on there. I'm not sure that the aperture at the rear of the 6SE allows full illumination of a 2" eyepiece field stop though ?

[Alien 13]

I think there is a doc somewhere in the equipment reviews that suggests prisms are best if money is no object, not sure if its still the case in a system that already has mirrors though.

Alan

[Highburymark]

Yes am going to stick with a 1.25 for the time being, haven't been observing that long so just want to get out and rack up some observing hours , built some experience. 

Would my  6se be ok to use a 2" diagonal if i wanted too?

It would be, but you won't get the full wide field benefits that a faster scope would offer with a 2" diagonal (ie those with a focal ratio lower than your F10 Nexstar). Really the Nexstar is built for 1.25" eyepieces, higher magnifications, and planetary/lunar viewing, though you can still enjoy deep sky targets - you may struggle to fit the widest ones into your FOV

[digger1978gee]

It would be, but you won't get the full wide field benefits that a faster scope would offer with a 2" diagonal (ie those with a focal ratio lower than your F10 Nexstar). Really the Nexstar is built for 1.25" eyepieces, higher magnifications, and planetary/lunar viewing, though you can still enjoy deep sky targets - you may struggle to fit the widest ones into your FOV

Thanks for the advice, will stick with a 1.25 then. I'm quite happy with the views at the moment. Think i might shoot for a skywatcher dialectric diagonal as suggested.

[Piero]

I have the Revelation 1.25" quartz/dieletric/etc and a TV everbrite 1.25" . 

I cannot see any difference optically with my eye at least. 

Despite this, the TV is much more solid and I am never worried about the eps on top. I was instead with the revelation particularly after the screw thread broke after 2 months.. 

The other good thing of the Everbride vs the Revelation (1.25" size) is that the eps holder is somehow deeper. This means that a powermate on top does not cause a long inward refocus. If you can put a powermate / barlow between the telescope and the diagonal without using an extension tube, this is not a big issue of course. 

[Highburymark]

Skywatcher one seems like an excellent option - think it's the same as the William Optics diagonal, apart from the branding (and the price.)

[alan potts]

I first upgraded from the supplied 1.25 diagonal from Meade to a Series 5000 Meade diagonal, this is a 2 inch device. In my opinion it was money well spent. 

I now have all TeleVue diagonals for my main scopes, 3 of them and one Williams Optic diagonal in the piggyback scope on my SC. In truth I cannot see any visual difference between the old Meade upgrade and what I have now. The one thing I would say stands out is the build quality of the Televues but they do cost a fair bit.

[Mak the Night]

When I upgrade my scope in the next few months I'll probably go for a TV Everbright, they seem to sell well anyway, Telescope House are out of stock frequently.

[Stargezzr]

You might want read this in-depth report by Bill Paolini concerning the differences between mirror, dielectric and prism diagonals before making your purchase.  It's always good to know as much as possible before spending your money.  

http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/articles/mirror-vs-dielectric-vs-prism-diagonal-comparison-r2877

I have used Tele Vue dielectric as well as Zeiss and Tak prism diagonals for many years... all with very good results.  I choose the prism diagonal most of the time.  The differences are very subtle.  Good luck with your selection.  

[digger1978gee]

Thanks appreciate the link.