F15Rules

On 06/05/2022 at 16:00, Alan White said:

Well Postie Pete has been today while I was at work,
he deliverd something as rarely found as Rocking Horse Manure.....
A Vixen 22mm LVW, only been looking for a number of years.

Lucky find on Fleabay on Wednesday evening while sitting in the hospitla carpark.
 

Fabulous ep!!🤩🤩👍

I know how much this find means to you Alan, after a long wait, and so I am delighted for you..

When I had mine it comfortably beat my then Pentax XW20mm in my FS128 and Vixen ED103s scopes, in terms of contrast and lack of field curvature vs the Pentax..the slightly smaller FOV of 65deg vs the XWs 70deg was hardly noticeable. A very underrated eyepiece.

I now have a wonderful Celestron Axiom LX 23mm 82degree, having effectively given up on finding another LVW: it is a large, heavy 2" eyepiece, but optically as good as the LVW22, and a noticeably wider fov, so I am content😊👍.

Enjoy, Alan.

Dave

1 minute ago, Franklin said:

You'll have to wait till planet season Dave. I've had them out together already and the lunar views from both are the best I've seen in a 4". Up there with the FC100DC, contrast and clarity is superb without any ca. At low powers on a few Messier objects they are much the same, both being 4". A true test will be of the planetary definition they each serve up at high powers, that will reveal any differences in the optics, but I have a feeling it will be very close. Hopefully come December I'll have some clear skies and sky-time for the Mars opposition. If the seeing plays ball then that should sort the men from the boys! I'll set up the old 4" achro with them too, just to try and see how much the actual differences are.

A Vixen 4" refractor shootout!

Bring it on !

Yes!! I'd like to book a front row seat please!👍😁

Dave

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

At this level I think there is more difference between observers than that of the telescopes.  Keen eyed observers of the likes of mikeDnight manage very well with 4" refractors whereas myself with aged eyes find the images too dim at the image scale I need to see the detail adequately.     ☹️ 

Agreed, Peter..having excellent eyesight is such a blessing if you're one of those fortunate enough to have it!

Dave

13 hours ago, Franklin said:

Here it is, the Vixen FL102s on a Super Polaris mount and my more modern SD103s on a Great Polaris

I just cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the inevitable comparison you're going to make between these two wonderful scopes, Tim..🤔

I really wouldn't like to call the result. I'm sure I've read that the FL102s' optics were by Canon Option, same as Takahashi, and, having owned two wonderful Vixen ED103s (virtually the same as the SD103s you have), I know just how good they are: in fact, had a 5" version of the Vixen ED103s been available when I decided to go for a 5" as my "one size fits all" scope, I'd have happily bought one.

But I have no regrets having bought the FS128..😁😍

Dave

On 18/05/2022 at 10:37, Highburymark said:

How often do we read that modern coatings make the difference between today’s eyepieces and those of previous generations? And yet many of the jewels pictured in this thread seem to more than hold their own against current offerings. 

How true, Mark.

My ageing Mk 1 eyeballs often struggle to see any (usually subtle) differences in transmission due to coatings..but I do think that the excellent polish and finish of some of the vintage eyepieces talked about here are right up there with anything available today..

Dave

On 17/05/2022 at 21:06, mikeDnight said:

I wish I'd never sold it

I wonder how many of us will have that epitaph inscribed on our headstones!!🤦‍♀️🥴😅

Dave

2 hours ago, JeremyS said:

I read and read that catalogue too.

Enjoy the DZ 

Me too!

It gave me a handle on how good high end fracs really are..👍

Lovely setup David.

Dave

On 06/05/2022 at 14:07, plyscope said:

This is my old GPD2 mount on a Berlebach Uni 18 set up for some lunar viewing with the Starfield 102 f7.

"This is my old GPD2 mount"

Thanks for posting this..It seems odd to read of the GPD2 as being "old"..I think of the Polaris, Super Polaris (SP) and Great Polaris (GP) mounts as being "old"...your GPD2 still looks very modern and cool to my eyes 😎👍

That's a lovely setup!

Dave

Got the scope out last night for the first time for a month, and literally for 20 minutes, just checking out some binoviewing pairs and new to me Revelation binoviewer..

A very nice sky it was and got a quick shot of the moon on my phone by hovering over one barrel of the BV, using a Kson 10.5mm ortho pair.

The view was much sharper than it looks here actually, I'm impressed with these little EPs!

Dave

On 30/04/2022 at 23:03, JeremyS said:

Oh dear...I've heard that these EPs suffer from erfle abberrations, Jeremy..🤭🤦‍♀️😎

Dave

On 03/05/2022 at 13:19, Zermelo said:

Not from the postie, but speedily via Evri (which I just learned is the new name for Hermes; got a PR problem? Change your name ...)

Courtesy of @rockystar:- my first venture into glow-in-the-dark excellence. If the night skies are as cloudy as I fear, I can just sit in the lounge with the lights off and admire the phosphorescence.

 

 

The 9 and 17.5mm are for me the pick of the range 👍😊.

Dave

On 30/04/2022 at 20:34, JeremyS said:

I find it a bit disappointing that Tak scopes don’t come in giant versions of those blue boxes. If they did I might be tempted to order some more.

So you mean there are Tak scopes you don't already own, Jeremy???😱😱😂

Dave

On 03/05/2022 at 07:45, PeterW said:

You’ll only find 1 in remote deserts with transparent skies. 
 

peter

Really??

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=6.05&lat=57.7776&lon=-7.4481&layers=B0FFFFFFFTFFFFFFFFFFF

Click on some of the smaller Hebridean Islands..😊

Dave

I think the islands are mainly 2, with some remote spots away from towns maybe a bit darker..🙂

Save

Thanks Nick, what a great read!

We are spending 2 weeks in a combination of Lewis, Harris, Skye and Mull in September, including a full week on Mull in a remote cottage.

I'm just hoping we get a couple of nights like you described, and I'm planning to take my trusty old Vixen SP102 and mount up with me..🤞🔭😊

Dave

5 hours ago, MalcolmM said:

I feel this setup is so beautiful it could be displayed in an art gallery

Malcolm

 Certainly is, Malcolm..

I'm intrigued by the collar ring on the scope..(I prefer Tak collar rings to ordinary twin rings) - is that original to the scope? I've not seen that kind of slanted/offset "stem" before. It reminds me a bit of a finderscope stem.

How does that attach to the Vixen mount?..looks as if it might be bolted to a short dovetail?

Lovely setup👍

Dave

8 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Good for scarifying the lawn too 🤣

Hmm...you'd be using real "grab n go" observing for that to work, that's for sure..😊

Dave

On 24/04/2022 at 15:43, Franklin said:

SP FL102S f/8.8. Don't really know much about the history on this one, other than it originated from the French market (Perl Vixen). Oh, and it knocks the socks off my achros.

 

Wonderful, Beautiful, Amazing, Superb, Delightful, Droolworthy, etc etc..

More details, pics, first light asap etc etc please!!😊👍😎

Dave

32 minutes ago, Voyager 3 said:

Dono dav ,but yor woz r gret! 😄

 

PS : I do not want any weak hearted English graduates to see these posts! Probably would hang themselves lol. 

...well, my eldest daughter got a 1st class degree in English Literature, and in her early post graduate days she did some work in which she had to read some past English degree dissertations..she was truly amazed and appalled by the poor standard of grammar and spelling etc of a good proportion of candidates! 🥴😱🤦‍♀️..

Bring back the "3 R's" to schools, I say!!

Dave

Just looking at your target light path of c90mm and your most used eyepiece -  the Pan 24mm..

The Baader Zeiss T2 BBHS prism is quoted as having 34mm clear aperture, and the Pan 24mm a field stop of 27mm. This means this diagonal prism will easily illuminate fully your Pan 24mm with a 1.25" eyepiece holder.

Regarding light path.

The above prism comes as a prism body only, so you need to add a 2" -T2 nosepiece and ideally a 2" Baader Clicklock eyepiece holder to allow you to use 2" eyepieces as well as 1.25" ones..

..the prism itself has a stated optical path of 37.5mm. The 2"-T2 Clicklock eyepiece holder has a stated optical path of 37mm, so a total of c75mm. The 2" -T2 nosepiece should use up a tiny amount of optical path as it slides almost completely into your focuser, but let's say it takes 5mm from your remaining 15mm to stay within a total of 90mm..

If you also use a 2"-1.25" adapter or 1.25" clicklock inside the 2" Clicklock, the additional length of the smaller clicklock could take up most, or all, of the remaining 10mm..an alternative might be to source a low profile 2" to 1.25" adapter instead, which might take up 5mm or less of your remaining 10mm..

It all sounds a bit complicated but the attached link to Baaders' excellent prism and diagonal manual may help. I also attach a photo of my own setup of Baader 2" - T2 nosepiece, Baader T2 Zeiss BBHS prism body and Baader 2" - T2 Clicklock eyepiece holder..this setup allows me to use heavy 2" eyepieces, and illuminates field stops up to c 35mm fully. Even my 31mm Axiom LX, with a 44mm  field stop shows little noticeable vignetting in the field.

At the end of the day you want to reach focus, and if you achieve it with only 1 or 2mm to spare..you have still reached focus!! - I have this exact situation with my Tak FS128.

Another alternative is to look for an aftermarket new 2" focuser which takes up less optical length than the factory original..

Good luck👍

Dave

baader_star_diagonals_t_2_and_2 (2).pdf

Well, the "new old stock" Carton mini binoculars arrived on Monday👍.

They are pretty tiny, just a tad larger than the opera glasses but lighter in weight.

Nicely made, clearly unused, but with a little "stickiness" to the touch, especially on the black rubber parts.. I've seen this before on older optical instruments, apparently it's some kind of reaction in the rubber, for example to UV light, which somehow makes the rubber sticky or even break down.

I've read that a gentle clean with a soapy water dampened cotton bud can help remove this "residue", and also alcohol based solution of more umph is needed..I'll give it a try, carefully of course.

Optically, I was pleasantly surprised..although, perhaps, being Carton branded, I shouldn't have worried. The spec is shown as 8x20, with a very respectable 7degree fov, and I can say that these little chaps are very sharp on axis and out to about 55-60% before blurring a bit. But the overall (daytime only, so far) view is pleasing and the very good near focus (I estimate c 3.5metres) means they are ideal for watching birds on the feeders from our kitchen window.

The lenses are all coated, being likely early 1980s these will probably be single coat MfG, applied to air facing surfaces only. Complete with lens caps for the eyepieces but not the 20mm objectives +these are recessed into the "turquoisey" coloured body of the bins by about 7-9mm.

I suspect, in a decent dark sky these will show some lovely, fairly wide field views of clusters, wide doubles and the Moon. I'll pop some impressions on when I've tried them at night.

Very happy with these, and of course I've added the little carrying strap so as to ensure Jeremy won't vex about them being dropped etc.

I've shown them for comparison next to my Orion Japan Mini Giant 9x63mm astro bins.

😊..

Dave

Trying to be semi-serious for a moment..

I've always looked at this question as follows:

-A binocular or a pair of binoculars are the same thing, ie a single, complete optical instrument, just as a monocular is also a single, complete optical instrument.

So, if someone shows me a photo of, or an actual binocular, and refers to them as a binocular OR a pair of binoculars, I know exactly what they mean, whichever term they use for them.

So I've never seen a problem..

But what REALLY irritates me is when, in a movie or TV series, they show you a so called "binocular view" which is completely wrong, showing a "figure 8 on its side" kind of view rather than the accurate single round circle view, ie same as in a telescope, that is what you actually see!!🥴😠😝..

So there...😊

Dave

14 hours ago, Stu said:

I’m sitting here with my underpant on my head, wondering what the answer was after all that 😉🤪🤣

Agree Stu...I certainly can't get a handle on it/them!!🙃😇

Dave

On 16/04/2022 at 17:29, Voyager 3 said:

Honestly I've learnt more grammar in this thread than my entire English classes. 

Yay! Grate, innit, kno wot I mean??.!!! 

Dave

On 08/04/2022 at 20:15, ollypenrice said:

'No, less. I regard you as a single lump of proles...'

😁lly

..but couldn't that equally be " I regard you all as a prole.."??

Dave(s)