IB20

See I’m OCD enough to need an eyepiece at every FL but don’t care about what eyepiece range it’s from. 😅

I’ve found with the XWs that at night I like the twist mechanism down and in the day I like it fully extended. 🤷🏼

Yea, let’s keep this to - the best EP of each range, but we have an LVW instead of the Hyperions 😉.

I have 3 fracs f7-f12.75, a Ha scope and a f5.9 dob, so ideally they are the best in their ranges for those scopes. Maybe exclude the Ha scope, the TV plössls are the best I’ve used so far. I guess if an eyepiece range doesn’t work as well in a faster scope, like Hyperions, then they probably won’t be in the mix.

That’s what I meant, loved by all!

I think that’s why there are hardly any unfavourable reviews about the XWs! Eye relief, comfort, great ergonomics and awesome optics! Loved by glasses and non-glasses wearers alike.

So far we have: 3.3mm TOE 5mm Pentax XW 6mm Televue Ethos 10mm Baader Classic Ortho 12.5mm Noblex Docter 17.5mm Baader Morpheus 22mm Vixen LVW Nice set so far!

What about the Vixen LVs and SLVs? I have the 6mm LV and it’s great, are all the others just as good or better? What are the stand outs of the SLV range?

Dione is quite bright and has been a real pain to observe recently when close to Saturn, even with the closed angle of the rings. Think Enceladus will be extremely tough, however at favourable elongation, I’d be disappointed if my 8” dob didn’t show it.

Think it was the late, great Johninderby that used to say half or even third a tripod max capacity for great stability. I may take a punt on the StellaLyra carbon fibre and see how it fares with AZ75 and 76Q!

Fabulous set! I paid for a Vixen HR 3.4mm on eBay but the seller had already sold it elsewhere. So it’s eyepiece I am actively pursuing. Love my TOEs though so I may just get the 3.3mm.

What’s the payload of your current tripod? I’ve looked at the SL Carbon Fibre tripod and that says 40kg. I guess there’s quite a large difference between holding the scope and keeping it still, mind. When I contacted FLO about a tripod for the Tak 76Q (~2kg, 900mm) they said the 312 and Castor mount would be a great fit. The DF is slightly heavier than the DC I think, but OTA length is also important. I’m thinking of swapping my steel SW tripod for a Berlebach and to cover all bases think I’d go sturdier than the Report, as have a 5kg 4” frac too.

Superb, thanks John. I’ve never tried any of the ES range. I don’t know, I just haven’t read many reports of users loving them, liked yes but they don’t seem as popular as other brands. Perhaps it’s a US/Europe thing? What’s the deal with all the types of Naglers? Are they versions or is the type something to do with FL? Agree on the BCO 10mm, my workhorse eyepiece for a long time before I acquired the 10XW and 9mm BGO. I can feel myself developing an Ethos itch, but at £659 that’s a 3rd of the way to a 100DC, which I have an itchier itch for 😅. The 8mm Delos is very much on my radar but no idea if it’s the better end of its range.

Is the 22lvw 1.25”?

I’ve often thought I’d like to collect a best of each range eyepiece set at each FL, if we are talking availability in the current eyepiece market. From my experience I’d probably think a 17.5mm Morpheus might be in there along with a 5mm XW and 4mm TOE. Not tried an Ethos or Delos but the 13E seems well loved? Tried a Delite, fantastic optics but only tried the 13mm. Are Docters still available? Nikon NAV-HWs? Naglers? Masuyamas? Available plössls, orthos? What are SGLer’s experiences with their own eyepiece sets? Why are there variances in quality of eyepiece ranges? What makes a truly exceptional eyepiece in a range and why are some poorer? Is it primarily aberration in faster scopes that highlights weakness? Obviously opinions on this can be very subjective but there usually is some consensus.

I love the 17.5mm but weirdly don’t feel the need for any others. I’m more interested in trying a TPL. However if there was an 8mm Morpheus, I’d get it!

Fantastic, I’m chuffed you like the 5XW. The 7XW and 5XW are my favourites of the shorter XW range. Interestingly I was using the 9mm BGO and 10XW last night in the 8” dob. The 9mm BGO seemed to present improved contrast and controlled glare a touch better on the planetary face and ring system of Saturn. The XW easily wins in FOV and comfort mind! The XWs are great eyepieces and are perfect ergonomically despite the heft. The twist up mechanisms are a dream and are so much better than say the Delites; I couldn’t stand their eye relief mechanism.

Blew the doors off it and got the 8” dob out last night. Titan extremely obvious and far off Iapetus competing with two field stars. Just off the right side of the ring system, two other points of light easily visible in a little adjacent formation - Rhea and Tethys. Occasionally one more point of light appeared on the opposite edge with averted vision; finally Dione but requiring aperture. Once Saturn got high enough, the views stabilised and were exquisite in the 9mm BGO and 7mm XW. All the usual features were easier and comfortable to see, I wouldn’t say I saw any more than the smaller scopes however, with the exception of Dione. Perhaps higher altitude and better seeing is required. So aperture rules eh? Yet somehow I much prefer the views through the 3” pea-shooter…

People should threaten to quit more often, this weather is fantastic. 😅

Same deal as the previous night. Rhea slightly further away from Saturn but stilled slightly dimmed by proximity. Again this made Iapetus the 2nd brightest moon of the three visible so I’d put it about somewhere around 9.8-10. Very, very occasionally there was an aberration just off the left shoulder of Saturn, which may have been Tethys. It was a very rare sight so might not have been, interestingly it was something I glimpsed in both fracs though.

Yep, I have used the 76Q on WL solar and haven’t experienced any heat issues, the wedge hasn’t over heated. I’ll caveat this with I haven’t had a full day session in today’s type heat though so I can’t 100% be sure that no problems would arise. Having only one wedge I’ve only been able to compare the two scopes on a handful of times, usually in ordinary seeing which has certainly levelled the performance of the two scopes in terms of visible granulation. I’d expect the 4” to show good granulation in good conditions, something I don’t really see in the 76mm. Now 3” Tak v 4” Tak might not be a fair fight but I’d be interested to see the comparison!

Oh for sure, I have compared M13 and M57 and globular clusters are very much better resolved in the 4” but will get round to some more targets when I get chance. I was scanning the sky just randomly with the Starwave and I could see so many stars despite the very bright sky background. If I ever pull my finger out and go to a dark sky site I would 100% take the Starwave over the Tak. The wider views and better light grasp afforded in the faster 4” would allow me to see some of the emission nebula targets I’ve never been able to see from my back yard. I might look at acquiring a 2” diagonal, really push the boat out and convert it into a wide field scope. I have to say for a small scope used for solar system targets, I’d be very surprised if there was anything better than the 76Q. It really does punch above its aperture. I’d like to see a FOA-60Q v 76Q space off; maybe one of the Takophiles would be so kind as to buy two Q extenders and give us a comparison. 😁

As Saturn has climbed in the sky and the surrounding heat loss has reduced or not affecting the views so much both scopes are showing ever improved images. The Cassini division showing much better and increased magnification up to 150x is now consistently stable. Had so much fun swapping between these two fabulous scopes - there is something just irresistible about that gold colouration on Saturn cast by the Tak. I just keep returning for one more look… The moon and Jupiter are just beginning to rise but sadly I have an early start tomorrow so they’ll have to wait. 😔

Got the 7” out tonight…

Well they both came out! 😅 A direct comparison tonight but the seeing isn’t quite there as it was last night. I have the 9mm BGO in the Tak for 106x and the 7XW in the Starwave at 102x. Again, pretty much identical views, the Starwave is yielding a brighter view but the Tak’s dimmer image is showing better contrast. The northern polar darkening and planetary banding looks clearer in the Tak to my eye, the ring in front of the planetary face is more defined in the Tak too. Occasional atmospheric heat wobble creates a very slight red fringe on the western anse of the ring system in the 102ed-r; the Tak is absolutely colour free. I’m having to be hyper critical here, it’s really a very, very slight dispersion effect but I can detect it. From my comparisons on other targets it’s obvious that in my average local seeing conditions that the Tak copes with the heat escape from neighbouring houses and from my own paved observing area better.