HollyHound

As eluded to above and in anticipation of some clear skies, when I hope to do a proper shoot-out between them, so I can finally decide what's stays in the main set... this arrived today... Delos 14mm 😃

I did a daytime test between the Pentax XW14 and Morpheus 14mm, and sadly it confirmed that there is a fair degree of field curvature in both these eyepieces (at least in my 80mm f/10 refractor). The XW20 was better and I have noted other differences, but I want to assess them properly at night and have decided to bite the bullet and throw the remaining 70ish degree eyepiece at that focal length into the mix too, in order to make an informed decision... it seems very well reviewed, but I have to decide for myself which suits my scopes and (slightly) ageing eyes 🤔

Now we just need a good few nights of clear skies, so I am imposing a "no more buying" moratorium on myself until after Xmas at least 🤣

1 hour ago, Dantooine said:

That’s the only view I’ve had of the moon recently 🤣

That's one upside of the clouds... we've probably all read more astronomy books 👍

Big downside is buying more kit in expectation of clear skies 😬

10 minutes ago, RobertI said:

But the price - almost £400!

There is one on sale at @FLO right now, which actually puts it closer to £300... not trying to tempt you at all 😬

3 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Bit late to the party on this one! This looks like a fine mount and really seems to fill a gap, a step up in quality from the Porta 2, and I really want one. But the price - almost £400! I'm sure its simplicity belies the engineering quality, but I do wonder whether Rowan Engineering could produce something of similar quality for a lot less money (hint, hint).

It certainly is both simple but highly effective... unfortunately, as you say, it's not cheap! Mine is used with either a refractor or Mak onboard and allows both smooth rapid movement and fine slow motion control, without having to adjust or lock/unlock clutches... it just gets out of the way and lets the scope do what you want it to do 😃

I would love to see Rowan produce something similar though, as I do like the look of their AZ100 mount too 👍

46 minutes ago, Second Time Around said:

Thanks. 🤗  I wonder how long the excellent 6 inch Bresser Messier Dobs will last!

Not long I suspect, if they're anything like my recently purchased Bresser 10", then anyone getting one (particularly for Christmas) will be extremely happy 👍

5 minutes ago, Dean Hale said:

Hi Luke, It's just the basic one https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras/zwo-asi120mc-s-usb-3-colour-camera.html unfortunately looks like FLO have sold out. But maybe available elsewhere. They do have very good reviews.

Nice, you should get some nice shots with that 😃 I bought a ZWO camera too (in the sale) but of course we need some clear nights now to get some practise using them 🤞

11 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

Time to try one of these on my 200pds 

Although I prefer the TelRad (on riser) for the dob, the Rigel is fantastic and I love it on the C5 👍

However, don't do what I did and look through it from the control side (like the TelRad), and then wonder why there is no reticule visible... followed by an email to @FLOwho very kindly sent me a replacement. I then sheepishly admitted it works fine (when you use it the right way) 🤦‍♂️ However, I kept and paid for the replacement, so now have one for the StellaMira too 😃

Just need clear skies now 🤞

9 minutes ago, johninderby said:

There are the two holes on one side where the stock shoes is mounted and a single mounting hole on the other side. You would need a finder shoe with a slot that runs front to back like the Primaluce one. for that. The two holes in the flange are for.mounting a finder shoe.

https://www.365astronomy.com/primaluce-lab-dx-deluxe-finderscope-shoe-for-finderscope-bracket-with-4-long-holes-red.html

There is a printfile on Thingverse for a Rigel to Sytnta adaptor.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2697450

 

Thanks John, I knew you'd have the answers and those images/links are very useful 😃

I'll see what I can get sorted out from this... was just worried about messing with the wrong screws, as I guess some of them are for adjusting the focuser too 🤔

Cheers

Gary

On 08/12/2020 at 08:15, RobertI said:

I think i am missing a mid-weight mount in my arsenal  though - the Skytee on a 2” tripod is pretty heavy and the Giro-WR on a photo tripod is too spindly, I need something in between for the 102ED......

As long as the max weight can be kept to 7kg, this may be your answer... ScopeTech Zero on a Berlebach Report. I can quickly carry this out one handed with a C5 or Mak 127 onboard or take the tripod/mount out and then the StellaMira, and be setup ready to go in minutes 👍

On 07/12/2020 at 23:37, johninderby said:

Fog moved in as it got dark and showing no signs of shifting.  I’m forgetting what a clear sky looks like. 🙁

Exactly the same for me. Took the dob out to cool for a bit as it was starting to get dark, but pretty much as soon as it go dark, it fogged over 🙁

Although I must say that the time to take the dob out and back in again (OTA and mount separately) is quicker than setting up the AZ Mount Pro and almost as fast as the grab and go scope on a Report tripod... having it stored right next to the back door does help and it's only 20 ft to the centre of the patio 👍

On 07/02/2020 at 15:22, johninderby said:

There are a couple of nylon grub screws in the mounting flange on  the back of the OTA that  can be removed to mount a finder shoe on the tube.

@johninderby I'm looking to add another finder shoe on the right side of the OTA, as I'm finding that with the (supplied) shoe on the left, that my 9x50 can prevent me from moving the scope fully forward in ADM saddle (mounted on the Zero mount)... all my scopes are setup  to mount on the right of my mounts (ScopeTech Zero and iOptron AZ Mount Pro).

I note that there a number of small grub screws all over the focuser and some on the red ring (flange ?) that mounts the focuser to the OTA itself, but I'm not sure which (if any) of these can be removed to (hopefully) allow me to mount my spare Baader Finder Shoe. Could you possibly enlighten me, before I start unscrewing the wrong grub screws and it all falling to pieces 😬

Also, I note that you've mounted a Rigel to the original shoe in one of your photos... as I'd be retaining that shoe anyway, is there a special adaptor I can obtain that would allow me to do this, as I'd prefer that to sticking the supplied plate on the OTA (I have a spare one of each, as I have two Rigel finders now) ?

Thanks

Gary

I managed a (very) quick view through the Morpheus 14mm (alongside the Pentax XW14) the other night and was impressed enough with the view that I decided to add it's longer focal length brother... the Morpheus 17.5mm.

I'm still undecided as to which are "better" (if any) between the XW or Morpheus, but will be putting this up against the XW20 when I can. I do think there is space for both sets anyway, so we will see 🤔

Duplicate post - deleted!

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Been waiting for this for 10 days..

Feels like Christmas!😊👍

Vintage Carton Japan 60mm F11.8 refractor in complete, mint condition with EQ mount, finder, eyepieces etc.. imported by first owner direct from Japan.

Dave

That's a lovely looking refractor setup 😃

It looks like this exact one... http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/CartonCometSeek.htm... love reading this guys reviews 👍

Wow that was quick delivery, thanks again @FLO 👍

Pentax XW14 and Morpheus 14mm... These two will be going head to head for the 14mm (ish) slot in my eyepiece case. Once we get some clear skies again, I'm going to compare them myself in my scopes, to verify which will stay long term. I suspect they are both very good indeed optically, but eye comfort and usability will also be important... will report back of course 🤞

9 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

I see,  so how many do you have at the moment as a “non collection”?

🤭

Too many, but some are “just passing through” 😬🤣

20 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

I’ve had the same problems with choice making. Other friends do Astro photos and buy cameras instead of eyepieces, this I will never understand.

Problem being they’ve nothing any good to lend me to try out. This has meant a very expensive year for me buying far to many expensive eyepieces to try out.

I have to admit though the thrill of the chase has been fun. I never did try a Morpheus and that’s eating away at my curiosity if I’m honest. When I see someone else has just had one delivered I’m tempted.

This year I’ve bought and tried Es 24/68, 14, 8.8, 6.7, 4.7 in the 82’s, 17 & 12 in the 92’s, 5.5/100, Delos 14, 10, 8, 6, 4.5 & 3.5.

This has somehow left me (at the moment) with an APM 20/100, ethos 13, 8, 6, 4.7, 3.7 and the Es 5.5. so out of 20 bought I’m sitting on 7. 

it’s been quite a strange year however people have had the benefit of some lovely mint condition eyepieces from me 🤣

ive had a great time coming home from work and opening these little boxes and when you are having a rubbish day at work it’s nice to see a message saying your parcel has been delivered. 

Try before you buy has not been an option for me so it was a case of buy and try... oh dear.  What a journey 🥴

Yes, it's been quite a year... this time last year I had the sum total of two pairs of binoculars, the second pair (Pentax WP 20x6) I ordered from a little, unknown (to me) website called First Light Optics and then made the (fatal as it turned out) mistake of checking out their telescope section... the rest is history 😬

Numerous scopes, mounts, eyepieces, accessories and books later I'm still experimenting a little with what works out best for me but I think I'm entering the state now where I'm honing in on what works for me and hoping that I can go into 2021 and beyond with just the right amount of tools to enjoy observing and not feel that I "need more".

Arguably I should have taken the advise to get a Dobsonian from day one (numerous articles and books said so), but I think going through a range of difference scopes (and eyepieces) teaches you what does and doesn't work for you in various observing situations, so it's all part of the learning process. It does mean now that I have scopes, mounts and eyepieces to cover what I want to do on any given evening. I've also learnt an awful lot, especially from this forum 😃

Expensive... yes, but I've spent far more on things that have (with hindsight) proved to be less enjoyable and relaxing, and I've managed to get a good mixture of new and second hand purchases so it's all been fine. Besides, if no-one buys new, there wouldn't be a second hand market, so we're all contributing to that in our own ways 👍

Besides, as I mentioned to someone before... my partner keeps and rides horse and whilst they're delightful to have, if you think this astronomical gear is expensive, please try horses... they're called "bankruptcy starter kits" for a reason 🤣

On 27/11/2020 at 23:27, Don Pensack said:

14mm Baader Morpheus--some people report field curvature but in my f/5.75 (effective FL 1826mm) coma-corrected/field flattened dob, I just don't see it.  It is a duplicate performance of the 17.5mm, but with a couple mm less eye relief.

Slightly off the OP topic but I have both the Morpheus 14mm and Pentax XW14 (and XW20) incoming this week, as I want to try both in my Bresser 10" f/5 dob and keep one in my main set. I've read so many conflicting reports about field curvature in one or the other or both and so decided to just get both and try them for myself, otherwise "analysis paralysis" will set in. I know the XW14 has it, but it's whether it will bother me or not 🤞

I've got the XW10, 7 and 30 already and would certainly be happy to maintain a set of XWs, but if the Morpheus beats it then (like you), I'm more than happy to have a mixed set. I'll also be looking at how they fare in my 80mm ED f/10 refractor and indeed how the XW14 compares against a TeleExtended XW30 (which I already love and it has less of the "bad" FC apparently). Will report my findings when I can in a separate thread.

Going back to the OP thread, I've only tried Nagler, DeLite (which are lovely) and Panoptics so far... not Ethos yet. For some reason I find that I don't get on with FoV around 80+ degrees (too much eye movement to take in the view), but I may get one some day and be blown away 🤔

2 minutes ago, John said:

I agree. There is no substitute for finding out for yourself if at all possible

I was very lucky that FLO loaned me all those eyepieces over the years. It would have been an expensive business assembling the various sets that I've been able to try out and report back on.

Well I've reached the point now where I'll just get more confused if I read any more comparisons, so it's time to make my own for myself (although of course I will share). I'm trying now to build one good main set primarily for the Bresser and StellaMira, which will see me for a good number of years. Part of that is to experiment, keep what you like and move the rest on.

I'll be in a position over the next few weeks/months to compare XW14, Morpheus 14, DeLite 13mm and Panoptic 15mm as well as various other combinations. After that I'll keep what works best as a main set and possibly a few others if they work better in certain scopes, but thin out the remainder... I have no intention of collecting eyepieces as a hobby 🤣

I agree, that's quite fortunate and I do value your (and others) opinions, as it's a minefield without some basis to start on 👍

44 minutes ago, John said:

I'll be very interested to see what you think of the XW 20

I went for Tele Vue's in the focal lengths above 10mm because of the field curvature reports in the longer XW's but I have not actually used the 14 or 20 so they might not be a problem for me.

I have owned the 8.5mm and 12mm Pentax XF's which did show FC so those might have swayed my choices as well.

It's interesting to see how the optical properties of the XW range vary across the focal lengths:

I've read so many differing views on the XW14 and XW20, that it's clear to me that it's very scope dependant and also depends how well the observer can accommodate any field curvature. At my age (54) I may fall into the camp where I find it obtrusive or may be lucky. Therefore, I've concluded that it's very much something I need to try for myself and see how they perform in the small range of scopes I now have.

To that end I've also today ordered the XW14 so I can try both focal lengths. I do have the option also of using the 2x TeleExtender on the XW30 which is effectively the same focal length, but with different (better?) eyepiece characteristics. This is only useful in the dob though, as that setup is big and heavy, so ideally I'd like the XW14 and XW20 around to use in the StellaMira etc too.

I've also got a Morpheus 14mm on it's way too as an alternative comparison, as I've read a lot of very positive reviews on this eyepiece too 🤔

I'll certainly start a thread and report my findings (they will be my own experience again of course), but hopefully it will help others 👍

Cheers

Gary

The Pentax family continues to grow... an XW20 to join its siblings (XW30, 10 & 7) 😃

I've read that this (and the XW14) are not as well favoured (field curvature 😬), but as I love the view, form factor & usability of the others, I'm going to find out for myself how well these perform in my scopes🤞

57 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Postie Pete has been with my recent Classifieds purchase....
My smile gave me away, he noted the grin and commented, More Astronomy Kit then.

Look forward to a report on how this performs... I'm debating between a Morpheus 14mm instead of Pentax XW14, as I've read these may (possibly) be better performers in the 14 to 20mm range 🤔

And also from Alan (in the same box, with the clouds 😬)... three Celestron Plossls:

26mm (Halloween)

18mm Ultima

12.5mm Ultima 

These are intended for use in the Mak 127 or C5, but may do duty in the StellaMira too... at least until I need the longer eye relief (see above) 👍

5 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Glad it has arrived.
On the packaging front, re-use is always my mantra, has been for years,
Exporting of the clouds is a secondary but advantageous situation,
however the clouds escaped the box before posting!

Same here, I have a wonderful collection of boxes for shipping out anything I sell... some of them do indeed contain clouds too unfortunately 😬🤣

55 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Postie Pete has been with my recent Classifieds purchase....
My smile gave me away, he noted the grin and commented, More Astronomy Kit then.

The purchases I made from you Alan, have turned up too (many thanks) and I had the same from the postman (he spotted the "May Contain Clouds" sticker on the re-used FLO box 🤣 

Firstly, a TeleVue DioOptrx... now mounted on my Pentax XW30, where it will likely get most (if not all) of its usage... see if it helps these ageing eyes, before resorting to glasses 🤞

Edit: Amazingly, the DiOptrx also fits perfectly inside the XW eyecup and so is completely integrated 😮👍