cajen2

Cheers, will do, Mike.

Don't quite understand the first sentence (typo?). Thanks for the appreciation. Yes, I too would like to see it up against its best price competitors, though few are better than Pentax XWs!

I'd heard about the supposed EOFB (which apparently only some people have seen) and so was careful to search for it, but not a trace.

No, no shiny metal ring, though there is a matt black one: Presumably modified in case of internal reflections. I can state positively that there were no reflections / light scatter when I was using it.

The telescope isn't bad either....! 😄

To be honest, I'm not sure you'd have much use for one if you had the 20mm. The FOV is very wide on that.

Thanks for that. I'm not here to tell you the SL is better than a Pentax (very few EPs are!), but it has a significantly wider FOV in which the image is true right to the edge. I don't think you'd be disappointed....

I've been waiting for days for the chance to try out the StellaLyra 80° 20mm EP, and there was a short window in between rain and clouds tonight. I had enough time to see the moon, M43 and several other interesting bits of Orion and the Pleiades, but rarely for me, the focus was on the hardware rather than the views. Anyone interested in the results can see them in the Eyepiece section.

Thanks, OKA, will do.

@FLO were kind enough to lend me this example of the new 80° range for testing, and tonight was my first opportunity to try it properly. Scopes: Skywatcher Heritage Flextube 150p dob (f/5); StellaLyra 200mm dob (f/6). In practice, the small differences in focal length and image size/mag made very little difference, so the comments below refer to both. Conditions: clear interspersed with high thin cloud. Seeing and transparency both quite good during the clear spells. Views slightly washed out by a gibbous moon. EPs used for comparison: Vixen NPL 30mm, Pentax XW 14mm. Build quality: the SL is solid and heavy (it's a 2"") and is not in any way cheap-looking or plasticky. The heft in the hand gives confidence without being unwieldy. Weight is 553g. The metal top is covered with a non-slip hard rubber grip. The eyecup is a hard rubber twist up and down affair and works well - it will even unscrew completely if that's what you want. This leaves an M50 thread, making it possible to attach a DSLR camera. The inset lens and raised eyecap edges rob the EP of a about 4mm of eye relief, but that still leaves a healthy 16mm or so - I had no problem with ER but didn't use the eyecup. Viewing. This is a 20mm 80° EP, so its strengths should be in a wide FOV, and so it proved. The SL was capable of a similar FOV as my 30mm Vixen NPL, but obviously with a higher mag ( Vixen 40x, SL 60x). What impressed me most was the EOF accuracy. Until now, my (cheap) Vixen NPL was my favourite low-mag EP, with sharp stars and lovely views, but the SL blew it away! I could hardly believe how good the SL was right up to the field stop. I'd never really liked very wide FOV EPs before, but this is a peach. There was no sign of edge of field aberrations or brightening: a real (overused metaphor) spacewalk experience. Stars were as good off-axis as on. I looked at the moon first. The wide FOV just framed it and the image was crisp and clear. Neither the Vixen nor Pentax improved on the sharpness and contrast, though of course the 14mm Pentax image was larger. As the high cloud kept coming and going, I decided to focus on the familiar: Orion and the Pleiades. M42 was perfectly framed, with obvious nebulosity but a Trapezium showing only three stars in these conditions at 60x. The wide FOV made it possible to see both the nebula and Sigma Orionis at the same time, though that doesn't flatter either target! Sigma O. showed a clear three out of four stars and Struve 761 all three, so, encouraged, I turned to Mintaka, where the companion star was obvious. It goes without saying that the main function of an EP like this is not splitting doubles, but it's nice to know that, within limits, it can. The Pleiades were gorgeous, with the wide FOV meaning that most of the cluster was on view. The high cloud then came over in quantity, curtailing the session, but I think I'd seen enough to make initial judgements. In future sessions, I'd love to see what the SL makes of other nebulae, galaxies, etc. Conclusions: In another thread, I reported on the StellaLyra 68° EP, which acquitted itself very well against more expensive glass. I expected the 80° to be much the same with a wider FOV. However, it turned out to be a much more accomplished EP than that. It shares the sensitivity of the 68° to eye placement (not eye relief) - the Pentax was more comfortable to look through, but the SL's on- and off-axis images were extremely good. Looking "into the corners" was a rewarding experience rather than a trial, as in many wide FOV EPs. StellaLyra (Long Perng) are to be congratulated for this product, in my opinion. If the rest of the range are of similar quality, I think they're on to a winner. Obviously, the price, £219, takes it into some serious competition, but it seems to me to be as good as the best and better than many. It only has the brand reputation of the best to overcome. Sincere thanks to @FLO for entrusting me with this sample for review. I have no connection with SL, FLO or any astro company and therefore no axe to grind and no reason not to be impartial.

As someone who hasn't got a Tak (and is very unlikely to get one, as thousands of pounds for a miniscule telescope doesn't float my boat 🤣) I would still ask if anyone going to the Brecon Beacons star party is taking a Tak and is willing to let me take a peek.....I'd like to know what the fuss is about! 😄 As to brand loyalty, I have scopes by Skywatcher and StellaLyra, EPs by Pentax, Svbony, BT Starguider, StellaLyra, OVL and Vixen and other accessories by Baader and Celestron......so brand loyalty? I don't think so. I do like Vixen, SL, Baader and Pentax, though.

I just knew this thread would become a Takahashi lovefest.......😉😄

Update: I've found the QF won't stay on when it's at right angles. Very slowly and gradually, the sticky tape comes off and the QF falls to the floor. It's happened twice now (with fresh sticky pads) so I've had enough and relocated it between the focuser and the RACI. It's a bit crowded but just fits.

....and, interestingly, it isn't because the 30mm has a 2" barrel. I tried the SL 2" 20mm 80° (LER/UWA) on the same scope and it didn't need either the extension or pulling out. Must be a peculiarity of the Superview.

You're just weird! 🤣

Ah, ok. My back's also a bit iffy so I'm exclusively a seated observer, which is why I want to keep everything within easy reach.

Looks ok.... doesn't it make looking sideways into the RACI a bit more difficult?

I also found that, if inadvertently moved, the magnets would scuff the paintwork. Putting cardboard, etc under the magnets weakened the attachment, so the RQ was too easily put out of alignment. So I've taken the plunge and used the sticky pads, as I said, to the left of the focuser. Seems a bit weird to see it sticking out laterally but it works quite well and means I don't have to keep getting up and walking round the scope.

Same as @bosun21. In the end I put it to the left of the focuser.

Everything is upside down, so south = north. The other thing that always confused me is that Betelgeuse, for example, is on the east side of Orion as you look, not the west, as directions are reversed when you look at the sky.

Don't fancy loading my 8" dob onto a canoe! 😄 Getting a steady image would be tricky too.....😉. Seriously, though, that sounds like a great place to be - wish I lived nearer

Rather like @Spile, I found getting good zoom EP (in my case, an OVL Hyperflex) gives you a clear idea of what magnifications you like or need. Very high mags are rarely satisfactory unless seeing conditions are perfect, so I'd avoid sub-4mm EPs in your scope at first. A good-quality low mag EP is useful, as zooms give narrow fields of view at lower mags. I use a Vixen 30mm NPL, which is by far the best value for money EP that I have. Once you've identified which mags you want, you can gradually build up your fixed f/l eyepiece collection.

....and the f/6 8".

I was out with the 8" SL dob to try the SL 80° 20mm EP that @FLO sent me for testing. The sky was as clear as a bell when I went out but by the time I'd set up, thin cloud had started to appear and I had only minutes of moon viewing before it became impossible. For those that care, the SL seems excellent so far. More when the sky clears!