SW Aero ED 35mm or Baader Aspheric 31mm

[MatthewC]

Hi everyone. I cannot seem to decide which of the above to buy. Both will give similar fov, and are priced the same. I am drawn to the Baader as the exit pupil will be smaller and with the slightly increased magnification the contrast should be a little better. But, would the Aero be better corrected? Basically which of the two would have the better edge performance at f6. I had wanted to order this today but cannot come to a conclusive decision

Just to throw another into the mix, has anyone any experience with this Meade Series 5000 Super Wide Angle 34mm Eyepiece 2"

£90 saving on these at the minute but are they any better?

[Damo636]

I have just emailed Flo regarding the very same ep's you have listed (two great minds think alike ). I think i am going to go for the Baader.

[John]

I've owned the Aero ED 30mm and 40mm's and they were pretty well corrected down to F/6 at least and quite light for 2" eyepieces. I've not owned / used a Hyperion Aspheric but I've seen the merits of the 2 debated in the past - can't recall the outcome in detail but I believe they were pretty evenly matched optically so the choice could be one of ergonomics.

[Macavity]

I don't think you will be disappointed with the Baader. I have no experience of the Aero.

IMO, many of these eyepiece - over a certain price-threshold, perform in rather similar ways - A case of "swings and roundabouts"? I did not feel the Baader was dramatically better than e.g. a "Moonfish". BUT construction is better, virtual field more "honest", light transmission excellent, with fewer internal reflections etc. I sense there is some merit in the Aspheric idea. It can seem that, unlike others of the ilk, sharpness recovers a bit at the edges, rather than degrading monotonically. It "coordinates" well, with it's Baader brethren too. <G> On the other hand, there are indeed many newer and competing eyepieces around, these days.

[Damo636]

Having used most of the Hyperion's at one time or another i am fairly confident the Aspheric will work well at f6.

[Ben Ritchie]

Just to throw another into the mix, has anyone any experience with this Meade Series 5000 Super Wide Angle 34mm Eyepiece 2"

I'm impressed with mine, although I picked it up for around £50 new when the s5000s were being sold off cheap in the states. At that price it was an absurd bargain. At £150 i'm less sure, as it's approaching used 35mm Panoptic money and i'd be tempted to spend a bit more on the Panoptic knowing i'd get it back if I needed to sell it.

The Meade series 5000 superwides seem about 80-90% of the performance of the Panoptics (depending on how picky i'm feeling), I've owned the 20mm and currently have both the 24mm and 34mm and really like them all. Performance is suffering a little bit at f/4.5, but the 24mm is really nice in the TeleVue '76 and the 34mm is a very decent eyepiece too and gets regular use. I can't imagine parting with it, as it would cost a lot more money for only an incremental performance gain.

[John]

I found this thread from 2009 which discussed the 30mm / 31mm versions of these eyepieces:

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-help/79735-baader-hyperion-aspheric-31mm-skywatcher-aero-ed-30mm.html

[MatthewC]

Thanks guys. The Meade is a non runner as they are all sold out at the discounted price. I will contact Flo in the morning regarding the Baader and the Aero. I am leaning toward the 35mm Aero.