Antares Speers Waler II 5-8mm Zoom

[Space Beagle]

Last night (03 Dec 11), at last, I had the quick opportunity to have a go with the Antares Spears Waler II 5-8mm zoom in my Dob mounted 200p. So, I thought it was my duty to share a few of my thoughts with my fellow SGL’ers!

The seeing was not great with thin high cloud drifting across my main test targets The Moon and Jupiter. But there were nice big gaps in the cloud which convinced me to set up and have a look!

Anyway, I can report that the zoom seems to work very well in this OTA with a nice crisp and contrasty image across nearly all of the very wide field of view; I was seeing lunar details I had not viewed so well before. Jupiter was mesmerising to look at and nice and sharp all the way up to 200x in the moments when the clouds moved away! I could see quite distinct bands and very nice surface colouring in the bands, very chuffed with the views!!

I have an adapter for the lens that turns it into a 3.12-4.67mm (if my dodgy maths is correct!) zoom, which would give some pretty impressive magnifications (when conditions allow of course) in my two scopes, so i’m looking forward to trying it out soon. AndyH found out where to buy these, so thanks pal!

The eyepiece is apparently not a ‘true zoom’ according to people that know these things and I can confirm that it is not parfocal across the range of magnifications available. I don’t find that off putting at all though, as I do seem to constantly ‘twiddle’ the focus a little anyway!

Anyway, as I ‘zoomed’ in with the ‘not a true zoom’ and twiddled away with the focus I was very impressed with the views of the lunar surface detail, very clear and defined crater edges, mountain ranges and other features near the Terminator. It was almost like when people say it was like being in an orbiting spacecraft looking through a porthole at the lunar surface instead of in my back garden just outside of Boston with only Alfie the cat for company!

I’d say that the views were as good if not better, than the fixed focal length ep’s i’ve been using in about that range i.e. a TMB Clone 4mm, a BST 5mm and a TMBII Planetary 6mm. I’ve been very happy with the performance of all these three and would recommend all of them, but now I think they will have to move aside for the Antares for high power lunar and planetary viewing!

The Antares is quite expensive to be honest, but I think the capabilities it has shown me, so far at least, it could be a bit of a keeper! It’s quite a large ep, but not too heavy and is easy to use in the 200p Dob and, i’m very glad to say, works well in the Tal 100RS! So it gets the big thumbs up from me!!

Blimey, if I move on those three ep’s i’ll be down to only six in my ep case!! A record low for me!!

Doc

[AndyH]

Nice review !

I concur with the eyepieces quality. Mine is a MkI version, but I believe the optics are the same, whilst the MKII's have updated mechanics.

It's now become my 'go to' eyepiece when I need anything 8mm or lower. Easy to use, huge field of view and surprising sharp and contrasty, even compared to orthos.

When you consider that many folks have a collection of eyepieces 8mm and lower, it actually is pretty good value. Even more so if you get the adapter(24 euros) which multiplies the focal length by 60%. So one eyepiece has the potential to replace 5 to 6 individual ones.

Pleased to hear you're enjoying it, as much as I am, mine.

All hail, the kinda-zoom !!

Andy.

[AndyH]

And to folk reading this and thinking, 8mm is a bit too much for my scope, there is a 8.5-12mm version available too.

The adapter can be used in the fixed Antares Speers eyepieces also.

Really great range of eyepieces, in my humble opinion. I liked my 10mm & 7.5mm when I had had them. Only sold to fund other astro stuff. I'll not be selling my zoom. No chance.

Andy.

[Mr Bond]

Holy Necro-post Batman!

Sorry for dragging this post back up, but can anyone inform me or post a link to, the adaptor mentioned above?

I'm lucky enough to have just located and bought the Speers Waler 5-8mm zoom.

Not arrived yet though so weather should still be ok for a week or so. :-)

[AndyH]

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p633_Extention-tube-for-Speers-Waler-Eyepieces---more-magnification.html

[AndyH]

Congrats on the purchase.

A truly superb eyepiece.

[Mr Bond]

Thanks Andy.

And I mean thanks, it was down to comments such as yours that I chased one down.

this place is going to cost me alot of money.....

;-)

[Mr Bond]

Is the adaptor a hollow tube (similar to the Baader type)?

I'm thinking this would be so, as it would take the negative lense further from the positive lense and increase mag.

If so, I might already have something similar I could try.

[AndyH]

Is the adaptor a hollow tube (similar to the Baader type)?

I'm thinking this would be so, as it would take the negative lense further from the positive lense and increase mag.

If so, I might already have something similar I could try.

Correct !

You screw off the bottom portion of the eyepiece and put the adapter in between.

Just put my calipers on the adapter -

length/height = 41mm

Outside diam = 45mm

Inside diam = 39.5mm

Connecting thread = M43x1

[alan potts]

Nice report on the first light, I had one myself last year but it has now moved on I thought it was a good zoom as zooms go but a bit colourfull at the edges. It is I believe it is the only 82 degree zoom there is. I am assume you were meaning Saturn not Jupiter.

Alan

[rowan46]

This eyepiece has achieved almost legendary status I wonder why it was discontinued. I would love to see one in the flesh

[Mr Bond]

Nice report on the first light, I had one myself last year but it has now moved on I thought it was a good zoom as zooms go but a bit colourfull at the edges. It is I believe it is the only 82 degree zoom there is. I am assume you were meaning Saturn not Jupiter.

Alan

the original post was from 2011 Alan, so Jupiter would be correct.

[Mr Bond]

Correct !

You screw off the bottom portion of the eyepiece and put the adapter in between.

Just put my calipers on the adapter -

length/height = 41mm

Outside diam = 45mm

Inside diam = 39.5mm

Connecting thread = M43x1

Thanks for that Andy. It sounds very similar in principle to the Hyperion FTR. I thought it would just extend the 1.25" part.

Uesful stuff, ta.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Real pity these are no longer spotted in the wild.

[alan potts]

Mr Bond,

I spotted it after it was too late to do anything about it, so thank you to you and sorry to the Original Poster, I though it was a new name on site, maybe he don't bother so much now. Still good eyepiece and I agree, sad we don't see them, I really don't know why they stopped, I wonder if it had anything to do with that terrible day in Japan, it was around then they vanished.

Alan ( he who don't read dates)

[Mr Bond]

Haha, nice one Alan. :-)

You could be right with the date and the Japanese disaster. I "know" it hit Pentax XW production and that the glass on the Speers WALER EPs was sourced in Japan.

I'm still waiting for my EP. Full report when it lands. I'm quite excited by the prospect of it!

[ramirotorres]

Hello, first of all I introduce myself, my name is Ramiro and I'm from Buenos Aires Argentina , I'm a fan of the eyepieces and I bought the Speers Waler zoom 5-8 mm a while ago.

I would ask the person who posted on this eyepiece adapter that converts a 3.1 to 4.7 mm zoom , maintains 80 ° FOV?, And secondly if you know of another place that sells this adapter, because at that site shipping is very expensive for my town is around 47 euros ...

Thanks and Greetings from Buenos Aires. -

[AndyH]

Hi Ramiro !

47 euros is a shockingly high shipping charge

I have had a look about online and have not found anything so far.

What I did find is -

M43 thread is commonly used on Japanese Vixen telescopes.

So then I found this on the North American Distributor for Vixen Telescopes......

http://www.vixenopti...indiv/2957.html

I would check with them or a local (to you) Vixen dealer and ask them to check that the threads are compatable with your eyepiece. ie: To make sure the thread on the vixen extension tube is M43x1 and not something like M43x0.75 . Note that in the link above, there is no mention of the thread pitch, but the length of the extension tube is the same as on mine. With luck it will be a pitch of 1.0 .

I have had a look at my notes I keep and I have realised that I have not done a star drift time test, to check on the true field of view on my 5-8 zoom. I don't think that the extension tube should affect the FOV, but I shall try it, next time I am out under the stars.

Cheers,

Andy.

[Moonshane]

optically, this eyepiece is very good. personally though I buy eyepieces for a number of reasons and convenience (ironically) is one of them as is ergonomics.

to me the design of this eyepiece borders on a bit mad. compare

with

OK the field is somewhat different but something's always a compromise I suppose, be it size of eyepiece or size if field I suppose.

[ramirotorres]

Hi Andy, you've been very kind to answer, I'll see if I can find something similar over there, over the FOV, is an assumption but it increases a little something like 80 ° to 87 ° by 5 mm, which suggests that continue to rise as the focal low and increases the space between lenses, is not it? .

Best regards.

Ramiro.

[AndyH]

Hahahahahaa

That's a pic of my MKI Speers at 5mm setting on my small Tal-1 110mm/F7.3 Newt.

Mad? Yes. But brilliant

[Moonshane]

please don't take my post as having a go at a great eyepiece. it's just not for me due to the reasons I mention. we all put up with compromise to some extent I suppose. :0)

[Moonshane]

one thing they have got spot on is the range ratio. if TV produced a zoom with a constant 50 degrees across 7-14 degrees, I'd be starting to save!

[AndyH]

Hi Andy, you've been very kind to answer, I'll see if I can find something similar over there, over the FOV, is an assumption but it increases a little something like 80 ° to 87 ° by 5 mm, which suggests that continue to rise as the focal low and increases the space between lenses, is not it? .

Best regards.

Ramiro.

I had forgotton about the increase in FOV as you move from 8 to 5mm.

I shall definitely do a star timing test with and without the extension tube. Thanks for reminding me of the FOV change.

Cheers,

Andy.

[ramirotorres]

I want to share that I have had several Speers Waler, but only this zoom, I particularly like the 10 mm and 12 mm, 10 mm at 80 ° of FOV is particularly the best ever for me. Along with this zoom, which is excellent to, in fact the Nagler are slightly better in image quality, but only a little.

These eyepieces are excellent in my opinion.