SWAN vs. UWAN

[SrStewart]

Hey everyone!

So i'm looking at tossing my SW basic lenses I got with my scope because they just ain't doing it.

I got a 250mm f/5 SW Dob.

I was looking at spending a bit but not too much and have come across some William Optics. I'm pretty sure I am going to go with the SWAN because the price is within my range.

So I was looking at the

SW AERO ED SWA 30mm 2" or WO SWAN 25mm 2"?

WO SWAN 15mm 1.25"

WO SWAN 9mm 1.25"

Baader Hyperion 2.25x Barlow

So thats what I'm looking at. Just curious to what is the huge difference between UWAN and SWANs?

Cheers

[WayBig]

I've not tried a WO SWAN, but have heard that they aren't particularly good at f5.

I have used a SW aero 30mm in a similar scope to yours and loved - it's very comfortable to use, nice and light too, edge performance is pretty good but you will notice some small seagulls at the edge. Though, for the money I think the 30mm is a really good eyepiece. I believe the same eyepiece is branded differently and sold slightly more cheaply under a different brand...might have been tmb paragon, but I'm not 100% sure

If you want to loose the seagulls you have to pay a lot more and eventually I upgraded to a skywatcher nirvana which is the same as a UWAN, the edge performance is noticeably better and the field of view wider, but the price is much higher and i find it not quite as comfortable to use as the aero as the eyepiece cup is so huge (at least on the 28mm) you have to get used to looking sideways into it.

[Damo636]

I haven't used the Swan but have owned a 7mm Nirvana and a 28mm Uwan. At f5 i reckon the Uwan/Nirvana will out perform the Swan by a fair margin.

[SrStewart]

Alright well I guess I'll just stick with Aero/Nirvana optics for now. A bit more pricey but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Thanks!

[John]

I have tried a SWAN or two plus a number of UWAN's / Nirvana's (same eyepiece). In your scope the latter is a much better bet, despite the price difference.

[SrStewart]

It is becoming quite difficult to find a dealer in North America that sells the Aero/Nirvana pieces. Booo.

[WayBig]

If you're in north America I'd really suggest looking at the explore scientific 82 degree range, they are fantastic value and I'd expect them to be every bit as good as the UWANs

[John]

In the USA, Orion do a clone of the UWAN / Nirvanas:

Orion MegaView Ultra-Wide 1.25" and 2" Eyepieces | Orion Telescopes

I would have thought the William Optics UWAN's would have been fairly widely available as well

[SrStewart]

Hmm those are still kind of pushing my budget.

Reviews seem pretty good on these.

32mm Orion Q70 Wide-Field Telescope Eyepiece | Orion Telescopes

Plus these Stratus' seem well rounded, and in more of my price range.

Orion Stratus Wide-Field 1.25"/2" Eyepieces | Orion Telescopes

[John]

The Orion Stratus eyepieces are more or less the same the same as Baader Hyperions for what it's worth.

[SrStewart]

Hmm ok. Still on the fence at the moment on what to get exactly. I may start off with a larger lens. Maybe around 25mm+ 2" and get a barlow in the mean time. Then work my way into the more powerful lenses. Just so many decisions in what brand...but hopefully that'll help me with DSOs a bit!

Also anything over a 2x barlow for my 250 f/5 is too powerful?

[Simms]

In the USA, Orion do a clone of the UWAN / Nirvanas:

Orion MegaView Ultra-Wide 1.25" and 2" Eyepieces | Orion Telescopes

I would have thought the William Optics UWAN's would have been fairly widely available as well

I dont think they are `clones`, but are identical, made in same factory etc.. I believe that if you order enough from the manufacturer you can have them embossed with your own brand name - thats what Skywatcher and others do. Here are the Skywatcher Panaviews by a different name..

Titan Wide Field - Astronomy Technologies

And here are the Skywatcher Aeros..

http://www.astronomytechnologies.com/listing.asp?o=15292&b=e

[John]

I'm sure you are right - same eyepiece from the same factory. Buy 100 and put your own branding on it.

Takes all the "magic" out of it, especially if you thought that William made his own Optics

How about this one then:

Ultra Wide Anger Eyepiece products, buy Ultra Wide Anger Eyepiece products from alibaba.com

Ultra Wide Anger

[Rob Severn]

Ok I know these aren't the eyepieces on topic but the Explore Scientific 82° are very good eyepieces, I have a 200pds, a PST and a Celestron C11 and they perform beautifully in all of these, at f5 there is very little coma using the 14 & 11mm, very dark background and superb colour/contrast. They seem to be quite overlooked on here I honestly can't see why.