Baader Hperions- 0ver rated (vastly)

[stevetynant]

Right, as someone who has a 2 B Hyps - is it just me or for the price they are - are the B Hyperions over rated?

The rubber eyepieces are not as comfortable or useable as the screw up tops on the X Cels or BSTs IMO and although they are "modular" basically for twice the price of the BSTs are you getting twice the viewing experience?

I ask this as someone who has paid the price for two of these lens- but honestly - I can't say I enjoy using them as much as eye pieces I have bought for half the price.

Perhaps its just me- but I would honestly appreciate anyone's experience in this respect.

cheers Steve

[Tinker1947]

Each to there own, i have 3 Hyperions and am very happy with there viewing results / cost

[Ags]

I quite like my hyperions but I am not a total fan. The field of view is not easy to sustain without blackouts and kidney beaning, in comparison to my Speer WALER 9mm which has an even wdier field of view so it should be harder to use - but it isn't. On the other hand my 17mm hyperion is my 9mm EP (with FTRs of course) of choice for viewing Jupiter - it gives more sharpness, color and contrast than my 9mm TS Planetary HR - which is comparable to your BSTs.

I do find the 60 degree FOV of the TS Planetaries is very relaxing and easy to observe with, while I find myself working quite hard with the hyperion, despite the quality of the view. I also often find, when viewing faint DSOs with the hyperions, I am not entirely sure my eye is correctly positioned to fully illuminate the view. On other nights the Hyperions work perfectly....

In fast refractors like my F5 ST80 the hyperions are awful, blurred from 50% out. My 17mm Myperion is easily outperformed by a cheap 25mm plossl. I think this is because hyperions do not correct well for the field curvature of a fast refractor.

My 24mm hyperion came second-hand at the price of a new BST, so I can't complain, but I rather feel I would like a 17mm Speer WALER to replace both it and my 17mm Hyperion. The Speer WALERs give a quite a good view (not quite as good as the hyperions I think as they have some chromatic aberation and traces of off-axis reflections) but they have a wider more immersive view, and they are lighter and nicer ergonomically.

[John]

I've tried them all except the 21mm and liked them a lot except when the scopes got faster than around F/7 when their astigmatism started to show in off axis star definition.

I compared them directly to the Vixen LVW's which cost twice as much and, while there were differences, they were not miles apart in performance terms.

If I had a SCT I could be happy with a set of Hyperions I think. They have been around a while now though and there are lower priced contenders like the Celestron X-Cel LX and even the BST Explorer's which need to be considered though.

Highly personal thing though, eyepieces, as we say many times on here

[iwatkins]

They are excellent for eyepiece projection, I get great results with a DSLR attached.

But visually I also find them good but not excellent. BGOs are much better though and personally I prefer them.

Cheers

Ian

[R1gel]

My 17mm is much loved and works well. My 24mm is less of a pleasure to use with disappointing definition. It's out performed by my 25mm Plossl low end EP.

I have read good reports about the 24mm so maybe some EP's of the same focal size perform better than others and I just have a poor one. However as others have already stated EP's are a personal thing so what suites one person may not suite another.

[Macavity]

I find that an eyepiece has to be a (subjectively) good match for a particular scope in use. It's not just e.g. f/number, but also things like exit pupil size - especially where "comfort" is concerned. Characteristics such as astigmatism (edge sharpness) vary with focal length, within an eyepiece series etc. etc.

I'm also aware of my own limitations (eyesight, joints getting creaky? LOL). But I'm mostly looking at things on screen now, via video cam. <G> I sense I might be pruning my eyepiece collection considerably at some stage? But I will be taking my time over that one... I often "miss" stuff that I sell on at budget prices...

The TV "Delos" seemed a perfect replacement for my individual Hyperions, until I saw that the former is about THREE times the price of the latter?

[Macavity]

I find that an eyepiece has to be a (subjectively) good match for a particular scope in use. It's not just e.g. f/number, but also things like exit pupil size - especially where "comfort" is concerned. Characteristics such as astigmatism (edge sharpness) vary with focal length, within an eyepiece series etc. etc.

I'm also aware of my own limitations (eyesight, joints getting creaky? LOL). But I'm mostly looking at things on screen now, via video cam. <G> I sense I might be pruning my eyepiece collection considerably, at some stage? But I will be taking my time over that one... I often "miss" stuff that I sell on at budget prices!

The TV "Delos" seemed a perfect replacement for my individual Hyperions, until I saw that the former is about THREE times the price of the latter? No "free lunches", sadly.

[monad]

i am quite new to all of this and i have a f/10 refractor and just got a 17mm hyperion and its really nice and crisp compared to meade 4000 super plossl, but its really heavy and its hard for me to switch between the hyperion and a meade super plossl (even with a 40mm one!) but i managed to get a pretty decent picture of the moon through it, even with a simple camera.

[stevetynant]

I think in a lot of cases we are talking personal preference rather than performance. Perhaps its just the eye piece cup that I'm not over keen on with the BHyps rather than optical performance. I think it may take a few meets and trying out other peoples kit at the same focal lengths to get any meaningful assessment on the issue but for the mean time once my 32mm Panaview arrives I'm done with eye pieces for a while so just gonna make the most of what I have.

[gooseholla]

I agree entirely. I was extremely disappointed with mine and will most likely be selling it on very soon. A cheaper plossl easily out does it in my scope for sharpness across the field of view and also for ease of use.

I'm glad I only paid £25 for it.

[ismangil]

I have a 24mm Hyperion for my 200mm f6 reflector.

Observing the Double Cluster earlier in the week is nice, fits the FOV.

I do agree some blackouts do appear for me.

Will have to do until I can justify my observing hours to get a Panoptic...

[Macavity]

I'm glad I only paid £25 for it.

Well, lucky old you [teasing]. <G> Somehow, I sense the second hand value of the poor old Hyperion has just plummeted - As result of this very thread. Always the same, when I contemplate selling GOOD stuff on...

In fairness, Baader Hyperions were one of the FIRST eyepieces that secured an "Honourable discharge" in the face of the vocal and defensive (rather rich?) "Naglers-only", Cloudy Nights reviewers! It may be that eyepiece technology has come on, apace since? In part, I sense it has, but...

I think the potential issues re. Hyperions relate to long eye relief. The large eye lens (combined with a small exit pupil) can make viewing "difficult"? I often "lose" the field of view, in that large expanse of glass! I do prefer the "eye cup methodology" of TS/HR "Planetaries", at HIGHER powers. But Hyperions inferior to a "Cheap Plossl"? Well Maybe... But I'd be a bit surprised.

[John]

I agree entirely. I was extremely disappointed with mine and will most likely be selling it on very soon. A cheaper plossl easily out does it in my scope for sharpness across the field of view and also for ease of use.

I'm glad I only paid £25 for it.

Yours had some "issues" though, I seem to recall. It may well not be representative.

[gooseholla]

The issue was a scratch on the lens - visible, but in no way could be blamed as the cause of its poor performance in my scope!

[newman]

I was never thrilled with the view through Hyperions I did get to check out. But truth be told they were other people's eyepieces just borrowed for testing purposes, and I'm quite spoiled by Ethoi so.. ymmv. They're reasonably wide field and provide ok performance for that wide field considering the price. It's just that the eyepieces I use (Ethoi and orthoscopics) I all find to provide a much more neutral hue (I found the 13 and 8mm Hyps to have a slightly warm tone) and to be just a tad sharper.

[ismangil]

NO ONE and I mean no one is saying Hyperions are a match to ANY TeleVue eyepieces

So yes, of course I would sell all my BST and Hyperions once I buy Naglers, Panoptics, and Ethoses...

I was never thrilled with the view through Hyperions I did get to check out. But truth be told they were other people's eyepieces just borrowed for testing purposes, and I'm quite spoiled by Ethoi so.. ymmv. They're reasonably wide field and provide ok performance for that wide field considering the price. It's just that the eyepieces I use (Ethoi and orthoscopics) I all find to provide a much more neutral hue (I found the 13 and 8mm Hyps to have a slightly warm tone) and to be just a tad sharper.

[Viv]

Somehow, I sense the second hand value of the poor old Hyperion has just plummeted - As result of this very thread. Always the same, when I contemplate selling GOOD stuff on...

Excellent - I love my Hyperion & want to add a couple of wider ones to it !!

[M4lcs67]

I have a 24mm (and have a 10mm due any day now from FLO) and have been totally blown away with its 68 degree fov and the overall clarity compared to the 25 that came with the scope. And out of the two stock ep's that came with the scope (25 and 9mm) the 25 was the best out of the two. The 9 was/is rubbish and cannot wait to get my hands on my new 10mm Hyperion.

Admittedly these eyepieces are all I have got and all I have seen through, so I do have a limited amount of experience. It was actually the favourable comments from the peeps on SGL as well as Martin at FLO who swung it in favour of the Hyperions. I had considered the Celestron Ultimas as well, but in the end I am pleased with my decision. Yes they are blooming expensive, but I like the fact that they are nice and chunky and also that they are modular so you can change the focal length. Better getting a couple of extra rings for £20 rather than having to buy a whole new eyepiece.

[Moonshane]

I have never used a Hyperion but would not expect the qualities of any optical device costing twice the price of the competition to be twice as good as the competition. As you pay more and more for something optical, the differences in quality become less and less. I have several criteria for buying eyepieces (although never really need to buy another in my life if honest) but two of them are seeing the whole field without a battle and sharpness/uniform view across the field.

I'd sooner give up wide field for sharpness and contrast any day. I have eyepieces from BGO's to a TV Ethos and enjoy them all equally but for different reasons and targets.

[RikM]

I have used 13mm and 17mm Hyperions in both my Newts and I thought they performed admirably for the money. I found them comfortable to use, sharp on axis, acceptable eyerelief and just the right aFOV to suit my eyes. Had I not bought Pentax XW I would have had a set of Hyperions.

[John]

The issue was a scratch on the lens - visible, but in no way could be blamed as the cause of its poor performance in my scope!

I read the sellers description of that eyepiece carefully. There was also the suggestion of artifacts inside the eyepiece. I suspected that the eyepiece had been opened up at sometime by a previous owner and possibly the lenses have been removed (for cleaning ?). I just wonder if there was a substantial reason that it was being sold for 35% of it's normal used price - that seller knows their stuff I reckon.

No problems if the Hyperion design is not for you though, thats often the way with eyepieces. You should certainly be able to get what you paid for it back again.

[Capricorn]

Eyepieces are an area where one person like one and another person dislikes the same.

Another factor is that if someone likes one they rave over it declaring that everyone should have one.

This happens a lot after a person upgrades from the supplied eyepiece to some others. As the supplied are inexpensive so almost any upgrade is better, so the purchaser raves about the new eyepiece.

I like the BST's, equally there are better, the BST's were not expensive, there are less expensive. What I doubt I will get is better at a less expensive cost.

I also find them comfortable to use and this aspect is not optical but is significant to an observer.

[twotter]

I don't think Hyperions are over rated, vastly or otherwise. For me they are comfortable to use, give a good view in my SW 200P dob, and have proved to be good value for money. The fine tuning rings give me that extra flexibility to adapt to whatever viewing conditions mother nature throws at me.

I like them

[gooseholla]

I read the sellers description of that eyepiece carefully. There was also the suggestion of artifacts inside the eyepiece. I suspected that the eyepiece had been opened up at sometime by a previous owner and possibly the lenses have been removed (for cleaning ?).

The "artifact" was dust on the bottom lens where the 1.25 barlow part screws off. It is gone now. Wasn't hard to remove.