And I thought Ethos eyepieces were expensive

[johninderby]

Ouch !

Nikon 17mm eyepiece with NAV HW corrector

£1,430.00

http://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/product.html?info=2769

Based on the international success with their NAV SW Eyepiece series, Nikon offers now the new ultra-wide angle range with 102 ° field of view, the NAV of HW eyepieces. This series consists of two lenses, a 12.5 mm 12.5HW NAV and the NAV 17HW 17 mm. Each of these eyepieces also includes a "EiC" Teleextender computed specifically for each eyepiece and the focal length of 14 mm. That means you have two eyepieces for the price of one. The NAV 17HW is a 2 "eyepiece and comes with a 2 inch stop ring. All lenses are fully multi-coated with the world-class Nikon compensation. The mechanical and optical processing is perfect just as you would expect from a Nikon product.

John

[Charon]

. Makes the Televue range a bargain then.

[newman]

I'd really like to see a comparison to, say, a 17mm Ethos. Yes, the telextender, two eps for the price of one, that's all well and good, but I'm primarily interested in optical performance and how it compares to an Ethos of the same focal length. I'd imagine the law of diminishing returns kicks in full blast here - there's no way this ep is 3x as good as a corresponding Ethos

[sologuitarist61]

Not really surprised - camera manufacturers make there money on the lenses. The cameras are cheap enough but you are looking at £500 minimum to get any decent lenses. It is a bit like the printer world where the price of a new printer is sometimes cheaper than buying a set of ink cartridges.

Can't see them selling many of them though can you? But there again there is always someone that has to have "the best" regardless - no doubt posts will coming flooding in from people with more money than us mere mortals!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Two lenses for the price of one? More like two lenses for the price of 3, or 4

[johninderby]

Wonder how they'd work in a binoviewer.

Just a thought. Show this eyepiece first to your "financial controller" and then say "Well I suppose I could settle for a cheap eyepiece like the Ethos then".

John

[E621Keith]

They have been out for a few years, but with a price tag like that, there is no surprise they aren't selling.

There are a few reviews on CN forum about this eyepiece. From what I remembered, they said this eyepiece is a step up from ethos like how ethos is a step up from Explore Scientific 100deg.

Anyway, all that means nothing to me as I can't afford any of those, but one can dream on about what to buy if one wins the lottery.

As for binoviewer use, this Japanese guy use them for his binoscope

Nikon_NAV-HW

Based on google translate, it has good contrast and less likely to black out, but has focus issue

[E621Keith]

I just noticed they also sell a 1.25" Nikon EiC16 barlow for €400.

Nikon - EiC-16 converter lens-EiC-16

[johninderby]

They've also got a second hand Carl Zeiss Jena ABBE Barlow 1.25" for only €1,000 (£832.00).

John

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

You just have to wonder how much better that could be than a Meade TeleXtender or TV PowerMate. Yes it is Zeiss quality (I have several Zeiss lenses with my old Contax SLR, they are great), but optical design has improved. A Zeiss Abbe Barlow is still a Barlow. Newer designs are better at keeping exit pupil in the same position, may have better colour correction, and use better types of glass. The words Zeiss Abbe do much to increase the price.

[E621Keith]

I knew the German economy is doing better than ours, but I didn't realise it's doing THAT much better.

Why is a used CZJ barlow 3 times more expensive than a new Baader Carl Zeiss Abbe barlow is beyond me.

Zeiss Abbe Barlow 2x - 1.25' - modular

[TheMightyKong]

Actually you can buy them for 99800yen, about £760 before shipping from Barry Gooley at Kokusai Kohi:

Kokusai Kohki made In Japan astro goods

Even after import taxes of, what 25%? It's going to be a lot cheaper than what APM are asking. Still pretty pricey....

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I must say the Japanese NAV-SW prices are also a far cry for what you pay here; about 347 euro versus 690 euro at APM. I am probably going to Japan in November, so I should start saving. I can buy two for the price of one here.

[E621Keith]

I must say the Japanese NAV-SW prices are also a far cry for what you pay here; about 347 euro versus 690 euro at APM. I am probably going to Japan in November, so I should start saving. I can buy two for the price of one here.

I found Kokusai Kohki is more expensive then some other Japanese dealers. These guys sells the NAV SW for 33000JPY (€300/£250), and NAV HW for 89800 JPY (€823/£683).

Nikon(???)???????/???????????????KYOEI ???

Suddenly the NAV HW become much more competitive against the £630 Ethos.

That said, I have never dealt with these guys and I have no idea if they even speak English. I definitely won't order from them from abroad, but I might visit their shop if I ever go to Osaka.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I found Kokusai Kohki is more expensive then some other Japanese dealers. These guys sells the NAV SW for 33000JPY (€300/£250), and NAV HW for 89800 JPY (€823/£683).

Nikon(???)???????/???????????????KYOEI ???

Suddenly the NAV HW become much more competitive against the £630 Ethos.

That said, I have never dealt with these guys and I have no idea if they even speak English. I definitely won't order from them from abroad, but I might visit their shop if I ever go to Osaka.

Thanks for that. If you are ever in Osaka (or anywhere else in Japan), you will find the Japanese very friendly and very helpful. I once asked for directions, and they walked me to the hotel and offered to carry my suitcase. My Japanese is very elementary (hello, thank you, cheers, goodbye, after you, and that is about it), but I never had problems making myself understood (shopkeepers all over the world generally are very good at understanding other languages when they can make money;)). I will be in Tokyo and Tsukuba, mainly. I will ask people for directions to the nearest telescope store.