which binoviewers

[roscoe]

hi,any idea which would be best for 8" sct classic meade lx200? Siebert Optics Black Night Binoviewer or wo?which is best quality etc.also do they all have 125 fitting or is there 2",which would be best if so?any pointers on good prices anywhere,best ive seen is wo at £169 free po.would i need extension to keep focal aperature?many thanks,advise most apreciated.

[kniclander]

lots of folk have the WO binoviewers and seem to like them. Siebert are a top name in binoviewing but i suspect their black nights will be pretty similar to the WO. see the spec for "clear aperture" for both. you will have issues with achieving focus with binoviewers in a refractor or a newtonian but should be ok in a scope where the focussing is achieved by movement of the primary (eg a mak or a SCT).

[roscoe]

great,thanks ,stereoview is going to be awesome,i hope.

[hobbesy]

It is indeed awesome as long as you can merge the image. I don't have any issues but I know some people (especially if they have big differences between their eyes) can struggle. It's a bit of a chore getting them focused and individually and getting the diopter right (I recommend you focus with one eye on the scope then the eyepiece, then do the other eyepiece) but once you're there, they're awesome.

I have the WO ones. You don't get the nice metal case, but you do get a pair of 20mm eyepieces and a 1.6x barlow.

They come to focus on both my ED81s and Solarmax, but only if you put the 1.6 barlow in front of the diagonal. You shouldn't have that problem on an SCT as kniclander says. As for viewing, it's planetary and lunar (and solar of course) where they make most difference. And boy is it a difference.

[teleskopjo]

Next month wo are going to release a new, lighter, model.

[roscoe]

thanks chaps,ordered wo's and a solar filter sheet,and got fantastic deal after asking lea at green-witch to match cheapest price online,which they did,and some,thanks to them and you , i cant wait to try them out,will be a new telescope.cheers

[roscoe]

wow,arrived already,gonna make my solar filter using directions from http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/186232-my-diy-solar-filter.html#post2267131 and dribble over my binos for the next 7 days till we get some clear sky,lol thanks lea