Baader zoom ep

[Geoffteeth]

Hi all, quick question.

If I buy a Baader zoom ep, can I basically get rid of the cheapy ones that come with scopes?

Cheers

[sologuitarist61]

The Baader zoom will almost certainly be better than the stock EP's that came with the scope and is a great boon if, like me, you hate juggling EP's in the dark. Still use my BST's but the zoom is great if you don't have much time and want to see as much as you can. In my opinion the Baader zoom is a great piece of kit and with a cheap Baader adapter (and a T ring) you can screw your DSLR (if you have one) straight into it for eye projection astro photography.

[Geoffteeth]

will it work with normal barlow?

[John]

The zoom would work with the standard barlow but thats adding a moderate (at best) optical quality item to a good one and the quality of your overall optical system is only as good as the lowest quality item in it.

[sologuitarist61]

Yes, as far as I'm aware, though there is a special barlow made by Baader specifically for the zoom EP, see the following link (keep thinking I ought to get one for my Baader zoom)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-barlow.html

[Geoffteeth]

The zoom would work with the standard barlow but thats adding a moderate (at best) optical quality item to a good one and the quality of your overall optical system is only as good as the lowest quality item in it.

Good point

[Tribal-Wolf]

I too am considering the Baader Zoom in the future, how much better is it than the BST explorer EPs? Is it very noticeable or just slightly better to the trained eye?

[JamesM]

Chris, I would say it's slightly better than the BST. I use mine regularly and find it both convenient and useful to use because of course the zoom works through the designated stops so you can both magnify and frame the view at the same time. Of course its weakness is its weight, coming in at 370g (large tin of beans 410g) which might cause balancing issues on some scopes and of course its diminished FOV at 24mm (50 degrees rather than 68 degrees). I would say that the performance is 'almost' as good as the individual Baader eyepieces. On the moon (likewise with a PST on the sun) this is a perfect eyepiece that lets you close in on the detail (parfocal throughout) and details are sharp across the field of view with a slight diminishing to the edge but hardly noticeable. No zoom is going to be a silver bullet but the Baader is about as good as it gets for a reasonable price, especially when compared with a Pentax zoom which is a lot bigger and a lot more expensive!

[Tribal-Wolf]

Thanks James, I'll keep it on my wishlist then. Looks like I will have to go back in my loft/garage/shed for things to sell on ebay lol

[Static030]

I just purchased a Baader Zoom last week. Got one night with it and it is great so far. Like someone mentioned there is no fumbling around finding different eyepieces. Works great on my Canon 450D too.

Nigel

[rwilkey]

I think the BST's will have a better FoV, though I have not tried the Baader Zoom as yet.

[Foggymike]

I'm considering one of these zooms as an alternative to getting a few Celestron X-cel LX's. Sounds like the FOV in the Baader's 24 setting aside they'd be pretty similar? There seem to be quite a few fans/owners of the BST's on here too which look another decent alternative. I guess we'll need to get something sorted soon before there is no proper darkness left for viewing through the mid summer!

[stevetynant]

Also seem to be a lot of people with issues with the Baader zoom - specifically in the cold - might be worth doing a search on the forums before you commit yourself just to get a few more views ?

[Teslar]

Never had a problem with my zoom even well below zero. But I'd be reluctant to hang a dslr off it as the click stop would not hold the rotational weight

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