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Pentax XW's

John

By John
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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John

John

Posted
Posted

I came across this japanese web page recently which shows the optical design of each of the eyepieces in the Pentax XW range, including the 2" ones:

http://pentaxplus.jp...h/xo-xw/61.html

There's quite a lot of variation there !

Reading from the Pentax data sheet that comes with the XW's I see that, as well as fully multicoating the air to glass surfaces, Pentax also apply what they call partial coatings to the cemented surfaces too. I've not heard of this technique before but I guess it might be a contributory factor to the very low levels of light scatter that the XW's that I've used seem to show.

Amazing that an eyepiece with 8 lens elements can rival the performance of some of the best orthoscopics while delivering a generous field of view and eye relief too :smiley:

And yet Pentax hardly seem to advertise their eyepieces .........

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Damo636

Damo636

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I couldn't agree more John, these are superb ep's. It makes you wonder if Pentax had been a bit more aggressive with their advertising, would they be in the situation they find themselves in today? With the 2" variants already discontinued & the release of the rest of the Delos range imminent, I wonder how long the 1.25" variants have left?

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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I couldn't agree more John, these are superb ep's. It makes you wonder if Pentax had been a bit more aggressive with their advertising, would they be in the situation they find themselves in today? With the 2" variants already discontinued & the release of the rest of the Delos range imminent, I wonder how long the 1.25" variants have left?

I think the 3.5 and 5mm are the most vulnerable XWs. 7, 14, and 20mm should live on as spotting scope eyepieces, unless Ricoh decided Pentax should leave the sport optics market as well, which unfortunately is not improbable.

Like other Japanese astro products, I suspect sales in the Japanese home market will determine the fate of the eyepiece. Delos are over 45% more expensive then XW in Japan, so I doubt it will have a significant impact on XW's market share. Especially when there is another (equally unenthusiastic) competitors of the XW for the last few years, which should further minimise any shock from the introduction of the full Delos range to that market.

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

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Agree totally with the above comments. Am desperate to get the 10mm XW before it vanishes. You'd have thought that as one of the few EP manufacturers to be able to challenge TV for quality they would have an assured future in the EP market.

They'll soon be collectors items I reckon so hang on to any that you have and treasure them. :sad:

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Mike73

Mike73

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Your "wanted" advert worked then ? :smiley:

Congratulations ! - hope you can post on it's performance soon.

Yep I was pretty surprised to get a used one TBH, thought I'd have to cough up for a new as you dont hear of many people with the 17.3mm.

My 13mm Ethos has gone so 17.3mm fitted part of the gap very well, the tricky part now is which 14mm? The XW or the soon to be released Delos?

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RikM

RikM

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I have been thinking about a 5mm and possibly a 30mm to round out my set. If there are still some around at Christmas I might well be tempted. They are very nice indeed. I hadn't heard that the 2" ones had been discontinued though :(

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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The one good thing if they go into the abyss is that some companies may be selling of their last ones at a 'clearance' price. Would definitely snap up a 20mm to add to my collection.

I doubt it. When a premium eyepieces goes, there is usually a frenzy to buy up the last remaining eyepieces. I wouldn't surprise if the price goes up. The frenzy happened to the Pentax 5mm Pentax XO a few months ago, and the price drop hasn't happen for the 2" XWs or the 2.5mm XO.

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alan potts

alan potts

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Yep I was pretty surprised to get a used one TBH, thought I'd have to cough up for a new as you dont hear of many people with the 17.3mm.

My 13mm Ethos has gone so 17.3mm fitted part of the gap very well, the tricky part now is which 14mm? The XW or the soon to be released Delos?

Mike what about the Meade 14mm UWA, it's a hell of an eyepiece and cheap as chips at the moment from T house, If not I have a 13mm Nagler which will not get used much any more. By your choice though and what you have told me I guess you are going for the 70 degree FOV.

Alan.

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Mike73

Mike73

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I've heard the views through the Delos 17.3 being described as "very XW-like" on the Cloudynights forum so you should enjoy the eyepiece :smiley:

After a brief first light with the Delos last night I'd say this is very true and I cant find anything to fault the Delos on (which is no suprise TBH). :)

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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They'll become much sought after collectors items and will always command a high price. I doubt they'd be flogged off at bargain prices as discontinued stock shame eh :cool:

The 1.25" XW are relatively common, so I don't think they will be come collector's item. However, I don't think many people bought 2" XW so I wouldn't be surprise if the used price for those goes up when the remaining stock is depleted and the collectors start to take notice. To support your point, there're no sign of any retailer flogging off the 2" XW at bargain price.

For an eyepiece to become collector's item, they need to have exceptional performance, came from a reputable brand, limited in numbers and last but not least it has to be discontinued with no successors/alternative. The ZAO I and II, TMB super mono, Pentax SMC orthos, and the ultra rare 60mm Pentax XL met all these criteria, but the 1.25" XWs do not meet number 3 - limited in number. Furthermore, with the release of the full Delos range, there will be a viable alternative which diminishes the XW's value to observers. If there were no Delos, people will probably go mad to buy up the last XWs, but nowadays if Pentax discontinued the XW, people will just switch to Delos.

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RikM

RikM

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If the full range of Delos EP's had been available when I bought my XW's I might have made a different choice. I don't regret choosing Pentax for one single second but the Delos I have looked through (10mm and 6mm) have been quite nice.

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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It's questionable whether camera dealers like this will be able to get the eyepiece. They are box shifters and if Pentax EU and JP has ran out of stock, that price will be meaningless. A few months ago I tried to order a 5mm XO from SRSmicrosystem at their 'special offer price' after all UK astro dealers ran out of stock, but after a 3 weeks wait they emailed me back saying the eyepiece was discontinued and they couldn't source any from Pentax EU or JP.

If you are interested in XW 30mm, you should be quick and order one. There wasn't a wave of panic buying like the 5XO, so you may be lucky if Pentax EU still have stock.

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