MoonFish 2" 15mm vs Meade 5000 UWA

[Spec-Chum]

As promised...

I had a good play with the MoonFish last night, comparing it to the Meade on Jupiter, the moon and M42.

Eye relief was tight but not overly so; no worse than the Meade which I have the eyecup about half way down to pretty much see the full field (my eyelashes catch if it’s any closer, but that’s me, not the eyepiece)

First impressions of the MoonFish were not good, in fact they were awful; massive astigmatism from around 50% of the FOV. From around 50% out the stars go from a * to a (+--- and they turn into a complete smudge at the very edge. I’ve not used a 15mm BST, but if the 18mm is anything to go by then I’d say the 15mm BST would actually have more useable FOV despite the 20 degree disadvantage

That said, the MoonFish did frame the near full moon nicely and looked pretty good at first, but when you swap in the Meade the difference is night and day, especially off-axis. It’s just isn’t sharp at all anywhere but in the centre, plus the moon had a blue halo all around it. The Meade, however was unbelievable! Sharp across the entire view, no colour aberration and the detail, my God, the detail!

Differences were also quite apparent in Jupiter with the cloud bands much more pronounced on the Meade. Internal reflections on the MoonFish were not good, in fact they were awful! I could see what looked like 3 Jupiters in a row! It again had colour aberration around it’s edge, showing a blue/green tint around the planet. No such issues on the Meade with the cloud bands as sharp as I’ve ever seen them on the only Jupiter I could see

On a good note, the contrast was actually pretty good on the MoonFish. M42 showed up nicely, with the stars in the trapezium being clearly separate entities, even with the full moon trying its best to drown everything out. Not as good as the Meade, but more than acceptable. In the centre anyway…

The 30mm MoonFish is great, I love it, but this 15mm one is very lacking. In fact the 30mm Barlowed is much better.

I guess you’ve got to remember it sells £60 and for that it’s just about OK, but once you compare it to anything more high-end it falls to pieces.

Is the Meade worth double the MoonFish? Yes, and then some...

[E621Keith]

Nice reviews.

It's a case of you get what you pay for. I think the Moonfish may work better in a SCT or a Mak, but internal reflection is a coating problem and a slow scope will not solve that problem.

[Spec-Chum]

Yeah, it'd be much better in an F10 or so I would imagine.

For the record I still class the 30mm MoonFish as a bargain and a half and wholeheartedly recommend it for the £60 asking price. I can't see me getting rid of mine.

[alan potts]

Spec Chum,

I am guessing you were using the Meade 14mm UWA?

Alan.

[fredster]

I once put a 15mm Moonfish in the ST120 and it was without doubt the worst eyepiece view i've ever had. But in an F10 SCT it all makes perfect sense.

[Spec-Chum]

Hi Alan, yes it is.

It truly is a fantastic eyepiece. Slight field curvature, but it doesn't bother me at all.