4mm Plossls and eyerelief

[Spec-Chum]

I was interested in discovering what kind of eyerelief I can handle. I don't wear glasses and I'm very fortunate in that I have 20/20 vision.

So I borrowed a 4mm, a 6.5mm and a 7.5mm plossl, just to try. They were cheap unbranded ones, but the quality of the view was of no interest to me; just the eyerelief.

To my surprise, once I'd rolled eye rubber eyeguard down on the 4mm I could quite easily and, surprisingly comfortably, see the field stop on it. Granted I had to have my eye pretty much on the lens, but I'd happily use it for a period of time. The 6.5mm was better still, but I still had to have the eyeguard down. Oddly the 7.5mm was a strange one, it had a wider FOV than the other 2, but the eyerelief was less than the 6.5mm and more like the 4mm. Again, this was quite usuable though.

Does anyone else have no issue even with 2.3mm of eyerelief, or maybe I'm just weird?

[AndyH]

I don't find tiny eye relief a problem, although the smallest FL'd plossl I've used is a U.O. 6mm. 4mm would be interesting I remember seeing a 4mm in the 'Sterling' plossl range.

I find a 4mm volcano topped ortho, no problem. Perfectly usable and comfortable.

Therefore, I too, am weird.

[Damo636]

I don't need to wear my specs while observing but there's no way I could get on with 2-3mm of eye relief. I find at least 12-15mm is as little as I can stomach for any length of time.

[AndyH]

I've often wished that manufacturers of plossl's, 8mm & lower, would give 'em a volcano topped shape. Much more comfortable and easier to get the full fov, than a flat top.

[nightfisher]

The smallest eyepiece i own is a 3.2mm, i never thought i would use, or keep this but its a TS HR and has good eye relief.

I have bottled out on small plossl`s the Tal 6.3 is still in my ep box, but i dont use it! Andy, im in awe that you use and get on with a 4mm VT , my smallest VT is my 7mm KK circle T, for higher mags in ortho`s i prefer to barlow them

[John]

I found the 4mm vocano top ortho usable and very sharp but finding the tiny eye lens in the dark was often a challenge !

If I can have more eye relief with similar optical performance to the orthoscopics I'll gladly take it - the Pentax XW's do this, but at a price !

[Spec-Chum]

Looks like it's just me and you then Andy