Orion Ultrascopic eyepieces

[aerohound73]

I see these Orion Ultrascopic eyepieces on Ebay and other sites and they seem to be in demand and sell very fast.What is so special about these eyepieces?And how are they different from other eyepieces?

[John]

They are / were very nice eyepieces with a 5 element modified plossl design. There were very similar (not identical in the 5mm and 3.8mm focal lengths) ranges from Celestron, Antares, Baader and the USA brand Parks. The models to look out for are:

Orion Ultrascopic

Celestron Ultima

Antares Elite Plossl

Baader Eudiascopic

Parks Gold Series

They are Japanese made and perform very nicely, regarded as a true rival for the Tele Vue Plossls at the time they were on the market. The Baader Eudiascopics (hope I've spelled that correctly !) can still be bought new I believe but are even more expensive than TV plossls.

If you can find a used one for £40 or less, snap it up !

[username]

I have the 7.5mm ultrascopic and it's a very nice eyepiece. I haven't had much chance to use it since recieving it but impressed so far. I don't know why they are so nice but probably due to the 'made in Japan'. They traditionally seem to be good opticicians over there

[AndyH]

If memory serves, the design is called(?) Masayama. Whether they actually are or simply something similar, I'm not sure, having not researched it further.

A google of the name, brings up a load of hits.

Andy.

[Eigen]

They are called pseudo-Masuyama it refers to the 5-element design - basically a plossl with an additional element sandwiched between the 2 - 2 element symmetrical groupings, which allows for a slightly wider field of view than a standard plossl. The are very good eyepieces nice and sharp with good contrast.

I wouldn't pay what Baader charges for the Eudiascopics new, but I would snap them up for 40 pounds.

[Brass n glass]

I have a 15mm Eudiascopic and a 5mm Antares, both of which are multicoated and outperform most other Plossls I've tried. They are not quite parfocal and are themselves outgunned by my 20mm and 10.5mm TV Plossls (both fully multicoated) - Hugh