My new Baader 24-8 zoom eye piece vs my other rubbish

[DannyHarvey]

My views as a complete novice...

Haven't had chance to test it properly yet due to cloudy skies (I just pointed it at a lantern at the back of my garden) but at 8mm its a world of difference form the Celstron 8mm Plossl I got as part of a 5 piece kit with my new scope.

That felt like I was squeezing my eyeball into the EP, and didn't seem that sharp either! The next one up in the kit (6mm) got even worse, barely usable...

This EP feels like a world of difference, sharper, more comfortable relief, and has a much wider view too! (at least at 8mm)

It makes me think, why do they put these rather poor EP kits in with new scopes, are they trying to put people off astronomy?

;-)

Dan

[Bluey]

I'm still debating about whether to get one of these or seperate ep's, so I will be interested to hear what you think if the clouds ever clear!

I bought the Revelation set with my scope, and although not so bad, I really feel an upgrade is now needed, so let us know what you think.

[SnakeyJ]

Hi Danny,

Looks like you might have a hole in the clouds tonight between 6 and 9 at least - hopefully a chance to get out and use this seriously.

From the two occassions I've had a chance to use mine (which has been mainly lunar and jupiter) I've been very impressed with the quality compared to the admitedly low end Celestron Possls. I also find that the ability to zoom and near parfocal optics make this a great boon for inital scope alignment particularly without a reticule. The barlow is a lot better than the 3 standard standard 2x celestron/skywatcher ones that I own and is working very nicely in my webcam for lunar and jupiter images.

Overall for the combined price this gets full marks for value, 9/10 marks for build quality and probably 7/10 for optical performance on my F5 newt (leaving some room for the high end fixed EPs from TV/Pentax et al).

I've just picked up the SW Coma Corrector, so will be particularly interested to see how it works in combination!

Onwards and upwards - Jake

[DannyHarvey]

Bluey,

Bear in mind I'm a complete newbie, so what I write will be written from that point of view!

I did try the Barlow that comes with it too (it has a thread on it that will go directly onto a T ring), this time it was with the 500D camera on its own and not the zoom bit. It was ok, but I was expecting it to be a bit sharper to be honest. Perhaps the Barlow is not designed for this sort of Photography. I'm still waiting for the adaptor to mount the camera directly onto the Zoom bit (they sent me the wrong one). Ill let you know what I think of that set up when it comes.

regards

Danny

[DannyHarvey]

I just to elaborate on my short trip out with the EP..

I found the click stop mechanism slight stiff in places ((but no awful so don't take this as a really bad point), like its turning without lubrication.

I also found the retractable eye shield mechanism a bit weird too. I suppose I will get used to it.

The thing I liked the most was the eye relief (no more squishing my eyeball) and the fact that I didn't have to peer down a tiny, tiny, weenie hole!

Dan

[DannyHarvey]

Oh, nearly forgot, another point, the Celestron filters I have from the kit wont attach to it! I think its a different thread!

[acey]

The Baader zoom is excellent and is my most-used eyepiece. Putting it beside my TeleVue 8mm plossl I still prefer the TeleVue (and the same would apply at other focal lengths) but the convenience of variable magnification is the winner for me. It all comes down to the type of viewing you do, and the sort of factors that count most. If field of view is high on the priority list then the zoom doesn't score so well, especially at low power - but it's not an issue for me.

[Dude_with_the_tube]

any standard filters should fit in your zoom EP as the threads are standard .On the zoom Ep you can use both either 1.25" or 2" filters assuming you are using the zoom EP as 2" in your focuser.Barlow is OK ish,but i am finding my self using barlow less and less and instead i use my Meade UWA Eps if I want higher mags.Click stop should work freely without any stiffness.And yes I agree the adjustable eye shield is damn awkward and i have dropped it a few times in the dark lol.But it is a matter of time to get used to it.All in all,if you are on budget and not planning to spend money on EPs,Baader Zoom is great bang for your money.

There is only 1 big downside on Baader Ep range what i do really dislike and this is what stopped me of buying more Eps from Baader:the whole Ep is pained black,including the threads for your filters,it is not that big of an issue on Zoom Ep,but on 31mm i have I was really [removed word] off as when I put on filter to view in low mag I noticed a load of tiny tiny paint flakes on my EP lens.They came from screwing on the filter and to get rid of them is a proper pain in the back as they tend to get in between the lens and the wall of EP.So next day I spent cleaning the lens and getting rid of the paint on the threads of the EP.Not smart for a great lens.

[twotter]

It makes me think, why do they put these rather poor EP kits in with new scopes, are they trying to put people off astronomy?

To be fair you're comparing a plossl with a much more complex eyepiece that costs 6x the price, has a wider field of view over most of it's zoom, and better eye relief

My first telescope was my Skywatcher Skyliner 200P dob. That came with a 25mm and 10mm eyepiece and gave me wonderful views which had me totally hooked on this hobby. I didn't need anything more expensive to get me started and to be honest I wouldn't have been able to afford such a package if it had been offered.

[DannyHarvey]

I'm going to try to get some pictures off the camera soon of various stuff (terrestrial and sky) for you all to see as the camera adaptor I need has arrived.

[DannyHarvey]

@ Twotter, Yes you are right!

I guess a good analogy It makes me think of is before/after I passed my bike test. Riding around on a 125cc bike is great fun at the time and it does the biz i.e goes from A to B. moving up to a 500cc makes you realise how much you had to work at it on the old bike.

Dan