3" Explore Scientific 30mm 100deg prototype in a video

[E621Keith]

I've seen many pictures and comments about this monster eyepiece. However, photos are really bad at conveying the size of an object (as many big dob owners find) and it looks a lot bigger in the video. I can't imagine what it will look like in real life

[crashtestdummy]

i need 2lb of ballast on my 300p with my 30mm ES 82 degree so i think this one will be way ott!!plus i cant tell much difference between the 82 and 100 degree so for me it would definately be money not well spent/looks awesome though

[Mark at Beaufort]

Keith I assume its a 2" fitting? Do you want me to change the header? Sorry I should have played the video before I started my comment- I see its a 3" - sorry.

Mark

[TheMightyKong]

Wowser! To me the most interesting thing he said on that video is 17mm eye relief.

[russ.will]

I'm waiting to see a picture of one of those jammed in an 80mm frac, just for the comedy value.

Russell

[The Flinty Fox]

Or maybe use that as the scope and the scope as the eyepiece.

[PeterW]

Oh dear, we need a new moniker... Move over terminagler! Now we need to get lots of 3"kit, can't think it'll be cheap! Coupled to a monster über fast dobsonian would be pretty cool. Don't want to guess at a price though!

Peter

[Dunkster]

OMG that thing weighs more than a C6

[rowan46]

I wonder what it's like in binoviewers

[alan potts]

Notice there was no mention of a price tag. I think if it is affordable and that I doubt, there could be a dramatic increase in drive and bearing problems on mounts. If I put it on my LX I would need to but about an extra 12-13 pounds of weigh on the mount with counter weights. At the moment I run with about 4 pounds on, EP and CW, that would need to go to 16-17.

Less of an issue on 16 inch SC and Paramounts etc,

Alan

[Dunkster]

Astronomics has it listed at US$1199

https://www.astronomics.com/30mm-100-field-waterproof-3-eyepiece_p20033.aspx

[E621Keith]

Astronomics has it listed at US$1199

https://www.astronom...ece_p20033.aspx

According to this page in Woodland Hills' site, $1199 is the sales price. The RRP is $1999

http://telescopes.net/store/explore-scientific-30mm-100-series-argon-purged-waterproof-eyepiece-emd-coatings-3-inch-o-d.html

Based on the way ES Europe price their eyepiece, it will be £2000 when it comes to Europe.

[alan potts]

Keith and Dunkster,

Don't forget it needs the diagonal too, that will be another 400 or so.

I wonder if there will be follow ups on this, like 60mm 68 Degrees Panoptics 80mm super Plossl, and 40mm UWA's, I am sure such eyepieces have been made in the past when most pro work was visual, albeit by special companys as a one off. Do you remember the the 4 inch eyepiece that John posted made years back.

Alan.

[Dunkster]

Now a 40mm or so UWA I would be more keen on

[alan potts]

Dunkster,

If I am being honest and the scope could take it I would be interested in the 3 inch diagonal with the 2 inch sleeve to go with something like what I said before.

I was just pulling number out of a hat so to speak, but a long F/L for the LX would be nice about 60mm or so with a good sized FOV. If it could take the Kg's I would be up for it. There will of course be a limit as soon as we know the field stop size. My worry is the weight even on a fair reasonable piece of kit like the LX 200.

Alan.

[Dunkster]

Yeah, I'd like to know how much weight the rear cell/SCT thread can take

For the light blighted Blighty, 40mm would be about my lot with the C11, otherwise it's just sucking sodium emissions out of the atmosphere

From memory, the baffle tube of the C11 is 58mm - not a bad upgrade from the useable diameter of a 2" optical path - but can it all be utilised? Obviously, this isn't any where near that of a proper 3" optical path, but looks like a 25% improvement

[E621Keith]

Keith and Dunkster,

Don't forget it needs the diagonal too, that will be another 400 or so.

I wonder if there will be follow ups on this, like 60mm 68 Degrees Panoptics 80mm super Plossl, and 40mm UWA's, I am sure such eyepieces have been made in the past when most pro work was visual, albeit by special companys as a one off. Do you remember the the 4 inch eyepiece that John posted made years back.

Alan.

Don't worry too much about the diagonal. It weights enough to bend your focuser into shape and has sufficient mass to generate a gravitational field to curve light by 90deg.

[Naemeth]

I've seen many pictures and comments about this monster eyepiece. However, photos are really bad at conveying the size of an object (as many big dob owners find) and it looks a lot bigger in the video. I can't imagine what it will look like in real life

:Envy: .

He tested it in an 80mm frac? Does he not realise that at 3" the barrel of that eyepiece is nearly as big as the aperture of the frac? (80mm is 3.1496063")