Would this be a crazy idea?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have been pondering my EP collection of late, and note that I do miss the 14mm focal length I used to have in the form of a Meade S5K UWA 14mm. The 12T4 that replaced it is great, but the gap with the 17T4 is a bit big. I had been thinking of getting a Delos or XW14 (more likely Delos, what with prices at the moment), but that has the same true FOV as the 12T4 (plus or minus a smidgen). On the one hand a 12T4 should give darker backgrounds, but sometimes that is not needed. On the other hand, I notice I am skipping the 12T4 and going straight to the XW10. I am now pondering the imponderable: selling the 12T4 and getting a Delos 14 and a Delos 12, but maybe that does not make sense at all. The Delos will offer better sharpness, and a bit more transmission, and sit nicely between the 17T4, 22T4 and 31T5 and the long end, and the XWs at the short. However, I have this feeling I will regret selling the 12T4.

Any thoughts?

[rowan46]

I honestly have no idea how a t4 looks but I can't see it being any better than a delos except field of view delos really are that good

[DirkSteele]

I own the Delos 14mm (along with the 4.5mm and 10mm currently, and am considering the 3.5mm while the 15% sale is on) and I could not recommend any of them highly enough. I was only recently thinking about my EP collection which consists of several Naglers, Panoptics, Radians and the newer Delos and I have noticed that apart from super wide (multi degree) fields of view (long focal length Naglers and Panoptics), the other EPs are hardly getting a look in anymore.

I think it sounds like a good course of action.

[RikM]

I use both the 14mm and 10mm XW (which are effectively identical in performance to the Delos) and there have not been very many occasions where I have wished for a 12mm.

One thing I have noticed though is that see / think in terms of field, rather than magnification, so I prefer a consistent aFOV throughout my eyepiece collection or if anything tighter at high power and wider at low power. I have an 8.8mm 82° Meade 4K UWA which is a very nice eyepiece but doesn't get a look in these days other than for Solar work.

[E621Keith]

Crazy idea No.2. What about the Leica zoom?

If you plan to buying two or more Deloses, a Leica zoom can be a good alternative.

Most of your scopes are slower than F6. ER of the Leica ASPH is between 14-19mm, while this is not as good as the Delos's 20mm it's quite similar to some Naglar. AFOV is ~60deg at 17mm to ~80deg at 9mm.

There is one in Classified at the moment

[alan potts]

Micahel,

I have both the 14mm Delos and the XW and I have given up trying to find out which is better, if they didn't focus in different places you would swear it was the same eyepiece being used, I even spent 90 minutes with them in a Powermate and came to the up with the same result. I think it was John that told me a big scope is needed to see the slight differences between some eyepieces as the aperture sort of helped amplify the subtle and difficult to see changes from one to another. All I can say to that is, it is time for a 30 inch Dob.

Micheal any of the Delos or XW are going to serve you well for years to come. I have the 14mm & 4.5mm, had the 10mm, smashed the 6mm and have 3.5mm on order. For me eyepieces don't come better, dig deep and buy the 14mm, you have 3 months to think about the 12mm.

Alan

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Crazy idea No.2. What about the Leica zoom?

If you plan to buying two or more Deloses, a Leica zoom can be a good alternative.

Most of your scopes are slower than F6. ER of the Leica ASPH is between 14-19mm, while this is not as good as the Delos's 20mm it's quite similar to some Naglar. AFOV is ~60deg at 17mm to ~80deg at 9mm.

There is one in Classified at the moment

Thanks, but it is not quite ER I like at the 14mm end (picky, I know). The Meopta 7.3 to 14.6 seems more interesting (66 deg AFOV throughout).

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I use both the 14mm and 10mm XW (which are effectively identical in performance to the Delos) and there have not been very many occasions where I have wished for a 12mm.

One thing I have noticed though is that see / think in terms of field, rather than magnification, so I prefer a consistent aFOV throughout my eyepiece collection or if anything tighter at high power and wider at low power. I have an 8.8mm 82° Meade 4K UWA which is a very nice eyepiece but doesn't get a look in these days other than for Solar work.

That may be true. I must say I do find having closely spaced EPs at the short end (in an F/10 scope my 12mm plays the part of a 6mm in an F/5, after all) very useful.

Micahel,

I have both the 14mm Delos and the XW and I have given up trying to find out which is better, if they didn't focus in different places you would swear it was the same eyepiece being used, I even spent 90 minutes with them in a Powermate and came to the up with the same result. I think it was John that told me a big scope is needed to see the slight differences between some eyepieces as the aperture sort of helped amplify the subtle and difficult to see changes from one to another. All I can say to that is, it is time for a 30 inch Dob.

Micheal any of the Delos or XW are going to serve you well for years to come. I have the 14mm & 4.5mm, had the 10mm, smashed the 6mm and have 3.5mm on order. For me eyepieces don't come better, dig deep and buy the 14mm, you have 3 months to think about the 12mm.

Alan

Maybe a good idea. I could get the 14mm (which would be great for solar too) and see how often I grab the 12T4. My only worry about selling the 12T4 comes from its potential in faster scopes. In my C8, the 12T4 is most used for planetaries, and very compact galaxies. In a faster scope, like a big Dob (and yes, I am periodically tempted), it would be a more general-purpose DSO hunting EP (like the 22T4 in my F/10 scope). For those objects, I do like the 82 deg FOV.

Choices, choices

[Dunkster]

Given your current Pentax collection, an XW 14mm sounds like it's screaming "pick me!" ... then you can mull over the 12T4 situation some more and see how much use the 14 gets, not like the resale value on either the TV or Pentax are terrible should you change your mind

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Given your current Pentax collection, an XW 14mm sounds like it's screaming "pick me!" ... then you can mull over the 12T4 situation some more and see how much use the 14 gets, not like the resale value on either the TV or Pentax are terrible should you change your mind

The XW14 is certainly a great choice, but given the much higher price tag than the Delos (especially with the TS offer, 86 euro difference), I would be daft not to go for the Delos 14mm. I might at one stage even replace the XF8.5 with a Delos 8mm (not a high priority), so I am not that bound to a particular series (except for the Nagler T4, it appears ).

[Dunkster]

Wow, that's a huge difference in price. The sale prices in the UK make them more or less even.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Wow, that's a huge difference in price. The sale prices in the UK make them more or less even.

I see Pentax XWs are much cheaper in the UK than in Germany and the Netherlands. I know where my next XW is coming from! The current deal on Delos EPs is still (just) below the UK price after shipping costs are added.

[alan potts]

Sadly, Michael when you have to buy eyepieces with the amount of eye-relief that is required for a person who wears glasses it is very difficult not to get tied to one make or range of eyepieces., it certainly limits your choice.

Alan.

[stevepeverall]

Crazy idea No.3

You've a wonderful EP collection that most people can only dream of (especially me) and surely needs no improvement. Spend your £300 on a new bike/ surfboard/ Kayak / something for the Mrs.

Have I just comitted heresy on SGL?

[Mark at Beaufort]

Michael I have bought and sold many EPs over the years and in the end decided that we buy too many. My main eyepiece collection has now been reduced to the 8mm, 13mm and 21mm Ethos. I have a 20mm Nagler which I wanted to sell but got no takers so I have decided to keep it for my William Optics SD66 as a quick grab and go for holidays. I recently obtained a 180 Mak Cass and the 13 and 8 Ethos EPs give me 208x and 337x which is great for Planets and the Moon.

When I use my 10" Dob and 6" Newt - again these 3 EPs are all that I need.

If I use my 4" APO frac for solar viewing with the Herschel Wedge the 8mm Ethos and the Baader Continuum filter is fantastic.

So Michael do you really need to buy this extra EP?

[rowan46]

Crazy idea No.3

You've a wonderful EP collection that most people can only dream of (especially me) and surely needs no improvement. Spend your £300 on a new bike/ surfboard/ Kayak / something for the Mrs.

Have I just comitted heresy on SGL?

Something for the Mrs? HERESY

[bomberbaz]

Just buy them if you have the cash Michael.

Life's to short to not enjoy what you enjoy doing so if having the extra ep or two that you could really do without but dont want too isnt the end of the world.

ps: When I finish totting up my forthcoming wedding costs, if I have anything spare a 31T5 has my name on it

[stevepeverall]

Something for the Mrs? HERESY

LOL!!!!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks for all the input. I think I do need something between the Nagler 12mm and MaxVision 24mm in 1.25" fitting, for solar work, so a Delos or XW 14mm would fit that bill, and give me something between the 12 and 17T4. It might well replace the 12T4. Just this afternoon I used the MaxVision 24 68deg, the 12T4 and the XW10 on the sun. The first showed a large detached prom quite clearly, the 12T4 struggled, and only because I knew exactly where to look did I spot something. I put this down to the low surface brightness of the prom. I inserted the XW10, and it showed it more clearly than the 12T4, despite of the increase in magnification. I swapped them around a couple of times, and understand now why I started using the XW10 for compact DSOs in my C8. The transmission of these EPs is amazing. The XW also seems to be a bit more comfortable than the 12T4.

I will not rush the decision, or purchase for that matter. I have seen that the XWs in the UK go for nearly the same price as the Delos with the current discount over here, so I don't have to grab the discount so badly, as I would be happy with either.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Something for the Mrs? HERESY

LOL!!!!

Heresy indeed, she has enough shoes