ZS66 + bino viewers

[iancandler]

Has anyone tried bino viewers with their ZS66 ED.. if so?

How did you get on??

Any problems I need to be aware off?

Is the view worth it?

[anthony]

Ian,

As soon as a clear sky comes along - I'll have a go and let you know what it's like. I have had some lovely views through my 80mm scope, Never tried the 66 as I had more aperture on another scope.

Anthony

[iancandler]

Cheers Anthony.. I mainly want to make sure they can come to focus ok and if they will come to focus without having to use a barlow.

I was just looking at some star fields in orion the other night and opened my left eye, which made me realise I might get even better views using both eyes.

[anthony]

Hi Ian,

Pleased to say that I got out tonight with the sd66 and binoviewers, (WO version with 20mm WO SWAN eyepieces that are packaged with it)

Focus comes with no extension tube needed, and no need to use the little "do dah" either, (a 1.6x corrective optics to allow focus on some scopes).

Really, really good view of tonights moon. Thoroughly enjoyable and to my mind worth having.

However, with no diagonal I had to use my daughters trike as an observing chair, before then making my self comfortable on the half frozen grass. The moon was about 28 deg above the horizon, (I was using an alt az mount with the scope about 1.5m off the ground).

I did not get a chance to view anything else, though would have liked M45 to come out from beind the tree, double cluster was out of the question.

Anyhow, the moon sat comfortably in the field of view with plenty of detail on show. Having both eyes on the job is certainly very comfortable. I could detect a hint of a yellow tinge on the bright limb when the moon was approaching the edge of the FOV. In centre - nowt.

Hope this helps

Anthony

[iancandler]

Yes it does.. thanks Anthony...I'll have to put on on santa's list

[iancandler]

After discussing it with Ian today.. it turns out that to use a diagonal you have to use the OCA which is effectively a 1.6X barlow, its placement though ups the magnification factor to 3 from what ive read on cloudy nights, meaning 20mm eyepieces become roughly 6.6mm ones.

As Ian said, great for lunar and planetary work but not so good for star fields which is the use I had in mind.

Maybe I'll save for a short tube refractor so I dont have to use the OCA, for now a 24mm panoptic is more realistic and tempting.

[Coco]

I can confirm that when using a diagonal it will 'not 'archive focus.

Further more using the 'do-dah' clashes with my diagonal.

My Binoviewers are William Optics with 20mm eyepieces.

.

Guy

[gliderpilot]

You can always shorten the refractor tube. I shortened my skywatcher 102 to achieve focus with binoviewer and still focus with an eyepiece - about 100mm of in focus is required.

Mark