Luminos on sale

[jetstream]

I just saw that the Celestron Luminos are on sale,about $80.00 + shipping in USA,for the 1.25".The 2" 19mm is $119.00 +shipping.Now that I have been reading "Got Abberations",I have noticed some things about my eyepieces and maybe my scope,life was bliss before studying this article & applying the info. Then there is the Star test,Pickerings scale..........So the thing is here,my eyepieces are not perfect ,including ones starting with TV.But I guess all optics have design compromises,which I accept.

However my topic is Celestron Luminos,so I'm going to tell you about my 23mm @ F7 ,90mm refractor

1. Field curvature-yes

2.Astigmatism-yes

3.Pincushion-no

4.Light scatter-yes

5.Coma-no

6.Lateral colour-no

7.Great views-yes

I LOVE the twist up eyecups & the eyerelief.

The field curvature makes the astigmatism more noticible....you minimize the effect through focusing.

I love this eyepiece,the other night Pleiades was stunning in it,both Veils are visible in it(just visible without filtering),with the OIII the view is awesome,as awesome as a 90mm can be I think from dark skies.It is an excellent "finder" as it has a huge TFOV & will pick up very faint DSO.My point is for the price of these things I can put up with a bit of its inconsistencies!I may now order the 19mm.

I have not really checked my 7 & 10,but if the abberations are there,they are not as noticeable as the 23mm-that 10 is a great fit for me.So that is my opinion on the Luminos for now....& waiting for the "STORM" of replies...

[Moonshane]

I think you hit the nail on the head. all optical systems have compromises, including the use of human eyes, parabolic mirrors, fast refractor lenses, sloppy focusers, badly designed cells, tubes that bend slightly under the weight, etc etc. no matter what you use, there will never be the perfect image so just enjoy it

we've not even touched on collimation, seeing or transparency

[andrew63]

Thanks for your views. I think the ES perpetual sale has a big impact on the pricing of wide angled eyepieces - these about £100 now in europe. I have the 10mm Luminos though have not used it a great deal yet, but agree with you it's a nice eyepiece. I find them very comfortable to use in comparison to other 82 deg.

Celestron Eyepieces < Telescope accessories - Series Telescope accessories: Luminos

andrew

[Stargazer_00]

They aren't bad eyepieces but they have the worst eye cup protection in the history of ever.

[rwilkey]

Hi Gerry, I agree with your views entirely, I have the same combination as you, the 23mm, the 10mm and the 7mm. I would not go for the 19mm, too close to the 23mm for widefields in my opinion.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I must say, I am tempted by the 15mm (with an eye relief of 17mm it should be OK for me). Not that I really mind the gap between my 12 and 17 that much in my SCT, but in my solar scope viewing (strictly 1.25") I jump from 24 to 12mm, which is a bit much. As my solar scope is not that fast, I do not think it would cause any issues.

[Pig]

I think you hit the nail on the head. all optical systems have compromises, including the use of human eyes, parabolic mirrors, fast refractor lenses, sloppy focusers, badly designed cells, tubes that bend slightly under the weight, etc etc. no matter what you use, there will never be the perfect image so just enjoy it

we've not even touched on collimation, seeing or transparency

I am not sure about the perfect image part this is pretty perfect