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what to buy at astro show

faulksy

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faulksy

faulksy

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going to my first astro show this weekend either Saturday or sunday, I have around 300 quid to spend, what do I buy

no 1 a delos and what size

no2 another ep pentax e.t.c. and what size

no3 oiii filter what make is good

no4 binoculars what size 10 x 50 maybe

no5 bino viewers or what do you suggest

thanks guys/gals

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glowjet

glowjet

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Looks like you might be in a quandary. I personally use these shows to have a look at what there is new and available and chat with Traders and other Astronomers. Keep your money in your pocket as you may well find some of the items of equipment for sale at a later date, at a better price. That does not mean that if there is a bargain to be had, be it in the form of eye pieces or whatever, you should not take advantage, enjoy your visit :) 

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brantuk

brantuk

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BV's are awesome on star fields if tuned up right. If you do get them, get a set of winged eyepiece guards for a quid or two each - they block out light from the sides and it becomes like looking into a periscope view finder. The effect is totally immersive and you feel like you're floating in the middle of a sea of stars - they're all around you - and dso's just pop out wherever you look. You won't regret it and for under £200 it's a must have accessory. :)

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Pig

Pig

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BV's are awesome on star fields if tuned up right. If you do get them, get a set of winged eyepiece guards for a quid or two each - they block out light from the sides and it becomes like looking into a periscope view finder. The effect is totally immersive and you feel like you're floating in the middle of a sea of stars - they're all around you - and dso's just pop out wherever you look. You won't regret it and for under £200 it's a must have accessory. :)

lol - stop it your making me want a pair :grin:

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faulksy

faulksy

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BV's are awesome on star fields if tuned up right. If you do get them, get a set of winged eyepiece guards for a quid or two each - they block out light from the sides and it becomes like looking into a periscope view finder. The effect is totally immersive and you feel like you're floating in the middle of a sea of stars - they're all around you - and dso's just pop out wherever you look. You won't regret it and for under £200 it's a must have accessory. :)

hi kim, what do you mean about tuned up right. I was looking at the Williams they seem good. gonna have to match up my eps now though.also do you have to use the barlow, and can you use other barlows like a x2 ?

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faulksy

faulksy

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If you don't have a pair of binoculars, 10x50s give a completely different option from the telescope. No best dressed astronomer should be without them !

andrew

I no Andrew I have thought of that, whats your thoughts on the opticron

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brantuk

brantuk

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Yes you can use other barlows with bv's - but the WO supplied ones seem to give the best effect as they are matched to the WO set (I think they do a bit of correction as well). By "tuned up" I mean getting both eyepieces to focus well for each eye separately like with binocular diopters - bit of a fiddly task but worth persisting - and the scope needs to be in good focus simultaneously (for each eye at the same scope focus). Getting the balance right between the scope focus and focusing each individual eyepiece (at the same time) can be tricky. But the 925 has a big range of focus so lends it self very nicely to using bv's.

Other types of scope may or may not come to focus with them. My Meg72 frac for instance requires an extender to enable focusing with bv's. The other thing you need to do is get the interpupil gap right for your eye's. A bit like bringing the two images together in binoculars by moving the diopters closer together. This is quite important when choosing other eyepiece pairs than the supplied 20mm wide angle ones. The size of the barrels and the center of each eyepiece has to match your face - with your nose in between them. If you have a big nose it could be a challenge lol. :)

Seeing stereo vision is a partly psychological thing - a bit like optical illusions which some folks just can't seem to see, whereas others spot them straight away. I do love the views with bv's and big them up a lot - but the best advice would be to test them first to see if it works for you. If they do - then you'll be in for a treat. Looking at the moon feels like you're floating a couple of hundred feet above the volcanoes, and seeing planets as round globes in 3D is really something else - like looking at holograms only without the transparency.

The WO ones are quite good at giving the "effect" for their price point, and the Baader Maxbrights are even more crystal clear still which enhances it somewhat (but you do pay more for them), and the Denks I tried with two 13mm Ethos's were a bit of a let down but I don't think the chap had tuned them up properly. I've also tried the TV binoviewers (again with two 13mm Ethos) on the sun in a double stack and that just blew me away - like looking into a boiling cauldron bubbling and splashing in slo mo. It's just gotta be done! :)

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brantuk

brantuk

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I think the William Optics Binoviewer comes with a pair of 20mm -£179 from FLO

Yup - the WO set includes two 20mm wide angle eyepieces and a 1.6x barlow that screws on the nose of it. They are the best ones I've found in this price bracket, and at the current price it represents great value for money imho. All you need extra is a pair of rubber winged eyepiece guards - which I got here: http://www.sherwoods...ing_aids_fs.htm :)

(I can't see them on the website now - but if you call Sherwoods I'm sure they still stock them)

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brantuk

brantuk

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As far as I remember Mike the Baader Maxbrights don't come with eyepieces. But they've come down in price for the basic unit - when I was in the market for them they were around £280 - that £195 is such a good price I'm almost tempted to sell my WO set and go for them. :)

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faulksy

faulksy

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As far as I remember Mike the Baader Maxbrights don't come with eyepieces. But they've come down in price for the basic unit - when I was in the market for them they were around £280 - that £195 is such a good price I'm almost tempted to sell my WO set and go for them. :)

still worth it though even without eps. do you think the baaders are better then kim, over the w/o

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brantuk

brantuk

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They have maxbright coatings - whatever that is, it seems to make the view a bit more bright and contrasty. Everything kinda seemed more sparkly - bit like the difference between looking through a crystal wine glass compared to a moulded one. Sorry to be subjective but it's hard to qualify technically - it was a long time ago - doesn't make the WO's bad - just the Baaders looked better to the best of my memory. :)

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