What should I get my friend to bring back from Japan for me....

[BrixtonAstronomer]

Hi everyone

A friend has kindly offerred to bring me back anything I want from Japan (within reason!)

I've been looking at the Japanese version of Amazon and I've spotted that the Vixen NLV eyepieces going for £115-200 on FLO can be had for £60 over there!

http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/378-4262407-7635549?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=vixen+nlv

And the LVWs are about half UK price too...

This has got me understandibly rather excited. So I wanted to ask whether there are any other Japanese goodies I should be on the look out for? Obviously, small, light (and not too expensive) goodies - I don't think I can fairly ask my friend to bring me things much bigger than an eyepiece or a webcam.

Also, on the Vixen NLV's or LVW specifically, has anyone tried these out? Are they significantly better than the standard NPLs? I'm a relative newbie and I'm a little unsure about whether my untrained eye will detect much of a difference.

Cheers

[John]

I have used the Vixen LVW's and they are very nice and slightly underrated eyepieces I feel. Over here they are around £198 each so getting them for around £100 or so would seem a good buy if your friend can manage that.

[rowan46]

The lvw is an eyepiece that I have never read a bad review of it consistantly gets high praise. the only negative I have ever heard is the price and at £100 I think that takes care of that crticism

[mallorcasaint]

Decent Sushi!

[BrixtonAstronomer]

Thanks for the vote of confidence on the LVWs. They do look good.

I'm not sure I'll be able to afford more than one of them tbh. So it's either one of those or two of the NLVs (although I've heard mixed reviews about whether the NLVs are worth the extra over the standard NPL plossls)

Seeing as I've got a 127 Mak and a 130p Heritage, any tips on which of the LVWs I'd get best use out of? I probabaly use my Mak more often.

And are there any other non-Vixen eyepieces that are worth looking for in Japan?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I made a serious mistake in Yodabashi Akiba when I was last in Japan: I did NOT get myself the Vixen 16x80 bins I tried (go for 400 euro there, cost 800+ here). Surprisingly light (100g lighter than the 15x70 Helios Apollo), very sturdy, and very nice quality indeed. I looked through a Vixen 20x80 of an older vintage last summer, and it was every bit as good as my Apollo during night time observation.

OK, not an EP. On the EP front: I got myself a Vixen LV 7 when I was there in 1998: very nice indeed. If you can find a shop selling Pentax XWs, they are a lot cheaper there than here. SUPERB is the only word I use for the two I have.

[BrixtonAstronomer]

I made a serious mistake in Yodabashi Akiba when I was last in Japan: I did NOT get myself the Vixen 16x80 bins I tried (go for 400 euro there, cost 800+ here). Surprisingly light (100g lighter than the 15x70 Helios Apollo), very sturdy, and very nice quality indeed. I looked through a Vixen 20x80 of an older vintage last summer, and it was every bit as good as my Apollo during night time observation.

OK, not an EP. On the EP front: I got myself a Vixen LV 7 when I was there in 1998: very nice indeed. If you can find a shop selling Pentax XWs, they are a lot cheaper there than here. SUPERB is the only word I use for the two I have.

Thanks for the tip. Really helpful.

Do you remember where you found some of this stuff out there?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I hot my LV7 in a little stall in Akibahara, Tokyo, but when I went there in 2012 it no longer existed. In the same district, near the subway station, the giant store Yodabashi Akiba stocks loads of Vixen stuff.

[Rickstar]

Have you checked out Nikon eyepieces?

[Pig]

You could always get your friend to bring back a LVW 42mm for me

[tekkydave]

Get 2 EPs brought back and sell one on uk fleabay :-)