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14mm eyepiece recommendations

m0rt

By m0rt
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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jetstream

jetstream

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It all boils down to money,spend a bunch or a bit or not much...!There are some great EP's to choose from as recommended and some of the less costly provide good views,as my Stellarvue/Long Perng does-it takes some pretty good conditions for my 3-6 TV zoom to beat it...Meade,Vixen,ES,Denkmeier,Televue,you have a good selection to choose from thats for sure!Have fun with your choice

PS I may try one of those Denks myself... :grin:

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m0rt

m0rt

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I wanted to track down one of those Long Perng eyepieces, but couldn't for a reasonable price. The closest I got was an Orion branded one for over a £100...It will be on my list  - even if it isn't a 14.5 mm.

Interesting find imho.

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m0rt

m0rt

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YKSE - thanks for finding that!

I have just ordered one to try. I will give my opinion when it arrives and I get first light.

I would just like to thank everyone for their input over this. Epecially Jetstream, who put me onto this direction.

Cheers all.

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AlexB67

AlexB67

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"Radian 14mm (Some say not as contrasty as its reputation)" - actually scrub that comment about Radians, I found the reverse also said.

I'll  throw in my couples of pennies. I have some transmission data for some of the radians. According to that,  it is one area where the radians score on the low side, low 92 percent or so at 550nm ( but that may be out of date ).  Comparing Radian transmission data to that of pentax eyepieces that score around 98%, or orthos are similar.   

I also recall reading a review of the 12mm Radian on CN http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1438  it includes some sketches of DSOs comparing it to the pentax XF 12mm, ( not the XW) but it tallies with the lower transmission also, where it was noted that when it came to faint fuzzies the pentax  showed that bit more spread on the galaxy and overall it was that bit brighter. That is not to say the Radians don't offer very good contrast, but on pure transmission they may not be the best choice for the very faint stuff.

That being said, I would have no complaints having another coupe of Radians in longer focal length sitting in my case to accompany my lonely 6mm :D

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John

John

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I'll  throw in my couples of pennies. I have some transmission data for some of the radians. According to that,  it is one area where the radians score on the low side, low 92 percent or so at 550nm ( but that may be out of date ).  Comparing Radian transmission data to that of pentax eyepieces that score around 98%, or orthos are similar.   

I also recall reading a review of the 12mm Radian on CN http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1438  it includes some sketches of DSOs comparing it to the pentax XF 12mm, ( not the XW) but it tallies with the lower transmission also, where it was noted that when it came to faint fuzzies the pentax  showed that bit more spread on the galaxy and overall it was that bit brighter. That is not to say the Radians don't offer very good contrast, but on pure transmission they may not be the best choice for the very faint stuff.

That being said, I would have no complaints having another coupe of Radians in longer focal length sitting in my case to accompany my lonely 6mm :D

I think that tallies with my feelings about Radians. The Pentax XW's have a more neutral tone and, I feel, slightly higher light transmission than any Tele Vue's that I've used apart from the Ethos. The Delos are reputed to be excellent in this department too as is, at the other end of the budget scale, the Baader Classic Ortho.

You have to really dig around to find these transmission figures for eyepieces but there is quite a lot out there to find. The TV plossls seem to have some of the highest figures around, better even than good orthos.

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AlexB67

AlexB67

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Honestly,the remaing Radians(new) that have been found are very close to US price Delos/XW....not worth it IMHO

Second hand they can be a good score here in the UK, of the ones that do turn up, they can be pretty tough to come by though.  I got mine for less than half price of a new pentax XW or Delos, bargain I say :D

The longer focal length ones are a bit more expensive according to the old prices here in UK when they were for sale new. I'd agree that if I bought one new, and since  they are listed as almost 200 pounds new, I feel I may as well go the extra mile and pay another 50 pounds and get a Delos.

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AlexB67

AlexB67

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I think that tallies with my feelings about Radians. The Pentax XW's have a more neutral tone and, I feel, slightly higher light transmission than any Tele Vue's that I've used apart from the Ethos. The Delos are reputed to be excellent in this department too as is, at the other end of the budget scale, the Baader Classic Ortho.

You have to really dig around to find these transmission figures for eyepieces but there is quite a lot out there to find. The TV plossls seem to have some of the highest figures around, better even than good orthos.

I've been tempted by the TV plossl disease from what I've read, enough to seriously consider flogging my 25mm and 15 mm BST, should get some reasonable return value and use it to buy and fund a 15mm TV plossl second hand or even new, it would then not cost me much. Also a  nice stop gap for a 14mm Delos later :0), but I would break my promise of not selling eyepieces, though the thought has been on the back of my mind for a while.  The 25mm BST is nice to have but it is not that important, seeing I already have a 28mm now anyway, but now I am going off on one of my tangents and off-topic.  :rolleyes:

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m0rt

m0rt

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All change....

I cancelled the order this morning and ordered an NLV 15mm instead...

I had an email from a source I approached about getting some Long Perng, and they would be willing but they would need to order about 10 to make it worthwhile.

So I thought that at least I *know* the Vixen 15mm NLV will be excellent. However, I could still get the LP Long Eye relief in a complimentary size if the price is right.

So I thought I would ask here. BTW this is NOT reserving anything, just merely wondering that, should the price be right and the Long Perng 20mm eye relief eyepieces be available in the UK, would people be interested? For the record, this is the company that Jetstream kindly linked to: http://www.longperng.com.tw/goods.php?act=list&catId=20&page=4

If there is a generally positive response then I can say it looks like there is demand.

I don't think that I have contravened any forum rules in posting this? If I have then I apologise in advance.

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John

John

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All change....

I cancelled the order this morning and ordered an NLV 15mm instead...

I had an email from a source I approached about getting some Long Perng, and they would be willing but they would need to order about 10 to make it worthwhile.

So I thought that at least I *know* the Vixen 15mm NLV will be excellent. However, I could still get the LP Long Eye relief in a complimentary size if the price is right.

So I thought I would ask here. BTW this is NOT reserving anything, just merely wondering that, should the price be right and the Long Perng 20mm eye relief eyepieces be available in the UK, would people be interested? For the record, this is the company that Jetstream kindly linked to: http://www.longperng.com.tw/goods.php?act=list&catId=20&page=4

If there is a generally positive response then I can say it looks like there is demand.

I don't think that I have contravened any forum rules in posting this? If I have then I apologise in advance.

This is the same eyepiece I think, from a German company so there would not be any import duty to pay:

http://www.astroshop.eu/omegon-le-series-eyepiece-14-5mm-1-25-/p,13974

I just thought it's unlikely that you would find 9 other folks wanting to buy the same eyepiece.

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alan potts

alan potts

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I have a 14mm Delos at the moment and that is as good as it gets. I have had a 14mm Pentax XW and feel the Delos is better after a side by side test. ( review on site )

However the Meade 14mm UWA series 5000 is also very good and is only a little behind the Pentax and less than half the price. Food for thought.

Alan

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bomberbaz

bomberbaz

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Delos and Pentax are too heavy alan, those two were my initial thoughts. I think the NLV 15mm NLV is a good compromise on size. I ended up doing similar when building my collection, thus costing me more.

I have to say the Denkmeiers look crackers but very expensive and without testing one, would the difference between that and a Delos be noticeable or worth paying for? If weight (as in this instance) was a key issue, then maybe but aside the weight difference my own thoughts are not.

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m0rt

m0rt

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"I just thought it's unlikely that you would find 9 other folks wanting to buy the same eyepiece."

Wasn't so much the actual focal length, more a case of the type of eyepiece.  Personally, mainly because of lash issues, I require longer ER. If these syle of eyepieces can be got for £60 in the UK, or hopefully less, then I was wondering what the general gist was.  They should be the same as the Orion Edge On eyepieces.

But  that linked to Meade! If that price stands then that is a crazily good deal.

Either way, I have the NLV 15mm ordered. The Denkmeier is an aspiring purchase. Bombarbaz was right about the weight, not so much for the dob but the refractor when the barlow is in the diagonal the moment of inertia gets rather higher than I like, not to mention the effect on the scope's balance in the AZ mount. It results in a simple eyepiece swap becoming not so simple.

Fun thread though.

What came out of this thread is that the Denkmeier - need someone here to purchase to report on it, :), and the TV Delos is still a no brainer for the specific FL quality, and TV in general are still the usual safe purchase in the premium range and that the Vixen NLVs have a miniority support but strong following.

Oh, and Long Perng eyepieces - I never knew about them before but I will be on the lookout to try one if I can get one cheap enough. 18.5mm though this time as it will fill a gap.

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m0rt

m0rt

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Best laid plans and all that.

So I ordered an NLV 15mm from Green-witch. and they phoned me to say that they were out of NLVs and Opticron UK were also out, they are now supplying the SLV, which is the replacement. The SLV arrived today and I opened it to examine it. Now I had some reservations as even though the optics are said to be identical (even though the smaller FLs have gone from 45 to 50 degs to match the rest),  the SLVs are now made in China which ends a long circle V tradition of LV lenses from Vixen. But hey, was willing to try.

Taking the packaging apart, noting a lack of silica gel,  I notice that finally, the lens cap fitted. They tend to be loose on the previous design. The next thing is the eyecup design. Instead of the whole outer twisting up, just the inner part. This is better in my opinion since it can be fiddly getting the NLV/NPL ones up without holding onto the barrel.

Examining the lens build, it feels nice and looks fine. The sides are now slightly flattened which is stated to stop eyepiece rolling. This is something I have noticed on previous eyepieces and actually think it is a good idea. Then I notice the first thing, which kind of leaps out - beads of, what looks to be, glue peaking out from the inner barrel and outer barrel join. Next, looking at the lenses I could see a tiny piece of debris which at first I assumed was on the outer side, but on closer inspection it is on the inner side of the field lens.

Long has Japanese made optics been associated with quality, and a source of confidence; even though I knew beforehand they had moved production of the LV range to China, I was willing to see how this fared and I am not happy with it. Lee at Green Witch has been great in the past and just as much now. When I told him he ensured that the other in stock was fine and didn't display any of the issues I could see and was sending it out asap. Upon reflection, though, I wasn't sure. So checking around, playing with the figures and even though the eyerelief is pushing my requirements, the weight works out fine and have gone for a 13mm Nagler T6. The field of view is considerably higher, making the fact it is a shorter fl than the 15, (though since I was after a 14mm originally and the 15 was a compromise) not so much of a problem.

It will possibly also make the 12mm redundant. Should the eye relief be fine, then I can see the NLV being sold to mitigate some of the extra cost.

Sooooooooooo my first TV eyepiece, (I own the TV 2x barlow though). Have I done the right thing? We shall see...

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