Diet for an eyepiece case.

[alan potts]

Alex,

The 17.3mm Delos is the best of the range according to my mate here, though how he know when he only has two I don't know. As far as the 14mm goes for me the Delos is a better eyepiece than the Pentax XW though not by a great margin, I have had both and posted a review on them about 6 months back, it is in the reviews somewhere.

I also buy into the 3 quality as oppossed to 7 ify ones statement.

Shaun,

I noticed a few times there is a gap in your eyepieces but thought you had yet to change the list. That is a gap that I would want to fill but it is not too far away from what I mentioned with the 41mm, 31mm 21mm line-up. I should try harder to be guided by the likes of Al Nagler, when they make 41mm 35mm 27mm 24mm and 19mm, in Panoptics it is for a reason. The bunching aways seems to come at the short end going down in twos and them less.

I guess that if you were just a Planets man then it would be finder eyepiece then its Power!!!!!! There is no real point looking at Jupiter at X25 then going to X40 etc, it is X25 then X160 or thereabouts.

Alan.

[alan potts]

Rik,

I can't believe you don't use the 10mm, it is by all accounts one of the best on the market, some say even better than the 10mm Delos and that punches more than its weight, it is one of the ones I wish I had kept, a victim of Ethos fever.

Well the subject of the thread was eyepiece case diet, so does yours need to slim? It is hard selling loved ones.

Alan

[AlexB67]

Alex,

The 17.3mm Delos is the best of the range according to my mate here, though how he know when he only has two I don't know. As far as the 14mm goes for me the Delos is a better eyepiece than the Pentax XW though not by a great margin, I have had both and posted a review on them about 6 months back, it is in the reviews somewhere.

I also buy into the 3 quality as oppossed to 7 ify ones statement.

Alan.

I remember reading it Alan it was a great read. The other reason that tells  me going TV  in the longer focal length is there are various reports about fleld curvature becoming quite a factor in the faster Newts with the XWs.  I do love the XL 10.5 though which supposedly is very close the to XW anyway,  so I do not see a need to upgrade it for a long time until I am stupid enough to drop it on the patio one day perhaps. The XL gives that optimal exit pupil of 2mm, gives nice close ups of smaller clusters and small groups of stars, and galaxies are very good in it too. They just punch out into the view. My BST 15mm and 8mm do not do this despite the differing focal length of course, but there is that kind of punch and clarity to the view the 10.5mm gives on faint objet against a dark background and the way it renders stars is yummy yummy. I find myself using it a lot anyway, but there again I have not used a 14mm and a Delos 17mm of similar quality so that may change the game a bit

No doubt when the time comes I'll have chalked up more galaxies and had few more dark sky visits  and seen more objects and have  better feel how I'll go with that.  There is no rush until I feel the time is right to buy, instead of just buy I suppose. 

For the higher mag my heart is still set on the pentax XW 7mm though, I also have to account for the magnification factor of the paracorr that will increase magnification  a little when that comes. 

Finally my case would end up a bit boring if it was all green and black, a sprinkle of Pentax will make it a bit more varied and tasty

[Pig]

Alan,

I think bunching has its place because of changing seeing conditions, IE getting the best view available at a given time. This is very similar to having a zoom with the added bonuses of greater FOV and better clarity.

[RikM]

Rik,

I can't believe you don't use the 10mm, it is by all accounts one of the best on the market, some say even better than the 10mm Delos and that punches more than its weight, it is one of the ones I wish I had kept, a victim of Ethos fever.

Well the subject of the thread was eyepiece case diet, so does yours need to slim? It is hard selling loved ones.

Alan

You shouldn't think of it as a diet, it's a lifestyle choice

I think what I really mean is that I don't use the 10mm as much as I expected to given how good it is. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the XW and Delos in the 10mm, over three good clear nights of comparing. The XW's seem to get better as they get shorter, so I often find that if something is good with the 10mm it's better with the 7mm. I am actually extremely satisfied with my EP case. I don't feel any need to part with any and don't feel I am deficient in any area either. 7 main EP's to cover 3 telescopes 450 f/6.4, 750 f/5 and 1,200 f/4.7 isn't excessive. 

[alan potts]

Rik,

I have never seen a 10mmXW but I am soon getting my hand on my mates 3.5mm for a test against the 3.5mm Delos I have. I have the 7mm in the cabinet at the moment and that is about as good as I have ever seen and my 5mm XW is the only eyepiece that showed be Antares double, and that speaks volumes. I think I will try to get a 10mm in due course but they do not come up that often and that again tells us all something.

Need to have my eye peeled in the run up to my next visit to the UK, is the eyepiece still available new?

Alan

[alan potts]

Shaun,

I agree with bunching at the tight end I have done it and if I am honest would still like more at this end. Talking Delos I am a little upset they jump from 6mm to 4.5mm this for me is too much, I would like something in the middle. I sort of wish they had done the Radian values at 4mm 5mm 6mm and an addition at 7mm as well as the 3.5mm they have in place, I would have bought all of them and maybe you too.

Alex,

My cases are only green and black and they do not look boring or drab, I keep other eyepieces out of the way in a cabinet with other stuff, as John said earlier it lowers the tone.

Alan.

[RikM]

Rik,

I have never seen a 10mmXW but I am soon getting my hand on my mates 3.5mm for a test against the 3.5mm Delos I have. I have the 7mm in the cabinet at the moment and that is about as good as I have ever seen and my 5mm XW is the only eyepiece that showed be Antares double, and that speaks volumes. I think I will try to get a 10mm in due course but they do not come up that often and that again tells us all something.

Need to have my eye peeled in the run up to my next visit to the UK, is the eyepiece still available new?

Alan

Still available from FLO as far as I know http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pentax/pentax-xw-10mm.html

[alan potts]

I think this is one to add to the collection next time I am over in the UK, after all there is nothing in the price of the 10mm XW and the Delos and my 5mm XW is very loanly as Dani has it in Sofia at the moment.

Alan.

[Charon]

I have thinned out my eyepiece set too, using the remaining ones with my powermate still leaves ample choice of magnifications (well for me anyway).

[alan potts]

Powermate,

that seem s a good one to go as well, the last time I used it was purely for a laugh to make 4mm Ethos from my 8mm, apart from that I don't recall using it in the last two years. Since I have 1mm gaps and less from 14mm down I just don't need it, seems silly keeping these thing just to say I have them.

Alan

[Pig]

Alan,

I would have preferred a Delos in the mid 20's rather than a higher power, but that's mainly because I have the 3-6 Nagler zoom. in addition my focal length is 2350mm, so anything under 6mm is pushing it a bit too far.

[alan potts]

Shaun,

You never know maybe one is in the pipeline. If they go to 2 inch format there is the scope to increase well above 17.3mm. I have always looked at them as high power eyepieces and even the longest focal length give a good power in my LX with its 3048mm of length, ideal for Jupiter I would think.

Alan.

[rwilkey]

Hi Alan, too many ep's in close range to each other, I have similar problems with a couple of mine, but like (love) them too much to get rid of them.

[alan potts]

The cats out the bag, I have taken the plunge, can I go through with selling the 20mm Nagler.  It took me so long to get the 21mm Ethos this has to be the one to keep.

Many thanks to all that took part in this, there will be some holes in my eyepiece cases maybe you can all help me fill them.

Alan