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Zoom eyepiece or 2 eyepieces ?

abberation

By abberation
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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abberation

abberation

Posted
Posted

After reading various posts and "Robins Eyepiece Guide" I decided that I would get 24mm and 8mm Baader Hyperion eyepieces and a Baader Barlow. I then came across the Baader 8 -24 zoom eyepiece. I appreciate with the zoom there are various click stops between, but are there any major pros or cons of using the zoom as opposed to individual ep's?

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John

John

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I have a Hyperion zoom Mk III. It's very good from 20mm to 8mm but at 24mm the field of view narrows somewhat more and is rather fuzzily defined. I was using it with my 12" dobsonian tonight on Mars and some double stars and the zoom performed well showing quite intricate Martian surface details and splitting some well known but reasonably close double stars with some ease.

You can also use the focal lengths between the click stops which makes the zoom more versatile. I can quite imagine the zoom plus a 2" 30mm wide angle eyepiece and perhaps a 6mm eyepiece for higher power viewing keeping an observer happy for some time. These are a significant step up from the eyepieces that are supplied with the scope.

To put the above in context, my other eyepieces include Tele Vue Ethos's and Pentax XW's so I'd not be happy with the zoom if it was not pulling it's weight, so to speak  :smiley:

I'm not saying that it's as good as these much more expensive eyepieces but it's certainly not disgraced by them.

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SJP

SJP

Posted
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A very interesting question!

I'm contemplating a Hyperion Zoom to complement a 5mm Hyperion, and to replace my stock Celestron Plossl 20mm, so I'll be following this thread with interest!

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SJP

SJP

Posted
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Another thought, if you have a 2" focuser then the 8mm Hyperion can be used as a 22mm eyepiece by unscrewing the secondary lens set, for for £100 you get both an 8mm and a 22mm eyepiece.

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John

John

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Another thought, if you have a 2" focuser then the 8mm Hyperion can be used as a 22mm eyepiece by unscrewing the secondary lens set, for for £100 you get both an 8mm and a 22mm eyepiece.

It's a rather poor 22mm eyepiece when you do this though. The Hyperion Fine Tuning Rings do work pretty well though although I still feel that dismantling the eyepiece in the dark to fit them is not the greatest thing to do !

I find the Hyperion zoom to be better corrected in the outer parts of the field of view in scopes faster than F/7 than the fixed focal length Hyperions are, which is not quite as I would have expected it before trying the zoom.

I did have a Mk II zoom in the past which I felt was slightly bested by the fixed focal length Hyperions so I wonder if they have improved the optical design with the Mk III ?

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

Posted
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A zoom does indeed have the great convenience of being able to yield different magnifications quickly. Very useful. The Hyperion zoom is very good by all accounts, but does not have the eye relief of the fixed ones. I just sold a Lunt zoom due to lack of eye relief (and it has more than the Hyperion), but then I need to wear glasses when observing. For others, the eye relief of both the Lunt and the Hyperion is fine.

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spaceboy

spaceboy

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I think it is handy to have a zoom eyepiece in an eyepiece case for planetary observing (dial a seeing) or grab & go convenience but not necessarily as an alternative to a collection of fixed focal length ep's. I have a Meade 8-24mm zoom which I personally feel way out performs a Revelation box set of  9,12,15,20mm plossl regards sharpness but at it's longest 24mm FL the Meade only offers me a FOV of 40° where as the 52° FOV 20mm Revelation offers me a wider TFOV and higher magnification.

On another note I have owned 17,21 and 24mm Hyperions and found the 24mm to be the worst of the bunch. They all suffered some astigmatism in my f/5 but the 24mm also had noticeable vignetting.

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Steve_meg

Steve_meg

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I had a celestron zoom eyepiece, found it ok for learning the sky on my old dob. However I find my fixed ep better.

I like the bst range, but if your not in a rush keep your eye out for some televue plossls. I got mine in mint condition for £40 secondhand, and I feel it definitely outperforms my zoom

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  • 3 weeks later...
Fish

Fish

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Posted

I have fixed focal length Hyperions and have the 8-24 zoom and Barlow. At 24mm the fov is limited but from 20mm its fine. May be I have a good one but mine is sharp at every position and is as sharp as my fixed eyepieces. It is a fantastic eyepiece for the money and spends a lot of time in my scopes. I used to use fixed focal length hyp's and the fine tuning rings but it takes time to fit the rings in the dark and increases the ingress of dirt/dust into your lens. If you have the money get the zoom and Barlow you won't regret it .

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F15Rules

F15Rules

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Posted

"Budget" Zooms have improved no end in the last few years..premium ones, eg Pentax 8-24 Smc, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon etc have been around for years but are not cheap. The Mark III Baader has combined very good optics with great value for money and I could quite imagine it is now the UK's best selling zoom. I've had two and was very impressed.

I also like that you get accessories like nosepieces for both 1.25 and 2" barrels included and compatability with a huge range of other Baader accessories.

Both my Mk III's were sharp across the range of magnifications.

I agree with John that a good high power EP for best nights is a good idea ( I have a BGO 6mm) and a long focal length wide field for low power (I have the Baader 31 Aspheric for that).

I now use a Leica Vario 7.3-22mm Zoom ( the later Leica Aspheric 8.9-19mm is often considered the best zoom you can buy, with a 60-80 deg field range-But costing c£600!!), but still thinks the Baader is a great all rounder and probably the best combination of price and performance.

Oh, and yes, a decent Barlow too:-).

Good luck!

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Pondus

Pondus

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If you go for the Baader Hyperion Zoom 8-24 mk III and you want a barlow you should

definitely go for the  Baader Hyperion Zoom barlow 2.25x.

I bought them as a combo. Gives you  3.5mm - 24mm. 

I`m perfectly happy with these, but I guess I also will invest in a low power widefield (>80 fov) this summer.

This combo works fine with both my scopes   (f5 and f5.9)

Rune

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